RIP TOM. Frank Sanchez

This is one of the stories that I most enjoyed this semester. Amiri Baraka’s short story, “Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine”, has a very unique style of writing as the narrator is speaking to his grandfather who passed away.  However, the way the narrator tells the story it seems like if he was actually present when he speaks about his grandfather’s story which make it seem like he did much research in his grandfather’s life. I also enjoyed how much advice the narrator kept giving his grandfather and seemed to have small conversations with him although he wasn’t getting any responses. One more thing I enjoyed about the style of writing was that the narrator was not specific on what was going on. In other words, he said what happened but left in the air for interpretation for example when the narrator describes the burning of the store he doesn’t directly says who but lets the reader figure out who is “they”. I interpreted “they” as white supremacists that were probably trying to run black people out of their town.  Personally I enjoyed how, despite the changes of places and business, Tom (the grandfather) never gave up and always got up despite the vibrations. I started to analysis how the narrator kept describing every location his grandfather had moved to and stated if there was a vibration in the town or not. If we look at the first couple vibrations occurred were in the South and as Tom migrated north the vibrations started to minimize as once he reached Pennsylvania there was no longer any vibrations. The mention of each city that his grandfather migrated goes to prove that the South at time was not a place for African-Americans to live and that freedom was easier in the North. This novel reminds me much of Henderson’s poems about African-Americans struggling in the Lower East of Manhattan. Nonetheless the political structure of the country at the time mirrors Henderson’s poem, the kid, because just as the authorities were harassing the guy walking down the block it shows how society was harassing Tom as he tried to succeed.

Reading Response 11/17

Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine is a short novel by Amiri Baraka which uses the perspective of an unborn narrator who recounts events that occurred to his grandfather Tom Russ. One thing that stood out was the vibrations that occurred throughout the story and from class we concluded that repeating certain words or phrases means that it was such of importance, repeating the words or phrases signified the importance. I might be way off here but I can't help but think that the vibrations had to do with music. Not literal vibrations felt like with earthquakes. There are music with sounds that you might like and some that you don't. I interpret the situations experienced by Tom Russ to be something along those lines. It started in Dothan, Alabama in 1898 which was typical of the time having heavy anti African American sentiment with Tom being beaten up, having his store burned down. Later in the story, it talks about Tom moving north, "go to hunt them vibrations down. Got to find out where the music goes when we don't hear it no more" tells me that the vibrations are tied to music. Later in Newark, NJ, Tom has a store "Russ Produce-Super General Store,' 'Music While You Shop." I can't help but interpret the vibrations as sort of like music in which there are so many, some you can't interpret, don't understand and don't like. You eventually look for music that you might like.

Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine

Amara Baraka’s Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine is a short story about Tom Russ, who is narrated in the perspective of his unborn grandson. The way that the story is set up, the grandson is speaking to his grandfather, asking questions as if trying to understand and make sense of the “vibrations”. Im not exactly sure what he means by that, but it is repeated multiple times throughout the story and it’s something the narrator constantly wonders about and it seems to be an important issue.

The story itself is like the title—a time machine, because the narrator travels back to the past through the stories he is telling. He takes the reader to different places and dates, first to Dothan , Alabama, 1898, where the vibrations seem to be related to slavery. The narrator states, “ You are a Negro who has felt the ground vibrate, and you are trying to interpret the vibration” (1), and “They have burnt your store,Tom. What does it mean? Is the burning another vibration? (1). The narrator then takes us to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, 1917, where Tom lives with his wife Anna Russ and two children George and Anna Lois. The narrator states that there are no vibrations, due to the fact that they are living a good life, so he finds himself forced to move to hunt them down. Here, the narrator mentions music as something that they needed to find, and similar to Blues People, music seems to be an important aspect of their life. In Greystone Sanatorium ,1943, the vibration happened when Tom got hit in the head by a street lamp, and was bound to a cane and a wheelchair. And finally Newark, New Jersey, 1925, the last vibration happened with Toms death. I found that his death was written about in a weird and kind of innocent way, as the narrator states, “ Why are your hands to pale, Tom? You must be doing a lot of heavy thinking to be so quiet” (3). Overall, the vibrations in this short story are depicted as the unfortunate events that happened to Tom Russ.

Reading Response: Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine

           “Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine” by Amiri Baraka is a short story that illustrates the life of Tom Russ and is narrated by his grandson’s perspective. The author writes the story in a way that the narrator is speaking to his grandfather. Baraka uses a technique style that is similar to lenses. The reader understands the story through the mind/lenses of the grandson who is looking back to family history events. The narrator also collaborated with other characters through his perspective including his grandfather. Throughout the story, the author uses repetition to emphasize the word ‘vibration’. The word vibration can be interpreted in various perspectives. The story is told in a time line events with different settings. The first setting of the story was in Dothan, Alabama in 1889.The reader can see the southern resistance towards African Americans through Tom Russ’s life. During this time period, Tom had a difficult time because people tried to force him and his family out of the town by burning his store multiple times and attempting to kill him. At first, I thought the meaning of vibration is about racial violence. However as I continued to read the story, the meaning of vibration is changed. The text states: “If I were you, Tom, I would have cried. Did you cry, Tom? No, I suppose not. Not with the vibration still moving the ground in front of you” (1). From this passage, the meaning of vibration can be changed to hope, dream and self- determination. The word self-determination can be connected to Baraka and his other book The Blues people. In The Blues people, Baraka was talking about how African Americans changed their mindsets from the freedom after death to the idea of self-determination and hope for self-identification after the Emancipation Proclamation. The setting of this story is in 1898 which was 35 years after this event. Many African Americans were searching for self-identification, similar to Tom’s case, through migration to other places.
          Next place is in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania during 1917. Despite moving to an opposite part of the country and having a good life, Tom feels unsatisfied and wants to migrate to a different place. The text states: “No vibrations here…We’re going north, Anna. Got to hunt them vibrations down. Got to find out where the music goes when we don’t hear it no more…Gonna make a myth for my unborn grandson, who’ll surely like to know” (2). After reading this passage, the meaning of vibration started to shift to something that can be related to music as he cannot find in Beaver Falls. Vibration, in this case, can mean music. Perhaps, something that can be associated with the Blues or Jazz as he wants to created a myth for his grandchild. The next setting helps the reader to understand this vibration is about music. Tom and his family moved to Newark, New Jersey in 1925. This is a place where Tom found his vibration as the text states, “‘Music While you shop,’ George Russ on the piano, rags and stomps, victrola requested played if possible. It’s nice here, one vibration can carry a man a long way if he knows just how to handle it” (2). Tom feels accomplished because he found a place full with music and he can tell a myth to his grandchildren. However, it seems that his dreams are shed away when he got hit on the head and becomes paralyzed which led to his death. Despite the fact that tom has died, Tom’s life story still continues, with us, by becoming part of the narrator’s mind.

History marked by oppression

 "Suppose sorrow was a time machine" by Amiri Baraka is a dramatic monologue.  This fictional short story is narrated in second person point of view.  The narrator is Tom's Russ unborn grandchild.  Baraka's experience is incorporated into the story; he lived through times of oppression and discrimination towards African Americans. Baraka is a witness, and in his writing he is looking into the past and the present.   He uses repetition to emphasize the importance of the time frame, it starts in Dothan, Alabama 1898. During this time Jim Crow laws were active to prevent whites and blacks from interacting or having equal rights.  The aggression towards African Americans was severe, they were lynched, castrated and burned by white folks. White folks rejoiced in witnessing this atrocities, it was like going on a picnic.  African Americans sorrow remained Tatted into their existence.  They were forced to migrate due to racism.

Baraka uses a paradox in his story.  He states "let your unborn grandchild know what his death, whistling grandfather thought of the Burning". This seems odd, he  personified a corpse.  The violent death of Tom has an impact in the future, "your grandson'll be back to correct your grammar and throw stones in your wells" . He states that fifty years ain't so long and even after the fifty years they will still face "vibrations".  These repeated vibrations represent the assaults, government laws and everything that opposed their freedom and threatened them.  Baraka uses binary opposition by stating "how obscure is enlightenment" thus creating an imagery of hopelessness.

Both the "Blue's people" and "Suppose Sorrow was a time machine" talks about transition in time. The "Blues" is is a broader topic on history while this story links directly to personal experience.  They both represent the struggles Africans have faced and show the political implementation which have limited their growth and freedom.

Time Machine Response

Christian P.
Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine by Amiri Baraka

        Amiri Baraka's novel Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine, was some kind of story of the past transgressions in a time period where racial inequality was prevalent. The title itself can be interpreted almost literally and still give some insight into what the story is about. To clarify, in my opinion, the definition of sorrow can shed light on the particular hardships the colored race would face in the past and how it differed as time progressed. The "time machine" may refer to the amount of their suffering and how it can clearly help differentiate between the past and present. Specifically, as referred to by Baraka, the first page I believe depicts these unfortunate events as "vibrations".

        These situations are foretold with a narrative point of view where a yet unborn grandson communicates to the reader, who is Tom, his grandfather. From referring to Tom as "you" often, it is also told in second-person. Early on, Tom's grandson alludes to the fact that even he can feel the vibrations. This may be one way Baraka tries to legitimatize the sense of scale and urgency in his story. The end of the first page is where the grandson explains that all he knows of Tom is the "insane intensity of your vision" shows that this man is resisting these adversities pretty well despite what he has witnessed: "So they burned this one too, and said they were going to run you out of town. And just to spite them you knelt back down in those ashes and scraped the black off again, and built again." (2). I chose this quote because it gave a clear depiction of what Baraka wanted to convey in this story. When Tom faced the "vibrations", he resorted to a non-violent method where he resisted through rebuilding his store. Baraka demonstrated that that alone is enough to resist the oppression. Furthermore, I believe he wanted to emphasize that commitment and perseverance is what allowed them to overcome in the end.  

Suppose Sorrow was a Time Machine

Suppose Sorrow was a Time Machine , written by Amiri Baraka takes us back African American history, during the late 1890's, when the faced racial violence.  He presents to us his grandfather, Tom Russ: "Say that your are Tom Russ. It is Dothan, Alabama. U.S.A, 1898. You are a negro who felt the ground vibrate. You are trying to interpret the vibration, and what it means in 1898 Dothan. I know you Tom. You are my grandfather. Baraka frequently repeats the word "vibrate/vibrations" throughout the story and therefore he wants to put an emphasis on what the actually vibration is. My interpretation what the vibration is the ambition, obstacles, determination that Russ had, or any other African-American had. We are told the Russ had a store, which was put to fire. he had the ambition to rebuild it again (1). No matter what Russ may have faced in that city. he did not want to leave the city nor give up. He eventually had to leave the city when it built the store the second time, and it was put on fire again. On the second page, Baraka states: " One vibration ain't the world. Your unborn grandson says leave this pisshearted town, Tom. Pack up and move on, Tom. Vibrations are like anything else- there's more wherever you go." His family is trying to tell him that wherever he goes, he will still have vibrations along with him. He will succeed no matter what as long as he has the dedication and determination to do so: "A vibration can carry a man a long way."
Throughout the story, we are given a timeline of the family's history. They first lived in Alabama, moved to Pennsylvania, and eventually landed in New Jersey. Following the timeline, we can see that Russ did not give up at all and continued his best to succeed.

This story can be interpreted like the poem "Sun Goddess" by David Henderson. One similarity between the two works is that the authors wrote in prose, using short blunt rhythms in the beginning of the paragraphs. Both works also reflects on the authors own personal lives. "Sun Goddess" focuses on the struggle a single mother had to face, but still having the ability to overcome them. Likewise in "Suppose Sorrow was a Time Machine", grandfather Tom Russ had to face obstacles in a certain town, but with vibrations such has determination and ambition, he also was able to overcome the struggles. No matter where you go, or who you are, and the obstacles you may face, always remember to have determination and dedication in order to reach your goals, dreams, and to succeed

Reading Response 11/17

The short story, Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine, written by Amiri Baraka, begins in Dothan, Alabama, USA, 1898. The narrator is the grandchild of the man in the story. The man’s name is Tom Russ. Tom Russ is a Negro who has felt the ground vibrate and hasn’t a clue where it came from. So Tom sets out to interpret this vibration and its meaning so he can tell his grandson at a later time in life, because the grandson/narrator has also felt the ground vibrate.The ground vibrating without knowing the reason why is a traumatizing situation that can make a person feel hopeless for the near future. Tom Russ has this feeling and is determined to figure it out. Doing so Tom becomes an affluent man in his community, now that he has gained experience during times of hopelessness. 

Tom Russ owns a store that has been burnt down because of the racist mindset of America. Tom unafraid of his aggressors decides to build the store back up. He does this with much zeal to show his aggressors that he is not afraid, but because he does this with so much passion, the aggressors burn down the store again and threaten to run him out of town. However, this does not bother Tom, he begins the rebuilding process again, and the result being the “biggest funeral parlor in the county.” Naturally, this does not sit well with the racist people who have previously burned down his store, and so they burn it down again. The Narrator asks, "Is the burning another vibration?"

what he really might be asking is the burning of the store connected to some previous part of the story.  

Tom Russ, his wife Anna Russ, and his two children George and Anna Lois move to Beaver Hills, Pennsylvania. In Beaver Hills, Tom Russ opens up shop, selling eggs, produce, and has the best liquor in the county. Tom Russ sends his daughter off to college, so she can know about these vibrations too. When they talk about the vibration in Beaver hill Pennsylvania he says “no vibrations here,” meaning that they were fine there, no problems, things seemed like to be running smoothly. He sent his daughter off to college not to get a formal education, but an education on “them vibrations.” Anna Lois was sent because Tom knew she would encounter certain problems as a Negro in America, and that understanding these problems is paramount to a Negros survival in the country. Also, since things were running smoothly I think that bothered Tom because, he seemed to be motivated by the ground-vibrating situations. He needed answers to his questions as to why all those things happened to him back in Alabama. Which results in his decision to search for answers further north in Newark, New Jersey.

Finally, Tom makes it to Newark New Jersey where he attains great success. Tom now owns a Super General Store and has a position in government. He is a very affluent man in 1929, and that might be the reason why their was an attack on his life. It's as though he understands the game and is able to manipulate it in his favor. Making him very dangerous in the eyes of racist America.

Tom Russ was eventually hit the head with a street lamp causing him severe brain damage. He was restricted to a rocking chair next to a wooden fire. In this state of health, Tom Russ, was not able to tell his grandson what he had figured out about the vibration. The sole purpose of figuring out what the vibrations were, according to the narrator, was for Tom to tell his grandson all about this vibration, that he felt back in Dothan, Alabama. 

At the death of Tom Russ, the grandchild is watching him lay still waiting to tell him what the vibrations were all about. Unfortunately, because Tom is dead he can not tell his grandson about the vibration he had felt back in Dothan, Alabama. Tom never had the opportunity to tell his grandchild about his learning experiences of the vibrations and where they came from. The death of Tom without him being able to tell his grandson about the ground vibrating was a hopeless situation for the grandson. Several years later the grandson understand that the hopelessness he felt at his grandfathers passing is the same that his grandfather had all along.

Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine

"Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine" by Amiri Baraka is quite the interesting read. It narrates his grandfather's life through a unique point of view. Its like he's speaking to his grandfather Tom Russ but at the same time about him. He speaks about a certain vibration he felt about 34 years before being born. When I heard that I thought of maybe an earthquake or some form of destruction because he also talks about how Tom's store was burned. It turns out some people who want him out of town burned it down. However, through his tenacity he managed to rebuild it again, and again it is burned down. I think what Baraka is trying to do is show us how much racism was prevalent. He did this by starting out the literature by saying "You are a negro who has felt the ground vibrate, and you are trying to interpret the vibration". I am honestly still not quite sure what the vibration is. It might have been the struggles they were facing, because a physical vibration is often linked to a disturbance or interruption, but on the other hand, a non physical vibration is linked to creativism, like music.

Reading Response 11/17

In the short story, “Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine" by Amiri Baraka the word “vibration” recurred constantly throughout. Vibrations could be symbolism for music, because the sound frequency the musical instruments tend to cause vibrations, the term “vibe” is also an emotional state that people often get from listening to music. In this second narrative point of view, the “you” refers to persona’s grandfather Tom Russ, which was introduced in the beginning. In this short story, finding love for music while escaping racism was the main goal for Tom. The story started out in Dothan, Alabama a southern state, which in 1898 is considered a hostile area towards African Americans. Tom's store was burned down and he was beaten down by the "unholy bastards" and despite Tom building the store back to the ground it was also burned and was threatened to be ran "out of town." Yet with Tom’s persistence he built a funeral, but this time it was successful, and the racists didn’t mind a bit because it was where dead African-American go to, until the noise bothered them and then burned in down again. Tom then moved towards north to escape the racial violence, then the persona said "His grandson'll be back to correct your grammar and throw stones in your well" (3). I found this interesting because he's saying that he himself will come back to Alabama and continue his journey as his grandfather's predecessor, picking right where he left off. Tom and his family then moved north in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in 1917. However it felt as if Tom wasn’t satisfied with selling eggs, produced, and liquor, hence "No Vibrations here." was acknowledged. With the lack of vibrations Tom proposed to Anna to go  further north to find the vibrations, "Got to find out where the music goes when we don't hear it anymore" (4). This clearly indicates that the vibration does symbolize music throughout this short story. But a specific type of music is what they're hunting for. Baraka made a decent description of music "Three Negroes, 2 with horns, the third with a battered drum. Tah tah, tat, tah, yippeee, hoorah.” (4) This made even more clear what music the vibrations indicate, Tom is looking for Blues.

Suppose Sorrow was a Time Machine

“Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine,” by Amiri Baraka envisioned his own family's history as an emotional time loop knotted by racial violence against African Americans. The story follows a timeline of events his grandfather Tom goes through regarding acts of violence.

I think these first two paragraphs marks the impact of the story, is in the witnessing, the looking back, the looking forward, the emptiness of loss, and the fullness of knowing. Baraka was a witness. It is through witnessing and experiencing that we provide history that has value.

The story's second paragraph introduces us to the "you" of the narration enacting the tense of the title “You are a Negro who has felt the ground vibrate, and you are trying to interpret the vibration. You are trying to interpret the vibration, and what it means in 1898 Dothan. I know you Tom. You are my grandfather. I am not born yet but I have felt the ground vibrate too.” The author becomes the not-yet-born child. He opens a passage between himself and his absent grandfather, which the same vibration goes from one generation to another. I feel like the present is translated into the past to interpret. "Let your unborn grandchild know what his dead, whistling grandfather thought." The ‘vibrations’ the unborn child senses through the womb of his mother is the maternal passage connecting grandfather and son.

Tom Russ was a shopkeeper whose store was burned down by racists. He rebuilt it, "knelt back down in those ashes and scraped the black off again, and built again" (2). The black ashes and the image of flames in this sentence show to me images of brilliance and savagery.  I didn’t quite completely understand what the word vibrations meant in the story.  At some parts of the story I thought the “vibration” was referring to his struggles but at others I felt like it was referring to the music inside of him or his determination. When I think about vibrations I think of natural disasters for example a tornado or a hurricane, the vibrations represent tragedy, negative impacts. The fact that Tom’s store was burnt down 2 times and he rebuild it back up shows the reader he is not afraid and he will overcome these harsh racists acts.  In Blues People, Baraka repositioned African American music in the U.S. as a technology of cultural evolution and secret resistance.

Reading response 11/17

Reading response 11/17

Amiri Baraka, author of “Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine” visualizes his own family’s history of racial violence and takes his readers through that history. Baraka starts the short story by presenting his grandfather, Tom Russ. He states, “Say that you are Tom Russ. It is Dothan, Alabama, U.S.A. 1898. You are a Negro who has felt the ground vibrate, and you are trying to interpret the vibration. You are trying to interpret the vibration, and what it means in 1898 Dothan” (1). This quote seems to have a deep meaning in terms of the repetition and the use of word “vibrate”. The author wants to emphasize the vibration that is constantly brought up in the story. I think the vibration is representing the ambition, determination, and dreams that Tom Russ had. He faced a lot of struggles but he never gave up on his dreams. His store was burned down the first time and he rebuilds it and the second time it was burned down, he rebuilds it again (1). He didn’t run away from his city or his family when he started facing these challenges. He ended up leaving when they burnt the store again for his family. It states “Your unborn grandson says leave this pisshearted town, Tom” (2). They were trying to tell him that there are vibrations anywhere he goes because it all starts with him. If he has the determination to succeed, he will. Baraka states “A vibration can carry a man a long way” (2). This quote really stood out me because it shows that as long you have the ambition inside you, you will always be able to succeed to reach your goals.

Throughout the story, it feels like Baraka is taking us through a timeline of family’s history. He starts off in Alabama and makes his way to Pennsylvania and then New Jersey. From 1898 all the way to 1943, we are able to see a sequence of events that occurred in his family throughout the years.

I was able to make a connection to David Henderson’s “Sun goddess”. In both writings, the authors write in prose and use short, blunt rhythms in the beginning a paragraph. The overall similarity between the two is the reflection on the authors own life and the image of empowerment. In “Sun goddess”, the single mother’s struggles was the topic and she never gave up. In this short story, Tom Russ’ struggles was the topic and he was able to overcome them. Both of the characters were very powerful in spite of the challenges they faced.

Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine

    "Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine" by Amiri Baraka a short, fictional story about the racial tension living in Dothan, Alabama as a African American. It was very obvious they were not treated fairly in this racist state. They tried to run them out you see this in the beginning of the story: "The store is burning, Tom. They have burnt your store, Tom. What does it mean? Is the burning another vibration? Interpret this one, Tom. Let your unborn grandchild know what his dead, whistling grandfather thought of the burning. If I were you, Tom, I would have cried. Did you cry, Tom? No, I suppose not. Not with the vibration still moving the ground in front of you". ( Baraka 1)

    Baraka uses the word "vibration" throughout this short story. Can it mean his emotional state or the atmosphere, and how it is felt by others? This story takes you on a journey from Dothan, Alabama, to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and finally Newark, New Jersey. You see the struggles they have overcome from their store being burnt down twice in Alabama, and starting a new life in Pennsylvania where they are more at peace and then moving to New Jersey and owning two stores. Baraka's journey shows the struggles his family has been through and how they have conquered  every hurdle they were given. 

    This short story is very political as is his poetry it deals with a lot of racial discrimination, and how African Americans were treated unfairly, it deals with struggles and overcoming them, power and music. The impact of this story is in the witnessing, the looking back, the looking forward, the emptiness of loss, and the fullness of knowing Baraka was a witness to it all. It is through witnessing that we provide history with value. 

Amiri B

    From what I’m understanding during the reading is that black business were being distorted. Black business are getting burnt down. It seems that the people in this story are in disbelieve.The author brought up the past about negro being treated bad. The another talks about the times before he was born and the times when he was born. What I don’t understand is what he means by “vibrations”. The word “vibrations” is used most paragraphs of this story. I think it means peace among black people. This peace may have something to do with the Black Arts Movement. I see a lot of racial encounters about black people. Black people seems to be called “niggers”. For example, “Three Negros, 2 with horns, the third with a battered drum” (Pg 3). It seems like a lot of violence involving black people. 

The characters in the story are we well connected with each. Toms and Russ are the main characters in the story. These characters seems like the going thought the struggle of being black in this time. Whats interesting is that seems in the story the author is going back in time. For example, “Here is Newark, New Jersey 1925. Can’t haut  walks for all movement between me and the ground” (Pg 2). I thought this quote was an good example about  how the author brings up the past. I see the word “enlightenment" is mention in several paragraphs. This could be an important message for the black community. Again this connections to the black arts movement. Inspired to see that their is problems in the black community dealing with violence and much more.

I think a lot of times as was reading the author beings up the past as example to describe his feelings in the black community. I think the author is the racial discrimination is still a problem. I think he feels it doesn't mean anything just because black people are free. I think the author creates this story to how people how he feels thought literature. I’m wondering does this type of story has to deal with people he knew? Why would his story important now? Is this story important ?

Reading Response 11/17

The opening lines in "Suppose Sorrow was a Time Machine", by Amiri Baraka, instantaneously lay down this premise of racial tension. Baraka says, "Here is Dothan, Alabama, USA, 1898. This is of value. What is to be said about the place, Dothan, and the time, 1898. It is of value, but it doesn't matter what becomes of the telling, once it is told." If you think about the fact that Baraka is black, the title of the book, and what he just said about the location, Alabama, a racist southern state, it is quite clear this is going to be a story about the struggles of racial battles his family fought around the turn of the century. He keeps talking about his Uncle Tom, which I think might be a symbolic reference to the anti slave novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the journey of slaves and just Africans in general in the US.

Baraka keeps mentioning these "vibrations" that Tom feels, and I think those represent the struggle Tom went through. Kind of like an earthquake, where the vibrations can shake your world and bring it down but you can rebuild, and that's exactly what Tom did. His store gets burned down and he builds a new store so quickly to show that he's not scared of racists. But when the racists burn the new one down and he rebuilds a third building, making it bigger and better than the last, but the racists burn this down again and Tom is forced to head north. This shows the persistence Tom had, even though his world was constantly knocked down he rebuilt to show the racists he was strong. But when they face racists in Pennsylvania they head even further north to New Jersey where Tom finds himself holding political power. I think Tom feels this is the only way to change things, to do it the proper way. This really reminds me of the Jackie Robinson story. They chose Jackie Robinson to be the iconic baseball player who would change the rules of the game forever because they knew he would do the right thing and not fight back even though he really wanted to. He had to show the world how disgusting racism really was, and he did just that.

Baraka keeps mentioning Tom's grandson. I think he does this to build up this story of Tom's grandson only to have it be shattered in the end. I think that Tom died in Alabama after someone hit him over the head and the whole story is hypothetical. It leaves the reader with this kind of sour taste in their mouth because you realize that these racists are killing the innocents of the future. I think that was the bigger picture in this story. Hatred doesn't have a positive impact on things and this story proves just that.

Reading Response 11/17

“Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine” by Amiri Baraka is a fictional story where the future speaks to the present about the past. Tom Russ is the grandfather of the narrator, who speaks to his grandfather in his “post-prebirth enlightenment” pg2. The narrator talks about vibrations that give Tom uneasiness due to its uncertainty of where they were coming from and their exact meanings. Throughout the story, these vibrations are filled with aspirations, dreams, hope and history. Before the 1890’s there was not a need for African Americans/Blacks to worry about such things because they were enslaved. So these vibrations were more of a rumbling of the soul and an awakening of the mind of the once oppressed now freeman of what their future held.

Like Baraka’s Blues People, these vibrations transcend just like the work song evolved into spiritual song that later became blues than transformed into Jazz.  Tom’s evolution from Dothan, Alabama (south) in 1898 to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in 1917 and finally further up north to Newark, New Jersey in 1925 represent the same migration African music has taken in the US. The vibrations (work songs) in Dothan were still vibrations in Newark but with a different meaning, this is seen when the narrator talks about the rebuilding of Tom’s store and it “wasn’t really any store at all, only the insane intensity of your vision” pg1, just like he was still a black business owner in Alabama as in New Jersey but with different liberties.

           

The narrator uses vibrations as a vehicle to explore life at a time were Negros even though oppressed, they never had to worry about being self sufficient and independent, but with slavery being abolished the time had come for them to forge there own identities and think not only about their futures but the futures of their children and their children’s children. When Tom and Anna move to Pennsylvania his thoughts are finally about his lineage, using “street” speech, “send my grandson’s mother to college. She’s got to know ‘bout them vibrations”.pg2

Amiri Baraka has a way of using music as the background and foundation to explain the empowerment of the black culture.  He writes “one vibration can carry a man a long way if he knows just how to handle it”pg2, meaning that Tom Russ could have given up in Alabama after the first burning of his store or even the second but music that he knew in the south was doing something of its own in the north and he was in the hopes of finding out “what part of the world is fashioned in my image”. Pg2

At the end when Tom is lying in the hospital dying, the narrator wants more of him but there is nothing left to give. Tom has given his all but his story will not die with him he’s been talking to his unborn grandson who will feel the vibrations too but his won’t be musical but instead literary!!!

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.

Amiri Baraka's "Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine"

Amiri Baraka’s short story, “Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine,” is about the racial discrimination that existed in Baraka’s family history. The story begins with Baraka introducing his grandfather, Tom Russ to his readers. Tom Russ lived in Dothan, Alabama during the year of 1898 and Baraka demonstrates a feeling of resentment towards him throughout the story. I was able to feel this animosity between Baraka and Tom Russ by the way Baraka speaks to Tom in the story. I noticed that Baraka used first and second point of view, in order to make his story feel as if he is talking to Tom.  For example, he uses second person when he says, “I know you Tom. You are my grandfather” (1). He then uses first person on page two, “I sit here and see Tom smiling at me, winking, knowing full well I hear everything he’s saying.” In the last paragraph of his story though, the story is told in the perspective of his mother saying, “Did you know he fell down on the floor and screamed and kicked his feet when they said they were taking you to this looney pen” (3). In addition, Baraka includes his poetic techniques in his short story by using repetition, short sentences, and words that imitate sounds. Also, his story is written almost in the form of a timeline. Baraka begins with describing Toms’ life in Dothan, Alabama but then moves on to different settings and time periods.  

            There were two thought-provoking scenes in the short story that I thought were meaningful to the message Baraka is trying to get through to his readers. One of the scenes appears in the beginning of the text, when Baraka says, “How obscure is enlightenment? As obscure as dust kicked up on a path nobody walks on, as obscure as birds falling off trees with no god to catch them. All this is O.K, Tom, but what about the unholy bastards who are killing you?” (1). I interpreted this quote as Baraka’s complaining to his grandfather about the way he responded to vibrations he knew about.  In the story, “vibrations” seem to refer to racial violence. Therefore, Baraka is upset by the way his grandfather accepted racial violence. Later on in the short story, we also discover that Tom dislikes Baraka’s father.  Baraka says, “Tom looks him up and down and asks him is he a good man. This is my father who nods and slides his arm around Tom’s daughter. Tom wonders will I look like him, and I nod yes, and he is satisfied and takes out his cigars and chats about the depression” (3). After reading this I got the impression that perhaps Tom did not approve of Baraka’s father because of his skin color. His wish was to have a grandson that reflected himself but instead Baraka came out looking more like his father. This disappointed Tom and he decided to maintain a cold relationship with Baraka. At the end of the short story, we see how Tom’s daughter begs for his acceptance of her son but Tom dies without doing so. It is sad to see how Baraka had affection for his grandfather but his grandfather did not have any for him because of racial discrimination. 

Suppose Sorrow Was A Time Machine

“Suppose Sorrow Was A Time Machine,” by Amiri Baraka is sort of a time line about his grandfather’s life. This story is written as if Baraka is speaking to his grandfather and he is telling him about his struggles and how he manages to over come them. For example, the first part takes place in Alabama where Tom is the owner of a store. Some people burn the store because they are trying to run him out of town. Tom doesn’t let this get to him and quickly rebuilds and fixes his store. His store is then burnt a second time, and again he manages to rebuild his entire store. Baraka wants to know what all of this means and wants his grandfather to interpret this for him. The rest of the story is written in a similar way, where they mention their location and the different things that happen in this location.

            One line that stood out to me was “ you are a Negro who has felt the ground vibrate, you are trying to interpret the vibration.” Another one that stood out to me was “A vibration can carry a man a long ways.” I think that these lines are essential to the story because in a way, its what the reader is trying to do. The reader is trying to interpret what this vibration means. At some parts of the story I thought the “vibration” was referring to his struggles but at others I felt like it was referring to the music inside of him or his determination.

            I think that this writing piece is very similar to David Henderson’s short story “Sun Goddess.” Both of them use the same style in some ways. For example both of them start with a same short line. They also both use the same idea of someone who is strong who over comes something. They have a sense of freedom and they also use music. In sun goddess the main character listens to jazz music that over powers her. In this story Tom says “tah tah tat , tah, yippee, hoorah, Tom Russ, Tom Tuss.” He is referring to himself in the music and using it to express himself.

            The only thing that I was unsure of was the ending of the story. It was a bit unclear as to what was going on.