My final project is a series of dance phrases choreographed by me and danced by me and my friend Leah Messinger, a sophomore. The intent of my project is to portray myself as the past, Beloved, and Leah as the future, Denver. The song I used is titled "Spring" and was originally composed by Vivaldi, however, for my project I used a version by Max Richter. I chose this song in particular not only because I like the way it went with the phrases, but also because the season "spring" is often associated with birth and transformation just as Beloved incorporates the transformation of Denver as she grows from a young and shy girl into an independent woman.
In my project, each time there is a new phrase, I am shown dancing first to show that the past happens before the future (obviously) and Leah is shown dancing second to show that the future is yet to come. Leah and I dance the same phrases but at different times to show that your past and future will always be connected. Many times throughout the video a phrase will begin in one location and radically change locations in the middle. This is to symbolize the many aspects of your life that are affected by your past and also show the many possibilities in your future.
My purpose for making a video of 2 people dancing is to show the relationship between Beloved and Denver, or more abstractly, the past and the future. I chose myself to represent the past because in a few short weeks I will no longer be a student at Booker T., my time at this school will be behind me. I will be a past student and the past 4 years here will be nothing but memories. Leah is a sophomore and therefore is the future of Booker T. I chose her to represent the future because the success of this school over the next 2 years is up to her. At the end of the video, Leah and I are shown on the screen together for the first time. The parts of me by myself symbolize Beloved's individual journey and the parts of Leah by herself symbolize Denver's individual journey. The section together represents how the 2 girls impact each other's lives and ultimately ends with me (Beloved) leaving. This is because the past is in the past and no matter how bad it was, all you can do is keep moving forward into the future.
In an analysis of the characters of Beloved, the author states that Beloved forced those around her to recognize the pain from their past and that her presence forces them to come to terms with themselves. It is also evident that Beloved is a (possible) reincarnation of baby Beloved who had died 18 years earlier, incorporating her literal role of the past. Denver represents the future not only for herself, but for all African American women at that time by seeking a job and education just as African Americans were soon to do. The two characters, Beloved and Denver, feed off of each other very much through out the book just as events from your future feed off events from your past.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y75-DfPzwc&feature=youtu.be
http://www.articlemyriad.com/analysis-beloved-morrison/
Friday, May 15, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Beloved VS A Christmas Carol; Ghosts of the Past and Future
Beloved by Toni Morrison and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens are similar not only because they make use of ghosts, but also because these ghosts are used to represent the past and the future. The ghosts in both books transform the the protagonist, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and Sethe in Beloved.
A Christmas Carol begins with a bitter, cold, and lonely man who has lived a life of betrayal and hatred. From a young age he had been mistreated and ignored. The abusive and cold behavior he endured from his father has caused Scrooge to repress the horrible and painful memories to the point where it takes an outside supernatural force to make him relive them. Similarly, Sethe's life has been filled with abusive slave owners. Her view on life had been so corrupted by slavery that she killed her own daughter to save her from the horrors of slavery. Like Scrooge, Sethe had repressed the memories of slavery and murder of baby Beloved for nearly 2 decades before a supernatural force knocked on her door to make her relive those memories.
Scrooge is visited by 3 ghosts while Sethe is visited by only 1, however the representation of past and future is prevalent in both scenarios. Scrooge's first ghost brings him back to his past, taking him back to his childhood where the source of his coldness began. Beloved differs from A Christmas Carol in this way because the physical appearance of Beloved is representing the past to Sethe. Her baby soft skin, her soaking wet appearances (representing the womb), and her limited linguistic abilities all represent Baby Beloved that Sethe had killed so many years ago. Beloved's purpose is to make Sethe recognize the pain from her past so that she can work though it. What I realized while reading Beloved is that although it is not obvious if Beloved is a positive or negative factor, all of the characters come to terms with themselves before she leaves.
Scrooge's third ghost takes him on a journey to his future if he were to continue with his bitter ways. Scrooge finds himself in front of his own grave, resulting in the ultimate epiphany. After Scrooge begs for a second chance for a different fate, his attitude changes and claims he has learned from his visits by the ghosts. In Beloved, the actions of Denver represent the future of the African American population in general. After being isolated in 124 for nearly her entire life, Denver leaves the house by herself and goes out to get a job to help her family. This represents what is soon to come for African Americans at this time. Unfortunately, the appearances of ghosts in Sethe's life does not chance her life for the better, like it did for Scrooge. Beloved becomes a parasite, literally sucking the life out of Sethe.
The end of A Christmas Carol ends similarly to Beloved in that the ghosts that haunted them, either for the good or the bad, leave. Scrooge's ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, disappear leaving him better off than the book started. Sethe's ghost, Beloved, also leaves, ultimately leaving Sethe and Denver better off than when the book started. Although Denver originally adored Beloved, she began to realize that she was causing more harm than good.
Both A Christmas Carol and Beloved make use of ghosts to bring back memories from years ago and also events yet to come. Although the ghosts come in different ways and represent different things entirely, in both books the 'haunting' presences makes the protagonist relive crucial events in their lives resulting in life transformations.
http://www.articlemyriad.com/analysis-beloved-morrison/
This article discusses Beloved's presence and how it causes a transformation in Denver and Sethe. "She forces the characters in the novel, most notably her mother, to first recognize the pain from her past before she can begin to work through it" backs up my statement in the last paragraph. The article also discusses the " life of brutal and inhumane treatment" (meaning Sethe) just as Scrooge's childhood was. I also talked about how the ghosts in A Christmas Carol represent something more than they represent an actual character in the novel. Just has Beloved "functions as a symbol rather than a mere character for the purpose of progressing the plot of 'Beloved'"
link to Analysis of ghosts in Beloved
A Christmas Carol begins with a bitter, cold, and lonely man who has lived a life of betrayal and hatred. From a young age he had been mistreated and ignored. The abusive and cold behavior he endured from his father has caused Scrooge to repress the horrible and painful memories to the point where it takes an outside supernatural force to make him relive them. Similarly, Sethe's life has been filled with abusive slave owners. Her view on life had been so corrupted by slavery that she killed her own daughter to save her from the horrors of slavery. Like Scrooge, Sethe had repressed the memories of slavery and murder of baby Beloved for nearly 2 decades before a supernatural force knocked on her door to make her relive those memories.
Scrooge is visited by 3 ghosts while Sethe is visited by only 1, however the representation of past and future is prevalent in both scenarios. Scrooge's first ghost brings him back to his past, taking him back to his childhood where the source of his coldness began. Beloved differs from A Christmas Carol in this way because the physical appearance of Beloved is representing the past to Sethe. Her baby soft skin, her soaking wet appearances (representing the womb), and her limited linguistic abilities all represent Baby Beloved that Sethe had killed so many years ago. Beloved's purpose is to make Sethe recognize the pain from her past so that she can work though it. What I realized while reading Beloved is that although it is not obvious if Beloved is a positive or negative factor, all of the characters come to terms with themselves before she leaves.
Scrooge's third ghost takes him on a journey to his future if he were to continue with his bitter ways. Scrooge finds himself in front of his own grave, resulting in the ultimate epiphany. After Scrooge begs for a second chance for a different fate, his attitude changes and claims he has learned from his visits by the ghosts. In Beloved, the actions of Denver represent the future of the African American population in general. After being isolated in 124 for nearly her entire life, Denver leaves the house by herself and goes out to get a job to help her family. This represents what is soon to come for African Americans at this time. Unfortunately, the appearances of ghosts in Sethe's life does not chance her life for the better, like it did for Scrooge. Beloved becomes a parasite, literally sucking the life out of Sethe.
The end of A Christmas Carol ends similarly to Beloved in that the ghosts that haunted them, either for the good or the bad, leave. Scrooge's ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, disappear leaving him better off than the book started. Sethe's ghost, Beloved, also leaves, ultimately leaving Sethe and Denver better off than when the book started. Although Denver originally adored Beloved, she began to realize that she was causing more harm than good.
Both A Christmas Carol and Beloved make use of ghosts to bring back memories from years ago and also events yet to come. Although the ghosts come in different ways and represent different things entirely, in both books the 'haunting' presences makes the protagonist relive crucial events in their lives resulting in life transformations.
http://www.articlemyriad.com/analysis-beloved-morrison/
This article discusses Beloved's presence and how it causes a transformation in Denver and Sethe. "She forces the characters in the novel, most notably her mother, to first recognize the pain from her past before she can begin to work through it" backs up my statement in the last paragraph. The article also discusses the " life of brutal and inhumane treatment" (meaning Sethe) just as Scrooge's childhood was. I also talked about how the ghosts in A Christmas Carol represent something more than they represent an actual character in the novel. Just has Beloved "functions as a symbol rather than a mere character for the purpose of progressing the plot of 'Beloved'"
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