Choose a moment in “Recitatif” in which you see the issue of race enter into Twyla and Roberta’s story. Describe the moment, and explain what you think seems to be going on. What issues seem to divide the two characters? Can you identify their racial identities? How?
- Throughout the story I had to do a lot of re-reading in certain paragraphs to try and see which girl was of what race. But referring back to our zoom call and speaking about this quote,”I looked up it seemed for miles. She was big. Bigger than any man and on her chest was the biggest cross I’d ever seen. I swear it was six inches long each way. And in the crook of her arm was the biggest Bible ever made.” I thought that Roberta’s mother was white seeing as how Twyla described her mother in contrast and how different they were , and that her mother was actually terminally ill mental or physically. Just the way Twyla described Roberta’s in a passive way in my perspective seemed jealous and envious.
Toni Morrison’s story explores the challenges of navigating racial/cultural/and socio-economic differences in our personal relationships. Reflect upon an experience in your own life when you have had to navigate differences of this sort. Describe the experience. What issues or complications arose? How were they resolved?
2. Well growing up both my parents lived in Queens and grew up in New York after coming from Honduras and Ecuador. Once I was 5 , we moved to Miami. The place everyone wants to travel to. It’s honestly like South America with pockets other races and nationalities. It was really hard growing up there, mostly because were I grew up there were a lot of affluent white hispanic and European people. We lived in an affluent neighborhood the people would honestly only dream of , but as much of a good job my dad had and the great education and opportunities we had. My family was always seen as dark and inferior and less than. I never spoke Spanish growing up once we moved to Miami , essentially the one place that Spanish is like a first language, I was just so upset at how I felt less than that I just rejected my culture in any way possible. But the one interesting thing about living in Miami was even though I felt out of place not speaking enough Spanish, or being cuban , or being to dark , white people were usually a minority which was very interesting to experience. Especially because growing up most of my friends were Brazilian referring back to me rejecting my culture I didn’t really want to be friends with other girls my skin color because I thought it would be bad and I would get bothered more in school. But as I got older and went to college in Philadelphia I realized like I do love my skin and my culture and Miami wasn’t all the bad just the people I was around who made me feel inferior.
Patricia, Your response about what it was like growing up in Miami is a great reminder of how complicated some of these issues of identity can be. It’s easy to imagine that a group is a monolith (i.e. just one thing), but then, when you are inside a particular group, you see how diverse and complex it actually is, and how even within a single ethnic community there is discrimination and exclusion.