Beloved ~ Chapter 9

In this chapter of  Beloved  Sethe confronts her memories of Baby Suggs, and returns to the Clearing. After dealing with the picture of Halle with butter smeared all over his face she needs "some fixing ceremony" (101). Sethe tries to put the pain of the past behind her by remembering what she misses. She thinks about Baby Sugss voice, her heart, and her touch. Sethe remembers " the thouch of those fingers, that she know better han her own" (115). Where as Sethe tries to keep herself gaurded, in her secrets and self she thinks about opening up to Baby Suggs. This is beacuse she trused Baby Suggs with her and her children. She imagines the calming touch of fingers because she has no one to comfort her after Paul D tells her about Halle. Sethe's role as the protector leads her to remember the feeling of being comforted an protected by Baby Suggs.

"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To my understanding, what Emerson is saying is people tend to define themeslves in society by their actions, to which group or church they belong, to their "ranking" of how they mentally compare to others. We tend to base our ranking in society on how we think others see us and we are even swayed to change our habits if we feel unaccepted. However, Emerson belives that only foolish people who don't trust their insticits behave this way. He goes as far as to say that "whoso would be a man must a nonconformist"( 21) and  to "Trust thyself" (20). If one rejects their true beliefs to feel higher in society they are no man, they are spineless. Letting others mold one's character would be completley unacceptable in his opinion. Emerson says that the great man is he who " in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude" (23). We don't always need to find a palce to fit in.

Quran Nonsense

After reading the article Obama implores minster to call of Quran burning the issue of the Quran burning could have a much higher potential impact than I originally thought. At first I thought that the Floridian minister, Terry Jones was just a "right wing nut job" who decided to do something controversial to bring more attention to himself.  I think that the reason this issue has expanded to national news is because it is a question of both morals and ethics of conduct. Of course this minister (and anyone who chooses to follow him ) have a constitutional right under the first amendment to assemble and protest and have their own freedom of opinion but this act is just so distasteful. I certainly as an American still am upset about the terrorist attacks of 9-11 but in the words of Mahatma Gandhi  "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". This demonstration is simply to show vengeance for what we lost that day but the effects will resonate beyond the Church . As President Obama said "this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform". Obama brings about an aspect that I had not considered before, that there will be (and already have been) demonstrations by Muslim people against the demonstration. If this minster intends to say that he stands for  protecting the U.S. he is terribly ignorant.

The American Crisis by Thomas Paine

In this text, Paine like so many other revolutionists defends the need to protect America from the forces of Great Britian. He calls once again upon the people of the colonies saying that the fight cannot be won without support from all . He states " on every state; up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better to have too much force than too little when so great an object is at stake"(52). Paine's argument calls to my mind what some people have said about elections, that not voting is as to giving away a vote to the victor. He in producing the pamphlet Common Sense means to tell people not to get comfortable living in America, but that they must support whatever needs to be done to protect their freedoms. What is at stake is future of the country and the colonists. Paine's arugument also recalls to my mind The Prince by  Machiavelli, in which he argues the difference of being and seeming. - To Be Continued