Chapter 2 Symbolic Object

Full quotation w page number: " Then in my mind's eye I see the bronze statue of the college Founder, the cold Father symbol, his hands outstretched in the breathtaking gesture of lifting a veil that flutter in hard, metallic folds above the face of a kneeling slave; ..."

Context for the quotation: The narrator is flashing back to his memory of a college campus. He remember this college's bronze statue of its founder, who is a black man.

Explanation: The statue symbolize oppression and advancement. The idea of viewing a person through the veil is active in this quote with terms like " kneeling slave". It symbolize advancement because at that time, not many non-white man were honored in public. The society was a white dominant society.

Comments

Chapter one; motif

the symbolic object being seen during the boxing fight is the blindfold. the quotation would be... "All ten of us climbed under the ropes and allowed ourselves to be blindfolded with broad bands of white cloth." pg (21) the cloth is white and being wrapped around his eyes further highlights how the world sees him as invisible as well as how he views the world invisible or "blind" through the white cloth or in a sense veil. he has adopted the "white" blindness the rest of the world sees

chapter 4 motif

It is significant because in a previous chapter he was idolizing the school and the scenery but now he awakens in a sense to see the real events or circumstances he actually notices now. In this chapter, the chapel is seen as the symbolic symbol. "With whitewashed stones, those cryptic messages for men and women, boys and girls heading quietly toward where the visors waited, and we move not in the mood of worship but of judgement. " The context of this quote is when TIM was coming back from delivering Mr Nortan and fears he will be expelled and makes his way to the chapel with his fellow classmates.

chapter 9 motif

the symbolic object in chapter 9 is grits - it challenges Tim to remember his heritage. He refused them so people won't view him as a southern black boy he feels ashamed. "could everyone see that I was southern? "ill have orange juice, toast and coffee." "I would have sworn you were a pork chop man" (pg 178) -The context is when Tim is in the diner and refuses to eat grits, pork chop etc because he doesn't want to look southern.

symbolic objects

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