Introduction
To analyze the representative work in Toni Morrison’s Nobel Lecture and Hedges and Sacco’s “Days of Slavery,“ it is critical first to provide context on these literature pieces and discuss the key themes.
Overview
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s world-recognized Nobel lecture centers around the importance and power of language. Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech proved that she brought life to an essential aspect of American reality within the literature as she recounted a version of a fable that has its reiteration in most cultures. Morrison keenly and eloquently attributes the importance of language within our lives with the quote, “I trust you with the bird that is not in your hands because you have truly caught it.” This lecture discusses the falsified reality that circulates our society to elucidate and cloud, oppress and liberate, honor and sully, and both quantify and be incapable of capturing a human experience.
Hedges and Sacco
Similarly, in “Days of Slavery,“ Hedges and Sacco delve into the experiences of Lucas Benitez, an immigrant worker who faces exploitation and abuse. Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco’s “Days of Slavery“ offers a critique of corporate capitalism in a post-industrial profit-thirsting America. Through a focused lens on racial and ethnic minorities, Hedges and Sacco expose the poverty, destruction, and exploitation occurring throughout the nation. “Days of Slavery” specifically commands attention to America’s ongoing economic paradox: outsourcing labor overseas while simultaneously exploiting migrant workers in a self-serving interest of maximizing profit. The unnoticed casualties, being Black and Hispanic communities, are a result of the system of oppression governing race relations and the distribution of wealth.
Meaning Behind “Days of Slavery”
This text attempts to serve as a testament to systemic racism, revealing the process by which the complex interactions between race and economics uphold white dominance while furthering the subjection of minorities. In this chapter, alongside the other laborers, Benitez fought for his rights and demanded they be awarded the recognition of the injustices that were served, stating, “We realized that the only way there would be real change was when we yelled and fought for ourselves […] We discovered that we could not wait for someone from the outside to come and save us. We were our saviors“ (Lucas Benitez, in Hedges and Sacco, “Days of Slavery,“ 221). Benitez standing up for his rights displays the struggle for justice from the perspective of the “underdogs“ and the difficulty in attempting to garner traction for one’s claims when they are not on the winning side of history. Benitez tried to bring attention to the harsh realities that the laborers faced as a result of the systems that perpetuated their suffering.
Message of Morrison’s Lecture
Morrison’s speech serves to illustrate history is retold by the victors. Those who are triumphant are those who get to choose what narrative reverberates through the tales and can create a story of the victors as either the team that individuals want to root for or with a truthful retelling. Toni Morrison uses the metaphor of a bird to represent memories and stories taking flight. A bird, often a symbol of peace and freedom, can fly freely and without constraints from oppressors. Morrison similarly states that historical reconciliation must strive to correct the injustices of history and be told to perpetuate the same divisions.
Quote Analysis
Toni Morrison
Her words, “Your answer is artful, but its artfulness embarrasses us and ought to embarrass you,” further emphasize the urgent need for stories that represent reality rather than fictional retellings. Each text attempts to contextualize the hardships marginalized and oppressed communities face, namely the discriminated workers and the silenced individuals recounted by Morrison.
Hedges and Sacco
Another activist’s quote highlights the systemic oppression of people. The author states, “Forced labor doesn’t happen in isolation… It has to have conditions like soil in which it can take root“ (Laura Germino, in Hedges and Sacco, “Days of Slavery,“ 205). This statement emphasizes the overwhelming power that structures such as corporate farming and similar industries possess over people. In this case, businesses are the victors who can dictate the rules and retell history.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Toni Morrison’s Nobel Lecture and Hedges & Sacco’s “Days of Slavery“ showcase the theme of dialogue and underline the importance of historical reconciliation. By confronting the complex realities of the past and acknowledging the experiences of those who have been oppressed by the biased structures built to perpetuate the division between Western society and non-conforming individuals, these texts demonstrate the need for a more accurate and fair representation of history. Ultimately, the search for historical reconciliation and correcting injustices that have long been perpetuated is a crucial step in healing and understanding. It allows individuals and communities to come to terms with the past and forge a more just and equitable future.