Analysis using the song as a lens (Without mentioning the song):

Sethe is surrendering the little peace she had to Beloved who in this case serves as her master; Beloved represents Sethe's addiction to motherhood, then reliving her guilt and her past. Sethe was gaining strength to move forward without Halle and the rest of her family, but her obsession over "Beloved" is what completely took over her. Her guilt is deeply rooted with her obsession over motherhood; Her obsession over Motherhood is deeply rooted in the absence of her own "Ma'am." The excessive nurturing she was providing her daughters in the scene, was her feeding her addiction that then lead to self destruction. Her overbearing nature as a mother in this specific scene blinded her and made her believe lies: that her life could be perfectly normal, and that now that she is free, she could have Beloved again. Instead, Sethe overdid her role as a mother to the point where she lost full control of herself and her ability to love and nurture her daughters. Beloved caused her to lose her control and the balance she was already trying to maintain.

In the end, Sethe was born to be a loving mother; her murdering her own child was her way of being a great mother: one that protected her child from a life lacking guidance, nurturing, love and thrown in a world of pain, suffering, and anguish. These actions would forever control her life and destroy her peace and sense of normalcy.

So this song in Spanish was the best I could think of at the moment but quite a few verses of it are quite relatable to this scene in my opinion. The way I see it Sethe surrendered to Beloved giving her will to her. Not only her will but her everything: love, freedom. . .

Looking ahead from this- the spirit of Beloved is way more powerful than Sethe's will. More powerful than anything in the world.

Analysis: The joining of the community in saving Sethe from Beloved is ironic, considering their previous shunning and shaming of her. Ella herself still believes that Beloved's presence is a deserved punishment for her purported crime in killing her child. There is further irony in that both of these acts, the killing of the child and the breaking down of Sethe's community in Cincinnati, are products of slavery, representative of how the system of oppression and racism in America historically, and to this day, continue to destroy Black lives by destroying the bonds between them. Everyone in the community are victims of oppression, they have faced horrors beyond imagination and humiliation at the hands of the white man. But that pain has made them turn on each other. The sense of shame each individual feels, and the internalized racism they maintain from being treated sub-humanly for so long, has hindered their ability to empathize that Sethe's act, though certainly horrible, was an act of liberation. In this way, by being victims to slavery and racism, they have unfortunately found themselves complicit in its proliferation. But here they take a stand. Here they put aside their shames and fears to rid Sethe, and symbolically rid their community, of Beloved, ridding themselves of the continued pain and suffering of slavery. They too begin to understand that liberation cannot be found individually, but must be found and burgeoned by the community coming together and ridding themselves of the very cruelties they have suffered from at the hand of others.

Denver eventually becomes worried and concerned over Sethe's obsession with doing everything for Beloved, even when exhausted and unable to do any more. As such, Denver leaves the house. If nobody else would do it, it had to be her. Sethe was always begging for Beloved's love, for her forgiveness, and at first Denver was afraid of Sethe wanting to kill Beloved once more. But eventually, she became worried of Beloved being the one to kill instead, and it could be due to her growing greed of Sethe's material items, and her time. Denver has begun to grow distant in the process of it all, and she is most likely afraid that she will lose her mother, rather than Beloved.

There is a lot of fear that is in Denver, and it also stems from her fear of Sethe. After learning how Beloved died by the hands of Sethe, she loved Sethe so she, too, would not be killed. It carried on, and it is understandable why she is afraid. It would make sense if it had to do with their estrangement. Denver is very troubled. Her mother killed her own sister when she was a baby, she had no father figure in her life, her grandmother Baby Suggs did not pay much attention to her either, and only included Sethe in their conversations. And now that she's being excluded now in Sethe and Beloved's activities, it makes sense why she separates herself from everyone else. No matter who she talked to, or who she had, she was always the last option. She was always in a hell of sorts. She still cares, though. She cares about her mother and she fears for her safety. That is why she chooses to venture out, to save the one person who might decide to include her once more. Sethe, who had to beg for Beloved's love and forgiveness, will not have to beg Denver.

As estranged and separated as Denver is, she cares more than she and others think. She just never realises it until she's almost lost what she's cared about. She does not want to leave because she hates her mother, but because she loves her. She needs to help her. And she does help her.

Analysis using the song as a lens (without mentioning the song):

Sethe is providing everything that she possibly can for her children, trying to give them a different life than what she had, not having much in her life, she gladly gives it all up for her children, yet to Beloved, it will never be enough. She carries deep rooted trauma and heavy feelings inside her, but ,asks it so that her children don't view her in any ways other than happy, but she is in actuality going crazy. Beloved takes power over how Sethe lives her life, holds a weight over Sethe relating back to Sethe's deeper history of surrendering to her "master", in this case being Beloved. Sethe portrays herself as someone who is unlovable, as someone who is unable to be good enough or provide enough for the standards of others, and has faces this struggle throughout the entirety of her life.

All Sethe ever yearned for was to have a family; be a wife, a mother. However, even though she doesn't have 'a lot' in her life and people stole what was hers[her milk], she saw that motherhood was the one thing she could cling onto. It may have not seemed like a big deal to White People who had privilege, but it was meant to be hers forever. The one thing that gravely consumed her[Guilt/ Beloved] came back to life, and she saw it as a chance for forgiveness and the act of redemption: the ability to be a good mother. Up until now, Sethe tried her hardest to survive, going to extremes to make sure her children didn't go through what she did because she believed she had to.. even justifying her murder of Beloved. She goes on in this scene saying how when she'll explain everything to Beloved and why she did what she had to, Beloved will understand. To protect her infancy yet there is still a poison that stains Sethe's mouth, that being the guilt of her own past that she relived yet again. She continues to have this sense of self-sufficiency where it becomes this mindset of, "I did what I had to", to make herself believe she's a good mother.

Beloved is the intertwined source of all Sethe's roots that are sewn together in her past. She sets as a reminder for Sethe of what could have been - if she hadn't killed her - so through the act of desperation, Sethe let's Beloved in willingly and acts as a mother for her to soothe the past wounds that she couldn't bear.

Analysis:

Paul D went to church to express his guilt. Stamp Paid showed an example of a beneficial type of guilt, in which he decided to help slaves upon getting a flash thought to harm a fellow slave. Paul D however probably had these flash of thoughts for Sethe, but he didn't do anything about it and got directed by his guilt complex to church, another outlet to discharge his darker side.

Nobody is judging Paul D but himself. If Paul D was aware of this like Paid was, he would be free to act beneficially, however he is eaten up by negative thoughts of a failed love with Sethe that seemingly provoke him to the idea that he is worth being guilty. Paid also revealed that he was with Sethe when she killed her kids, and the justification he did for her, stating that she did it out of love, probably eased the weight off his own guilt since if she can be justified, most people can be, including Paul D.

Paul D only opened up about his fear for Sethe and himself upon meeting someone that justifies another side of him. Paid was easy to open up because he was open about his darker side. Sometimes the negative thoughts are bottled up due to the intense striving to muffle our darker side, however when someone reads a book about similar experiences, or simply meets someone with an open attitude about theirs, we can discharge this side of our psychology and find it easier to not identify with its provocative behavior. We all have flashes of intense thought just as Paid had the flash thought to break a woman's neck, and sometimes we just need to be open about it in a measured manner in order to not identify with the hidden ego's persistent provocations and judgments.

Analysis: Sethe, who'd gone through this unfortunate predicament, had lost her children to save them from her past. The one thing she was meant to have in the life of torment she's lived was to be a mother; one who could nurture for her children, but was taken away from her, her 'milk'. White people cannot relate to how badly colored people lived their lives, full of dehumanization. They've never experienced how bad it can really get, simply because they were the ones inflicting this torment. To them, her humanity and morals didn't mean much as long as she gave them what they wanted. Trying her best to live her 'normal' life as a former slave was her delusion of becoming somebody that she'd already lost. At the hands of a white man, there was no mercy being displayed to people of color.

Analysis:

Denver talks about how Beloved came as a blessing of sorts, solely there to help her wait for her father who will soon come to save her from her mother's hands. The love and obedience that she's presented is because of fear; she's scared that whatever made Sethe snap and kill Beloved will one day snap again. She feels abandoned from not having a complete family and has been feeling this way for years. Her need to be close to Beloved is because she sees Beloved as her's, "She's mine, Beloved." She's determined to protect her from the potential murder she may face from Sethe. Even when her family was almost full, her mother, siblings, and Baby Suggs, she was living in fear, she was living in caution, not allowing herself to truly live in her own home for which was never a home to her at all. She feels lonely and the only thing that helps is the idea that her father will come for her and save her. Her recollection of her father is based off what Baby Suggs has told her, hearing about he was an "angel"; and Denver believes that her angel will save her from Sethe. Denver is on high alert with her mother and even more so when Beloved comes because of her need to protect her. She warns Beloved to not love Sethe so much because she understands that Sethe's love can be fragile and quickly persuaded. Denver lives alone though holds onto this image of living a happy life with her father and Beloved. Her family as a whole suffering from fragmentation and destruction.

Analysis: Denver begins with how she was bloomed into life with the milk and blood of her mother, yet irony is shown as she is told how her own mother took the life of her sibling, bringing fear of her own mother into Denver's mind . The capability Sethe holds of being able to murder her own child, reflects how deep her fear is of Denver being a bought object that is paid for the benefit of a white man. Contrasting to Denver's youthful experience of growing up as a daughter, Sethe's youth was full of despair as she wasn't labeled as a person, but a price tag and a slave who births. Although Denver clearly sees the cruelty in her mothers actions, Denver gains a deeper understanding of how her mother is only attempting to "save" her life, by taking it away preventing that godforsaken experience.

-Sophia

scene: sethe gets left because paul d can’t understand why she did what she did and can’t get past it. he’s trying to show her that she has values inside herself regardless of the mother that she is and the actions she has taken while being a mother.

her worth comes from within rather than only being a mother. as a person one’s value runs deep and actions taken can’t and won’t define one as who you are. This is talking about having mental issues in a way and not being understood and going through manic periods in your life yet still trying to be understood and having no one who is able to do that for you. having flashbacks and dealing with mental struggles and not being understood on why what you did is what you felt you had to in the moment yet you’re trying to move on and not let it define you yet it does.

On the other hand, there is a roaming loneliness that defies containment. It is an independent and relentless loneliness that cannot be subdued by external factors. This type of loneliness spreads like a dry and distant presence, making one's own footsteps seem to come from a far-off place.

"The Sound of Silence" captures these contrasting aspects of loneliness. Its lyrics, such as "Hello darkness, my old friend," and "People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening," highlight the internal solitude and the lack of genuine connection in a noisy world.

The song's melancholic melody and haunting harmonies evoke a sense of introspection and isolation, resonating with the sentiments expressed in the scene. The yearning for meaningful connection and the struggle to bridge the gap between individuals are themes that both the song and the passage share. These two forms of loneliness can be seen as metaphors for the characters' experiences in "Beloved." The characters, particularly Sethe and Beloved, carry the weight of their traumatic pasts and face both internal and external struggles to find healing and connection.

"The Sound of Silence" reflects the characters' yearning for understanding, empathy, and meaningful connection amidst the silence and indifference of society. It speaks to their longing to be heard, seen, and acknowledged, mirroring the themes of isolation and the search for identity and belonging in "Beloved."

By encompassing the essence of introspective loneliness, the longing for genuine connection, and the struggle to overcome distance, "The Sound of Silence" by Peyton Parrish can resonate with the scene from "Beloved" by Toni Morrison.

Analysis: Paul D, not long before his spiraling; was settled. He had a little family of his own within 124 that consisted of Sethe, a woman from his past life as a slave. His life as a slave, especially during this period in his life is weighing heavily on him which contributes to him finding comfort in substance abuse, even though it is briefly mentioned it's evident how significant it must be as we see how heavily Paul D is reflecting on his life. Despite escaping those situations, the consequences of such an experience have altered how he perceives the world and his current behaviors. There was so much hard labor, death, and control that occurred within his life. Such traumatizing experiences cannot be easily forgotten and because of this, he longs for an escape. An escape from the memories, an escape from the mistreatment. He longs for a place to belong, his life after slavery was never secure either. He was everywhere and experienced many people and places but never anything consistent. He wonders if this life of inconsistency and torture is worth it. The life he knew consisted of one where his worth was deemed to be $900 when it was meant to be priceless, his life consisted of one where he wondered what the worth of his brothers and acquaintances was and how one could determine the price of a human life. I believe the discovery of what Sethe had done to her baby Beloved weighed even heavier on Paul D because of the disgust he found in his environment due to it, when he finally felt secure yet again his surroundings were ugly and cruel exactly like the past he once knew.

Analysis:

Beloved is addicted to loving Beloved and catching up on lost time meanwhile she "cut Denver off." Sethe is focused on a harmful addiction, focusing on what she could've had worrying about what's in the past she's not focused on what she has. She's falling into her bed of lost time she's lost her sense of reality. Slowly her only loved one "drifts" out of her sight as she can't handle seeing her in that condition.

-Denver's understanding of the bond between her mother and the song goes beyond words to explore the complex layers of emotional connection and shared experiences conveyed through music.

-The invisible thread linking them suggests a profound that transcends the tangible,highlighting the power of music to create meaningful connections between people.

Analysis: Sethe refuses to be alone without her children; believing that the "slave master" had come to take back Beloved. She aimed to kill him with an ice pick, representing the love she feels for Beloved. Instead of showing mercy to her daughter like in the past, she tries to kill the threat to her happiness. Emphasizing the need for Sethe to continue to have Beloved in her life, fixing her biggest wrong and no longer feeling guilty. And if Beloved where to die, we would assume that Sethe would also kill herself to be with her daughter. Trying to shield Beloved from all the misery she endured. Sethe would be willing to be with Beloved in any place she desires, and she'll do anything to stop from being alone; without her child.

analysis: sethe wasnt fully open to being touched in a helping manner and kept a guard up as she knows about the baby she killed knowing how bad of a thing it was she did and feeling that burden years after and even to this day with beloved showing up and sethe knows shes a killer and she senses that from her child she killed as a mother instinct and felt danger from her "child" trying to hurt her in this physical form

Baby Suggs for a time had such passion and preached about Harmony. She suffered deeply but did her best to move on. However she lost the ability to see all the colors that life could over when "They came in [Her] yard." The second that happened a core part of life was ripped from her and all she could see was "Blue" and "Yellow". Just as there's the common perception that the colors red, Blue and yellow make up of the colors that we see in life, if one is gone then the perception that someone, in this case Baby Suggs, can't see the full picture that life has to offer. She lost her red in life, making her lose the passion to ANYTHING, since she was only able to see those color, both of which can mean depression. She was initially this fighting force for unity and now Baby has given up, forever viewing the rest of her life unfulfilled.

Analysis ; Sethe will continue to feel unfulfilled until she repents herself from her guilt and amends her decisions through her actions towards Beloved . Creating that closure to both , the reflection of her past and the reflection of her satisfied blunder. Although they both intertwine with each other one needs to be killed in order for the other to suppress

Analysis: Denver has never had a "father figure" present when she could understand what he was there with. It was mostly through memory or what she has been told. As if these descriptions bring back ease to her life. Every paragraph is like a photo in her album book. She misses her "Daddy" a lot.

Analysis using the song as a lens :

Throughout the entire story, these girls Sethe, Denver, and Beloved all seem to be so different in so many ways. From the perspective of victim and aggressor to mother and child. However, in this scene, it is displayed how they are more like each other it seems. While talking the girls all overlap and it gets confusing this displays how all the chaos and deep emotion that they feel in and of itself is something they have in common. While these girls all portray different emotional effects of their pasts and slavery they all also portray them in such different ways. Towards the end of the scene, all three girls start to repeat the same thing to each other this represents that while these girls and women have such different experiences and pasts they have all been changed as people by the tragedies that they have faced.

Not only in this scene but throughout the story these girls are depicted as very different beings. However, these girls are just different sides of the same coin. A coin full of trauma and a complicated past.

Analysis: Stamp's encounter with these voices causes him to make the analogy that compares slavery to a jungle, and how it dehumanizes everyone involved, including whites. The white's oppression of the black community shows their constant stand of superiority and how they believe no blame should be put on their actions for creating this "perfect world". The power they hold towards slaves interprets this situation as a food chain in the jungle, making an animal out of everyone and having whites be at the top of the food chain and in control of all below. Their actions are inhumane and similar to most animals in a jungle, not an ounce of sympathy is shown to one another if their main motive is to survive. The whites will continue to cause harm towards these "black and angry dead" voices heard just for their own benefit.

Sethe is trying her best to gain beloveds forgiveness but cant succeed. She keeps trying to gain beloved's favor making it her top priority, but sadly she can’t seem to gain her forgiveness. She can’t go back in time and undo what she did and all she is doing for her now isn’t working, all her begging and love going to waste. She can;t let it go as beloved means so much to her and she will try and try to gain her forgiveness.