Recitatif - Toni Morisson

1.Setting and American culture.

The setting is take part in Newburgh , NY, and is during the periods of time: the
childhood of Twyla and Roberta at St. Bonny’s orphanage , the young Twyla and
Roberta and the adults mothers Twyla and Roberta.Relation from Twyla –white –
and Roberta –Black – are infleuenced by the racial disput. Therefore Recitatif
follows the Civil Rights Movement that begin in the ’50 .

2. Character drawing techniques

Twyla is the narrator of the story and the main character. We can see Twyla by her
words and facts and by her relation with her roommate from the orphanage ,
Roberta. The author uses a lot of visual images about all characters” looked like
salt and pepper standing there” , “The kitchen woman with legs like parentheses “ ,
“ She was old and sandy-colored ” . Twyla is a girl , probably white , who’s mom is
dancing all night ant don’t take care of her. However , Twyla seems to grow a
responsibly women, she work like a waitress , then she married and gibe birth to a
boy.Roberta spend more time in the orphanage and in her teenage years seems to
take part to the civil rights movement. After a while she married with a whealthy
men and become a stepmother of four kids.Roberta description we see it in Twyla
‘s memories and dialogue .

Clichés of racist discourse.

This story is about two girls ,one white and another black , who perceive
differently one women , Maggie a” old and sandy-colored” .But this perception
about colour and race about someone it grow whit them. At 8 years girls start to
have some racial prejudice , a influence from their mothers “with a girl from a
whole other race “ , “she said was that they never washed their hair and they
smelled funny. Roberta sure did. Smell funny, I mean.” .

The whole story is narrated at first person , from a single and inner perspective ,
like a journal of memories. All this make tis story a modernist writing. It uses
the flow of consciousness.
Toni Morisson follows the theme of race and prejudice and rise in my head
questions about the story and not only . Which one of the girls was black? We see
the story from the perspective of a white or a black women? A sure thing we can
distingues , that the colour of the skin influence the environment , the beliefs and
perspective of the world.

The Killers by Ernest Hemingway

The Killers" is a short story that first appeared in Scribner's Magazine in

1927. Setting is in late-autumn in the mid -1920s , in a town called Summit , The
scenes of this short story take place in a restaurant and in a rooming
house.Characters are Nick Adams , a teenager of 18-19 years , the two killers Al
and Max , the counter man George , a black cook called Sam ,Ole Anderson the
mark of the killers .
The theme of “The Killers" is the effect of corruption on 1920s America in
general and Nick Adams in particular. The corruption is representent by the two
killers and Nick represent the old values , rest of characters represent the people
who prefere to not see or punish the corruption or mafia. Other themes represented
in the story are : emasculation “bright boy “ , “your boy friend “, “like a couple of
girl friends”. Even the big ex-heavyweight boxeur it is obliterated by any trace of
masculinity , accepting his sentence to death., instead of fighting.
Accepting the status quo is another theme..George and Sam accept the
reality around them with little or no desire to change it. The first sign of their
attitude in this regard is the clock. It is twenty minutes fast, but neither of them has
taken the time to reset it. 
Hemingway wrote “The Killers" in third-person point of view but limited the
narration to what the characters say and do; it does not reveal their thoughts.
 Hemingway's style—developed in part when he worked as a newspaper
reporter and correspondent early in his career—is simple and compact, with short
sentences and paragraphs devoid of verbosity. 
However, this straightforward style, which he used in all his major novels and
short stories, often conveys complex themes and suggests–but does not explicitly
state–motives, mind-sets, attitudes, and so on. In this respect, Hemingway is
imitating life, for seldom do two interacting human beings—for example, you and
your teacher, you and your spouse, or you and your boss—know each other’s
intimate thoughts. 
The mood of the story is dark ,suspicious , dangerous .Words like” Outside it
was getting dark” , “What the hell “ , “Everything we want’s the dinner, eh? That’s
the way you work it.”, “ derby hat and a black overcoat buttoned across the chest.
His face was small and white and he had tight lips. He wore a silk muffler and
gloves.” .
The language is simple and straightforward , making it easy to follow and
understand .The prevailing dialogue is dramatic ,whit short sentences and much
contractions like it’s , what’s , don t ’s . That give authenticity and make the style
informal , the characters are mobsters , whit a specific language .Words and
sentences with negative connotations stands out in the story :” We're going to kill a
Swede.”
The story is full of symbols like : black attire of the killers: Death;
corruption; evil.
clock: (1) Indifference, apathy. (For further information; 
counter towel: George's wish to forget about the Andreson matter. When he wipes
the counter, he wipes clear the Andreson episode and moves on with his life. 
restaurant: The changing times. The restaurant had been a tavern but was
remodeled into a restaurant after the government outlawed the sale of liquor. Like
the restaurant, society as a whole also changed. 
streetcar tracks: Inability to escape death. The tracks connect to Chicago and the
outside world. Ole Andreson has been running from the killers and takes refuge in
a rooming house in Summit. But, as the streetcar tracks suggest, it is impossible for
Andreson to isolate himself completely from the men "tracking" him down."
tree branches: Imminence of death. As Nick leaves the restaurant to go to the
rooming house, the narrator says, "Outside the arc-light shone through the bare
branches of a tree." Obviously, it is late fall, not long before winter—a traditional
symbol of death.
wicket: Racial barrier. Sam, a black man, is the cook. Working in the kitchen, he is
separated from the whites by the wicket (a tiny door) through which he passes
food. 
Nick then decides to leave town. The question then becomes this: Will Nick,
like so many others in America, begin looking the other way when he sees crime
around him?  Will he, in short, forget about the old values and accept the status
quo?