I just finished reading Recitatif by Toni Morrison, a
short story in which there are two main characters. One is black and one is white. Who is which is never identified, leaving the
reader to figure it out. I wrote a
review of it for Good Reads and another book group I belong to but I had
further thoughts about it that I wanted to pursue in my blog and journal. This is the review I wrote:
I’ve been wanting to read a book by Toni Morrison,
especially The Bluest Eye which has gone on a list of banned books in
some states. A lot of really good books
are being banned, and I want to make sure I read them all. Anyway, I saw Recitatif offered by an E-book
list and, as usual, found a copy at my local very accommodating library.
I didn’t realize that Recitatif was a short
story. There was a lengthy introduction
by Zadie Smith. To be honest, I think
Smith’s essay was longer than the short story itself. I appreciated the insights into Toni
Morrison, but I am a bit annoyed that the essay gave away the whole story
before I got to it. I wish she’d just
left it at the information about Morrison and the fact that the reader doesn’t
know which of the two main characters are black or white. That’s all I needed to know to begin the
story.
That we don’t know who is of which race challenges all
of the fallacies about “others” we may have grown up with. The story leaves the reader guessing. Can you guess by social status or by dress or
eating habits or religious beliefs?
There’s no right answer and none is given. It’s up to the reader to decide. I couldn’t decide; it was a fifty-fifty coin
toss and I didn’t want to make a pick that way.
Smith’s essay was a big reason why I couldn’t make up my mind.
It's an awesome short story. Please read it. If you get a version with the introduction by
Zadie Smith, take my advice and read the story first. Then read the introduction for Smith’s
analysis of it. She provides a really
clear case why a reader would decide one character was Black, the other
white. I now have The Bluest Eye
requested from my trusty library.
My thoughts now:
One of the very enlightening pieces of the
introduction by Zadie Smith had to do with an address Toni Morrison gave at
Howard University way back in 1995. She
prefaced it by listing the 10
steps leading to oppression. When I
read the steps, it made me think of Nazi Germany and how Jewish people were
demonized. You know what, though? It applies here, too, in the good old USA and
not just with the MAGAs.
After reading those steps, think about the 1619 project
and slavery. I wrote about this in an
earlier entry. When the slave population
began to outnumber whites, the slave owners began to fear an uprising. Slaves
became the enemy, step 1. Slaves were
marginalized and referred to by derogatory names, step 2. Get help from governing bodies to pass laws
to control slaves, step 3. Abolitionists
were often discredited, mocked, and event attacked, Steps 4-5. I can’t think of any example of step 6. Slaves were thought to be dumb and animalistic
and that view was spread, step 7. Step 8
might be quarantining slaves to the owner’s property and making them live in
slave quarters. Step 9, allowing small
celebrations every now and then, dancing, singing, playing musical instruments. Step 10, silence? Well, slavery was the south’s “peculiar
institute”. Does that count?
That’s most likely where it all began in this
country. White supremacists continued to
hold these views through Reconstruction and on into the Jim Crow era. Things began to change with Brown vs. Board
of Education in 1954 and the Civil Rights movement in the late 50s-mid ‘60s.
Blacks aren’t the only people demonized. There’s been hatred, terrorism, and racism
directed toward Catholics, people of the Jewish faith, women, people of color
and the LGBTQIA community. See what’s
happening today with the MAGA movement:
White supremacists fear “other” groups because they
see they aren’t the dominant group anymore.
All these groups become “the enemy”.
That’s step 1.
Step 2. Name
calling and verbal abuse of “others”: blacks are called the n-word; immigrants
and Americans born of immigrants are told “go back to where you came from”; antisemitism;
nasty names and physical attacks on members of the LGBTQIA. TFG is especially expert at this.
3. Fox news and
other ultra-conservative white supremacist media eagerly support and spread
negative misinformation about “others”.
4. Get rid of
any dissenters. Example: CNN’s been
purging many of its correspondents and journalists who aren’t leaning right. CNN used to disseminate balanced news but has
since been bought out by an ultra-right wing conservative billionaire.
5. Discredit
dissenters. See what happened to Rep.
Liz Cheney, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, and most if not, all GOP that disagreed with
TFG or voted for his impeachment.
6. Recruit
members of “others” to join them; this way they couldn’t possibly be racist
7. Label “others”
with criminal behavior. Immigrants from
the south were labelled as “rapists” and criminals. People who support teaching critical race theory
in schools and other social programs are ridiculed by conservatives as being “woke”. Some are accused of “grooming” or otherwise
warping the minds & bodies of minors. Social media platforms dedicated to white
supremacist groups run rampant and spread all kinds of lies and myths about “others”
and The Big Lie
8. TFG and
other white supremacist/ultra conservatives sue the heck out of state &
federal government agencies and corporations that support laws they don’t
like. As for a “special holding area”:
that’s where immigrants crossing the border are placed. And what do you suppose indigenous
reservations are?
9. Reward loyalty;
persecute dissention. How about TFG’s
latest offer to pardon and support all his treasonous MAGA/white
supremacist pals that stormed Congress, attacked law enforcement, and
terrorized everyone? Way to raise a well-armed
militant private army.
10. For years
and years, conservatives have been plotting on taking over our democracy. It all started during the Nixon
administration with the Lewis
Powell memo. Conservatives have the
patience of spiders and have created quite the intricate webs. We’re only beginning to uncover all the
plotting that’s been going on the last 50 years.
Scary, isn’t it?
One more thought to go: read this
article.
