Blog # 7: Response to Betsey Brown

I had a little trouble following the plot some of the time. Shange's writes the words how she wants them to be pronounced. This can get confusing sometimes, particularly since I don’t speak the way her characters do so I was left in the dark every now and then. However, despite that, I really think this is a wonderful way to write her dialogue. I think it adds so much dimension and reader comprehension to the characters personalities, especially when we examine the dialect used by different characters. Since I am a white woman in the 21st century, I often found it difficult to relate to the characters struggles. By the end though I started to really get a feel for them and I am so glad I stuck it out because although we have studied so much about civil rights across various fields of our education in America, this is a fabulous way to gain insight into what the people of that time were actually feeling. It means so much more than just reading about it in a history book.
I relate so much to Betsey. I have a secluded spot that I call my “happy place.” It is by a river with a little waterfall and no one ever goes there but me (that I know of). I go there when I need to think or make big decisions. Understanding the sanctity of such a place really helped me to understand Betsey's perspective when Bernice reveals her safe-haven to the world. I tried to run away from home as a child. I was in charge of raising my brother because my mother was very sick and my father had to work terribly long hours to support us. I was extremely independent. I think these things also helped me to understand and respect her. I love her independence and that she is not afraid to admit her mistakes and try to make things right.
The adults in the novel are incredibly flawed. Greer is so busy and active in civil rights that he forgets that his children are people, not players in a revolution. His decision is undeniably admirable and influential and I fully believe it was correct to attempt to integrate his children into while schools; someone has to be the trend setter and his fearlessness in this regard is inspiring. However, I wish he had been more sensitive to his children’s concerns about the transition; Allard for example, is terrified and his father could have alleviated his fear if he had noticed it. Vida is not quite ready for the changes of the civil rights movement and this makes her an obstacle in their house. And Jane is simply too self-absorbed. She loves her children very much, but is more of a friend than a proper mother – another thing I can relate to.

Becca