Allusions to Bob Dylan and the Folk Music Revival in Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif”
One important aspect of Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif” deals with the difficulty that lies in trying to remember history exactly as it happened. Since the story revolves around one event–Maggie’s fall–it makes one question whether her fall may be a symbol of some specific event in our history. Considering the context and setting of Twyla and Roberta’s beginning relationship at St. Bonny’s, Maggie’s physical description, job, name, and fall allude to Bob Dylan and the folk music revival of the early 1960s.
Bob Dylan began his career as a folk singer in New York City in 1960–the same city and approximate time Twyla and Roberta begin their relationship (Shelton 87). The folk music scene in New York brought “hundreds of guitar carrying youths” like Dylan to Greenwich Village (Denisoff and Fandray 31). Many of these young musicians were influenced by folk singers of the Dust Bowl era– especially Dylan, whose admiration of Woody Guthrie often came to the point of mimicry: “Dylan’s appearance and manner, both on stage and off, were vintage Guthrie” (Hajdu 72). Twyla’s description of Maggie is very similar to how one may have described this combination of old and young:
She was old and sandy-colored and she worked in the kitchen. I don’t know if she was nice or not. I just remember her legs like parentheses and how she rocked when she walked . . . She wore this really stupid little hat–a kid’s hat with ear flaps–and she wasn’t much taller than we were. A really awful little hat. Even for a mute, it was dumb–dressing like a kid and never saying anything at all. (Morrison 211)
Maggie’s description creates an awkward ...
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American singer-songwriter and folk musician Bob Dylan describes in his autobiography, as well as his life and music in general, the ambiguity of folk songs and their ability to be openly shared, interpreted, and even fabricated, and he believes that human nature is such that we are most comfortable with this opacity. The work of African American artist Kara Walker reinforces this belief, and applies it to history with the exploration of cultural ideas regarding race, sexuality, identity, gender roles, repression, and violence.
For the purpose of this chapter, these words by Stephen Vincent Benet in his foreword to Margaret Walker’s first volume of poetry, For My People (1942) are really important. They give an idea about the richness of the literary heritage from which Walker started to write and to which she later added. This chapter is up to explore those “anonymous voices” in Walker’s poetry, the cultural and literary heritages that influenced her writings. Margaret Walker’s cultural heritage, like her biological inheritance, extends back to her ancestors in Africa and the Caribbean. It is quite genetic, something she got by birth; which is quite there just by being African American. Echoes of ancient myths, lost history, mixed bloods, and complex identities are brought about along with the skin colour and the racial origins.
This brings us to the Toni Morrison short story “Recitatif”. This short story encourages an African American or ethnically minded style of understanding. The driving force for the thoughts and actions of both Twyla, Roberta, and the other characters is race and race relations. Those two events may seem like nothing, but it shows how even at the early age of 8, children are taught to spot the differences in race instead of judging people by their character.
Michael Gray’s analysis of Dylan’s lyrics being a contrast between hackneyed expressions and “beautifully done” are exemplified in the song “Just Like a Woman.” Dylan’s lyrics “she aches just like a woman but she breaks just like a little girl” is given the harsh description of “maudlin platitude” and deemed to be a “non-statement.” If Dylan’s lyrics cannot uphold against meaningful music of the same category, how can they be expected to stand against literature written for a different field. John Lennon had his own critiques of Dylan’s works, calling out how the abstract nature of his lyrics, having loose definition, never achieved an actual point. Lennon’s definition of “poetry” referred to “stick[ing] a few images together” and “thread[ing] them” in order to create something meaningful. It once again boils down to the fact that Dylan’s music that was written and intended to be received as a live performance. The acknowledgement that “…you have to hear Dylan doing it” is a recognition of his composition’s failure to come across as a normal literary work. It’s all part of a “good game.” This in itself should disqualify Dylan as a possible candidate for the Nobel Prize.
Recitatif is a short story written by Toni Morrison about two girls, one African American and the other Caucasian, and their interactions with each other over the course of their lives. Which girl is which ethnicity is never revealed, but that only makes their interactions more relatable. Roberta and Twyla first meet in an orphanage after they are taken away from their mothers. They become fast friends, but when it comes time to leave the orphanage, the two quickly become distant. Over the years, Twyla and Roberta meet each other again many times, and each time, their relationship changes and they learn something new about each other.
In the story, “Recitatif,” Toni Morrison uses vague signs and traits to create Roberta and Twyla’s racial identity to show how the characters relationship is shaped by their racial difference. Morrison wants the reader’s to face their racial preconceptions and stereotypical assumptions. Racial identity in “Recitatif,” is most clear through the author’s use of traits that are linked to vague stereotypes, views on racial tension, intelligence, or ones physical appearance. Toni Morrison provides specific social and historical descriptions of the two girls to make readers question the way that stereotypes affect our understanding of a character. The uncertainties about racial identity of the characters causes the reader to become pre-occupied with assigning a race to a specific character based merely upon the associations and stereotypes that the reader creates based on the clues given by Morrison throughout the story. Morrison accomplishes this through the relationship between Twyla and Roberta, the role of Maggie, and questioning race and racial stereotypes of the characters. Throughout the story, Roberta and Twyla meet throughout five distinct moments that shapes their friendship by racial differences.
The Civil Rights Movement marked a crucial moment in United States history. African Americans fought for their right to be treated equally and to put an end to discrimination and segregation. Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” features two girls of the opposite race and how their friendship was affected during this time period. The United States has come a long way since the days of slavery, but African Americans’ rights were still not being fully recognized. As a result of this the Civil Rights Movement developed to peacefully protest for equality. Toni Morrison’s short story, “Recitatif”, takes place during the Civil Rights era of the United States to show the reader how stereotyping, discrimination, and segregation affected two girls,
Kahn, Ed. “The Carter Family on Border Radio.” American Music 14, no. 2 (Summer 1996): 206-217.
American Pie” is an impressionistic ballad by Don Mclean which features unique and intriguing lyrics. It has imaginative changes in tempo, vocal delivery and instrumentation, and imparts a wide range of emotions ranging from pure joy, to melancholy and despair. The song takes the listener on an autobiographical journey through the turbulent 1960’s with references to the events that shaped the era. Don Mclean was enshrined in the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2004 for his work on “American Pie” (Don McLean: Songwriters Hall of Fame Inauguration). With its use of formal structure, allusions, and figurative language, the song, “American Pie”, has many poetic qualities.
Beyond this, an influential figure stepped into the light in his life. Woody Guthrie, a dieing folksinger emerged, consuming Dyaln's attention. After Guthries death in 1967 Dyaln adopted his styles of: a rough, hagard voice with guitar accompaniment in a folk music orientation. By the end of 1960 Bob Zimmerman made his final step into becoming Bob Dylan, the last stage in his early life. He decided to move to New York, to try to make it "big".
Pratt, R., 1990. Rhythm and resistance: the political uses of American popular music. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press
Bob Dylan was the first musician to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature. He was able to blur the line between music and literature, proving that a work could be identified as both ("Bob Dylan."). To do this, he had to discard the “formula of music.” In his works, Dylan expressed his true emotions, including anger and confusion. He posed questions about life, about morality, and about love. Throughout all this he remained authentic and true to himself, breaking categorical stereotypes, and encouraging future artists to follow in his footsteps (Scott).
In the book “To Everything There is a Season”: Pete Seeger and the Power of Song,