To pick up our Jazz music metaphor again, the narrator continues to feel some cognitive dissonance in regard to his place in the Brotherhood. To paraphrase a definition of "dissonance," it's as if he's hearing several "unharmonious" chords simultaneously, and must, somehow resolve the tension. He gets the letter and is unsure about whom to trust. Is he being backstabbed by the Brotherhood (a repeat of the Bledsoe situation) or is someone just trying to bring him down? In literature, of course, we call it internal conflict.
*What do you make of this letter?
*Who are "they"? Who will cut the narrator down, according to the letter?
*How is Brother Tarp's chain link different than Bledsoe's?
*What does the narrator mean when he says that Brother Westrum "snatched [him] back to the South"?
*How does the setting of the beginning of the chapter contradict the woman's tone?
*How are sound devices used to express the ambivalence the narrator feels about the woman?
*How is asyndeton (omitting conjunctions where they would normally be used) used to show the building panic in the narrator's mind as he leaves the building? In other words, how does Ellision merge style and content?
*Explain the significance of the following quote: "My nerves were in a state of constant tension, my face took on a stiff, noncommittal expression, beginning to look like Brother Jack's and the other leaders."
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Brother Tarp's chain link is different from Bledsoe's because Brother Tarp's is worn and rough, showing what he had been through. Bledsoe's is smooth. Brother Tarp's chain link shows the pain and hardships he faced all for saying "no" to a white man. It shows the unfairness of the way blacks were treated. It also shows how much will blacks had to overcome the hardships they faced because of unfair treatment.
Brother Tarp's chain link has a long personal history and has been a burden for nineteen years. Doctor Bledsoe's leg shackle has no personal history and does not show the struggle that Brother Tarp's leg chain link has been through. Brother Tarp's chain also is a symbolic burden that is being passed to the narrator to show what other blacks have suffered for the race and inspire the narrator to bring the blacks to equality.
Brother Tarp's chain link is different from Mr. Bledsoe's because Brother Tarp's is worn and old, whereas Bledsoe's is smooth and looks relatively new. Brother Tarp's signifies the pain and struggle he endured to get to where he was in the novel. Mr. Bledsoe shows his chain link to prove his connection to the deep struggle and hardships of the south and blacks during that time, but it shows no pain or wear. Brother Tarp's chain link backs up his fight for racial equality in the Brotherhood, compared to Mr. Bledsoe's, who will do anything for a white man's acceptance.
Brother Tarp's chain link differs from that of Bledsoe's. While Bledsoe’s is smooth and shows to evidence of memories, Tarp’s “bore the marks of haste and violence, looking as though it had been attacked and conquered before it stubbornly yielded.” Tarp’s chain link has a history, a past in which it was worn by Tarp for almost two decades of his life. Tarp’s has memories of pain and suffering and the plan of escape that brought him away from where he could never be free.
Brother Tarp's chain link is much different than Bledsoe's. Bledsoe kept the chain in his office to remind others of the hardships the African Americans faced in the past, but the chain link had no personal connection to Bledsoe because he had never worn it. I also got the feeling that Bledsoe thought of himself as better than the narrator and other African Americans because he was an important figure at the school and had friends who were white. Brother Tarp's chain link was different because he had to drag it with him for 19 years and had to actually face the hardships of slavery, unlink Bledsoe. Brother Tarp also gave the link to the narrator to inspire him not to give up on the Brotherhood movement, while Bledsoe used his link to almost intiminate others.
I think that the “they” that the letter refers to is the brotherhood, in particular the white leaders. The letter says that “they” will cut the narrator down if he “gets too big”. This means that the white leaders are afraid of the narrators growing influence in the black community. “They” fear that if he “gets too big” he may become more influential than “they” themselves. I believe that the narrator does become “too big” in the eyes of the brotherhood. This explains their actions toward him at the end of the novel.
The letter shows that perhaps the narrator has gotten too far into the movement for racial equality and that he is feeling apprehension deep down about his position. The "they" referred to are the leaders withing the brotherhood that are not completely for the cause, and in particular the white members of the brotherhood. The significance of this quote is that the narrator is becoming more like the rest of the brotherhood in being stiff and unmoving. In other words he is starting to become less concerned with the real issues at hand which seems to be an recurring theme in the later chapters.
I personally think that the note forshadows the things to come. It is obvious that the narrator will have problems in the near future. I think that he should just get his money, and go back down south. He could then talk to Mr. Norton and work things out with Bledsloe. Even if he didnt goto school, he could help support his family.
Although the letter says "this is advice from a friend" I do not take it as friendly at all. I think that the fact that the author of the letter had to keep stating that he was "friendly" proves that he is indeed not. I think that the letter is more of a threat than anything.
Dr. Bledsoe's chain link and Brother Tarp's are very different. The chain link that sits on Dr. Bledsoes desk is smooth and in perfect condition. It shows no sign of pain or resistance. It is more of a symbol or order. Brother Tarp's chain link on the other hand is very rough and jagged. It shows BOTH pain and resistance. It appears as though it has a strong history behind it. Tarp's chain is a symbol of strength and progression.
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