Thursday, March 23, 2017
Paul D and Stamp Paid's Community
Paul D leaves 124 because Stamp Paid tells him the story of how Sethe killed Beloved and tried to kill her other children. Afterwards, we find out that Paul D has been staying in the basement of the Church of the Holy Redeemer. When Stamp Paid learns of this, he is offended that no one from the community has offered to help him and bring him into their own homes. In reality, the preacher had offered Paul D his help, but Paul D wanted to stay in the church. Stamp Paid offers the hospitality of himself and his whole community to Paul D. I believe he offers this because he feels guilty that he told Paul D about Sethe's past without thinking about the effect it would have on Paul D and Sethe. Also, the importance of the tight-knit community that helps out each other is clearly seen.
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7 comments:
I agree with Joseph that Stamp Paid goes to offer Paul D a place to see because he feels guilty and because he wants to express the inclusiveness of the community. It is very important that the community sticks together and looks out for each other. It mentions that the community is always loving except for when someone gets too proud. When Baby Suggs had the feast at 124, the community saw them as too proud, and did not warn them later. Stamp Paid; however, puts his all into making sure the community is looking out for each other. We see another aspect of the community when Denver goes out to ask for food. The community immediately responds by giving Denver food and a job, and later going to try to solve the problem at 124. Community serves a huge role among these families who have gone through so much, and look out for each other to keep their freedom.
The slave community had no choice but to be loving. They were so oppressed that they had to help each other in order to survive. This is a justification many slaves used to kill their kids. they did not want their children to grow up facing the horrors that they knew. However, this is kind of paradoxical. Why would you want to kill members of your community that you are supposed to love and protect? I think their hearts were in the right place; its just a strange way of showing love and mercy.
Stamp Paid had overwhelming expectations for his community. He basically offered Paul D a spot in everyone's homes without even asking them. Stamp Paid just assumes that because they are a black community that managed to become free that everyone should stick together and help each other out. However, we see this is not true because of the way the community treats Sethe. They essentially caused her to have to kill her children by not warning her and the community basically shuts Sethe out. Ella and others don't offer him a place in because of his association with Sethe. We see the ideal scenario that Stamp Paid sees of everyone in the community sticking together, but in reality they are broken apart.
It was very important for the African American community to stick together. Even though slavery was abolished, the freed slaves really didn't have much more respect than they had before the Civil War. They really wouldn't receive help from any of the white community. Any help had to come from their own community.
Stamp Paid was a representation for the African American community. He wanted to untify them and serve as a role model for all citizens so that they would look out for and support one another. This is significant because it strengthened the sense of family within the black community despite slavery.
I think it's weird that sethe was so hated by the community when community was all that the run away slaves had. They depended on community for survival. I think it's utterly ridiculous that no one would tell her that school teacher was there. Even if you hate someone, that's still the right thing to do.
I agree with Bailey. How can they say that they have a loving, tight knit community when they did not warn sethe about the slave catchers coming to pick up her and her children. They should have warned her even if they thought she was prideful.
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