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Names In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

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No matter what angle you perceive identity from; everyone is born with a name. This is a specific name that you are to be called in common acknowledgement. However “the precision of naming takes away from the uniqueness of seeing.” –Pierre Barnard-. Names may promote an individual’s identity, yet it can also defy it. In Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, multiple characters were given names that convey more context than what meets the eye. They are portrayed in a way that highlights their attributes and personality, and conversely demeanors their identity. The significance of names is sometimes carried through generations. In Song of Solomon names are replicated throughout the Dead Family: Macon Dead (Jr. Sr. III), Ruth Dead, Pilate Dead and so on (18). They’ve gained this name through white’s dismissive attitude towards blacks in the past beginning with Solomon. Dead is an unordinary name. Their last name ironically fortifies …show more content…

What impact does a label have on a mind and soul? Do names carry purpose and the lifestyle you’re ordained to live? There is more to an individual than the couple of letters you refer to them by. The idea of naming deprives those who are being named. In some cases it leads them to ambiguity and to a room with no door and four walls. Milkman seeks to disintegrate his ambiguity and reveal his identity and the history of the ‘Dead.’ On the other hand naming can fortify your identity if it defines your attributes and personality. Names are an important key to what a society values. However what society values aren’t necessarily as important as what the individual values. In fact the inconsideration becomes a concern for the individual and then repetitive. A name used too often by the inconsiderate becomes petty; soon you succumb to wonder of the etymology of your name. In response to the wondering you begin a spiritual journey to answer the questions that revolve in your mind and yearn to discover your

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Throughout Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Milkman Dead’s name serves as a constant reminder of his unhealthy relationship with his mother, Ruth Dead, which in itself is a reflection of her deep-rooted issues with her own personal life that are out of Milkman’s control. The significance of Milkman’s name has multiple layers to it. For example, it is important to recall that his real name is Macon because he makes a significant effort to distance himself from Macon Jr. and prove himself to be different from him. Ruth’s breastfeeding him well past his infancy results in his being stuck with the nickname “Milkman” before he is even old enough to understand the situation.

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Equality 7-2521 has given himself a name and is no longer numbered like his brothers. Equality 7-2521 reads all these books from the unmentionable times and he learns that everyone has an individual names. “There was a time when each man had a name of his own to distinguish him from all other men.” (Chapter 12 paragraph 4 left side) “...it is not proper for men to be without names.” (Chapter 12 paragraph 4 left side)

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Many of the names were chosen from the bible on the day of a child’s birth. Letting God choose a child’s name shows a level of faith in the parents which often results in awkward and weird names. The use of the name, Magdalena called Lena, is similar to the phrasing in the bible in names like Simon called Peter. Toni Morrison put a lot of emphasis into the characters' names in Song of Solomon. The main characters' last name of Dead has a lot of emphasis.

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Allusion to Pilate in Song of Solomon In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Milkman, the main character, has an aunt named Pilate Dead. Pilate’s name is a biblical allusion to Pontius Pilate, but it is also a homonym for the word “pilot” (SparkNote Editors). Pilate, like almost all of the characters in the novel are given names directly from the Bible, such as First Corinthians, Reba, Hagar, and Ruth.

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In the Toni Morrison’s critically-claimed novel, Song of Solomon, the protagonist, Milkman, goes on a journey to uncover his “people.” Macon, Milkman, Dead III has no identity, ambition, or passion for he is lost and has no idea who he is or what he wants. As Milkman discovers his family’s mysterious and largely unknown past, Milkman discovers something much more: himself. Only through his investigation into his father’s family does Milkman finally find his lost identity.

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Within society, materialism is often associated with success and prosperity. In the novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, there was a pattern of how even though the most successful characters were also the most materialistic, they were not always the happiest. Two characters that were at either end of the scale of materialism were Macon and Pilate. These very different lifestyles that Macon and Pilate lived, Macon being heavily materialistic and Pilate not at all, caused them to develop different attitudes that were influenced heavily by materialism. Through the analysis of the mystery of Pilate’s and Macon’s lifestyles, Morrison illustrates that materialism destroys people and prevents them from achieving freedom.

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Throughout Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, music is a driving omnipresent force, revealing hidden truths about Milkman, Macon, and Pilate. If we were to apply a Freudian framework to Milkman’s familial life, Macon would be his ego – eternally in need of material possessions in order to create an image of himself he can admire – and Pilate would be his id – buried emotions and subconscious desires, overshadowed by his unforgivingly-egotistical Macon Dead exterior. Over the course of Milkman’s journey, music acts as a God-like omniscient presence, ultimately guiding him back to where he started, but flipped: instead of Pilate singing to Milkman as he is born, Milkman sings to Pilate as she dies. And the song itself plays into this reversal: Pilate sings “O Sugarman done fly away” at the birth of Milkman, and when Pilate has no words left to sing at the end of the novel, Milkman sings the

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With their lack of oppurtinities, I would not forgive parents for their creativity. Given all these points that I adressed parents should not have the right to name their child whatever they

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In Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, an African American man named Macon Dead III, also known as Milkman, struggles to find the truth behind his name and background. Milkman and his broken family live on the Southside of Michigan. His mother, Ruth Foster, suffers from the lack of intimacy with her husband and uses her son as a coping mechanism. His father, Macon Dead Jr., is a materialistic man who does not want to endure the same fate as his father, Macon Dead Sr.(who had been murdered for his land, Lincoln’s Heaven.) Neither of the parents give his two sisters, Magdalena and First Corinthians, attention, leading them to envy Milkman for being the center of their world.

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Without familial ties and history, Milkman lacked the wisdom that comes with knowledge of the past, causing a disconnect between Milkman and his people. Milkman’s journey provides him with the answers to his identity problem allowing his family’s past to provide instruction, and protection, and a certain kind of wisdom necessary in finding his true self. Although Milkman must ultimately define himself, he is also defined by his relationships. He cannot learn these lessons in isolation but only within the context of the present community and relations of

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Milkman’s acknowledgment of racism and change in attitude towards women ultimately highlights his maturity and the development of an unmaterialistic identity through his metaphorical

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At some point in everyone’s lives, they get the opportunity to name something. Whether it is a toy, a dog, or a kid, people usually put in a grand amount of effort in making this decision. The reason for this is people acknowledge that names can influence us on how others interpret or act towards someone or something. We also just try to pick the right name to describe the object. In the article, “What’s in a Name?” by Roger Dooley, he talks all about the importance of naming in the world of advertising and in our general lives.

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Iranian writer, Firoozeh Dumas, in her narrative essay, “The F Word,”illustrates the challenges of having a different name in America. Dumas’ purpose is to represent the importance of accepting one’s identity and other’s. Having a different name brought her a great challenge to fit in with her peers. Through the story, she learned how to accept her own name and how should others accept people’s differences. She portrays this idea in a humorous way.

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The identity a person holds is one of the most important aspects of their lives. Identity is what distinguishes people from others, although it leaves a negative stereotype upon people. In the short story Identities by W.D Valgardson, a middle-aged wealthy man finds himself lost in a rough neighborhood while attempting to look for something new. The author employs many elements in the story, some of the more important ones being stereotype and foreshadow. For many people, their personal identity is stereotyped by society.

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