Reading Response 11/17

"Suppose Sorrow was a Time machine" by Amiri Baraka, discusses the way in which  Baraka draws back to his family. The speaker narrates his grandfathers life and tells him about the obstacles he faces. He is having a conversation with his grandfather named Tom Russ.Throughout the story Baraka describes a series of events that  happened to his family. For instance an act of violence that occurred to the family was when Tom store got burnt in Dothan Alabama because the people were trying to get him to run away. Despite these dilemma, he still managed to fix his store. It got burnt again the second time and still fixed it. This is evidence of racism because it showed the struggles that African Americans went through. They were treated very unfairly. I think the author wants an interpretation of what his daily struggles meant from his grandfather. He states "Look how the boy looks at you, Tom. He looks scared. smile at him, Tom. Just a tiny smile of recognition. brighten this bleak rust room. Show him the suns you used to carry around your pocket. Whisper something funny to him, Tom. Did you know he was your grandson, Tom. Did you know he fell down on the floor and screamed and kicked his feet when they said they were taking you to this loony pen..Have you no feelings for the child?" According to the author, Tom is his hero. He looks up to him to gain satisfaction through the past and present struggles in his grandfather's life. His only desire is be acknowledge by Tom. The authors uses repetition with the word vibration. Perhaps, the vibrations in the speaker's life may represent his struggles or his determination to bring about a change in his life. I think this story is similar to David Henderson's "Sun Goddess" because both are written in prose. Similar to "Suppose Sorrow was a Time machine", I can conclude that the speaker is strong and powerful  because he kept rebuilding his store even after it got burnt. "Sun Goddess" also describes a black woman who is still powerful despite the obstacles she faced.  Both works emphasize the idea of being strong; the determination to fight and overcome obstacles.