Slavery, Ghosts, and Beloved: Crash Course Literature 214

In which John Green teaches you about Beloved by Toni Morrison. I'll warn you upfront, this book is something of a downer. That's because it deals with subjects like slavery, the death of a child, a potential haunting, and a bunch of other sad stuff. John will talk about Beloved in relation to slavery, and how that terrible institution affected individuals, families, and all of American culture in the years surrounding the Civil War. We will also not be getting into whether or not Beloved was a ghost because it really has no bearing on what the book has to say. Also, as usual, spoilers abound, so we recommend you read the book before you watch this video!

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[cutepotato]

I'm from India and when we were taught this masterful book in college we were taught through parrallels between a colonial history spanning 200 years, and a system as heinous as the caste system still existing in India and the system of slavery. Opened my eyes a little bit to the shared pain of human suffering that spans communities and cultures of the oppressed throughout history

[elizabetharanda]

"the shock [baby] received upon learning that nobody stopped playing checkers just because the pieces included her children." Damn, one of the most profound, heartbreaking and deeply honesty lines I've ever read in literature.

[AvgJane]

RIP Toni Morrison, your words and the narratives you wove touched millions. May you find peace on the other side.

[ohmysweetnurse]

"She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order." 

I don't think a more perfect thing has ever been written. 

[allthesmallthingmin]

I really wish that you would have included that Morrison was inspired by an actual event:  Margaret Garner was a runaway slave who did kill her daughter rather than have her taken back into slavery.

[jlittlejohn]

This is easily my favorite CrashCourse video so far. I read this book early in my Sophomore year in high school. I was in an African American Studies class, and I was the only black person the the class. This book with resonated with me, and I didn't know how the other students in my class could so fundamentally miss the point. They told me I understood because I am black, but that made me feel like they deliberately did not understand because they are white. Some people understand some things, I suppose, but it is important to realize that this book is about humans coping with human emotions, dealing with the kinds of struggles that many peoples over many centuries have had to deal with. This story was framed against a black struggle, but that doesn't not mean the struggle is exclusively black.

[mckenzieshawcroft]

When I read this book in college, we discussed the symbol of a tree on Sethe's back. It's a "tree" made up of the scars on her back, from when she was whipped. She talks about its sap (her blood) and this tree flowering, which is an interesting symbol.

[crashcourse]

First, y'all. I'm always first. -stan

[laurenhyde]

I’m not usually a commenter and I’m YEARS late, but I just read Beloved and, since I read it on my own without the guidance of an English professor, struggled a bit at the end to fully grasp everything that had happened. This crash course helped me a lot in appreciating one of the greatest books I’ve ever read! Thanks John!

[kyrathedestroyer_]

A lot of white people in these comments say they hated the book but now they might reread after watching this video. Why ? To me this sounds like when women explain sexism or misogyny to men and they don’t get it until other men explain. Here, it’s like white people don’t understand the plight of black people unless it’s a white person rationalizing and explaining. That’s odd to me. A guy in these comments said that this story didn’t seem realistic. 😐 this is based on a true story. I hear this a lot as well, white people questioning is slavery was that bad. Can anyone explain this to me from another perspective ? I don’t just want to jump the gun.

[billwurtz]

this is off the subject, but, ... more history!!

[Nerdicaful]

That made me cry. Beloved is one of those horrors that after all the terror, you break down and just cry. Because -you're- the one (in a way) that caused it. It kind of takes slavery and forces you to look at the heart of it and at the heart of yourself. That's what makes you cry buckets and want to be a better person in the end. Which is something not a lot of gothic novels or horror novels do in general. They usually inspire fear through the Unknown. But Beloved takes something that is known and magnifies it to a degree that you can understand no matter what color you are. And I feel like that's where the terror comes from. There is no brushing it under a rug, or sugar coating it. There's simply facing it and understanding it for what it is.

[aznfry]

you put everything so eloquently. i feel your words melting in the palm of my hand. You almost give me the inspiration to keep loving life.
thank you John Greene

[NicNac]

I thought John Green was just a youtuber. I had no idea that he wrote A Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska! No wonder he describes books so well...

[andersonandrighi]

As I learned in my last year of college with one of my professors: literature is more revolutionare, pervasive and tought provoking than history will ever be.

[Cassiestarglimmer]

I took a Toni Morrison class about a year ago, and I loved it. Beloved was one of my favorites, but I still think I liked Love the most. I loved how natural the supernatural elements felt and Morrison's ability to make unimaginable agony and evil understood is amazing. She really understands what motivates people.

[zaire]

I watched this movie when I was younger and it terrified me, the concept of this movie is scarier than any jumpscare or found footage movie.

[ThePaperFlowers]

The idea of "walking on two feet, not four" doesn't necessarily make me think of human vs. animal, but power vs. desperation. Of course, I haven't read Beloved yet, so I don't know if that is an undertone to the book.

These videos really help me look into books I need to know, but don't have the time to read before my Praxis.

[samwill]

I...I....I...I think I need to go hug my mom.

[noracampbell]

Beloved was based on the true story of Margaret Gardner