Sing Unburied Sing is set in the town of Bois, which is known for its high poverty levels. However, when Leonie, Jojo, Kayla, and Misty travel to Parchment to pick up Michael, the conditions there are portrayed as much worse. In my opinion, the lack of money is the undermining cause of many events in the novel.
In many ways, poverty determines the fate of generation after generation in the family. Leonie knows that she will never get a well paying job, be able to progress in life, or take care of her kids because of the lack of money. Leonie is able to see this, and in response has given up on life by using drugs and getting high.
Hypothetically speaking, what if Leonie and Michael did have money? Would that change how they act? In my opinion, the answer would be no. Leonie uses drugs as an escape from three factors: death, poverty, and slavery. By eliminating poverty, Leonie would still be faced with the lasting effects of death and slavery. She couldn’t use money to forget the pain she feels toward Given or bribe Big Joseph into accepting the African race. Regardless of financial standings, I think that Leonie would still use drugs in order to see Given. Drugs provide a way of connecting with her past and allowing her to “talk” to Given.
In addition, money will not buy her “motherly attributes.” These are characteristics that are learned, no matter the level of income one makes. Mam serves as an excellent model for Leonie, but she does not pick up on these traits herself. Until Leonie matures, she will not have a future, regardless of how much money she has. Yes money might make eating and living expenses easier, but in my opinion it will not help Leonie grow as a mother.
What do y’all think? Who agrees? Who disagrees?
7 comments:
While I agree with you that money cannot buy happiness, it certainly seems to help. It seems unlikely that Leonie and Michael will ever be happy. Leonie's parenting is so poor due to the fact that she seems to blame her children for forcing her to give up on her dreams. At one point Leonie reminisces on a dream to move to California before Jojo was born. Leonie started using after Michael was sent to prison for cooking meth, likely due to the sadness that trauma brought with it. If Leonie had been born into a better off family it is likely that she would be more able to accomplish her dreams of moving to California and it is then unlikely that Michael would ever be sent to prison for cooking meth as he wouldn't need to to provide for his family. Essentially, the problems that Leonie has might not have existed if she were born into a higher income family, and although money cannot buy happiness it certainly helps people be happier in their day to day lives.
URL: https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2006/02/13/are-we-happy-yet/3-3/
Dearest Brandon,
I would be inclined to agree with you; however, the very next graph from the Pew Research Center shows that there is no difference in happiness by family income among blacks. Even if Leonie had more money, there is little reason to believe that this would lead to increased happiness.
Sincerely,
Andrew "Mandrew" Gary
Mandrew,
I would like the record to show that I was the one who notified you about this graph literally 10 minutes ago. This betrayal shall be remembered and never forgotten. I never forget nor do I ever forgive.
Regards,
Brandon Stokes
Brandon,
Says you fake news. Sad!
from,
Mandrew
I think money can buy you happiness to an extent. Money is what our world revolves around, and most people pride themselves on the figures they make BUT this is not to say you can’t be happy without money. I think it’s the perspective we have on the world that determines how we value our happiness. Leonie, for example, was born into poverty and didn’t make an attempt to climb out of that class.
In my opinion, I do not think that money can directly buy you happiness. Money does provide us the means to achieve happiness, but earning money simply for the reason of gaining happiness can lead to stress, anxiety, and the eventual feeling of less happiness. Thus, happiness comes from within, and I feel that doing things that you enjoy can bring you happiness and that it is up to yourself to decide what are those things that can make you happy. In the case of Leonie, she seems to really enjoy a couple things in life, which are the presence of Michael, whom she loves very much, and the ability to escape from reality, which she accomplishes through drug usage. These sources of pleasure provide her all the joy and excitement that she wants, and even if she was to attain more money, these pleasures would not change, and neither would her attitude towards life, thus she would be just as happy as before.
While I personally don't think money buys happiness I do think that it would help out Leonie and her family with there money situation. If her family was a higher income family they wouldn't have to live in the country and they could live in a nicer area not ridden with drugs. She also wouldn't have to deal with the prejudice of being black or her being in an interracial relationship. She would also have access to a better education which would allow for her to have more opportunity in the world. So while money doesn't buy happiness it helps in attaining it
Post a Comment