This week’s blog post takes a deeper look into pages 30-66 in Toni Morrison’s “Sula”. Up to this point of the reading we have been able to learn a little bit about each character and have been able to see a few different interactions between everyone. Something that has really stood out so far is the in depth narration and description of different scenes and characters throughout. It has pretty much come natural to this point of the book how easy it is to paint that picture of what is going on. We’re able to do this because of the descriptive words, and in depth character analysis of certain settings and situations. Many books out there have a movie that goes along with them and it is always interesting to see how the characters interact with one another along with scene development. Right now this story does not need that because of how in depth and easy it is to picture each character and setting. Think back to earlier in the semester when we were reading “A Raisin In The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry. The book was great and had amazing character / story development but lacked that ability to paint a picture in the reader’s mind for what their situation looked like. When I’m reading Sula I have these thoughts and images constantly running through my head about how it looks because of the constant use of descriptive words and imagery.
We’re at a point in the book where we are slowly learning about who the main characters are like Sula, Eva, Boyboy, and more. Toni Morrison does such a good job describing situations and characteristics. She does this by using certain words and phrases that give the reader an idea of what is really going on in the scene. Off rip Morrison immediately starts talking about Sula’s house stating “The creator and sovereign of this enormous house with the four seckel-pear trees in the front yard and the single elm in the back yard was Eva Peace, who sat in a wagon on the third floor directing the lives of her children, friends, strays, and a constant stream of borders” (Sula, p. 30). While this isn’t a crucial part of the chapter it gives us readers the basics of some of the characteristics of a pretty important setting along with using descriptive vocab like “enormous” and painting us a picture of what Eva was doing in the front yard. Moving to another example of in depth narration would be when stated “Quickly, as the whoosh of flames engulfed him, she shut the door and made her slow and painful journey back to the top of the house” (Sula, p. 48). This scene is quite eventful as it talks about Eva intentionally setting a fire. Morrison again does a great job of using descriptive words like “engulfed”, this gives us readers a picture of what that may have looked like as Eva made her escape out of the room. The description of a character can be huge for a story’s overall progression because you get to learn and understand a little more about who they are and how their role impacts the progression of the story. Throughout this story we see so many descriptions of physical and characteristic traits that give us a deeper understanding of the book. To start off we are talking about Eva’s last child Plum, and what he was like after returning from war. It is about how he had sent letters talking about coming home soon but was unable to. A quote that really stood out was “Finally some two or three days after Christmas, he arrived with just the shadow of his old dip-down walk. His hair had been neither cut nor combed in months, his clothes were pointless and he had no socks. But he did have a black bag, a paper sack, and a sweet, sweet smile” (Sula, p. 45). This was a textbook character description from Morrison and it helped me understand much more that emotion all the characters had in that scene. Everyone was happy to see him and welcomed him home. As the reader we can see what that room looks like when he walks in, a worn out man in rough shape coming back from the war just happy he could see his family more than anything. This is what has shown all across this book so far, super in depth descriptions of characteristics and scenes.
Overall Toni Morrison has made it a great read and pleasant experience as a reader being able to analyze her scenes and characters. I wouldn’t say it is a pattern but most definitely a common theme throughout the book being able to analyze and see what kind of the person the main characters are and paint that image in your head about where they physically are in the book.
Discussion Questions:
- Has Toni Morrison’s use of descriptive words helped deepen your understanding for what is going on in the book so far? Explain.
- As a reader is it easier for you to take in information from a book when you’re able to paint that imaginary picture in your head of the setting, characters, etc?
Works Cited:
- (Morrison, T. (1998). Sula)
Hi Jack,
This post is a great reflection on Toni Morrision’s writing and character/plot development in the first few chapters of Sula. I think you did a great job pointing out how descriptive the text is and how important this is to the reader’s experience. I completely agree that Morrison can paint a vivid picture of the characters and setting for the reader – I also am able to create images in my head as I read.
I think this is important especially within this text, because Morrision introduces us to several characters within the first few chapters. This could be confusing, but through her vivid descriptions of all of these different characters, it becomes clear to the reader that the characters and their experiences are crucial to understanding the story. I think that the in-depth character development creates a strong impression on the reader, so that they really begin to understand the experiences of their life. One example of this is at the beginning of the chapter “1921,” when we begin to learn more about Eva, and how she does not have a leg. Morrison writes, “Unless Eva herself introduced the subject, no one ever spoke of her disability; they pretended to ignore it, unless, in some mood of fancy, she began some fearful story about it — generally to entertain children. How the leg got up by itself one day and walked on off. How she hobbled after it but it ran too fast” (30). Instead of introducing us to this aspect of Eva’s character by explaining how she lost her leg, Morrison can paint a vivid image of Eva’s personality through this brief description of her disability. It is clear to the reader that Eva is a strong woman and has some authority or respect from the people around her since people do not bring it up or mock her for her disability. We also are brought to understand that Eva is humorous, enjoys storytelling, and perhaps has a positive view of her life, based on the examples of silly stories she tells to children about her leg.
Overall, I completely agree with your analysis and find that Morrison’s descriptive language, especially in regard to character development is a key aspect of the text. I am interested to see how the plot develops and how these characters continue to come to life.
Excellent close reading here, Raquel! You’ve done a great job unpacking the many interesting things we learn about Eva in that brief description of her.
Score: 5 out of 5
Hi Jack,
I think your post made me see another perspective, your perspective. I agree with you statement of how Toni Morrisons descriptive writing brought in an image of the person. Especially when she brings in their past and their story and doesn’t only talk about their physical features. I do have to disagree with the rest of your post. For me personally reading “A Raisin in the Sun” By Lorraine Hansberry, gave me a clear description of what was happening. Granted yes that was a play and this is a story. With that I still had trouble reading this book. Her descriptive writing brings an image to my head, but I get overwhelmed by too many descriptive words. Instead of seeing an image I get confused. In the book she talks about Hannah’s boys, the 3 Dewey’s. I have read this one sentence over and over in my head and out loud and cannot understand it. “When the handle from the icebox fell, all of the Dewey’s got whipped, and in dry-eyed silence watched their own feet as they turned their behinds high up into the air for the stroke. “(38) When I read this I think when one of the boys get in trouble, they all do because they’re inseparable just like their mother wanted them to be. But why the mention of an ice box handle falling? Is it supposed to be Hannah and her last nerve? I think I just actually figured it out when I wrote that but I had to look it over again and again for me to understand it. As a reader its easier for me to take information in when it’s slow and the writing is expressive. When I read, I get a picture in my head of what the character looks like and what they’re doing. That sentence was just one of the many books that I had trouble with. Going back to what you pointed out was character development. At first it confused me on why there was the whole introduction with the background story but it made sense later on when she brings in the relationships and connections each character has with each other.
Excellent job with this comment, Abby! I often tell students that if you are confused as you’re reading Sula then you’re reading it carefully and well — it’s super confusing! Morrison doesn’t hold the reader’s hand; she immerses the reader in the environment and often leaves it up to us to piece together who these characters are and how they fit into the story.
Moving forward, just make sure all quotes are introduced:
Morrison writes, “When the handle from the icebox fell, all of the Dewey’s got whipped, and in dry-eyed silence watched their own feet as they turned their behinds high up into the air for the stroke“ (38).
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Hello Jack! I really enjoyed your blog post, especially how you tied in how we can connect this to not only readings in class, but readings that we may have done on our own. Upon reading “Sula” by Toni Morrison, I found the reading kind of confusing to navigate. Now, I think that it is Morrison’s descriptive writing style that was so different for me. The descriptiveness that Morrison uses can create an extremely vivid imagine in your mind, almost making it seem like you are a part of the scene. These vivid descriptions are used in almost every line. Tying into this, the vivid descriptions also make us feel like we can get to know the characters and their relationships with each other. One quote that particularly stood out to me was, “She looked at the back of his neck and the set of his shoulders. Underneath all of that shine she saw defeat in the stalk of his neck and the curious tight way he held his shoulders. But still she was not sure what she felt. Then he leaned forward and whispered into the ear of the woman in the green dress. She was still for a moment and then threw back her head and laughed. A high-pitched big-city laugh that reminded Eva of Chicago. It hit her like a sledgehammer, and it was then that she knew what to feel. A liquid trail of heat flooded her chest.” (36). Not only can we picture this scene in our head, like body language and imagery, but we can also feel the building up of hatred and maybe even a little suspense. In just this short quote, you have such vivid imagery of what is going on because of her descriptive word choices. Compared to “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, I feel that Morrison uses descriptions to emphasize every part of her writing whether it be descriptions of emotions, movements, settings, etc. Rather, Hansberry uses set description and dialogue to help you paint the scene. Overall, although confusing at times, I believe that Morrison’s use of description helps us dive deeper into understanding the characters, relationships between characters, settings, and different emotions.
Nice job with this comment, Kerry! I’d love to hear you say more about what stands out to you as interesting about that particular quote. Eva is staring at BoyBoy’s neck and shoulders, and she somehow senses “defeat.” How do you interpret this? And then she laughs! Why is she laughing? What do you make of Morrison’s comparison between this laughter and a sledgehammer? How do you interpret the “liquid trail of heat” that floods her chest? Addressing these questions will allow you to deepen your close reading.
Score: 5 out of 5
1. As a reader is it easier for you to take in information from a book when you’re able to paint that imaginary picture in your head of the setting, characters, etc?
As a reader it is easier to take in information from a book when you can paint an imaginary picture in your head of what is going on of the setting and characters and there are times in this story, Sula by Toni Morrison that I do picture scenes in my head. When reading a book, I usually try to picture what kind of tone people are talking in and the scenario. A time when this happens to me is when Sula, Nel and Chicken Little are together. Chicken said “I was way up there, wasn’t I? wasn’t I? I’m a tell my brovver.” (60). After Chicken said that Sula and Nel began to mimic him. In my head, I can imagine them talking in a baby voice, making fun of him because he is so proud and wants to tell his brother. Chicken was proud of himself and Sula and Nel tried to make a fool of him.
Nice job with this comment, Kyle!
Score: 5 out of 5
Hi Jack! I really enjoyed your blog post detailing the imagery Morrison gives us throughout the story, “Sula”. To answer one of your discussion questions, Toni Morrison’s use of descriptive words helped deepen my understanding of what is going on in the book so far. For me, the book has been a little confusing to understand where Morrison is going with, but the one thing that is clear is the setting (how the houses look) and how the characters are supposed to look. For example, Morrison writes, “Sula Peace lived in a house of many rooms that had been built over a period of five years to the specifications of its owner, who kept on adding things: more stairways—there were three sets to the second floor—more rooms, doors and stoops. There were rooms that had three doors, oth- ers that opened out on the porch only and were inaccessible from any other part of the house; others that you could get to only by going through somebody’s bedroom,” (30). In the first few sentences, Morrison gives a clear description of what the house Sula lives in looks like, leaving very little to the reader’s imagination, but I think the heavy imagery is needed for this book specifically.
Toni Morrison also uses description with her main characters, which I think helps deepen my understanding of these characters and who they are. As Morrison begins to add characters to the story and developing plot, she describes them in great detail. For example, Morrison writes, “Eva always wore a black laced-up shoe that came well above her ankle. Nor did she wear overlong dresses to dis- guise the empty place on her left side. Her dresses were mid-calf so that her one glamorous leg was always in view as well as the long fall of space below her left thigh,” (31). By explaining Eva’s disability and physical features, I am given a basic understanding of this character and why she may behave the way she does in the future. As Morrison describes Eva more and more, I am able to sympathize and grow a connection with her. But if she had not given detail in the extensive way she has done so, I may not have the emotions I have towards this character in the very beginning of the story. Also, by explaining this in the beginning, Morrison is giving the story and plot a chance to grow and deepen past Eva’s physical appearance and more into her as a person in this story.
I agree with your thoughts and views on the narration and how Morrison’s description adds to the reader’s understanding of the story, “Sula”. I am able to read things in my own voice and with my own thoughts on the scene, but the helpful details with imagery help me to paint an accurate picture of the characters and each scene throughout the story.
Excellent job with this comment, April! You’ve done a great job identifying important descriptions of the setting and characters, and analyzing them to illustrate what they reveal to us as readers.
Score: 5 out of 5
Hi Jack, I loved how you represented and explained your viewpoint on the imagery and descriptions Toni Morrison talks about in“Sula, A novel by Toni Morrison”. When reading a book specifically Sula I found myself having vivid imaginations of the setting of the book and characters in this story. One scene that really stood out to me was when Morrison states “ Deep in its darkness and freezing stench she squatted down, turned the baby over on her knees, exposed his buttocks and shoved the last bit of food she had in the world (besides three beats) up his ass.”(34) This example gave me a great description, so much so I was vividly imagining Eva doing this. If it wasn’t for the description and painting that picture in my head I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend what exactly Eva was doing or how that helped BoyBoy sleep so silently. As a reader being able to paint a picture in your head of what you are reading, especially when it comes to the character, I think is so important as an author to make sure you incorporate descriptions and details as much as possible to better understand the dialogue between characters and also the setting.
Nice job with this comment, Jade’! I’m curious: what do you think we learn about the character Eva from Morrison’s description of this scene?
Score: 5 out of 5
As a reader is it easier for you to take in information from a book when you’re able to paint that imaginary picture in your head of the setting, characters, etc.?
Jack, great job on your discussion post! I think you wonderfully highlighted Toni Morrison’s descriptive language and how it results in numerous interpretations and understandings of the characters. To answer your discussion question, “As a reader is it easier for you to take in information from a book when you’re able to paint that imaginary picture in your head of the setting, characters, etc.?” I feel as though I make a deeper connection to the characters and I have a better understanding of what’s going on in the story if the author writes with detailed descriptions. For example, in an intimate scene between Eva and Plum, Morrison writes, “Back and forth she rocked him, her eyes wandering around his room. There in the corner was a half-eaten store-bought cherry pie. Balled-up candy wrappers and empty pop bottles peeped from under the dresser” (Morrison 46). The chaos and dirtiness of Plum’s room presented to us in this scene provides the reader with a deeper understanding of him as an individual. It is understood that Plum struggles mentally, and even in our society today it’s very well understood that a lack of cleanliness is a sign of mental struggle. Additionally, the contents of his dirty room seem quite childish with evidence of sugary eating habits. This suggests a childish personality about Plum, which perfectly reflects the nature of the scene as Eva reminisces about Plum as a boy. Morrison writes, “…Eva let her memory spin, loop and fall. Plum in the tub that time as she leaned over him” (Morrison 46). This moment in the text suggests Eva’s deep love for her son, as she will always view him as her little boy. It is through the author’s intimate description of Plum’s room that we are able to gain insight into Plum as a character, Eva as a character, and Eva’s deep love and affection for Plum.
Excellent close reading here, Katie! You do a great job unpacking all of the things we learn about Plum and his relationship to Eva through these vivid descriptions.
Score: 5 out of 5
Hi Jack,
I enjoyed reading your comment because you did a great job analyzing how the author Toni Morrison does a great job using adjectives and words to make us readers envision the setting without any illustrations to ensure we can follow how the characters interact with their surroundings and with each other. The descriptions she used help give us a foundation of the character’s personalities and tendencies. In addition, Morrison does a fantastic job of creating a picture of what Eva is like. You can infer she is passionate, caring, and a willing person of the adjectives and actions in the text. Eva is forced to raise her child by herself after her husband BoyBoy abandoned her. Despite her mixed feelings and him wrecking a family by leaving, she keeps her composure invites him for lemonade, and shows no outward aggression in their conversation. In the text, it states” When Eva got the word that he was on his way, she made some lemonade. She had no idea what she would do or feel during that encounter. Would she cry, cut his throat, beg him to make love to her? She couldn’t imagine.” Pg 35 This quote shows how despite being wronged and mistreated, her feelings for someone she cares about never truly faded. To answer your first question, yes, I feel as the descriptions and adjectives helped depict and introduce a level of tension and mixed feelings that the readers will see if it can be fixed or if the relationship breaks off.
Nice job with this comment, Anthony! Moving forward, please review the rules of MLA-style citations. The quote should read:
In the text, it states, ”When Eva got the word that he was on his way, she made some lemonade. She had no idea what she would do or feel during that encounter. Would she cry, cut his throat, beg him to make love to her? She couldn’t imagine” (35).
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Hey Jack! Great blog post. I found your post to be relatable as you explored and explained Toni Morrison’s writing strategies in “Sula”. Personally, after reading the foreword and the first chapter of the book I was faced with a bit of confusion. I think that because “Sula” is not written in a straightforward manner I was not understanding it as clearly as other books we have read in class. As you mentioned in your blog post, “A Raisin In The Sun” provided detailed descriptions which allowed me to create very vivid pictures immediately. Since Morrison does not necessarily hold the readers hand and break everything down clearly, I was left very overwhelmed at first. However, as I dive deeper into the book, I have developed a much better understanding. As I continued to read, I slowly realized that Morrison does in fact paint pictures throughout her writing to help the reader grasp a better understanding. One part of your blog post that stood out to me is when you mentioned how Morrison uses in-depth narration to paint pictures of what is going on. You wrote how Morrison also provides in depth character analysis which stood out to be specifically because as I read more of the book, I have found myself developing a better understanding of the characters. This leads me into your second question.
As a reader it is easier for me to learn/take information from a book when I can create a mental picture. In “Sula”, I found myself creating a clear interpretation of Hannah because of the detailed description the author provides. The book explains how she refused to live without the attention of a man. Morrison writes, “In the same old print wraparound, barefoot in the summer, in the winter her feet in a man’s leather slippers with the backs flattened under her heels, she made men aware of her behind, her slime ankles, the dew-smooth skin and incredible length of a neck. Then the smile-eyes, the turn of head-all so welcoming, light and playful” (42). After reading this, I immediately created a mental vision of Hannah. The quote allows us to not only picture Hannah’s physical appearance, but it allows us to imagine her personality as well. The quote starts off describing Hannah’s attire which obviously shows that she did not put much effort into what she was wearing. She walked around with barefeet, mens shoes that did not fit her and wore the same old wraparound. From these first words we can tell that Hannah has confidence. She did not need fancy attire to flaunt her body or to be seen by others. As the quote continues, we learn that she showed her body proudly, which allows the reader to acknowledge Hannah’s desire for attention. She wanted men to notice her body specifically her behind, ankles, skin and neck . The quote provides a very specific detail about her neck which I found to be very interesting because a neck is a part of the body that many people do not tend to place much focus on. I think this detail specifically gives the reader the idea that she carries herself tall and that her features cannot be forgotten. It also mentions her “smile-eyes” which allows the reader to picture a woman who is very charming and friendly. It also gives us the idea that she is very playful. Throughout the entirety of the quote, we see how confident Hannah is which allows her to flaunt her beauty and grasp the attention of men. It clearly portrays the idea that Hannah is a beautiful woman who is also a flirt. Overall, this quote allows the reader to paint a very clear picture of Hannah.
Altogether, I strongly agree with your blog post. I think Morrison does a great job providing details and descriptions which allow for the reader to paint pictures and grasp a better understanding of “Sula”.
Great close reading here, Erin! You do an excellent job unpacking the many things we learn about Hannah from Morrison’s description of her.
Score: 5 out of 5
Hi Jack !
I really enjoyed reading your post as well as your reflection on the way Toni Morrison uses her words to describe the characters in her story as well as the setting. I completely agree with you on the fact that Morrison, thanks to the choice of her words, allows us to visualize the environment and empathize with the different experiences that the characters go through.
To answer your first question which is “Has Toni Morrison’s use of descriptive words helped deepen your understanding for what is going on in the book so far?”, I will start first by saying that the words that the authors use are never chosen at random and always aim to guide our interpretation of history. Here, I noticed that the author uses different types of vocabulary depending on the people she describes. In particular, she uses colloquial language to describe the children adopted by Eva, whom the latter also calls “dewey”. We can note the quote “Tell them deweys to cut out that noice.” (38) in which the imperative tone used as well as the word “dewey” to describe children allowed me to understand that Eva does not appreciate or care about these children because she doesn’t even give them a real identity. Contrary, but still to support this idea, we can note that the author uses ameliorative vocabulary to speak of Hannah “She was unquestionably a kind and generous woman and that, couple with her extraordinary beauty and funky elegance of manner […]” (44). This shows that the author pays some attention to Hannah and certainly makes us appreciate her by the fact that she describes her in a positive way, with a host of compliments.
Ultimately, this difference in vocabulary allowed me to better identify the important characters in the eyes of the author and to better understand the development of the story from an emotional angle.
Nice job with this comment, Amandine!
Score: 5 out of 5
Hey Jack,
This discussion post was a good analysis of how Toni Morrison uses detailed descriptions to emphasize certain aspects of a scene or characters. In response to your question about Morrison’s use of descriptive words that personally helped me understand the book, I needed to understand the context of the overall scene. Whenever I read any piece of literature, especially a story, I initially try to picture the scene in my head to understand the story better. I begin by trying to visualize the background; page 30 does this perfectly. Morrison gives the reader a precise description of the house that Sula lived in, with “rooms that had three doors, others that opened out on the porch only and were inaccessible from any other part of the house; others that you could get to only by going through somebody’s bedroom.” (30.) Having such minute details included in the description of Sula’s house gives me a better understanding of the story and how the characters interact with their environment. While we just began reading this book, I realized that Morrison’s writing style is much more descriptive than any other piece of literature I’ve read. Such strategies prove to be very effective in picturing the overall scene, allowing readers to have a much more enjoyable reading experience.
Nice job with this comment, Thomas! I wonder what else we might be able to infer about the Peace household from that description you’ve included (such as what it feels like to be in there, or what the experience of living there would be like).
Score: 5 out of 5
Hi Jack,
I really liked how you described painting the imagery of this book as “natural”. I also liked how you compared the current book we are reading to “A Raisin in The Sun”. I agree with you when you said, “The book was great and had amazing character / story development but lacked that ability to paint a picture in the readers mind.”
I would like to answer your second question. As I reader I do feel it is much easier for me to take in or retain information if I am able to paint a picture of the characters or what is happening. If I am not interested in a book, I cannot do this and find it very hard to concentrate or imagine what the characters look like or the scenes. A lot of this can rely on the way the author chooses to write the story and the words they use. Thankfully in “Sula” I find it intriguing and refreshing compared to a lot of the mundane things you can end up reading in some classes.
Please review the requirements for blog comments, Conor. They must incorporate and analyze a quote from the reading in order to receive credit.
Score: 1 out of 5
Hi Jack! I really enjoyed reading your blog post on Sula. This was an excellent reflection of Toni Morrison’s usage of narrative strategies to carefully and vividly depict her story. I like your mention of film and television in relation to published novels and stories, and how they can enhance a readers development and understanding of a narrative. I always find it interesting to notice things you had not noticed prior to watching a film version of something, and how it can rearrange your perspectives. However, what makes “Sula” so special is this descriptive attention to detail. The reader does not need a film to assist their understanding of the novel, they have one easily created in their mind. To answer your second question pertaining to imagery and description of the novels important contents, such as the setting or characters, it is much easier for me to retain information from a book with vivid descriptions. Having images as a visual aide whilst reading is very important for my memory process. Connecting words to images creates a longer-lasting impression in my brain as opposed to simply reading words on a page or connecting frames of a film. Going back to the very initial pages of the book, the narrator describes the town and origins of ‘Bottom’. Morrison wrote, “…just a neighborhood where on quiet days people in the valley houses could hear singing sometimes, banjos sometimes, and, if a valley man happened to have business up in those hills- collecting rent or insurance payments-he might see a dark woman in a flowered dress doing a bit of a cakewalk, a bit of black bottom, a bit of ‘messing around’ to the lively notes of a mouth organ.” (4) While a lengthy quote, this is one long sentence of many flowing with descriptive narrative. With these crucial pieces of detail we can imagine ‘Bottom’, the people in Bottom, the people below Bottom, and the sounds and actions and events that reside within Bottom. If not for these detailed strategies, there would be no effective narrative.
Nice job with this comment, Alex! I wonder if you can do a bit more close reading and analysis of that quote. What adjectives would you use to describe the Bottom based on that quote? What does the town look, sound, and feel like? What can we infer about the residents from that description?
Score: 5 out of 5
Hi Jack, I really liked your blog post and the insights you made in regard to the use of imagery in Toni Morrison’s, Sula. To answer your second discussion question, As a reader is it easier for you to take in information from a book when you’re able to paint that imaginary picture in your head of the setting, characters, etc, my answer would have to be a resounding yes. Personally, I find it easier to learn and understand different concepts and topics when it is physically in front of me or presented in a manner that I can clearly picture in my head. With a book like Sula, having a solid use of imagery aids the reader by allowing them to play it out in their heads like a movie in a way. Morrison’s use of this literary tool is so crucial to the understanding of the novel itself, “Finally some two or three days after Christmas, he arrived with just the shadow of his old dip-down walk. His hair had been neither cut nor combed in months, his clothes were pointless and he had no socks. But he did have a black bag, a paper sack, and a sweet, sweet smile” (Morrison 45). Having this tool in your back pocket also helps the reader connect with the characters on a more personal level. Being able to see them clearly in your head allows you to watch them grow throughout the story and it makes them more relatable. It gives the character a personality and sometimes a backstory, if they have a limp or their clothes are on the fancier side. Also, while it is important to use imagery to present the characters in the story, describing a specific scene or interaction also aids in us getting to know these people better, “Back and forth she rocked him, her eyes wandering around his room. There in the corner was a half-eaten store-bought cherry pie. Balled-up candy wrappers and empty pop bottles peeped from under the dresser” (Morrison 46). How they act, their mannerisms, all of these features make a person who they are and it can add to their potential flaws or their best characteristics. Being able to paint them this clearly is a skill that aids the reader is a multitude of ways that can drastically change how we understand a story overall.
Hi Hannah. Please make sure that you are incorporating and analyzing quotes that haven’t already been discussed by the blogger or other commenters. Also, see if you can do some close reading (analysis and interpretation) of the quotes you’ve provided. Why are these interesting and unusual? What stands out about them? What do we learn about the characters from these quotes?
Score: 3 out of 5