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I really enjoyed attending the Toni Morrison event. Learning about the multiple awards including her Nobel Prize in literature and many more, I learned that this author was ground-breaking and an amazing woman. She would use her books to show her experiences throughout her life, she uses her books to teach others about her culture and how her culture shaped her life.

 One thing that really stood out to me during the panel what a quote that was from Toni Morrison, “If there is a book you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet you must write it.” This quote stood out to me because this showed it showed why she began writing her books, she was writing them because no one else was. She needed to speak her thoughts, words and her truth. These stories she told were testaments to what she believed in, what she thought the world needed to hear. Morrison showed through her works of art, her books that she wanted to create more and further the conversations of racism and prejudice thoughts and values.

I really enjoyed the conversation our Professor brought to the table. The conversation was brought up about how we, as women, need to have friendship that is “unmediated by men.” Professor Savonick brought up that Toni Morrison would question woman’s oppression, why is it happening? Women have just as much power as men and Morrison wanted to get that across to the reader through the use of her books.

The Toni Morrison event held here at SUNY Cortland overall was a very heartfelt yet educational presentation all in one. There were many speakers which took on a different aspect of Mrs. Morrisons writing which went from personal experiences, from topics she greatly touched upon in her writing. Overall I believe that the presentation was very well planned and was an enjoyable experience.

 One quote that was brought up that I really enjoyed was “if you want to read a book that hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it”. This stood out to me because it really made me think, we can be searching for stories that don’t exist yet, but those stories can be ones of our own. From all the individuals who presented it seems that Toni Morrison has had a great impact on a lot of lives. 

All in all I think that this event was worth going to. It was well presented, very organized, and a lot of students and faculty went. I think my school does a fabulous job if hosting different events for students and I am looking forward to the next one. -Andrea Moro

On Thursday of this past week, I was able to attend the Toni Morrison event. I am not only glad I have attended to learn more about such an influential woman, but I was glad and surprised to see the entire lounge was filled as well. During this event, professors from different fields of education including the English department, Africana Studies department, Health department, Women’s studies, and others were all able to come together to express how Toni Morrison has influenced each of their own lives.

Before I attended this event, I was not too familiar with the works of Toni Morrison; but after attending this event and listening to the panel of professors speaking on behalf of her accomplishments, I have been inspired by all she has done and by all of those whom she has influenced. For those of you who are unsure, Toni Morrison was an American novelist, book editor, essayist, and a college professor. She was the winner of several prizes including the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. One key moment that I was able to take away from this event was when Mr. James Felton spoke on how Toni Morrison was able to shape him to his core. She was a woman to fully embrace and understand the culture and history behind her heritage. She taught him the importance of staying in touch with where you come from, which he has now brought to his own classroom to teach his students.

Overall, I am extremely happy that I was able to attend the Toni Morrison event because I left with inspiration to continue my own life as she did hers. She has made such a large impact on the lives of so many, which motivates me to always put 100% effort into everything I am able to accomplish.

This past Thursday, I was able to attend the Toni Morrison Roundtable event. I was very surprised with the amount of people that were there, and I was even more surprised to see how passionate the speakers were about Toni Morrison. Previous to this event, I did not know much about Toni Morrison. I had only heard her name mentioned in my high school English classes, but I had never read anything from her. After listening to everyone speak about her, it made me want to look into some of her works and read them for myself. Her books seemed to have great messages, and the fact that the speakers were so passionate about it made me even more curious.

Although Toni Morrison was African-American, she was able to reach out and touch the hearts of all her readers, no matter what they looked like. For the black community, one speaker said that he was able to be conscious of his heritage and the society that he lived in. He also felt moved by Toni Morrison because he was able to relate to what she was writing about, even if it was a book based on women. It also helped him celebrate his race and appreciate the black community. 

When Professor Savonick was speaking, I was very touched by her description of Morrison’s book Sula, and it made me interested in reading it. She spoke about how Toni Morrison was able to depict female friendship, and push that women should work together rather than working against each other. I thought that this message was very important, especially in today’s society where it seems like everyone is always compared to somebody. Prof. Savonick also said that Toni Morrison’s books described that romantic relationships are only one type of relationships you could have in your life, and how working together and forming different types of relationships with people are very important in a larger movement.

I am happy that I was able to go to this event with some friends, and learn about who Toni Morrison was and why she was so important. It was nice to see all these people come together to celebrate someone’s life in a special way, and I am definitely going to look into what Toni Morrison books would be good for me to read. 

At the Toni Morrison roundtable event, I was shocked how many people showed up to the event. It proved that her books shaped and changed a lot of people’s lives. What I enjoyed most about the event was each English department professor shared their piece of inspiration from Morrison. 

One of the best speakers that I have heard was our professor, Dr. Savonick. When she spoke, it was almost as if she was Toni Morrison through her abstract descriptions and imageries. Toni Morrision made Dr. Savonick raise questions about womanhood. Some Revolutionary authors that influenced Dr. Savonick’s work of literature were Toni Cade Bambara, Adrienne Rich, June Jordan, and Audre Lorde. If I hadn’t gone to this event, I would have never known that my own English professor is working on publishing a book called “Insurgent Knowledge.”    What really caught my eye was when she said f

To extrapolate, I am so excited I got to experience an event like this, especially since I had no idea who Toni Morrison is. Hearing different perspectives from each speaker on how Morrison’s story affect them, made me want to read her novels. I would recommend that if there is another Toni Morrison event again, everyone should go. It is really engaging and interesting! 

I am so glad I got to experience an event like this, especially since I had no prior knowledge of Toni Morrison or any of her works. I also enjoyed hearing different things from each speaker and the effect her stories had on them individually. The first speaker talked about the impact reading these books had on him and the connection he made with his culture. He learned to understand his background and how to be conscious of who he truly is. 

Hearing all about how this author leaves you wanting more and wondering what happens next, learning to be okay without this closure most books give to the reader makes me want to find one of her best books and read it for myself. It is clear that Morrison is a feminist and hearing another speaker talk about how she writes about female friendship and fear of how powerful women become once they come together. The inspiration this author had on all the speakers at this event reflects how good of a writer she truly was. Another speaker talked about a student he had that didn’t grasp the story he had read but loved the discussions they had after. He said all that matters is that you are able to be transformed by the challenge the story brings forth. Another student was shocked by the graphics of this story and he said to her that nonfiction presents the surface, fiction like this gets to the heart. This event was so informative and I’m very happy I went. 

By Lindsay Czechowski

The memoir The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston is a collection of stories about the author’s life growing up. The important things in her life were the “talk stories” her mother, Brave Orchid, told her growing up to “warn us[her] about life” (Kingston, 5). Progressing through the book Kingston begins to write more and more about these ghosts that constantly haunt her and her family. Ghosts typically represent people of the past that have died. In ancient China “ghosts were taken very seriously”because they were seen as beings that did harm to the living (Mark). Brave Orchid’s life was surrounded by ghosts. Kingston recognizes her not as “crazy” but as a “capable exorcist” because she was strong enough to fight off the ghosts (Kingston, 92). Because of Kingston’s mother, ghosts are a large part of Kingston’s girlhood even in America.

In the chapter Shaman, Kingston switches point of views between herself and her mother. Brave Orchid grew up in China and is the reason for Kingston’s thoughts and stories in this book. In the perspective of herself, Kingston refers to regular people as ghosts. This is interesting because the “talk stories” from Brave Orchid contained harmful ghosts that haunted her throughout life in China. Those stories differ from the thoughts Kingston creates about ghosts in her life. She replaces people with ghosts. She writes about being “regularly visited by the Mail Ghost, Meter Reader Ghost, Garbage Ghost,” all people in normal everyday life (Kingston, 98). These ghosts are not harmful to anyone yet Kingston continues to write about them as if they are, in turn copying her mother’s stories. It is said that ” in ancient China, they were reality whether one believed in them or laughed them off”(Mark). These stories are very real to the Chinese. Tales of certain deaths such as “the drowned one,” or Kingston’s aunt that killed herself and her baby, can haunt and “waits silently by the water to pull down a substitute” (Kingston, 16). The contrast between this mother and daughter duo is the severity of these ghosts within their culture. Kingston lives as a Chinese American not surrounded by the ancient Chinese beliefs causes her to make up stories like her mother’s. This behavior attributes to why the reading is confusing to the reader. Kingston writes about what she remembers from her childhood trying to explain these happenings as if she knows everything about them, however in reality she knows very little. This leaves the reader with little knowledge of what her stories’ purposes were.

These stories emphasize hidden thoughts of Brave Orchid. For example, while explaining a story about the garbage man that Kingston refers to as “Garbage Ghosts,” Brave Orchid refers to him as “the White Ghost” (Kingston, 98). Brave Orchid says, ” Now we know”and continues,” the White Ghosts can hear Chinese” (Kingston, 98). Why does she include that in the story? Does Brave Orchid have something against Americans? This contributes to why Kingston never feels like enough. In the chapter White Tigers Kingston says,”My American life has been such a disappointment” (Kingston, 45). Why did Kingston refer to her life as her “American life”? America was not what Brave Orchid was used to nor did she have her family there with her. Chinese traditions are up to her to continue on to Kingston. However, these stories make Kingston seem less than acceptable to Brave Orchid only because she is not fully Chinese. Although she married an American man she has unhappy feelings on white Americans, specifically, even compared to black Americans.

The ghosts are significant in Chinese culture and to Brave Orchid. These “talk stories” reveal a side to Brave Orchid and her actions towards Kingston. These are important to recognize because these stories about ghosts slowly begin to unravel the truth about Kingston’s life and stories as a female, Chinese American.

1. What was the purpose of including “White” and “Black Ghosts”?
2. Why does Kingston call machines and people “ghosts” growing up in her stories?

Works Cited

Kingston, Maxine H. The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Childhood among Ghosts. Vintage, 1989.

Mark, Emily. “Ghosts in Ancient China.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 29 Sept. 2019, www.ancient.eu/article/892/ghosts-in-ancient-china/.

“The Woman Warrior” is an autobiography written by Maxine Hong Kingston. Kingston displays her life in creative short stories throughout this autobiography. In the short story “Shaman,” she talks about her mother, “Brave Orchird,” and how her life was enticing and eventful. The ghosts haunt Kingston that her mother brought in her life, she paints an image for the readers about the conflicts that her relationship with her mother had brought her. There is a distrust that Kingston has within her mother, a reason for this distrust is from not knowing whether her mother had taken part in killing babies or not. Brave Orchird would describe to Kingston the common practice of killing baby girls by suffocation in a box of ashes. Kingston then suffers from nightmares about preventing babies from being killed. She said that she “would protect the dream baby, not let it suffer, not let it out of my sight. (86)” This could be a direct result from the shame that she feels from her mother, possibly killing babies without certainty. While her mother thinking that telling her these stories will help her self- esteem about being a woman, it does the opposite. Kingston’s dreams consume her about her saving the babies, and she always fails to do so, resulting in her questioning her sanity. Her dreams show how deep down Kingston is a good person and how influential her mother was on her. This also relates to how impressionable Kingston was in “No Name Woman” when her mother told her, “You must not tell anyone… what I am about to tell you.” That is additionally a difficult thing to ask of a child, and her mother continues to do this to Kington for her entire life. 

Another childhood fear that Kingston suffered from was about the expectations put on females, which started from her mother’s stories about female slavery. She had this intense fear that she was unwanted as a daughter and would be sold as a slave in her lifetime. This is yet another example of how Brave Orchirds stories instilled fear in her daughter and uncertainty about herself. She talks about how she does not want to go to China because she believes that in China, her parents would sell her. This could be a reason that she can only “smell” China and not see it. It could be her subconscious blocking out China because she believes it is a bad place. Kingston believed that her mother cared more about her slave girl than she did her daughter. She said, “My mother’s enthusiasm for me is duller than for the slave girl. (82)” When Kingston had said this, it shined a light on the fact that she is insecure about herself and believed that she was not good enough for anything, especially her mother. A mother’s approval is pivotal for a daughter’s self-esteem, and Brave Orchid damaged that for Kingston. Her telling this in a story form shows the beauty of storytelling since it paints her experience gracefully. 

At the end of the chapter, Brave Orchid says about the children who died in China that “No, you must have been dreaming. You must have been making up stories. You are all the children there are. (103)” to Kingston. This shows how she blocked out the trauma of them ever dying, which also relates to “No Name Woman” and how her family didn’t even honor her memory. This ultimately even makes her homeland unknown to Brave Orchid. The unknown can be a scary thing, especially with a young girl such as Kingston. Kingston displays her childhood in an enticing method that shows the magnitude of how impressionable she was to her mother’s stories due to the uncertainty of them.  

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the significance of the unknown in life? Especially in Kingstons life? 
2. What does Brave Orchid represent? How does Kingston view her mother?

We will go over this in class on Wednesday 10/2

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The book, The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston is memoirs based on growing up as a Chinese woman. The first memoir, “No Name Woman” is very a powerful and painful piece. Kingston goes into extreme detail of how women were treated in Chinese culture and the harshness that came along with being a woman. Even to this day, women are always being viewed as lesser than men and unfortunately, they don’t have equal opportunities as men. This book shines a light on this issue of gender inequality that has been going on for hundreds of years. 

Kingston starts off the first memoir by diving into a horrific story that her mother told her when she was a young woman going through puberty. In this story, her mother tells Kingston about an aunt she once had that had brutally killed herself and her baby. The aunt had committed suicide due to the fact that she was having a baby without having a husband. This had been seen as shameful and unforgivable, no woman should be having sex and carrying a child if they are not married. The aunt committing suicide caused the family to neglect that there even was a daughter in the family. They were so disappointed with what she had done that they didn’t want to remember her. 

The family and the village were very aware of the growing baby bump but no one talked about it. They didn’t mention it because it would mean they would have to admit the shameful act she had done. Kingston recalls what her mother had once told her, “The village had also been counting. On the night the baby was born the villagers raided our house… At first they threw mud and rocks at the house. Then they threw eggs and began slaughtering our stock. We could hear the animals scream their deaths- the roosters, the pigs, a last roar from the ox” (5-6). Their house, animals, and food had been destroyed because what her aunt had done was so disgraceful. Not only did the aunt had to face the repercussions but so did the family. This horrible event of slaughtering and suicide had happened in the early 1920s and decades later Kingston’s mother is still warning her on what could happen if she disappoints the family. Kingston states, “Don’t let your father know I told you. He denies her. Now that you have started to menstruate, what happened to her could happen to you. Don’t humiliate us. You wouldn’t like to be forgotten as if you had never been born. The villagers are watchful” (5). This shows that a woman’s role in society hasn’t changed, they still have similar standards of being secondary to men. 

In Chinese culture, women were just there to listen to their spouse, look pretty, cook and clean. They weren’t viewed as people or as individuals. They had to bond their feet, to keep intact their tiny feet which would have been seen as beautiful but in reality, it was very painful and excruciating. Women had no say in what they could or couldn’t do, it was the men that were making the decisions. Even from the very beginning at birth, females are seen as inferior. Kingston states, “Mothers who love their children take them along. It was probably a girl; there is some hope of forgiveness for boys” (15). She is saying that if her aunt had a boy that things could have maybe been different. The baby could have lived a full happy life but because she was most likely a girl then she wouldn’t have had a good life. Kingston demonstrates in her book how unequal the two genders live. 

Discussion Questions:

To this day, are women still viewed as objects or lesser than men? How? 

Did Kingston’s memoir of “No Name Woman,” help you to understand what Chinese females had to endure in traditional Chinese society or only complicate it?