The mythic patterns Toni Morrison explores in her third novel inform the transformation of "Milkman Dead". "Song of Solomon" traces Milkman's journey from spiritual death to understanding and acceptance of personal responsibility, his liberation symbolized by his discovery of the ability to fly. Caught between his father's materialism and his aunt's sense of family and history, Milkman moves to a greater awareness of his identity and previously untapped spiritual power.
Once renowned as a funspot, Coney Island has been largely forgotten. Does it still exist? What has survived of the place? And what was it like? In his new book CONEY ISLAND, Professor Solomon takes us there to find out. Roaming about, he interviews old-timers`searches for antiquities, explores what is left of the amusement area. He also provides a history of Coney Island, from its Canarsie Indian days, to its era as a lawless, Tijuana-style resort, to the rise and fall of its amusement parks...
Song of Solomon explores the quest for cultural identity through an African American folktale about enslaved Africans who escape slavery by fleeing back to Africa. The novel tells the story of Macon "Milkman" Dead, a young man alienated from himself and estranged from his family, his community, and his historical and cultural roots. Author Toni Morrison, long renowned for her detailed imagery, visual language, and "righting" of black history, guides the protagonist along a 30-year journey that enables him to reconnect with his past and realize his self-worth.
Robert C. Solomon, Not Passion's Slave: Emotions and Choice
The idea that we are in some significant sense responsible for our emotions is
an idea that Robert Solomon has developed for almost three decades. Here, in
a single volume, he traces the development of this theory of emotions and
elaborate it in detail. Two themes run through his work: the first presents
a "cognitive" theory of emotions in which emotions are construed primarily as
evaluative judgments. The second proposes an "existentialist" perspective in
which he defends the idea that, as we are responsible for our emotions.
Indeed, sometimes it even makes sense to say that we "choose" them.
