My Honors 205 class focused on social justice, looking through multiple disciplinary lenses, such as academic and philosophical writings, creative fiction, and nonfiction speeches. We had to develop the ability to complete independent research, communicate ideas about the course material in a fluent oral and written manner within formal and informal writings.
"Soane" is a bonus chapter of Toni Morrison's Paradise, written in 1997. The chapter serves to wrap up several critical character arcs and give hope to the reader for the future of the town of Ruby. This particular assignment required a deep understanding of the characters of Soane, Dovey, Deacon, and Reverend Misner, as well as a deep understanding of Morrison's writing style.
Morrison's Paradise is all about the complex and contradictory utopian impulses that drove the Civil Rights era of the 1950s and 1960s. A common theme among some black activists, particularly those in the vein of Malcolm X, was the idea that African Americans simply needed to separate themselves from white Americans. The town of Ruby was created as an all-black "utopia" from segregation and discrimination. However, due to a combination of factors, the town quickly began to transform more into a dystopia ruled by the men of a few certain families. Eventually, the tension erupted and resulted in a tragedy that shook the whole town.
My challenge for this particular writing assignment was to convey the grief felt by Soane, her husband, and her sister, while also recognizing the chaos of the town following the tragedy. In order to do this, I had to fully immerse myself within Morrison's style of writing and the intense levels of foreshadowing that she employed throughout the novel. In the end, I attempted to convey the idea that it's always the darkest before the dawn, that hope is on its way in the end.
"Soane" is a bonus chapter of Toni Morrison's Paradise, written in 1997. The chapter serves to wrap up several critical character arcs and give hope to the reader for the future of the town of Ruby. This particular assignment required a deep understanding of the characters of Soane, Dovey, Deacon, and Reverend Misner, as well as a deep understanding of Morrison's writing style.
Morrison's Paradise is all about the complex and contradictory utopian impulses that drove the Civil Rights era of the 1950s and 1960s. A common theme among some black activists, particularly those in the vein of Malcolm X, was the idea that African Americans simply needed to separate themselves from white Americans. The town of Ruby was created as an all-black "utopia" from segregation and discrimination. However, due to a combination of factors, the town quickly began to transform more into a dystopia ruled by the men of a few certain families. Eventually, the tension erupted and resulted in a tragedy that shook the whole town.
My challenge for this particular writing assignment was to convey the grief felt by Soane, her husband, and her sister, while also recognizing the chaos of the town following the tragedy. In order to do this, I had to fully immerse myself within Morrison's style of writing and the intense levels of foreshadowing that she employed throughout the novel. In the end, I attempted to convey the idea that it's always the darkest before the dawn, that hope is on its way in the end.