1) Ask (3) questions from the chapter that you'd really like answered.
2)
Write a response, choosing a line and explaining it's significance to
you. Please remember: no plot re-cap! Share your analysis, make
connections to the world, ask questions, discuss imagery, and deepen
your thinking.
3) Don't forget to respond to someone else's post!
3) Don't forget to respond to someone else's post!
"I never heard Chicken Man talk so severely and what he said didn't really hit me, not right away. I said to myself, 'He's just a drunk,' and continued my adventures." -page 150
ReplyDeleteThis quote reminded me of Holden. Both James and Holden are failing/getting kicked out of school and just don't think about their future. When Holden's teacher asks about his future he avoids it, which is exactly what James is doing while talking to Chicken Man. Maybe like Holden, James is afraid of his future, or afraid to grow up. James has had a hard time after his step father died. It is especially bad because his mother is falling apart which is understandable to why James would be doing badly in school and just being careless all together. James is afraid to grow up because he doesn't know what to expect and that concept is hard for him to deal with. This is significant to me along with other teenagers who are afraid to grow up because they don't know what to expect and that can be really difficult.
1) Why does Ruth's aunt help her in such a tremendous way an then refuse to talk to Ruth after she moves to New York?
2) Why is Ruth so hurt after the second death of her husbands? Her second husband was distant anyway, so why is it having such a big effect on her now?
3) If Chicken Man plays a pretty big role in James' life, why does he describe his death so shortly and with no emotion?
I agree that James is similar to Holden. They both fail school and never seem to care. James seems afraid of the future and the responsibility that comes with adulthood. Why would James be afraid of the future? Does he fear he'll turn out to be like someone he knows?
DeleteI agree with you. I think James and Holden can relate in many ways a big one being that they’re both failing school, and don't seem to care about their future. I think another is that neither of them really have such a great support system which obviously contributes to their problems in school. Holden's parents are never there, and James now only has his mom and his siblings, who are all also upset and not only that expect too much from him to begin with. The biggest similarities between these characters though, it that they both just want to figure out who they are, but are too scared to really try.
Delete"See, my mother's family, they didn't say a lot to you. They would always take care of you in a basic way but they never said a lot to you."(Page 132)
ReplyDeleteRuth's family never cared for love but mostly for money. Ruth always wanted love in her life. That's why she was always overjoyed when she was with her boyfriend or grandmother because they gave her love. When you visit your family somewhere, they usually take you in and treat you lovingly. But with Ruth, her family almost treated her as a stranger. She wished to have more love from her family but her family was too strict for love. Her family didn't even run on family love, but more on the store her father kept.
Her whole family cared more about money then love. There is a very interesting quote on 135, "They were all trying hard to be American... not knowing what to keep and what to leave behing". I think that Ruth's family is so caught between worlds that they can not manage to love. They are so concentrated on making money and fitting in.
Delete"But you know what happens when you do that. If you throw water on the floor it will always find a hole, believe me" (page 135).
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because I wasn't entirely sure what Ruth meant by it. Could she have meant that if you just ignore your problems, they will eventually get to you? Ruth talks about how her mother's sisters tried too hard to be American, disregarding any difficulties that came their way and "sweeping them under the rug." She describes this side of her family as not very warm and loving, and they seemed to be very intent on fitting in to the rich, American lifestyle. So it makes sense that they would not be exceptionally fond of Ruth, their poor, Southern, self-conscious niece. While they are so wrapped up in trying to live that life, they are lacking in other aspects. Perhaps by creating this vague metaphor, Ruth is foreshadowing something that happens later to her aunts. But what exactly does she mean, and what is she saying about her family with this metaphor?
Good question, Coco! Does anyone else have a guess??
Delete"She played each note separately, as if they has no connection to each other, and they echoed through the house and landed on the walls like tears." Page 138
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me for many reasons, but mostly because it is simply beautiful. The sounds of James life, the everyday noises, capture exactly how he is feeling; the pain and emptiness that is taking over his family. This line has such an unbelievably stronge image. After this quote, James begins to talk about avoiding his home life and feeling no emotional connection to his family. James is lying to himself. He loves his family, so much in fact that he does not want to see them in pain. He can not bring himself to spend any more time at home then he needs to. On page 142 he says, "I took pains to keep my life as a punk a secret from my mother". James cares about his mother so much. He is a "punk" and will not take crap from anyone, he doesn't care about anything, but he cares about his mother. When he says he doesn't love her its a lie, he want the best for her and will do whatever he can to make her feel happy.
I agree, Tamar. This line is beautiful. He obviously feels for his mother. So why can't be take action and support her? He promised his step-father that he would help, and he doesn't. Why does he disappoint her so much, especially when we know that he doesn't want to?
Delete"I began my own process of running , emotionally disconnecting myself from her..."
ReplyDelete-pg 138
This line stood out to me because I thought that it showed a connection between how james and his mother deal with their problems. They both run, neither of them face their problem. I think that this shows a significant connection between the two of them that james doesn't notice yet. For all he knows they are the most different human being on the planet but this little trait shows a huge connection between them, and they both rebel. James starts to smoke weed and steal stuff and Ruth got a black boyfriend.
I agree. It seems like the only way the people in the family can deal with their problems is by running away and/or disconnecting themselves from the world. Ruth ran away, Helen ran away and now James is disconnecting himself from his family. James thinks that he and his mother are nothing alike because all he sees her as is his white mother, but they have more in common than he realizes.
DeletePunk that I was, I did feel sorry for them... but not sorry enough." page: 141
ReplyDeleteThis part stood out to me because James can relate to Holden. In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden lies to everybody. In the beginning of the book he lied to Mrs.Morrow and then felt guilty afterwards. Even though he fealt guilty and sorry that he had done that he continued to lie to more and more people. This can be related to James because even though James feels sorry about taking the woman's purse he doesn't feel sorry enough and keeps doing it. Both Holden and James know what they are doing is wrong and feel guilty about it, but they keep doing it. This makes me wonder if it is something that teenagers just do out of habit. They do something they know is wrong, feel bad about it and then do it again, completely disregarding their past feelings.
1) Does Ruth's parents ever find out about the abortion? How did Peter react when he found out that his unborn child was dead? Does James ever go back to school?
I agree that James feels guilty about stealing things from other people but not sorry enough for them to stop. I think he continues to do this because he is so full of hurt and anger about how difficult his life is. I think that after his stepfather died, James ran away from his problems instead of supporting his mother because he couldn't express all these feelings of hurt he was experiencing. Stealing the purses gave him some control. I feel like James didn't want to show any weakness.
DeleteI really like how you connected this to "The Catcher in the Rye". It does remind me of Holden because that's also how Holden thought. It's really interesting how they both continue to do certain things that make themselves feel bad. I do think it is something teenagers do. Many people might do something they regret doing and end up doing it again later.
Delete"No one knew my past, my white mother, my dead father, nothing. It was perfect. My problems seemed far away." Page 147.
ReplyDeleteThis quote stands out to me because it shows how James is running away from his problems. HIs family life is too overwhelming for him so he turns to drugs and alcohol for relief. James had the problem of being a black kid with a white mother in the 1960's so I knew something was going to make James question his identity and on top of this his step-father who he loved a lot died. Right now in the book James is going through a tough time and It seems like he thinks that he can just be carefree and and nothing will change. For example he thinks that he'll have a chance in school after his grades plummet but he won't and he thinks his family life will not worsen but it will. James seems like he is turning into his mother Ruth and it makes me wonder if this will become a habit with James? Although running away from problems is a bad habit a lot of people in the world do it. When things become too stressful people tend to push themselves away. I think it's a natural thing that humans do but James is doing it to the extreme. He is not taking on any responsibility and is hiding his sadness through weed and alcohol.
yeah I agree what hes doing is really bad. Hes going through this stage where his friends became his family and his mother and sibling didn't really matter. I feel like this stage happens to everyone, but not everyone goes to the extremes that James went to.
DeleteI agree with you, i posted about the same thing. I thought that ruth and james had more in common than james relized. He thinks of his mother as like completly different from him but was we know from this chapter we see that they have a lot more n common than james thinks
Delete“No one knew me. No one knew my past, my white mother, my dead father, nothing. It was perfect.” (p.147)
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because I think it is really interesting and even a little ironic that although James’ trying desperately to figure out who he is and where he comes from, here he is liking the idea that no one knows anything about him. We know that his father’s death obviously affected him deeply, but you would think that a traumatic incident would make someone even more eager to figure out their true identity. James is clearly doing the opposite here, trying to run away from who he is, and what he knows of where he comes form. You can also see clear comparisons in Ruth’s story and James’ story. They both started to disobey their families, and really feel out of place when they were around fourteen or fifteen. They both want to run from home, and they both have no idea who they are outside of their families, and where they came from. They also both like places that no one knows who they are. James likes “the corner” and Ruth likes New York where she just blends in and everyone looks past her. They both just want to blend and not be the freak or the outcast whose Jewish in a segregated time, or has a white mother and a dead stepfather.
Why doesn’t Ruth share her past until now? Is she trying to protect herself or her children? Is it because she never really knew who she was?
I think that James is looking for his fresh start. He has had such a recent bad past experience so that he wants to throw away his past battles with race and with death and just be someone new. I think he is running away from who he is and not trying to discover who he really is because he thinks that there is so much conflict in his life and that there is nowhere for him to go in his own life.
DeleteI think that Ruth wanted her children to not think badly of the Jews so that's why she never told them about her bad experiences with her Jewish household and mainly jewish father. She is trying to keep her children from hating Jews because of a bad experience she had.
Becca, I'm really glad you pointed out the irony here. James wants so desperately to figure out who he is, and yet the reason he loves Louisville is that he can escape his life and his identity. The parallels between Ruth and James at this time are amazing. I wonder, too, when Ruth sees James going through this tough time, why doesn't she try to tell him about her own struggles?
DeleteI don't think Ruth shared her past with James until now because she doesn't want to experience all of those emotional feelings again. I mean, she's a single mother of a dozen kids so the emotional toll and stress levels are high. I also think Ruth knew who she was...she just didn't know what kind of person she wanted to be. She had no goals for herself because she was so limited in her choices.
Delete"I was numb. I felt like I was getting back at the world for injustices" (P.141)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stands out to me because it shows a really frequent example of how people deal with pain and suffering. The way that James is numb to death reminds of the way in which Frank McCourt was numb to it and just seemed to forget about death and brush it off. James on the other hand is numb to death but can't brush it off. It hangs over him and begins to effect his actions. I think that the difference between the two characters is caused by their experience with death. Since Frank was introduced to death at a younger age when he couldn't exactly process what death was he didn't let it hang over him. James on the other hand had his death experience at an older age when he is fully aware of everything and can't be swayed with stories of heaven and the next life that the person is living. Since he is fully aware of death and what it means he dwells in it having never experienced it before especially with someone he was so close to.
Why do people go "numb" instead of dealing with their emotions? Why do you think James was unable to talk to his mother about how he was feeling? Why did he want to avoid her pain so much?
Delete"My friends became my family, and my family and mother became people I lived with."
ReplyDeleteThis stage that teenagers go through seems to be very common. James really takes it to an extreme though. Usually kids just spend way more time with their friends than with their family. James basically dropped out of school and is away from home doing drugs and drinking alcohal with his bad friends. I find it horrible that he abandons his Mom, who he used to love dearly, in a time when she needs the most support and comfort. I also find it so sad that such a nice smart kid turned into such a mess. James definately needs help
Why do you think he started to make such bad decisions? I mean, you're right that most teenagers go through this phase, but James' case seems more extreme.
DeleteThe saying is "it takes a village to raise a child." When someone feels like they are not known, what they do doesn't matter in a place where they are anonymous, they do (self) destructive acts. However, in our times these feelings do not have to occur in a different city or state, it can happen in another neighborhood or another street.
DeletePamela Yiadom
DeleteI agree that James is a big mess now, but I think some how it's not his fault, and like you said this is a stage that teenagers go through.
"I began my own process of running emotionally disconnecting myself from her, as if by doing so I could keep her suffering from touching me". -pg. 138
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because I feel like James doesn't really want to run away from his problems for the most part. All he really wants is answers to make him understand his identity more, which he never got. In the same way, he is living out his mother's experience of loneliness. They were both sad and confused so they channeled those emotions through being rebellious in their own ways of course. Ruth found love with a black boy while James found new friends and shoplifted, smoked, and stole (cars, bikes, TV's and wine). I guess James used his rebellious streak as a coping mechanism to deal with his father dying. It's bad enough that his mother just sits at home and plays sad, melodious tunes on the piano, and now that the whole "monarchy system" that ran the household feel apart and Ruth doesn't care to fix it. She's probably so broken inside, she doesn't have to energy to move on anymore. James looks to his mother for guidance, but since Ruth doesn't care, he doesn't care. He just doesn't care about his education, or his reputation and he is slowly breaking inside as well.
I completely agree with you, this is a great analysis. A recurring theme I keep noticing in this book is escaping reality and running away from your problems, and this book displays many versions of doing that. His sister Helen physically ran away from her problems. What I'm wondering is, why do people find satisfaction in rebelling? What exactly is so thrilling about going against society?
DeleteI agree with you both absolutely. I think that James just wants answers. He IS living out off his mom's lonliness and depression and he just doesn't know what to do. He's also finding out himself within the process.
DeleteI agree, James was absorbing all of his problems and since he doesn't know how to deal with problems because he looks up to his mother for guidance which she can't help with because she also needs to find and go on the right path, so he is putting his energy into acts of rebellios.
ReplyDelete"Chicken Man was a sweet man. He was completely incoherent when he was drunk,but when sober he was one of the chief philosophers of the Corner. (Pg.146)
ReplyDeleteThis quote makes me reflect on two things and that is how many lives can't reach their full potential because, first the problems individuals have with alcohol and drugs. Second, the unutilized potential and great human waste the occurs as a consequence of racism in this country. In this particular case a person like the Chicken Man was responsible for saving the eventual accomplishments and life of James.
“You could hang near the back and get an open-air ride. I’d hang my head out the side and let the wind blow in my face, whooosssh! Anything that moved, I liked. Speed. Trains, trolleys, skates.” Pg. 133
ReplyDeleteI think one of the reasons why Ruth liked things that moved fast was because she felt trapped in her life and wanted to move on. She never felt like she could enjoy the smaller moments in her life because she was constantly judged and underappreciated. I think this is part of the reason why Ruth developed a habit of running away from her problems. I wonder if Ruth’s mother also contributed to this by sending her to New York every summer to get away from the unhappiness she felt from living in the South and working at the store.
Three Questions:
Delete1) What happens to Ruth's relationship with Peter?
2) Does Ruth's father find out about the baby?
3) Does James stop rebelling?
" 'That's between him and his woman. Don't never get between a man and his woman.' " pg. 151
ReplyDeleteThis line was significant to me because it made me think about gender roles in both James' and Ruth's time period. I feel like in Ruth's childhood, there was obviously more prejudice against women because Ruth and her mother were in a incredibly male-dominated household in which they had no say. In James' childhood, there was more tolerance towards women, but still an incredible amount of sexism. In a traditional place like Kentucky, rules like the Chicken Man is talking about probably still heavily apply. But on pg. 152 when that women stabs Mike, it seemed very matter-of-fact and not very important, like it was almost important. A women had to have a lot of power to kill an abusive man like Mike. But also in James' childhood, his mother was really the sole authority figure and she was a woman, which makes me wonder about James' perspective on women growing up. His sisters were incredibly strong-willed as well.
3 questions:
1) What is James' view of women?
2) Does Ruth every truly get over her first love?
3) Does Peter even love Ruth back? Is the love there?
" Punk that I was,I did feel sorry for them, their screams echoing in my ears as I ran." (pg.141)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it shows that James does actually have feeling and feels bad about what he did to all those women. When James did this the first time I understood but as he continued to rebell I definetly thought he was punk and I'm glad that he understood that he wasn't acting the way he should. Eventhough he got $1.16 out of the ladies purse, that was a few bucks back them.
1) If Joe stopped snatching the purses, why didn't James stop aswell.
2)When Lois and Enid decided to go to the movies and didn't offer to pay or even go with them, They have lots of money why not invite your cousin?
3) Why did aunt laura still have a maid if noone could clean like she did?
"New York was an eye popper for me. Plus everyone seemed too busy to care about what race or religion you were. I loved it." P.130
ReplyDeleteThis stood out to me because it says a lot about New York at the time. New York was very fast paced and very diverse, as it is today, so people were more worried about their jobs than the differences of people on the street. I think this was very attractive to people, so more people moved into this area, making it even more diverse. As I read this, I notice that New York is so attractive to people because of its diversity.
I agree, but I also think she really liked New York because everybody didn't know everybody. There were too many people for judge her, so she was able to be more free. But New York was also more diverse.
DeleteI agree with you but I also think that this shows a lot about Ruth. She was discriminated based on her religion and in New York nobody cared which she liked. She liked being able to fit in.
Delete"No one knew me. No one knew my past, my white mother, my dead father, nothing. It was perfect. My problems seemed far, far away." (Page 147)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it connected James past to his mothers. Ruth left her home in Suffolk because she wasn't happy with the life she had there. She wanted to simply go somewhere someone didn't know who she was, somewhere nobody cared who she was. It seems unusual at first for James to want to because his mother wanted the best for her children. She did everything in her power to keep them out of trouble and prosper in education, but everything seemed to fall apart after their stepfather died. With this tragic event came James rebellious side. He started to make poor decisions and forgot about school, something his mother wouldn't tolerate. That's probably why he choose to leave, it was simply too much to bear at a young age. Ruth too was rebellious in her day. She made decisions that she thought would be yes for her even though they weren't tolerated in her family. Sometimes people believe that the best way to deal with regret is to simply run away and escape from it like James did.
Three questions-
Delete1) Why didn't James stay home and work things out with his mother?
2) Why did James turn to his rebellious teenage side when his family needed him the most?
3) Why did James find comfort in people not knowing his past like his mother?
"I began my own process of running , emotionally disconnecting myself from her."
ReplyDeleteI choose this quote because it seems like a lot of those family members end up running from their problems. It started off with Ruth's brother when he ran because he couldn't deal with how his father treated him. Then it went on to Ruth when she left because she got pregnant and later fell in love with a black man. This then continued to Helen who dropped out of school and later ran from home after an argument. Finally James began to rebel and run from his own problems. A huge factor of running is that this family doesn't really understand how to express their emotions. They were the type of family to never say I love you to each other or be emotional with each other. When James' stepfather died James couldn't express how he felt towards him because he never learned how. Holding emotions inside is bad because it builds up until one day you finally 'explode'.
1) What happened to Ruth's mother?
2) Did Ruth's boyfriend know about the abortion? If so what was his reaction?
3) Will James stop rebelling and return home?
I feel like this book is FULL of irony. Ruth resented her Jewish side, however, she sent her children to generally Jewish schools. Here, she wants the best education and church raising for her children, she didn't go to school as a child most days. And as you said her family has a bad habit of running away from their problems all of the time. This shockingly rubbed off onto James and he just kind of gave up. It was almost like he had no purpose any more. He says that he was running on end to get away from his mother, but that is the exact same thing that Ruth did from her father. Sometimes I wonder if running is in their genes! I know this isnt true but it is definitely a pattern.
Delete"Plus everyone seemed too busy to care about what race or religion you were. I loved it." (130)
ReplyDeleteThis stood out to me because you can feel the relif of how Ruth feels when she's in New York. She's happy. She's free. I think this feeling that she feels now contributes to why she lives in New York in the present. She doesn't have to worry about being judged or being seen as different. I think New York to her was really the land of opporutunity.
I agree, but I found this quote kind of ironic because now in New York they are constantly judged. In an earlier chapter, James talked about how people would stare at their family on the subway. Also how people would shout racial, rude things at his mother because she was a white jewish women with african american children. I think that maybe when she was a teen and she was more naive, she saw New York as somewhere where everybody was accepted, but as she grew up she saw that it really wasn't that way.
DeleteI completely agree with you Camryn, New York really is great! But I don't think that is what affected her future, I think that as long as Ruth was away from her family, that she could live a good life. Although this quote seems pretty clean cut, I still wonder why Ruth chose to go to New York and not somewhere else?
DeleteI agree. James never expressed his emotions to his family, he choose to keep it bottled up like Ruth had. He didn't how to communicate with his family like Ruth. So, he turned his mixed emotions and desire to escape from his lifestyle into rebellion.
ReplyDeletePamela Yiadom
ReplyDelete" At night she cried in her bedroom, though she always hid her tears from us". Pg.137
Questions:
1.Did she hide her tears so she could protect her self?
2. I wonder if this is connected to her being able to cry in front of her children in church and her hiding her tears in pain.
3. Was this a sign of her trying to be a strong mother?
This line stood out to me because it showed how Ruth was trying to not show her weak side to her children. She wants her children to see that she is not weak. That's why she hid her tears, and her emotions. it's like when people curse at her for having black children, she stays strong, showing her children how she is. I think she feels like if she hid her tears her children would see her as a strong person with no weakness. Well that's what some parents do, they know that their children look up to them, so they make sure their children never see the weak side of them.
Nobody know how smart I really am, Chicken Man, but I'm smart." (Page 150)
ReplyDeleteI feel like I've seen people say this all over, in movies and in real life, when they're in denial. I feel like James had always thought he was this insanely intelligent guy. By making these choices, he thinks he looks really cool. But he always thought he could go back to school and ace everything, but he doesn't really feel like this. He says this to Chicken Man to maybe tell himself he's smart. He may feel like he needs an outside opinion to help support his own argument. His confidence in his intelligence is wavering, and he doesn't know who to turn to.
1. Why is he able to smoke at the corner?
2. Is he over-confident?
3. What is the past of Chicken Man like?
"If you throw water on the floor, it will always find a hole, believe me." p.135
ReplyDeleteThis quote is interesting because I think what Ruth is saying is that even if you try to hide things, your secrets will get out, no matter how hard it is, they somehow will. Is she saying this to say that it is pointless to try and hide things? I also found it interesting because James talks about how his mother never discussed her past or race or anything like that, which is something big and important in his life that she kept secret. It kind of reminds me of how she said her mother's family was always hiding their feelings. I also found this interesting because she says she didn't like the south because under the politeness and hospitality, there were guns, secrets, and liquor. She said she liked New York much better, but the situation seemed to be the same with her mother's family, hiding their feelings. I wonder why she didn't realize the similarities.
This quote also stood out to me because I thought it was foreshadowing her father figuring out her past and her relationship with Peter. The quote is a great analogy and put a picture in my head immediately and made me think.
DeleteWhat would life have been like for James if his stepfather was around?
ReplyDeleteDoes Ruth's father ever learn about the abortion?
What would Ruth have done without the abortion?
"I was always grateful for that, even though she slammed the door in my face years later."
This quote stood out to me because I at first thought that Ruth did not show enough appreciation for the people who did so much for her by keeping her secrets. When the last Ruth-narrated chapter ended, I felt that Ruth wasn't grateful enough to the people who kept her secrets because of how she never talked about her mother and didn't show very much affection. I now see that Ruth really was grateful, and has no choice to be, even if the people regret keeping her secrets and end up slamming the door on her. Ruth is a strong woman whose background really did make her stronger, and wise in general.
I agree with you in how Ruth in the beginning almost had a disdain about her family and didn't appear to trust or care for them. In the Ruth narrated chapter, you see that Ruth has much love for her mother, but has a different way of showing it. While most people express their love verbally, Ruth's way of showing love is to keep it to herself and hope you know she loves you.
Delete"..my mother's family, they didn't say a lot to you. They would always take care of you in a basic way but they never said a lot to you." pg. 132
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because I always assumed that since Ruth didn't like her childhood or her parents, that she would always see them in a darker light then they actually are in, but seeing as though even others, like her son, saw how resistant his mothers side of the family was when it came to affection,shows why Ruth did want to be with her family. For example when Ruth was in need,broke, and pregnant, not even her aunt would help her out. I think that Ruth's family sees money as their love and affection, and they only want to receive it and not so much as give out aid to others. This quote rose the question of, why is Ruth so caring of others and so nonchalant when it comes to her interracial relationship, given that it was frowned upon in her society? Since her parents were always trying to be picture perfect, why is Ruth okay with being so far from picture perfect? I think this quote relates to everyday life because many people, as children, are seen to turn out in some certain way, but in reality when they grow up they are so far from what they were "supposed" to be. I just wonder why that is? Does it relate to my past bog where i wrote about single mothers/fathers? Does having a one parent household affect the outcome of your future?
How did Ruth's mother know she was pregnant?
ReplyDeleteWhy would Aunt Betsy reject her niece years later, when she helped her get an abortion?
Does Ruth ever look back on her abortion and regret it now she has 12 children?
"She played each note separately, as if they had no connection to each other and they echoed through the house and landed on the walls like tears. I couldn't stand to hear it."
This is significant because it shows Ruth depression and how it affects James. James is really sensitive to how Ruth reacts and how she responds to the death of her husband. Playing each note separately on a piano reflects the instability someone has in their mind, and this is what bothers James the most. When depression and sadness hits us, your beyond rational thinking and you would do anything to make the pain go away. Ruth's way is solitude and James's way is drugs and alcohol.
“No one knew me. No one knew my past, my white mother, my dead father, nothing. It was perfect.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it really represented how much Jame's hated judgement. All his life James had felt judged, or that he was going to be judged because of his white mother. To live somewhere and have nobody know anything negative about you, or your past is something that everyone wishes for at some point in their lives. James relished in the fact that nobody knew of his past or his family, all that mattered was the moment at hand.
How does James feel about his sudden change in perspective and interest on schooling and religion?
ReplyDeleteIs Ruth as worried about her son as she would be if her late husband was still alive?
How is the king/queen system working out now that the oldest sibling's presence at home is scarce?
"My Aunt Betsy, the youngest of my mother's sisters, was living with Bubeh during those early years." " 'What's the matter, Rachel? What's the matter?' I had to tell someone, so I finally broke down and told her." "I sat on the stoop of the doctor's office and I cried, and even though my rears I was apologizing to her, because I was ashamed. 'I'm so sorry,' I said. 'I don't want to be a bother.' 'It's all right.' Aunt Betts said. ' Just don't let it happen again.' And that was it."
This quote was very interesting to me because of the extreme difference between Aunt Betsy and the rest of Ruth's family. With the exception of her mother, grandparents, and Aunt Betsy, all of her family is not very loving. They are all very similar to her father in the sense that they only care about money and financial success. I was very surprised when I met her Aunt Betsy because she was so different than the rest of them. Even her friends were nice. They were friendly, and they treated her like she was one of them. They actually acknowledge her as a human being and i feel that his was an important step for her with her family. I also think that it is unfortunate that she was cast out of her family because they were all disappointed with her. Maybe if she got to know them better, she could get to know her.
Oscar Belkin-Sessler
ReplyDelete12/5/12
The Color Of Water
Blog #6
-Why did Mama want to help Ruth, why didn’t she tell her father?
-Did Ruth know what James was doing during his whole “Badass stage”?
-After everything James did, Does Ruth still love/Care about him?
“Plus everyone seemed too busy to care about what race or religion you were. I loved it.” (PG. 130)
Going to NYC was a huge change for Ruth. The city was a lot more integrated than Suffolk and people were either way more accepting or just didn’t care. I notice today that NYC is a very liberal and diverse place. I think this has to do with the fact that it is near the ocean and that it has a heavy population of Immigrants. When someone goes deeper into the country, there is less diversity, therefore there are fewer ideas and there is for the most part a mutual feeling towards minorities from whites. It is interesting how Ruth put it, “Too busy to care…I loved it” I get the feeling that Ruth likes being left alone and dealing with her own problems.
"I began my own process of running , emotionally disconnecting myself from her..."
ReplyDelete-pg 138
This quote stood out to me the most because it shows how James and Ruth are very similar. They both run away form there problems. They both aren't very emotional person that's why they run away from there problems and feelings to disconnect themselves from the world.
I think that this quote shows a huge significant connection between James and his mother. James believes that his mother is like an alien , that they nothing in common because he's black and she's white. What he doesn't realize is that they are almost the same person but different experiences and skin color.