10 Rules of Writing

When reading the article "Margaret Atwood's 10 Rules of Writing" I found it extremely interesting to see the mechanics of an author's brain. It is very seldom that a reader takes the time to understand just how much time and thought goes into constructing a novel, whether it is a "best seller" or not. What I enjoyed about this article was the fact that Atwood discusses the difficulties of writing a piece that grabs the attention of all readers; I never truly thought about how many different lenses a writer must look through. For instance, as Atwood describes in rule six, " What fascinates A will bore the pants off B." In my own writing, I do not often think about this, I always feel that the topic I write about would interest others. This tool of perspective is something Atwood has raised awareness toward for me, especially if I want others to believe that my own "story" could relate to him or her.
I also enjoyed learning that Atwood uses a thesaurus, a grammar book, and a "grip on reality." When she says "Writing is work" I can now appreciate all of the precise details that go into crafting the perfect novel. I often thought that when writing a novel, for most authors the cleverness of the novel came naturally. Reading this tip seven, made me realize that even famous writers uses the tools that are accessible to better there writing.
Lastly, my third favorite rule was number 10, "Prayer might work. Or reading something else." I find this rule the most relatable to myself when writing. I do not believe that I could construct a piece of writing without reading other materials. Other materials, in my opinion, show a future writer how to capture your own voice, and how to write a narrative or analytical paper that is intriguing to an audience. I find that for myself, the knowledge that I have gained, including specific words and phrases, has helped me to build my writing style. Without understand a word in context of a book or novel, I might never have learned what the word even means. I also believe that reading other works can help inspire a writer to think of obscure topics that they might not have written about. For instance, in a novel that introduces a utopian society a reader may be inspired to think about what his or her own utopian society would look like. Without understand other novels that have this similar idea, they might not have been able to think of a topic to write about.

Ruth's Recognition Of Loneliness

“Her son had never been a person to her, a separate real person. He had always been a passion.” (131)

When reading Toni Morrison’s, Song of Solomon, I have carried the passage restated above with me when analyzing the relationship/encounters between Milkman and Ruth. I find it interesting Ruth internalizes the significance of her son’s life, just at the point in time when Milkman’s ex-girlfriend attempts to kill him from breaking up with her after twelve years. Morrison uses an entire page to carefully weave in the thoughts of Ruth and what he son truly means to her. During this time in the novel, Ruth faces the fact that Milkman indeed has “never been a person to her” because he stands as a physical representation of a larger concept. To Ruth, he represents the last hope that she had to rekindle the relationship between herself and her husband, Macon Dead. Macon, because he had been so clearly mortified by his wife and her odd relationship with her father, can never look at Ruth the same. There fiery relationship that once linked them together had shattered to pieces the moment he saw his wife being more intimate than normal with the Dead doctor. Ultimately luring Macon to have sex with her, Ruth got pregnant with Milkman. Because this was her last attempt to fix this loneliness and brokenness, Milkman stood as “a passion” in hopes that a human creation that both Ruth and Macon made, would inevitably fix all of their problems. Unfortunately and to her dismay Milkman did just the opposite. In fact Morrison even explains how Macon wished to kill Milkman. His attitude both reflects the idea that he wanted to both kill the romance that Ruth had thought existed and to kill the actual human that formed because of there interaction. I believe that Ruth remains close to Milkman because he symbolizes this last hope that she desired. At this moment in time, Ruth needed comfort but in turn she received nothing but loneliness. It is interesting choice that for so many years Milkman is blind to how much his presence has affected his family when he was in her womb. I believe that Ruth nurtures Milkman differently than the rest of the children because he is the last standing human that could have potentially drawn Macon back to Ruth.

Pilate vs. Ruth

It is quite interesting how Toni Morrison portrays two central women in Milkman's life  -- Pilate and Ruth -- in two completely different lights. Ruth, a quite and more reserved character in Song of Solomon confides in very few people in her lifetime. Throughout her life, she was always dependent on someone else: first her father, then Milkman. As a woman who felt misplaced in her own home, she needs this deep-seeded connection in order to act as herself. Ruth struggles to feel the importance that she believes that should earn. She confides in Pilate, the complete opposite of herself, in order to receive support for herself during her pregnancy with Milkman because she would not have the ability to be a strong and independent woman when facing the anger and frustration of her not-so-loving partner, Macon Dead. Pilate's character represents the outgoing qualities that Ruth never had. She is the exact opposite character that Ruth never was: arrogant, independent, confident, and "free". Pilate exudes confidence while Ruth struggles to find it. I believe that Toni Morrison develops this contrast in order to reflect the insecurities of Ruth and point out the carelessness/freedom of a woman once so close to Macon Dead. I believe that Morrison uses Pilate and Ruth to reflect the path of these two women and the different ways they have strayed/ dealt with the man with a superiority complex, Macon Dead. She uses Ruth's character to represent the life of a black woman who struggles to reveal herself to the world because she is suppressed by a husband who has a superiority complex. In contrast, Pilate defies the odds of a woman during the middle twentieth century, as she journeys throughout the United States, trying to find her own soul -- something rarely seen in that day and age. Pilate respect's her brother's wishes to never step foot in his house again, though she does not see this as a setback, it further allows herself to become for engrossed in herself: finding the power of song to heal and finding joy in her daughter and granddaughter. Overall, Morrison uses Ruth and Pilate to represent the different roles of woman in a society that often suppressed them during this time.

Racism within Song of Solomon

Not Doctor Street. What is wrong with this title? In the initial chapters of Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison explains that the black community voted to name the street "Doctor Street" because the only black doctor in the entire town lived there. During the mid-twentieth century (the time the novel takes place) black men and women would face discrimination, antagonism, and oppression. The first instance in which Morrison reveals this discrimination is through the title of a street. The surrounding white community wished to discredit the black doctor's success by changing the name of the street to Mains Avenue. It is evident that the women and men who live on this "Not Doctor Street" are the men and women who face racism in their everyday lives. For the doctor, he was faced with criticism and discrimination based on his skin color and was inhibited from practicing medicine at the local hospital. While his talents were extraordinary, his complexion degraded his chances of helping white people who were gravely ill. As the house was passed down to his daughters family, each character deals with racism in their own unique ways as the Doctor did several years prior. For instance, Macon's character represents racism in the black community. Macon strives to obtain status, wealth and respect by owning a business that controls several houses within the black community. By holding this position, Macon wishes to be seen as higher than those who surround him. In addition to Macon, Milkman too takes on the challenge of living during a time where racism was at an all-time high. Milkman, who was shielded for a majority of his childhood from discrimination, discovers through the words of Railroad Tommy all the things black men will never be able to do. Milkman's character at the age of twelve was exposed to this idea of racism through a laundry list of positions and titles he will never be able to achieve. While those are just two out of the five family members, it is clear that Morrison has each character exposed to racism and faces the challenges of discrimination, oppression, and antagonism in all sorts of ways -- both in the black and white communities.

The Evolution of a Relationship

Toni Morrison does an excellent job conveying the long-lasting relationship between Twyla and Roberta. When analyzing this short story overall, I find it quite interesting to view the evolution of their friendship. At a young age, it was evident that the two young girls had much in common, as Twyla and Roberta were the only two girls at St. Bonny’s whose mother’s were still alive. Although they arrived at St. Bonny’s for different reasons (One mother ill, the other always dancing), It is my own belief that this parallel united, particularly in an orphanage where the majority of children have lost a parent. As the two women grow older and set apart to develop their owns lives, it is intriguing to see the vast difference between the two character’s interactions. Who was once a best friend is now an acquaintance. At this time I believe that racial identity was a large portion of why they grew apart, particularly because in their young adulthood, racism was an everlasting problem that suppressed black people all across America. However, I also believe that in both Twyla’s and Roberta’s adolescent years, they both were shielded from this racial inequality, and when each woman discovered the real world, the author felt the need to show each woman's true colors. For Roberta, she felt superior to the world like the big girls in makeup. For Twyla, she was content with who she had become regardless of who she had become when with Roberta. I believe that the moment that Twyla and Roberta run into one another at the grocery store could parallel the times when they would be foolish together at St. Bonny’s. It is evident however that Twyla becomes increasingly uncomfortable because she recognizes that the relationship she has now is so far from what they had at St. Bonny’s. Both characters are aware of this growing apart, however, they still find their ways to see one another whether on good terms or bad. For these reasons, I believe Morrison wished to convey the theme that as societal norms evolve, relationships among friends, colleagues, or loved ones are too evolving, leaving both damage and hope between certain people.

Encounter at the Howard Johnson

It was particularly striking to myself as a reader, when I reached the scene where Roberta and Twyla interacted at the bus station outside the Howard Johnson. Throughout this short story, it is quite impressive how Toni Morrison chooses to not reveal the race of each character. However, upon analyzing this scene, however, it is my belief that Morrison implies Twyla to be the black woman. During this scene, when Twyla approaches Roberta after several years apart, it is evident that Roberta believes herself to be of a greater importance. Morrison highlights this idea when comparing Roberta to the big girls with the makeup of whom, as children, Twyla and Roberta characterized those girls as persons' of greater status. I find this to reflect the racial stereotypes of this time, in which white people thought that they were better than everyone else and were plainly superficial. Although Morrison never truly specifies which woman is which, I find it interesting that several years later when Twyla acknowledges Roberta's superficial attitude at the bus station, she merely responds by saying "it was a different time back then" implying that racial division and racism were clearly evident during this encounter. While Morrison leaves this interpretation up for discussion, I believe it is important to acknowledge how skillful a writer she is, since many do believe the opposite of my beliefs. I further believe this embodies the style of her writing, as it portrays that the past/ any scene of one's past can be reflected on differently for each and every person.

Responding to someone else's post

Please view Annie's post.