Toni Morrison Speech Summary | Study notes English Literature

Toni's writingillustrates her beliefs about language and the deeper meaning of it. She explains

that language should “Permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas”

(Morrison). She believes that America is not achieving those ideas for language but in fact is

doing the opposite.

In the world, there are about 6909 different languages being spoken. Millions of people are

speaking those languages all around the globe, but how many of them are actually speaking?

Language is not just about communication with words. Toni Morrison elaborates more on that idea

in her speech the Nobel Lecture. Toni’s writing illustrates her beliefs about language and the

deeper meaning of it. She explains that language should “Permit new knowledge or encourage the

mutual exchange of ideas” (Morrison). She believes that America is not achieving those ideas for

language but in fact is doing the opposite. American people do not know the meaning and effect of

language and because of that, true language is dying. In the speech, the Nobel Lecture, by Toni

Morrison, the author narrates repetition and connotation in order to emphasize and elaborate ideas

and purposes of language , ultimately exposing her beliefs about language.

In the speech, the word “dying” and other synonyms like dead are repeated multiple times. We

know that the the bird mentioned in the story is a metaphor for representing language because

Morrison says “ the heart of such language is languishing, or perhaps not beating at all-if the bird is

already dead”. That sentence connects how the bird and language are correlated in the speech. So

the reader can infer from the rest of the speech so when she says is the bird dead, she is really

saying is the language dead.

What Is The Tone Of Toni Morrison's Speech

Toni Morrison’s speech, given when she accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature, made a lasting

impression on its audience. The way she spoke was so unique, it almost seems like she was reading

one of her works instead of a speech. What surprises me is how she is able to switch from three

main points of viewers. These switches serve their own individual purposes, for she is able to

utilize different tones. For example, during the speech, she speaks in first person, which separates

her from her story. At another part of the speech, she switches to second person. She uses words

like “your hands” and “your responsibility” to direct her words towards the audience.

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Toni's writing illustrates her beliefs about language and the deeper meaning of it. She explains that language should “Permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas” (Morrison). She believes that America is not achieving those ideas for language but in fact is doing the opposite. In the world, there are about 6909 different languages being spoken. Millions of people are speaking those languages all around the globe, but how many of them are actually speaking? Language is not just about communication with words. Toni Morrison elaborates more on that idea in her speech the Nobel Lecture. Toni’s writing illustrates her beliefs about language and the deeper meaning of it. She explains that language should “Permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas” (Morrison). She believes that America is not achieving those ideas for language but in fact is doing the opposite. American people do not know the meaning and effect of language and because of that, true language is dying. In the speech, the Nobel Lecture, by Toni Morrison, the author narrates repetition and connotation in order to emphasize and elaborate ideas and purposes of language , ultimately exposing her beliefs about language. In the speech, the word “dying” and other synonyms like dead are repeated multiple times. We know that the the bird mentioned in the story is a metaphor for representing language because Morrison says “ the heart of such language is languishing, or perhaps not beating at all-if the bird is already dead”. That sentence connects how the bird and language are correlated in the speech. So the reader can infer from the rest of the speech so when she says is the bird dead, she is really saying is the language dead. What Is The Tone Of Toni Morrison's Speech Toni Morrison’s speech, given when she accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature, made a lasting impression on its audience. The way she spoke was so unique, it almost seems like she was reading one of her works instead of a speech. What surprises me is how she is able to switch from three main points of viewers. These switches serve their own individual purposes, for she is able to utilize different tones. For example, during the speech, she speaks in first person, which separates her from her story. At another part of the speech, she switches to second person. She uses words like “your hands” and “your responsibility” to direct her words towards the audience.

In 1983, Toni Morrison published the only short story she would ever create. The controversial story conveys an important idea of what race is and if it really matter in the scheme of life. This story takes place during the time period of the Civil Rights Movement. The idea of civil rights was encouraged by the government but not enforced by the states, leaving many black Americans suffering every day. In Morrison’s short story Recitatif, Morrison manipulates the story’s diction to describe the two women’s races interchangeably resulting in the confusion of the reader. One of my favorite Toni Morrison quotes that inspires me is “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” I have taken this into everything I create, I hope to bring a new perspective, something original that people may not have thought about before. Although most of my stories were linear, they were personal and abstract to the point they could not be recreated, such as the view from my dorm window. I want the stories to tell how I believe the future is going to look like from my point of view. All three stories I will be presenting involve transitions, first from the country to street view, storyboard to production, and finally technological advances and their place in society. Morrison has two messages about race, the first being that human beings are constantly trying to find out someone’s race and define themselves in opposition or alliance with that individual’s race, the second being that racism is still prevalent in society despite justifications that it has passed. “Recitatif” is the story of two children who have been friends since childhood, one black and the other white, while the audience cannot be certain who is who they witness them growing up. Morrison emphasizes that human beings have the strong tendency to classify people immediately, especially by race, through her decision to not reveal the race of characters. Morrison specifically speaks to the graduating students of Rutgers University but also to those who are present in the audience. One of her main points that is very important and different from other commencement speeches is she stresses that settling for happiness should not be the ultimate goal saying, “Please don’t settle for happiness. It’s not good enough.” The essence of life is not just about finding happiness but finding meaning instead. For example, instead of sitting on the couch looking at your instagram all day you could learn a new language or get up and do community service, go to concerts, and participate in this ever changing world.

Toni Morrison Speech Summary, Study notes of English Literature

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