Describe a scene that prompted a strong reaction, emotion, or opinion from you? Please explain the scene in great detail and your reaction. Why do you think you reacted so strongly? Remember: write in no less than five sentences.
*Spoiler Alert* The scene that provided a strong reaction was the entire furnace scene. More specifically, the decapitation. The quote that i reacted to the strongest was "Gently, he sawed the blade into the flesh and struck a bone. He gritted his teeth and cut harder." The description was gruesome had probably described how it would probably feel to do what Bigger was doing.
The scene with Bigger and Gus in the bar was a very strong scene for me to read. Bigger punched Gus to the ground,brought a knife to his throat,made Gus lick the knife, and then dig it into Gus's stomach. Bigger did all of this because he thought Guss was late and thought this would teach him not to do it again. (pages 36-39)
This scene was unsettling for me as well. I personally thought that Bigger overreacted and it was shocking to read how Bigger's reaction to such a small incident reflected him as a person.
I saw this section as a way to show how Bigger reacts when he is scared or backed against a wall. He was getting worried about the robbery, so he saw the next best choice was to stand his ground and look tough. To him, it was the perfect way to get out of doing the job.
I, too, found said scene particularly gruesome and graphic, which in itself, was something that prompted a rather strong reaction from me. However, something that I feel like should be discussed that invoked, for me, a tumultuous concoction of emotion was Bigger's response to such a terrible incident. In my previous posts, I spoke with the knowledge that I have consumed from various sources of media, and I was disposed to Bigger in a certain way--I didn't think of Bigger as what he truly is: human [I am not supporting him, nor relinquishing him of the crimes that he sought to/did commit, he should not have given into temptation in Mary's time of vulnerability **I do not think it was the alcohol or anything more than the ravenous aspect which I honestly do not know how it came to be. In my initial opinion, I believed that Bigger should have came clean instead of bearing the weight of such an act...BUT we must take into consideration that the criminal justice system would NOT be in BIGGER'S FAVOR. LYNCHING was COMMON, and the law didn't take kindly to how this would look (for anyone who watched Taxi Driver, it's **kind of** the same deal: from what knowledge I had about the film, I suspected Travis to be the anti-hero, but I didn't realize the gravity behind the story--In a world of pure evil a.k.a the man who intended to murder his wife for having an affair and pure good a.k.a Jodie Foster's character, Travis is somewhat treading a tedious tightrope between the two extremes. For me, what truly struck me was his thought process at the breakfast table, as though the murder was almost destined for him: "And in a certain sense he knew the girl's death had not been accidental. He had killed many times before...His crime only seemed natural; he felt that all of his life had been leading up to something like this. It was no longer a matter of what would happen to him and his black skin...he knew now. The hidden meaning of his life" (Wright 106). I wish that it wouldn't have come to that. This book is so loaded, I just dont know.
Update: I do not blame Bigger. I wish that Mary's child-like naivety did not put Bigger in such uncomfortable situations. I think that deep in my heart of hearts, I sympathize with Bigger, but it pains me to see him adopt the "criminal" mentality. The actions are merely products of the unjust conditions, in which, he has/is regularly forced to consume.
A scene that really made me think was when Bigger was talking with Bessie on page 178. In this scene, Bessie says, "You told me you never was going to kill." Bigger replies with, "All right. They white folks. They done killed plenty of us." Bessie comes back with, "That don't make it right." What Bessie says is what makes me think. For years, African Americans have been discriminated against and even killed by white people with no repercussions for the white people, but when a black person so much as looks at a white person or is accused of touching or killing one, whether it's true or not, it's over for that African American. The double standard here is very real. Bessie is expressing that although white people discriminate and kill, it does not make it okay for Bigger to kill a white person (although Bessie does not see at this time that it was an accident).
When I had first read that, I had not putted that much thought into it. It didn't occur to me that there was a lack of double standard in the world. Murder is Murder. It is plain and simple.
The scene that prompted a strong reaction from me was the furnace seen. It was gut wrenching to see someone who is so young have to figure out what to do in such a situation. The panic that could be felt coming off the pages had me shook.
The scene in which Bigger kills Mary brought out great emotion. The scene was very intense. When Bigger expressed his emotions and thoughts about how to carry out getting away with a gruesome murder made me stand on edge and keep reading.The way Wright expressed Biggers thoughts and plans of disposal of the body was very detailed and made it feel as though I could just imagine Bigger doing this.
*Spoiler Alert* The scene that provided a strong reaction was the entire furnace scene. More specifically, the decapitation. The quote that i reacted to the strongest was "Gently, he sawed the blade into the flesh and struck a bone. He gritted his teeth and cut harder." The description was gruesome had probably described how it would probably feel to do what Bigger was doing.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWas gruesome and probably describes how it would feel to do what Bigger was doing* I can't type very well, so here is my correction.
DeleteI agree, Cody that scene was very disturbing and I was surprised on how much detail the author put into it.
DeleteI agree with this. I cannot get the image of this scene out of my mind as I read on through the book.
DeleteI agree...it was written in such detail, that it was almost really happening before me.
DeleteThe scene with Bigger and Gus in the bar was a very strong scene for me to read. Bigger punched Gus to the ground,brought a knife to his throat,made Gus lick the knife, and then dig it into Gus's stomach. Bigger did all of this because he thought Guss was late and thought this would teach him not to do it again. (pages 36-39)
ReplyDeleteThis scene was unsettling for me as well. I personally thought that Bigger overreacted and it was shocking to read how Bigger's reaction to such a small incident reflected him as a person.
DeleteI saw this section as a way to show how Bigger reacts when he is scared or backed against a wall. He was getting worried about the robbery, so he saw the next best choice was to stand his ground and look tough. To him, it was the perfect way to get out of doing the job.
DeleteI feel as though this selection shows that Bigger was nervous and let his emotions take him over, which soon comes to be one of his many issues.
DeleteI, too, found said scene particularly gruesome and graphic, which in itself, was something that prompted a rather strong reaction from me. However, something that I feel like should be discussed that invoked, for me, a tumultuous concoction of emotion was Bigger's response to such a terrible incident. In my previous posts, I spoke with the knowledge that I have consumed from various sources of media, and I was disposed to Bigger in a certain way--I didn't think of Bigger as what he truly is: human [I am not supporting him, nor relinquishing him of the crimes that he sought to/did commit, he should not have given into temptation in Mary's time of vulnerability **I do not think it was the alcohol or anything more than the ravenous aspect which I honestly do not know how it came to be. In my initial opinion, I believed that Bigger should have came clean instead of bearing the weight of such an act...BUT we must take into consideration that the criminal justice system would NOT be in BIGGER'S FAVOR. LYNCHING was COMMON, and the law didn't take kindly to how this would look (for anyone who watched Taxi Driver, it's **kind of** the same deal: from what knowledge I had about the film, I suspected Travis to be the anti-hero, but I didn't realize the gravity behind the story--In a world of pure evil a.k.a the man who intended to murder his wife for having an affair and pure good a.k.a Jodie Foster's character, Travis is somewhat treading a tedious tightrope between the two extremes. For me, what truly struck me was his thought process at the breakfast table, as though the murder was almost destined for him: "And in a certain sense he knew the girl's death had not been accidental. He had killed many times before...His crime only seemed natural; he felt that all of his life had been leading up to something like this. It was no longer a matter of what would happen to him and his black skin...he knew now. The hidden meaning of his life" (Wright 106). I wish that it wouldn't have come to that. This book is so loaded, I just dont know.
ReplyDeleteUpdate: I do not blame Bigger. I wish that Mary's child-like naivety did not put Bigger in such uncomfortable situations. I think that deep in my heart of hearts, I sympathize with Bigger, but it pains me to see him adopt the "criminal" mentality. The actions are merely products of the unjust conditions, in which, he has/is regularly forced to consume.
DeleteA scene that really made me think was when Bigger was talking with Bessie on page 178. In this scene, Bessie says, "You told me you never was going to kill." Bigger replies with, "All right. They white folks. They done killed plenty of us." Bessie comes back with, "That don't make it right." What Bessie says is what makes me think. For years, African Americans have been discriminated against and even killed by white people with no repercussions for the white people, but when a black person so much as looks at a white person or is accused of touching or killing one, whether it's true or not, it's over for that African American. The double standard here is very real. Bessie is expressing that although white people discriminate and kill, it does not make it okay for Bigger to kill a white person (although Bessie does not see at this time that it was an accident).
ReplyDeleteWhen I had first read that, I had not putted that much thought into it. It didn't occur to me that there was a lack of double standard in the world. Murder is Murder. It is plain and simple.
DeleteThe scene that prompted a strong reaction from me was the furnace seen. It was gut wrenching to see someone who is so young have to figure out what to do in such a situation. The panic that could be felt coming off the pages had me shook.
ReplyDeleteI also chose this scene. Wright wrote BIggers emotion so strongly it was as though you could see the pages happen.
DeleteThe scene in which Bigger kills Mary brought out great emotion. The scene was very intense. When Bigger expressed his emotions and thoughts about how to carry out getting away with a gruesome murder made me stand on edge and keep reading.The way Wright expressed Biggers thoughts and plans of disposal of the body was very detailed and made it feel as though I could just imagine Bigger doing this.
ReplyDelete