Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Song of Solomon: Learning to Sing (Toni Morrison Lecture on Chapters V-IX) (Patreon)

Published:
2024-10-06 20:17:27
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:
haven't archived this post yet. have a subscription? use the importer!

Downloads

  • SoS TM HLBC 3.mp3

Missing 2 full-res photos, 1 file, as this post has not yet been imported.

Content

'Sing,’ he’d whisper. ‘Sing, sing.’ Then right after Reba was born he came and told me outright: ‘You just can’t fly on off and leave a body,’ he tole me. A human life is precious. You shouldn’t fly off and leave it.'

Today we are continuing our appreciation of Toni Morrison's intensely beautiful novel. The lyrical soap opera deepens and, along with Milkman Dead, we are now finding it's time to spread our wings.

We're discussing graveyard love, living forever vs dying in life, love vs hate, yearning for freedom, sibling rivalry, ghosts, hauntings, vigilante justice, and much more.

Please do feel free to enjoy the discussion even if you haven't read up to these chapters yet. I'm continuing to be mindful of staying away from spoilers for things that are unravelled later in the narrative.

Timestamps:

0:00 Milkman Dead is waiting to die

3:00 Guitar as foil character to Pilate

6:00 quest for identity as American theme

9:00 ‘North exists because South does’

12:00 Hagar’s attempts on Milkman’s life

14:00 death wish as desire for living truly

16:00 bearing the burden of knowledge

18:00 ‘If you seek a pleasant peninsular’

20:00 Milkman tails his mother Ruth

22:00 Ruth’s story at her father’s grave

24:00 ‘he cared whether and how I lived’

26:00 the lyrical soap opera deepens

28:00 mythology of Milkman’s genesis

30:00 destruction & death vs eternal life

31:00 Ruth vs Macon’s version of events

33:00 graveyard love & haunting of Hagar

35:00 conversations with the dearly departed

37:00 love as creative & destructive force

39:00 when Hagar attacks Milkman

41:00 Ruth realises her son’s personhood

44:00 making an art out of your misery

47:00 Ruth vs Hagar vs Pilate dialogue

50:00 ‘he is my home in this world’

53:00 ‘ain’t nothing natural about death’

55:00 how some people can live forever

58:00 the ghost of Pilate & Macon’s father

1:00:00 embedded bildungsroman of Pilate

1:02:00 ‘can’t just fly off and leave a body’

1:05:00 Pilate Dead as Christ figure

1:07:00 the Seven Days vigilante group

1:09:00 environmental influence on evil

1:11:00 eye for eye vs turn other cheek

1:15:00 how does one really get justice?

1:18:00 on not seeing the actual person

1:20:00 Guitar vs Milkman discourse

1:21:00 the dangerous rhetoric of Guitar

1:22:00 Seven Days only kills for love

1:24:00 Milkman yearns for freedom

1:26:00 the character of Circe in the novel

1:28:00 murder & treasure in the cave

1:30:00 Milkman & Guitar rob Pilate

1:32:00 tragedy in Bombingham, Alabama

1:34:00 a turning point for Civil Rights

1:36:00 shift to Corinthian’s point of view

1:38:00 Toni Morrison’s intersectionality

1:40:00 living lives of quiet desperation

1:41:00 First Corinthians and Porter

1:43:00 returning to the Dead Household

1:44:00 ‘Mr Solomon’s’ bag of bones

1:45:00 ‘if you take a life, you own it’

1:50:00 time for Milkman Dead to fly

1:53:00 what are you making of the novel?

Resources to Explore:

  • Documentary: You might like to take a moment from your deep reading to treat yourself to a screening of the beautiful, powerful, and award-winning 2019 documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am. You can check out the trailer for this film here and, to whet your appetite, you can sample some clips here, here, and here. If you've been loving Song of Solomon, you will adore this documentary.

  • Non-Fiction: Morrison prompts us to consider the writings of American Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau in Walden, from which we get the famous line: 'The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.' And also: 'I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.' Walden is a yearly autumnal reread for me, and I highly recommend this hardback version from Everyman.

  • State Seals: We spoke about Michigan's state seal with that phenomenal motto: 'If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you'. If you're interested to check out all the different seals, mottos, coats of arms, and symbols for the other United States, then it's good fun to check them all out in one place here. For American readers, what does your state seal look like?

  • Reading Exercise: Toni Morrison saw her readership as a village and her fiction as profoundly connected to the oral storytelling tradition. So as you make your way through Song of Solomon, be on the lookout for at least one great passage that you would like to read aloud either to yourself or somebody else. Note how the words become more meaningful when you voice them and share them.

  • Complementary: If you're interested in thinking about the nurture debate when it comes to the psychology of evil, then I recommend the work of Philip Zimbardo here. Excitingly, he has just brought out a new work on what we can learn about human nature from the bard's plays. If you're interested in conceptual linguistics and the metaphors we live by, then I recommend this work by George Lakoff. And if the homeric aspects of Toni Morrison's novel move you, then you might fancy checking out Stephen Fry's latest book in which he reimagines the Odyssey.

Reading Assignment:

Congratulations on bringing yourself so powerfully to this great novel. It's been beautiful to see how much love you have expressed for Toni Morrison's work. Our next discussion will cover part two of Song of Solomon, from chapter ten up to and including chapter fifteen, which will take us to through to the sublime end of the novel.

Questions for You:

1) Does the theme of questing for identity resonate with you? Where does your family come from? And what is the great saga in your personal history?

2) What do you make of Morrison's depiction of romantic and interpersonal relationships?

3) Are you a fan of Toni Morrison's prose and narrative style? How would you characterise it?

4) Was there a decisive moment that led to your self-growth and maturity?

And please do share with us your favourite passages, insights, and ideas from the story so far.

Happy reading, everybody!

Files

Previews only

Comments

Rebekah Sunday

Oh Benjamin, if you ever took a tour through all the states, you would make a lot of Americans very happy! Especially if you were to do a meetup tour of sorts. I think there’s a lot of us in the Chicago area who would love to see you! The North and South distinction is something embedded in our blood here, along with the generational guilt of the sins of slavery. As a northerner who went to college in the South and spent a while in Memphis, a civil rights hot spot, the contrast is striking. Comparing Invisible Man with Song of Solomon, I think I love SOS more. But both are so lyrically rich and profound, they rank so highly in my list of favorite books we’ve read in book club. And I feel the urge to reread them both many times. Hagar’s agony in love and Ruth’s dying of lovelessness are so heartbreaking and viscerally relatable, I was reading this section as my own relationship took its final breaths after a long dying process. If you want to fly, you truly have to get rid of the shit that weighs you down. “Like the cowboys and Indians in the movies, she and her husband fought. Each one befuddled by the values of the other. Each one convinced of his own purity and outraged by the idiocy he saw in the other.” Morrison is able to describe our interpersonal conflicts so incisively. It cuts to the heart. Guitar’s revelation of The Days was jaw-dropping. In fact, my jaw has been dropped pretty consistently throughout this book. There’s so much more I could say, I could talk about how much I love this book for probably the rest of my life.

Phil

“slant of light” —Ha! Emily Dickinson! I get points. Yay!

Leah

This book continues to be a page turner for me! I have noticed in the past year I keep seeing myself more in the characters of the stories I read. I am more frequently relating their lives to mine and I am learning more about myself. I find myself resonating at times with both Milkman and Pilate. For the former, I feel I can relate to feeling too passive, resigned and waiting to be fed up with things to finally venture out to try and remedy the problem. As for Pilate, I really loved the description of her interior when she was making her way through her difficult life. The last line was especially resonant. “First off, she cut her hair. That was one thing she didn't have to think about anymore. Then she tackled the problem of trying to decide how she wanted to live and what was valuable to her. When I am happy and when I am sad what is the difference? what do I need to know to stay alive? what is true in the world? Her mind traveled crooked streets and aimless goat paths, arriving sometimes at profundity, other times at the revelations of a 3-year-old. “ I also felt a lot of compassion for her about her lack belly button - that sentence sounds silly without context. But physical insecurities like that really can changes someone's behaviors and ability to have intimacy their whole life and that is really sad. Something I don't think I heard mentioned in the lecture was the scene with the white peacock at the car dealership. I didn't see what the significance or purpose of that part of the story was and was curious what it may have meant. I also noticed she kept mentioning Sunday - a lot of things kept taking place on Sunday - even before we found out that is Guitar's day. Thank you for the amazing and thoughtful lectures!

Bulkington

Leah, I love the way you paid attention and sensitively relate to the book. You aren’t an auto pilot. You spoke to me.

Gonzalo Broto

I totally agree with your appreciations about Morrison’s masterful use of narrative hint−and−delay technique, Ben, as clearly seen, as you elaborated, in chapter 5 when it’s hinted that Milkman’s death is imminent but not providing any initial clue as to who or why would carry out such an act. The reader’s interest is certainly piqued, and she does it constantly throughout the novel, to our exasperation and delight! I also struggled to connect with Guitar, who was probably my favourite character in the first 4 chapters of the novel, once his political ideals became his only life goal, overriding everything else. His vision of the white population as an abstract entity with genetically predisposed malice and his justification of the killing of innocent people was difficult to stomach (“Under certain conditions they would all do it. And under the same circumstances we would not” is a sinister generalization). I found it interesting that, while names are highly symbolic for most of the characters, Guitar dismisses the importance of his own, because a name implies an individual and selfish identity, and since he is part of The Days, he is a “social force”, an anonymous and collective representation of vengeance/justice. One last aspect that especially interested me was the idea that Knowledge implies responsibility (what to do with it?), even if it was acquired unwillingly or accidentally. When Milkman is forced to hear his father’s version of events concerning the relationship between Ruth and her father, he wished he could escape that knowledge, and keeps blaming his father for giving him a burden he did not want, which reflects very clearly his personality at that point in his life: uncommitted, nonchalant, self-centred. Contrary to him, we see Pilate has always willingly strived to gain knowledge as a way to shield herself from fear and to build herself as a person (“What do I need to know to stay alive?”, she asks at one point, summarizing her attitude towards life).

Linda Hall

Another fabulous lecture, Ben! It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon here in Northern Virginia, and I’ve been so looking forward to this time set aside to be still and listen on the porch as the leaves change and the shadows grow long. I’ve been thinking about how Morrison writes about relationships, chooses words and phrases, and can move from flowery prose to blunt, coarse language. All of it serves to really connect with me, and part of it might be because East of Eden is in my top five books…maybe my favorite if I had to choose. Something about the style that is highly descriptive but yet plain and cutting at times, seems to be authentic to me. I feel the same about Cormack McCarthy’s The Road. Painful to read as a parent, but beautiful in singular focus. I don’t know if others will see any connections here, but it makes sense to me. The idea of singular focus relates to my decisive moment of self growth, or rather a decisive situation. All is well now, but I went through a season of surgery, chemo, and radiation in 2016, followed by some related complications. I was a single parent and continued to work while taking sick leave and short term disability hours for treatments. The hours of talking with other patients (chemo can take 6-8 hours per session), fighting exhaustion, and stripping life down to only the most necessary elements…changed me, and I think for the better. My dear friend of 25+ years told me as much on a walk last summer. She said I’m more blunt, no nonsense, and she likes it…haha. Again, all is well, but sometimes the walk through fire is indeed refining. Still a long way to go, but I can see the Way a bit more clearly. Some favorite passages: Milkman, p. 39, “It was becoming a habit—this concentration on things behind him. Almost as though there were no future to be had.” Ruth, p. 136, “Ruth was not impressed. Death always smiled. And breathed.” Macon Dead, the influence of the farmer…p. 235, “Stop picking around the edges of the world. Take advantage, and if you can’t take advantage, take disadvantage.” If already discussed, I missed it along the way. What is the symbolism of yellow in the book? Mr. Smith tacks a door on his yellow house. His payment cards are yellow. Reverend Cooper lives in a yellow house (p.228). Looking forward to finishing the print version and listening to the audio book at the suggestion of many here!

Vida
>>152226006

Hi Linda. I am glad that all is well for you now. All that you described must have been very hard for you. I know how such an experience changes you and in many ways makes you stronger. Yellow is associated with sun which is in contrast to darkness and as such is a symbol of hope, optimism, and opportunity.

Vida
>>151999935

Hi Leah. I love all of Pilate parts too. White peacock symbolizes the most beautiful part of our life, when we become aware that we are unique and beautiful, when we find ourselves. The white peacock shows up when Guitar tells Milkman: “If a man don’t have a chance, then he has to take a chance!” And later, “ you got a life? Live it!” This call to action is based on the belief that we are able to change our lives through our actions. Up to this point, Milkman has been passive Guitar’s words make him realize that change is possible. This is a turning point for him. From this point on, he starts acting which leads him to a journey of self discovery.

Vida
>>152191055

Guitar reminds me of the sweet little boys who all of a sudden are radicalized and next thing you know they are terrorists.

Estella

Wonderful lecture! Thoroughly enjoying this book. One of the many lines that has stood out to me is when Guitar and Milkman are discussing the peacock and Guitar adds, "Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity. Can't nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down" (179). You have no choice but to identify those things that weight the characters down. How much of it is truth and how much of it is vanity? But truth isn't presented as weight, only vanity, so where do we see this? I was moved by the beginning of Chapter 8 when it says, "Every night now Guitar was seeing little scraps of Sunday - white and purple, powder blue, pink and white, lace and voile, velvet and silk, cotton and satin, eyelet and grosgrain" (173). The details of colors and cloth are vivid and important just as the memory of the horrific events of this tragedy in American history are important. Textures are like markers that place themselves on top of these events to allow you to feel the pain, and the colors gently highlight the grief. I'm looking forward to finishing this book. What a great experience so far!

Linda

Vida - that is a perceptive insight.. thank you.

Tiffany

So, I have been on a decluttering journey/quest for the last year or so. I have been reading and watching tips for decluttering, the psychology of it, and focusing on how it makes me feel when I get rid of all the stuff in our house, in my desk, in my space at work, on my digital devices, etc. that do not bring value into my life. While it is not the great saga of my life, it does free me a little bit each time I get rid of something. It is like the quote on page 179 from Guitar "Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity. Can't nobody fly with that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down." This is what I feel like I am doing. Literally throwing out all of the stuff that is weighing me down. I feel lighter and more free because of it. Not flying, per se, but lighter.

Vida
>>152801597

Isn’t it absolutely great when these texts actually affect our lives for the better?

Christopher Tiernan

Benjamin when you do your Steven fry tour of the USA I volunteer to be your guide to the much maligned state of Florida. There's more to us than Disney and the literary history is surprisingly rich. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings house at Cross Creek still stands. Key West has Hemingway, Capote and Tennessee Williams lore. Zora Neale Hurston's long neglected gravesite is now a wonderful tribute. In terms of art we have The Highwaymen... They were largely citrus workers and as African Americans excluded from formal art study in the Jim Crowe south of the 1950s and 60s. They painted quickly on gypsum board because they couldn't afford canvas. And they sold their paintings to tourists out of the back of their cars hence the name. I imagine that you have read Travels with Charley but if you haven't it's a wonderful story of John Steinbeck's travels across America with his standard poodle Charley during the tumultuous 1960s. 🐊