Saturday, March 18, 2017
Welcome to the Jungle: we got slavery and death
I think that the metaphor of the jungle in order to compare the whites' view of blacks and how it affects the whites is very appropriate. This shows how despite what black people did in order to prove that they were human, whites only saw them as more and more animalistic and thought that they needed slavery to keep blacks in check. By tangling up the jungle, the whites had actually let the jungle spread inside of them and change them into more violent people than even they wanted to be. The jungle imagery also draws the link between humanity and animals, which is another major theme.
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I think the jangled up jungle is a very interesting metaphor. By the whites thinking the Africans are from the jungle and are animalistic, they actually become more inhuman.I think this is because by treating other people like animals, this in turn hurts their soul. Humans are meant to coexist, but the whites could not do that. They ended up hurting themselves just as much as they hurt the blacks.
The idea of the jungle is very interesting because the slaves don't understand why they have to prove they are human but they do everything to prove that they are. The amount of energy required just to prove this everyday drains them physically and mentally. Also, the white people think black people should listen to them no matter what but when they do they make fun of blacks for doing as they are told. White people created the jungle that both races are now affected by.
The jungle describes the blacks as animalistic and barbaric which is why I believe Morrison uses this metaphor to enhance her argument of the divide between races.
It is interesting that Toni Morrison uses the metaphor to try to show how slaves had to convince their masters that they are human. In many ways, this still happens today. The black lives matter movement is a good example of this. Black people are still being killed and victims of atrocities for their skin color.
I think this metaphor was beautifully constructed. The way she describes the jungle tangling up inside and spreading throughout is so vivid. You can almost feel what she is describing. It is also extremely accurate that having to prove ones humanity could make them go insane and even end up losing pieces of ones humanity. No one should have to prove whether they are human or not. That is just so far fetched and unfathomable.
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