Jatnna writes:
1)Why have Stephanos's ambitions
changed since he came to America? "I was poor, black and wore the
anonymity that came with that as a shield against all of the early ambitions of
the immigrant, which had long since abandoned me, assuming they had ever really
been mine to begin with." (41)
2) Is Stephanos considering going back to his country? Does he feel satisfied with what he has accomplished in the United States? Why do Stephanos, Kenneth and Joseph identify themselves as "children of the Revolution"?
3) What were Judith's intentions when she invites Stephanos for dinner on November 28? Why does Naomi see herself as an adult and not as a child? She is 11 years old. How can she understand what is happening around the world with that age?
I believe that Stephanos has been defeated in a sense by life in America. This goes back to the argument over the reality of the American dream. I guess his fire has been put out. Stephanos misses his country for sure, he never wanted to come to American in the first place. He was escaping from his past and still shows nostalgia in the form of the game he plays with his friends. There is also the disconnect between him and everything around him, it's like he is detached from his own life.
ReplyDeleteSepha has been defeated by life. This is not only because of his life in America, but because of what he saw happen to his father. He also sees his uncle, who back home was a rich prestigious man, and is now living in a one bedroom apartment with nothing to show. Sepha looks around and sees darkness and uses satire of expressing the pain with his friends. Most importantly, I believe he is simply just lonely. After many years of minimal communication with only a few family members, and only a few friends, he is depressed by everything. There is very little he looks forward to, and very little that he now expects out of life.
ReplyDeleteSepha originally believed his move to America was only temporary. In fact he showed no interest or had any communication to anyone, simply to make sure nothing enticed him, and stopped him from returning home. Now however he does not plan on going home. He is definitely not satisfied by what he has accomplished in the United States. Due to this, he is no longer motivated to accomplish anything. Sepha and his friends were the younger generation, known as the "children of the Revolution". They had left their country because of what was taking place, and were able to continue their lives.
Judith had moved into Logan Circle, a place you would not find a white professor who had more money than she could spend. At the time of her moving, she did not know anyone who lived there. She had met Sepha and they were cordial to each other. Sepha also befriended her daughter, Naomi. Judith was looking for a friend to bond with, and form a companionship with. Naomi is an only child, and has no father figure around. She only has her mother with her, and wants to be treated as an equal. Being that Naomi is not only her daughter, but the only person she has had a consistent relationship with in her life, Judith complies with it.
I don't necessarily believe Steph had all that much ambition to begin with when he first immigrated. At the end of the novel, we discover that he comes to America because of the death of his father, and this is led by guilt and shame that he feels because of his part in the murder of his father. Here, I feel Sepha understands that multi-dimensional weight that he carries as an immigrant and as a black man in America when the racial tension arises in his community.
ReplyDeleteSepha is stagnant in all aspects of his life, and the idea of going back to his Ethiopia is nothing more than a lost desire that he will probably never actualize. I think that Sepha realizes he could have a worse reality and that allows him to be somewhat content with his life until he notices that he could be doing, such as having meaningful relationships and attempting to excel his career.
When you have access to education, as Naomi does, one does not see obstacles in front of them. For all her life, presumably, she has had the resources to succeed as well as having the experience as a biracial child; the combination of privilege as well as oppression has characterized Naomi as intelligent as well beyond her years for she has the ability to be grateful for the things she has and the factors that limit her.