TONI MORRISON, Beloved (Part 1) - On Slavery and Freedom

The focus of this episode will be on Baby Suggs' definition of freedom in the face of the fact of being an ex-slave. Each character in the novel provides a definition to the question of how to reclaim the black body after slavery, but hers is the most interesting because it involves the practice of rediscovering and loving one's body deliberately and piecemeal.
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[@jeromemasamaka8938]

Great discussion, Prof. Quayson. Beloved is truly an incisive novel on the damage slavery has done to the black body. I like the idea that, in this context, freedom is a practice that involves learning to love the black body. What I realise is that slavery is an Intergenerational truama for blacks and so the healing is both personal and communal. Any semblance of personal success and freedom can be easily undermined by the suffering of other black bodies. The reactions of blacks all over the world, including prominent ones like Obama, Beyoncé etc., to George Flyod’s death is a loud statement that everyone with black body is on trial daily negotiating around personal triumph and the communal tragedy of racism. In this case, can anyone with black body be truly triumphant, knowing that his next black neighbor maybe a George Floyd?

[@CriticReadingWriting]

You are completely right, Jerome. There is a concept from diaspora studies that is pertinent to what you have just said: co-ethnic identification. Basically, this implies that wherever a community perceived to be part of your race or ethnic background happens to be, whatever bad thing happens to them implies some significance for you, irrespective of how distant you are. Thus, if let us say the Greek community in Toronto or the Nigerian community in Guangzhou is placed under threat, all Greeks and Nigerians anywhere in the world will see themselves as somehow threatened, irrespective of the peacefulness of their own circumstances. It was this idea that powered the Pan-Africanist ideals of old (remember Bob Marley's "War"?), and that linked the rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement to that of decolonization in Africa and elsewhere. The events around George Floyd's killing and the worldwide outrage toward it represents another instance of the same phenomenon, but this time escalated to included all races, and not just Black folk.

[@kwakuntiamoahduka-akwah9287]

Illuminating. Thanks Prof

[@deborahneely454]

Excellent commentary. Thank you. This book is my favorite. It has made me, a white woman , feel less alone. She teaches you courage and humanity in the face of unimaginable trauma.

[@joey_frimps]

Thank you, Prof. for this succinct and comprehensive review of the novel, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. It’s one of the recommended text for my undergraduate course, “Literature of the African Diaspora.” I am here to learn! 🙏🏿

[@gladysagyeiwaadenkyi-manie3691]

Thanks a lot, Prof. I must confess I have not read 'Beloved' though I have it in my library. However, your insightful lecture on the background, plot, and themes of slavery and freedom has given me a lot of insight into the text. Thank you.

[@CriticReadingWriting]

HI Agyeiwaa, get to it soon, because it is a novel that repays re-reading at different stages of your life. Every landmark should be registered by re-reading Beloved. Truly, it has a congregrational quality to it. You will see when you get to the very end of the novel.

[@LydiaEsenam]

This has been very insightful. A tarted books describes the connection you have with it. I enjoyed this so much. Looking forward to some more

[@CriticReadingWriting]

Thanks, Lydia. Much appreciated.

[@teresaluker1728]

Amazing. So insightful. I'm really glad I found your channel! Thanks Prof.Quayson

[@wajiranwazier4530]

Lovely lecture! It help me much in understanding Morrison’s work that challanging for Indonesian to understand her language

[@sunshinechen4761]

Thank you for the video! If color was a way of deciphering and unpacking the actions of Sethe and life, do you think there's an explanation for the progression from blue to yellow and then to pink? Is the pink a reference to the tombstone of Beloved? What about the patches of color that Sethe and later Denver see in their house and quilts?

[@christmokaga1922]

Please, how can we study sounds inside the novel? Musicality is it one of the strategies used by Toni Morrison?

[@joey_frimps]

Prof, please, are there instances of human rights abuse in the novel. If yes, what are they please?