https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq Now that you all have come up with songs that tell a story or are about storytelling, and explained how they make you feel/what you envision, describe the significance of Denver retelling her version of her birth. What does Denver's name symbolize in terms of Amy? Do you think that storytelling is important to keep the past alive? en-us 2022-03-02 23:17:49 UTC 2025-07-27 02:47:13 UTC hello@padlet.com 23laordenorol https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084218867 The retelling of Denver’s birth allows Denver to see and feel how her mother felt during the experience. She “is feeling how it must have felt to her mother” (91). It seems almost as if this memory is Denver’s, but in reality it is Sethe’s memory. However, it has been told so often to Denver that it is almost part of her. 
Denver’s name symbolizes how Amy shaped Sethe’s life, and it keeps her memory alive in a way, through her. 
I think that while storytelling does keep the past alive because it spreads it to others and therefore allows a memory to live on, the act of storytelling can tarnish or erase parts of a memory, so it can also change it. If a memory is changed, I don’t think it can fully keep the past alive, instead it has evolved into a new memory.]]> 2022-03-08 15:22:27 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084218867 22aversanoc1_1 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084222192 Through Denver's retelling of the story, she herself admits that she gained empathy for her mother through retelling. "Denver was seeing it now and feeling it - through Beloved. Feeling how it must have felt to her mother." (91). This quote, in my opinion, truly describes the importance of retelling. For many, it can be a way to process the information, and others seem to truly love talking about themselves. The feeling of pride, in a way, can be seen through Denver when she states "she loved it because it was all about herself". Through retelling the story, Denver and Beloved also formed a bond between each other, they were both feeling like they were back in that moment. In my opinion Denver's name is paying homage to Amy Denver, the woman who helped Sethe get back to better health. I think that this was one of the first white people that Sethe had encountered that wasn't like the others. Amy also brought Sethe to the Ohio River - where she was able to access safety and freedom. I think that storytelling is important to keep the past alive, even though storytelling can be subject to changes in what is known as the "truth". Storytelling brings people together and through that they can share their history. ]]> 2022-03-08 15:23:56 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084222192 22moodyt https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223088 Denver's retelling of her version of her birth helps show how one's interpretation of a story can change depending on their emotional attachment to the story. While children normally adopt their father's last name, the name Denver is addressed by is the last name of a woman. signifying that she had more to do with the life of Denver than her real father actually did. I wrote about this in our quick write about memory, but to summarize I believe that a person has multiple deaths, the last of which is when the last person forgets them. Storytelling keeps those people alive, it carries the memory of the past into the present and ideally allows those who hear it to take the wisdom gathered from that experience and apply it to their own life. Without storytelling, we'd still be in the stone age.]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:22 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223088 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223301 Denver's name symbolizes the help that Amy gave Sethe during the birth of Denver. During the time of the birth of Denver, Sethe was in need of help and struggling. It allows Denver insight into what her mother experienced during the birth. Amy was there for Sethe, therefore, Denver's name is a symbol of the relationship between Sethe and Amy and the help that Amy gave Sethe. I do think storytelling is important to keep the past alive. Amy was an important part of Sethe's life, and the name keeps her memory alive. In this case, Denver's name is what keeps her past alive. It is important to remember the stories and the support/help that Amy gave Sethe during a hard time. ]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:28 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223301 23tovara1_1 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223751 The significance of Denver retelling her version of her birth is the inherent guilt that comes with being such a burden to her own mother at the time. Denver is named after Amy Denver symbolizing the gratitude that Sethe had for Amy and this could also foreshadow the stability/selflessness that Denver could show later on in the book as she was named after a very stable and selfless person. Storytelling is the only way to keep the past alive with folklores lasting thousands of years just through storytelling. Hell, isn't the Bible the conglomeration of retold stories]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:40 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223751 22ackermane https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223890 I think storytelling is very important to keep the past alive. When someone recounts a story it is often with the influence of their emotions. A great experience can be dramatized to make it sound even better. A joke may be changed to be funnier. A bad experience may turn into a traumatic one. Regardless of how it might change, the storyteller itself has the goal in mind of making others feel the same emotion that they once did when this event occurred. Storytelling allows someone to share their emotions with others and perhaps let others feel those same sensations. By Denver retelling her birth, she provides her point of view with her own emotions included.  As seen in Atonement, storytelling provides two different perspectives which may provide two different 'truths' to one story. The memory that Denver holds is in fact that of her mother's becuase no one can really recount their own birth. However, she may have her own version on how it impacted it. Denver recieved her name from Amy whose assistance has remained in Sethe's memory through her daughter. ]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:44 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223890 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223894 Denver retelling her version of her birth is an example of 'secondhand' storytelling - while she was technically there during her birth, she has limited (or even no) memories of what actually occurred. Prior to her mother telling her the story, she did not know about Sethe encountering Amy Denver and how she was named after her. By Denver being the one telling the story, she slightly shapes it in a way to portray the idea that no matter what, Sethe's intention is that Denver must be born and must survive. She mentions that "nothing happened for so long" and "they both believed they had lost" the baby, but then goes on to say that "the baby whimpered," forcing readers to doubt her survival first before feeling a sense of relief. To Amy, Sethe's new baby being named Denver plays an important role in having Amy understand that she will be remembered. She even tells Sethe that she "better tell her" and to "Say Miss Amy Denver" (100). Storytelling plays a major role in keeping the past alive in that it helps pass on moments and memories through generations. It is the most 'genuine' form of teaching, as there is a personal aspect to it.  While it may not all be 'accurate', storytelling provides a way for someone to portray their emotions in a way that listing statistics or facts cannot.]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:44 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223894 22ryanw1 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223918 The significance of Denver retelling the story to Beloved about her birth is a chance for Denver to recognize the terrible agony and pain that went into her birth. Everything has been difficult for her and her family, and perhaps Beloved is allowing her to see her mother's actions in a whole new light - actions of pure love for her child. In addition, Denver's name symbolizes a deep respect between two women who were thrown together by chance and forced to work together. Whether it shows a bond between an African American woman and a white woman is a whole other question, because throughout the retelling Amy is very snippy with Sethe, but that being said the name nonetheless does stand as a tribute to the immense gratitude that Sethe felt/feels towards Amy. When trying to answer the final question - it is important to figure out what kind of storytelling is being done. Storytelling that hides the truth in any serious way is not super helpful for keeping the past alive, and at that point it is probably better to bury the past rather than to re-write it. However, keeping the past alive does serve the noble purpose of letting us know where we come from and the trials and tribulations our ancestors faced, thus helping us move into the modern world with hopefully fewer mistakes - or at the very least different mistakes than the ones our ancestors made.]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:45 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084223918 22delucam1_1 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084224038 Denver has heard the story of her birth so often that it has become her own story, as if she could remember it clearly even though she was only a baby. Denver is clearly named after Amy, as Amy was the one to give Sethe hope and turn her suffering into something beautiful (comparing her scars to a chokecherry tree). Denver's life and retelling of the story can be seen as the representation of that hope living on, which is why telling the stories of the past is so important. ]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:49 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084224038 22pettiboneh https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084224114 When Denver tells the story of her birth to Beloved, she is capturing the essence of what her mother told her and inventing details to accompany it to make it feel realer to Beloved. She cannot physically remember her own birth, so the story is more of a representation of the important things that happened. This is significant because stories like this must be carried from generation to generation in order to continue existing, even if only some parts of it continue to hold importance.

The meaning behind Denver's name is that she wouldn't exist were it not for Amy Denver helping her mother, so her name is also something that wouldn't exist without Amy.]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:51 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084224114 22fanwickl11_1 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084224422 It is important to retell the past. Retelling the past ensures that history won't repeat itself. Storytelling is one way to share the past, to keep it alive. Storytelling is extremely important. It is very important to the story that Denver retells her version of the birth. Retelling the same story puts an emphasis on the importance and opens the reader's eyes to the situation even more. This is similar to how they retold the same scene many times in atonement, each time allowing the reader to reassess the situation. Each time you hear a story you are going to interpret it in a different way and pick up on details you may not have noticed the first time.]]> 2022-03-08 15:24:59 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084224422 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084225167 Retelling the past is actually very important and it shows the growth of a person. Although the actual past cannot be changed, the way we perceive it can be changed. Retelling the past characterizes how we see it and how it impacts us. Often significant stories are told over and over again and they may change based on how they affect us over time. Denver retelling the story shows how well she knows the story of Sethe explaining the story. She has also experienced the different additions or gaps to the story. She is telling this story second-hand and she is able to empathize and understand the significant parts of the story. Her name is Denver and it is a way to keep the past alive. Keeping the past alive is very important and it allows Denver to empathize with her mother. ]]> 2022-03-08 15:25:19 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084225167 23blankenshipe https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084228736 Denver had heard the story of her birth so many times that it became a clear memory even though she was a baby. The story gives reason to her name, which is named after Amy, showing how Amy had been more of a part of her life than her father. It is important to use storytelling to keep the past alive for many reasons. On a literal level, they were not able to write about their past, so by telling these stories they told about their childhood and their history, but on a more metaphorical level, these stories became a way for these people to remember where they came from. ]]> 2022-03-08 15:27:01 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084228736 22elmasryj1_1 https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084231540 In Denvers retelling of her birth to Beloved, she starts to feel compassion and realize how Sethe might have felt in that moment, which was mainly scared and that she was hurting. Denver talks about her birth as if she was there. In the interaction with Sethe and Amy, Amy claims Sethe is going to die, which is weird why Denver likes to tell this birth story considering Sethe almost didn't make it. Denver retells this story because she has heard it so many times from her mother, but she is also retelling the story because it shows Sethe's perseverance: "Denver was seeing it now and feeling it-through Beloved. Felling how it must have felt to her mother" (91). Denver is feeling empathy, and she learns this through storytelling which is why it is significant. 

Denver's name symbolizes hope for Sethe. Amy is nice enough to help Denver in this moment, which is not common for whites to do in this time in history. So, naming Sethe's daughter after Amy reminds Sethe and perhaps all blacks that there is light at the end of the tunnel and not all people are malicious, even if it may seem that way in the moment. ]]> 2022-03-08 15:28:23 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084231540 23jayawardhanev https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084232524 Denver's retelling of her own birth is significant as it allows her to establish a sense of purpose and pride, as her being taken from Sweet Home and on the way being born demonstrates that Denver's birth has marked a shift in her mother's condition and abilities.

Denver was named after Amy because she ultimately saved her baby's life and after being dehumanized and isolated at Sweet Home, Sethe is finally free. Denver being named after Amy is in some way a symbol of that, as it demonstrates hope in a new life up north at 124 (although it doesn't necessarily play out in this way in the end).

Storytelling is essential in keeping the past alive since without testimonials and stories, history ultimately becomes a list of dates and events, lacking the "personal touch" needed to make any event worthy of being taught to others. Denver's storytelling gives insight into Sethe's past and her hopes for the future, with emotions that no article or description about escaped slaves can convey.   ]]> 2022-03-08 15:28:52 UTC https://padlet.com/22lamannak/rfksf2zlrcaq64eq/wish/2084232524