Song of Solomon Essay

To Be Read or Not To Be Read

Toni Morrison’s novel, Song of Solomon, is a controversial book that some states allow to be read in school and in others find the book to be vulgar because of the descriptive language. The diction Morrison uses and the scenes she describes all contribute to the book to truly reveal how people think in the world and how society is. The situations that characters are put through are growing points and teach young adults what growing up can be like. Song of Solomon provides a realistic view on society, racism, and sexism then and how it so closely correlates to society now. This novel should not be banned in schools and should be taught upon teacher’s choice.

We learn about society in the 1950’s and Martin Luther King Jr. and race riots in history class. But what we don't learn is how people lived through the segregation, how people tried to overcome the segregation, or how people grew in that oppressed environment. Song of Solomon provides a new learning experience through the eyes of a young African American man. Macon “Milkman” Dead is the protagonist and the book is written by following his upbringing. Milkman is the youngest of the family and has a close relationship to his mother, but not his father. The society he lives in is a black neighborhood with constant reassurance that he needs to behave a certain way to avoid trouble and that black people will be treated lesser. Many of these people live a minimalistic lifestyle, "Who’s going to live in them? There’s no colored people who can afford to have two houses," Lena said. The African American community has such a huge impact on society and how their growing impoverishment affects business therefore affecting their way of living. Milkman’s character develops and grows through the years to come to realize that his race is singled out. Milkman’s character teaches students how much society has changed since the 1950’s but also how much society hasn't changed. With our new president in office we are starting to see a more 1950’s atmosphere towards all people of color. History classes can teach us how people felt and overcame obstacles. But Morrison uses choice words and descriptive scenes to accurately display a vivid picture and engage the reader to understand racism.

Milkman’s encounters with racism teach students in school how African Americans were directly affected by segregation that aren't compromised by the views of other people that are not of color. Morrison describes Milkman in a barbershop with a few of his friends, he walks in and they're all listening to the radio about a African American boy that was brutally murdered. “ A young Negro boy had been found stomped to death in Sunflower County, Mississippi.”(Morrison The way the men in the barber shop react to this tragedy. They're enraged and begin to fight with each other. History classes can only teach what happened, they can't teach the reactions or emotions that followed these very often incidents. Milkman's best friend Guitar joins an activist group called the Seven Days. The activist group kills one white person for every black person murdered. This is how some of the African American community reacted. Race is such a big issue and Morrison