Sula

Rating:
Summary: Not Just A Novel, But A Work Of Art
Review: Sula, by Toni Morrison, was a new reading experience for me. It was assigned to me and my classmates to read over a certain period of time. This book should definitely not be judged based on its cover. Sula was an intriguing novel that grasps the reader from their seat and brings them into a world that is not much different. There are so many themes surrounding this book that it shouldn't be considered a book, but a work of art. Toni Morrison has a literary style that will impress students in elementary school. She can transform a grotesque line such as, "...the body of the headless soldier ran on, with energy and grace, ignoring altogether the drip and slide of brain tissue down its back.",into an image that the reader can actually see in front of them.
The subject of whether this novel is appropriate as a high school textbook came up and even though Sula has its share of risky situations, I believe that they reflect today's society and the type of world we are living in. The reason why this novel is being turned away by high school teachers is probably because of the strong sexual content. This isn't anything new to teenagers. Teens these days are growing up in a world where sex is all over the place, whether it is in ads, radio, or television, it is there for everybody to view. There is also the explicit language and I believe that this language isn't used in the novel just to take up space, but to turn a line into a from of expression. The use of this language makes a line more powerful and leaves the reader with an even better image of the type of person a certain character is. Sula is a novel that should not be slept on and personally I believe that this book appeals the likes of many adults as well as teenagers.


Rating:
Summary: Sula
Review: Before having read this novel, I actually thought it would be "garbage". But boy was I wrong. This novel was assigned to us as a classroom reading assignment, and at the end of the reading we were assigned to produce a project on the Novel. Being a person who is only into authors such as Tom Clancy and , I would have to give it up to Toni Morrison. Her novel, Sula, was a totally different prospective of English literature. The quality of the novel overall is incomparable; there is an excellent use of language, imagery, symbolism, as well as irony. Morrison pieces the Novel together in such a manner where she utilizes poetic language and a creative story line. The characters bring this story line to life with their unique personalities and views.

An excellent example of Morrison's use of symbolism is: "...the great wing of an angel pouring a wet lightness over him. Some kind of baptism, some kind of blessing he thought." At this point in the novel Eva begins to pour kerosene over her son Plum to light him on fire. Eva, here, is trying to release the pain from within Plum, she wants to relieve him of his eternal burden from drug usage and his return from war. The use of the word "baptism" depicts an event of new life, as Eva wants to give Plum a new life and rid him of his sin. There are many more superb examples of Morrison's language throughout this novel.

By reading this novel, my group members and I believe that this novel has opened our minds because it has exposed us to a different style of writing. It may be great to read all of Shakespeare's plays, and compose Edgar Allan Poe's poetry, but by reading a novel such as this one will enlighten a students mind and may help them become more mature people because of the content that is exposed in this piece. Rather than taking this book away from the Miami-Dade school system, it should be mandated for high school students to read this novel. This is a great novel which can help enhance the views of students and help them mature themselves in life. By far, this is probably one of the most magnificent pieces I have read throughout my journey of high school literature.


Rating:
Summary: Passionate compelling story of friendship and race
Review: Sula by Toni Morrison tells the story of two women, Nel and Sula, who were childhood friends in a Black community. The story follows Nel and Sula till the death of Sula while the town serves as the backdrop with scandalous infidelities and drunken men. Sula returns to town after years of being away and her friendship with Nel remains strong but all that shatters when Nel caught Sula having an affair with Jude, her husband.
Morrison portrays Nel and Sula's friendship with realism and passion but the novel emphasized too much on sex and cheating spouses. However, with a combination of friendship, race, and love, Sula will surely leave a profound impression on the reader about the culture of the 1920-1960s.

Haikus for Sula

Friends from childhood
Until Sula slept with Jude
Nel forgave her

Scandalous in town
Sula was hated by all
She was the devil


Rating:
Summary: Sula
Review: Sula by Toni Morrson is a scandalous story about Sula and her friend Nel and their experiences growing up in a racist time in a colored town in Ohio called the Bottom. Sula's father dies when she is very young which forces her mother to move back in with Sula's grandmother in order to raise her. Sula's mother, Hannah, never remarries but throughout the novel makes love to many local men. Sula's grandma, Eva, is the matron of her household. Eva witnesses the death of two of her children by means of fire. After Hannah's death, Sula models her mother's behavior and ends up sleeping with many men. She eventually dies from illness, being outlived by Eva and her best friend Nel.

Sula scandalous,
Maker of love with many men,
Lover of Ajax.

Down to the Bottom,
Racially separated,
Sula and Nel walked.


Rating:
Summary: Not the best known, but maybe the best.
Review: Sula isn't the most famous of Toni Morrison's books, but it may be the best. It reveals humanity at its most raw and vulnerable. The only other Morrison book with this kind of power is Beloved, and the less publicized Sula moves with all the passion and compassion of the acknowledged work of genius. Sula and Beloved both belong on any list of greatest books ever written.

Rating:
Summary: Sula
Review: The quality of the novel overall is exceptional, there is an excellent use of language, imagery, as well as irony. The novel is put together in such a way where the author utilizes poetic language and a creative story line. The characters drive the story line with their unique personalities and views.

We feel this novel is appropriate as a high school text. Students are a lot more mature than the school board or some administrators give them credit for. Students of the Miami-
Dade school system are exposed to much harsher and crude material on a daily basis. We believe this novel can only open the minds of students due to the fact that it exposes them
to a different and unique style of writing. This book has become very controversial in the school system, many don't agree with its content while others such as ourselves believe this and other novels like this can only enhance the growth and maturity of the student body.

Rating:
Summary: Sula is good family fun
Review: Toni Morrison's unconventional novel Sula (Vintage International) retells the story of two young girls who grow up in an Ohio slum. Spanning 48 years, the tale follows the relationship of Nel Wright and Sula Peace, as they travel along the turbulent waters of adolescence as best friends, then find themselves as worst enemies in adulthood. Following Nel's marriage, their lives take totally contrasting paths as Sula goes to college and Nel remains in the black community of the Bottom, becoming a staple member of the deteriorating ghetto. When they meet again, ten years since they last saw each other at Nel's wedding, Nel finds Sula in bed with her husband. Nel, understandably, spends the next couple decades brooding over Sula's betrayal, while Sula goes on to have sex with half the men in the continental United States.

As a humble high schooler, I was surprised by much of the content in the book- in fact, this book made me feel downright dirty. Lurid accounts of burning bodies or drowned corpses or spontaneous sex in pantries inspired a strong desire to take a shower... or at least wash my hands thoroughly. Insofar as the novel's quality, I felt underwhelmed given Toni Morrision's high acclaim; the novel has an amateurish feel, but its grit and brawn do make it worth a read.

Haiku Time!!!! Haiku's for Sula!

Wild savage passion
Man does she want that sausage
I want to vomit

Kerosene baptism
Swiftly becomes creamation
Mama don't love ya

hoo ha!