Thursday, September 19, 2019
Invoking some kind of "Muse" (or ghost...?)
In class today I referred to the title of the novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing, as being similar to something we read in latin last year. We translated Virgil's Aeneid into english and a few lines that really struck me to be similar to the title of the novel (SUS) were the beginning lines: "I sing of arms and a man," "Muse, tell me the cause: how was she offended in her divinity." So, these first few lines of the Aeneid set up the whole story and it is Virgil invoking the Muse to tell it's own story (which goes on to be the whole story of The Aeneid). This reminded me a lot of the title of the novel we read because it is in a way invoking the "unburied" people (being ghosts of people who died violent deaths - like Given and Richie). It seems like they are also being "invoked" in order to tell their own stories, just like the Muse in the Aeneid. These ghosts, the "unburied" people, are being summoned by the people still alive to tell their stories and to make sure the correct history, even though it is sad and violent, is being told and not being fabricated. What do y'all think of this? Does anyone have any other ideas about the title of SUS?
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6 comments:
I agree with you. As we have discussed in class, Jesmyn Ward took great influence from epic poetry in writing SUS. Other signs that back this up are it starting in media res and having a non linear plot. One could describe the setting as vast (for Mississippi at least), and there are magical elements in the plot. I think the title is an invocation of a muse.
I completely agree with both Malorie and Tanner’s points, but I think that there are more possible explanations for the title. In my opinion, there is a reason that the novel in named Sing Unburied Sing, rather than Talk Unburied Talk. The element of singing allows for deeper connections to be made between entities and links humans with nature. Singing itself is a gift that not all people excel at. Similarly, not all characters in the novel are able to see ghosts. The parallels between the gift of singing and the ability to see into nature are very much linked in my opinion. Those who have a connection to nature, Mam, Leonie, Jojo, and Kayla, are able to communicate through “singing” to those people lost in their past.
This brings me to my next point, the focus on the word “unburied.” The word buried means covered up or hidden. However, the word unburied implies that someone or something was buried, but it not anymore. I think that this is a specific reference to Given and Richie. Both Given and Richie died violent deaths, but Leonie and Jojo still have the ability to “see” them. These two characters are unable to be buried, symbolizing that they refuse to forget their past and will continue to try to understand why/how they died.
Lastly, Ward wants the stories of Given and Richie’s deaths to be heard. She is advocating for these two to “sing” and make their situations known to all. Both of their deaths were due to unethical actions and ultimately, she wants everyone to realize this.
While I agree that the the singing is likely a reference to Grecian and Roman epics. I also believe that it may be the afterlife that exists in Ward's world. The imperative statement in the title "Sing, Unburied, Sing" is telling ghosts to move on to the afterlife. Richie describes a vision in which he hears singing and he tries to approach it but can't. I believe that joining in on this song is the heaven that all of the ghosts seek. So when Kayla begins singing to the ghosts she is encouraging them to sing along and move on. The Bible sometimes describes the company of Heaven as singing and this may be the origin of Ward's afterlife. I'm still unsure why the animals begin to sing though.
This is an interesting take Malorie, and I totally see the parallel you're making between muses and the "unburied". But I think every ghost shows a different aspect of a muse, for example I think it's safe to say Leonie is invoking Given, but Kayla doesn't do much invoking. Furthermore, Kayla might even be a muse herself. It seems like the ghosts come to her instead of the other way around, and maybe her song is the story that muses are known for doing?
I think that the title is definitely referring to the ghosts, which act as the muse in the story. The past is still very alive in SUS, and unfortunately the ghosts we encounter in the story have suffered from not being able to escape it. They can’t put the past behind them if they either don’t fully understand it or can’t face the violence of it. The ghosts are the foundation for all other themes in the story to build upon: slavery (the past) is still alive in the town of Bois Sauvage, many of the adults can’t face the past because of traumatic events that took place in it (I.e. Leonie not being able to face Givens death), and no one, including ghosts and humans, can move onto a brighter future. The title is asking for these ghosts to sing, and tell their stories; to relive the past in order to move onto a better future.
I agree with Malorie. These ghosts have died violent and tragic deaths. This is almost like their opportunity to share their story. In the case of Given, the truth of his death was covered up. However, besides the invocation of the muse, I find it very interesting that there are other similarities to an epic. First, this story is of course vast in scope. It includes a journey from fictional town Bois Sauvage to Parchman Farm. But, it isn't just vast in physical distance. It includes the past and present by including the ghosts and their stories as the narration flashes back to view it. This leads to the next similarity, extraterrestrial beings or divine intervention. As I just mentioned, these ghosts are able to communicate with some of the characters and affect their lives in the present day. The book also begins in medias res as we flash back to the past of the characters and ghosts. Lastly, I would argue that Jojo is almost like the hero of the book, saving his sister from the bad parenting of Leonie. I just thought it was interesting that there are all of these similarities to an epic.
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