In my African American Studies class this week, we spoke alot about enslaved people and about Beloved and Destroyer, yet the actual recordings of enslaved people made the most of an impact on me. Throughout my schooling, I've studied slavery from an outside perspective; yet I have never heard someone who survived it share their personal story.
The actual voices of people who described their family separations and where they got placed, made the historical events seem more authentic to me; their experiences made me really wonder about the proximity of these historical events to our present day.
The voices I heard after class helped me understand Beloved better than before. The ghost in Beloved used to seem like a typical horror element to me until I realized Morrison included it for a specific reason. Through the ghost, Morrison created a symbolic representation of all the unending suffering which her characters endured.
The way my past experiences linger throughout my life, also helps me connect it to the way characters in the novel experience their traumas, and how the things that people go through get carried with them throughout their lives. The story gave me a new meaning through understanding this.
Transitioning to The Destroyer also brought me a new perspective because it presented a different narrative. The story follows a mother who fights to maintain her present life after her son dies from police violence. The two stories present similar themes about people attempting to repair things which cannot be fixed.
I have had multiple instances where I attempt to solve problems in my life which were out of my control, and it made me ultimatly accept the outcome instead of trying to fight and mend it. The similar patterns in these stories made me think about our human and natural tendency to cling to particular situations.
I learned that black horror extends beyond creating fear, but also helps viewers to experience some historical events up close, and dealing with the loss of family members and grief through new perspectives. It showed me new perspectives about how to create any emotional distress, and that all people have private experiences which persist in their lives, even if they choose to keep them hidden. I think this helps us understand history, grief, and family relationships, and how they can manifest into our daily lives.