21st Century Fiction 2024

  The book Sing, Unburied, Sing connects the living and the dead through complex interactions that both heal and inflict pain on the characters. The story spans over multiple generations, intertwining them by showcasing the dead as ghosts that interact and shape the personalities of Jojo, Leonie, and Pop. These ghosts serve as reminders of the pain, guilt, and unresolved trauma carried by the living. Given, despite being killed by Leonie’s cousin, continues to appear to her. His presence provides both comfort and a painful reminder of her responsibility to improve and be a better person and a mother. His ghost pushes Leonie to reflect on her actions, encouraging her to become a better person, especially in her role as a mother. His silence as a ghost portrays the deep connection shared between Leonie with her brother, that his appearance and looks of disapproval as a ghost are not just her hallucinations at work but her conscience that have taken up Givens form to pull her out of t...

The book Sing, Unburied, Sing connects the living and the dead through complex interactions that both heal and inflict pain on the characters. The story spans over multiple generations, intertwining them by showcasing the dead as ghosts that interact and shape the personalities of Jojo, Leonie, and Pop. These ghosts serve as reminders of the pain, guilt, and unresolved trauma carried by the living. Given, despite being killed by Leonie’s cousin, continues to appear to her. His presence provides both comfort and a painful reminder of her responsibility to improve and be a better person and a mother. His ghost pushes Leonie to reflect on her actions, encouraging her to become a better person, especially in her role as a mother. His silence as a ghost portrays the deep connection shared between Leonie with her brother, that his appearance and looks of disapproval as a ghost are not just her hallucinations at work but her conscience that have taken up Givens form to pull her out of the sel...

    In  Sing, Unburied, Sing , the author Jesmyn Ward writes a story based on African American family dynamics and the struggles from past and present racism. In this novel, we see how the effects of violence caused by slavery and racism continue to affect African American families in the South. The author achieves this portrayal of violence through flashbacks, death, ghosts, and the three different generations within the main character's family.       The novel discusses the family dynamic of an African American family in Mississippi from the perspective of Leonie, the mother of Jojo and Makayla, and from the son of Jojo. From the start of the book, we can see how the family uses physical punishment to discipline their children. The physical abuse is normalized by Jojo when it comes from Pa and he is shown to respect him and look up to him. However, when the abuse comes from Leonie and his father Micheal, he feels angry, upset, and also afraid. This...

  One of the key subjects of the novel Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is the complexity of family dynamics, especially the idea of a dysfunctional family structure. Here, Jojo and Kayla’s mother Leonie struggles with addiction and severely neglects the responsibility of raising her children. Mam and Pop, Leonie’s parents, take on many of the duties that were required in the upbringing of Jojo, Leonie’s oldest child, however, once Mam becomes bedridden due to cancer, the task of raising Kayla falls on Jojo, Kayla’s brother. Jojo, only thirteen, holds a large amount of responsibility, yet does not take care of his younger sister begrudgingly. The lack of attention and care given to him by Leonie, his mother, leads him to want to provide the opposite for his sister, and he raises her in an extremely protective and loving manner. The contrast between Jojo’s method of parenting his younger sister and his mother’s lack of maternal care is evident in the way they describe Kayla, the ...

  Intergenerational trauma is the notion that large traumatic events in one generation of a family can be passed down to the children, grandchildren, etc. of the people who experienced the event. Throughout Sing, Unburied, Sing , the lasting effects of slavery and brutality against African Americans is shown in many different ways.     The blatant racism in this family's community is prevalent throughout every aspect of their lives. They face discrimination and racial profiling by police officers, longer, more brutal, and often wrongful incarcerations, and verbal/physical assault merely because they are black. Although racism is still ever present today, we can also see the impacts that past acts of racism has on the family, too. For instance, Leonie's brother, Given, was shot and killed by a white man intentionally, which was covered up as a "hunting accident." This racially motivated crime devastated Given's parents, who then turned a blind eye to their other ch...

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward dives into the intricacies of family relationships, defining present difficulties that may occur, in addition to the unconditional love and support families can encompass. The novel provides a deep analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of family connections in times of adversity through the experiences of Jojo, and his family situation.       Throughout the novel we see highlights of the positive effects of family, such as the power of love and support. One example, specifically, is how Jojo’s family is a source of love, care, support, and happiness. We see this in chapter 12, when Richie watches River make breakfast for Jojo and Kayla, saying, “I would give anything to taste bread made with such care” (Ward 239). Demonstrating his jealousy in the unconditional care and loving environment that is possessed in this moment of the novel. In addition to this, we see more positive effects of family through shared experiences, an...

  Nicholas Conjelko Sing, Unburied, Sing Blog Post  9-24-24       Racism is very prevalent in the lives of those who experience it. It can shape their experiences, the way they live their life, and their viewpoint on themselves and others. Those who do not experience racism on a daily basis have a hard time understanding this difference in lifestyles. Sing, Unburied, Sing does a great job at effectively pointing out how racism changes the lives of the main characters. In Jojo’s case, he faces racism when a cop pulls their family over in the midst of a family trip. Jojo is a little boy, his sole focus in life to protect Kayla- yet, the cop has no eyes for this. The officer sees the color of Jojo’s skin, and without having any empathy for the young boy the officer “reach[es] in his pocket” and “draws his gun on [Jojo], points it at his face” (page 102). A routine stop for a swerving of the car would lead to a ticket at most for a majority of white people, yet...

  One of the parts of this book that I found most upsetting is how little effort Leonie is willing to put into her kids. That's not to say that she doesn't love her kids, or that she is more flawed than other characters in the book, but as someone who’s parents provided me every opportunity to succeed, I have a hard time reading this book and listening to Leonie’s thought process, even though I do feel bad for the grief she had to go through. Leonie didn't deserve what happened to her brother, and I can't judge how she chooses to deal with that. And sometimes, grief lasts longer in certain people, and it can affect someone for the rest of their life, but learning how to deal with that grief in a healthy way, especially when you have kids is very important, and instead of turning to her loved ones for help, Leonie turned to drugs. Jojo shares with us some insight on the kind of mother Leonie was before she started drugs, and how she was more nurturing and actually spent ...

  Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing shares the story of a family residing in a small town in Mississippi. Interwoven with themes of racism, addiction, abuse, and the power of family dynamics, the novel showcases the complexity of its characters using different narrative outlooks by switching characters' perspectives. The discussion regarding abuse is widespread in the novel and isn't defined as one type. There is discussion of drug abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, as well as other forms portrayed throughout the novel. Leonie, in particular, seems to be both a victim and perpetrator of this abuse.  Abuse is blatantly displayed both verbally and physically throughout the entirety of the novel. Leonie's connection with her children is one of apathy, and throughout the novel, it almost feels as if the only connection she has with her children is through her abusive tendencies towards them. Similarly, in the way she uses and abuses drugs to make the anger and frustra...

  Millions of children are raised in a family with unconditional love, others are raised by people who love them only halfway, and the rest of the millions don’t receive love from any parent.   Jojo and Kayla receive love from their grandparents and so does Leonie, while Richie receives it from Pop.   In this way, does love and family coexist? I believe there is always love in the family someone makes for themselves, whether that be by blood or not.   For Jojo, he didn’t find love from his mother, so he seeks out Pop who he respects and wants to make proud.   The very first page of the book describes Jojo’s desperate need for Pop to understand and respect him.   After all, Jojo doesn’t even consider Leonie to be his mother, and Kaya, despite being so young, doesn’t give her this title either.   When it comes to Richie, he died protecting his family.   Readers can assume that his mother and father are absent in similar ways that Leonie is absen...

     The novel Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, focuses on the struggles of a mixed family in rural Mississippi. Throughout the novel there are supernatural elements, including ghostly presences. One is Richie, a boy who died in the Parchman jail in the mid-1900s, and one is Given,  Leoine's brother who died while they were both in high school. Most likely the function of these presences in Ward's novel is to illustrate how the treatment of African-Americans in the past by white people is not so different than the treatment of African-Americans in the present in the United States.      The ghost of the past in this instance is Richie. He was a teenager sent to jail when Pop was, and Pop took him under his wing almost as a son. Both of them were horribly mistreated in Parchman, made to do backbreaking labor that ruined their bodies. It all culminated with Richie's death at the end, after he's forced to run away with another inmate. A huge mob of whi...

This question stays with you throughout the novel, and I think the answer has a lot to do with Leonie’s own unresolved pain. At one point, she admits, “felt myself wrestle with wanting to be a mother, with wanting to bear a baby into the world, to carry it throughout life.”(Ward, 158). This line stood out to me because it explains why Leonie struggles to connect. Her life is full of sadness, especially the loss of her brother, Given, and her complicated relationship with Jojo’s father, Michael. All of this affects how she relates to her children. What makes this even harder is how much Jojo clearly wants a parent he can depend on. Early in the story, Jojo says, “so Pop will know I’m ready to pull what needs to be pulled” (Ward 1). His bond with his grandfather, Pop, shows the gap between him and Leonie. Jojo looks to Pop for guidance and love, which highlights the lack of that connection with his mother. Jojo has to grow up fast because Leonie can’t give him the support he needs. It’s ...

  In Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, the question of how Given’s death shapes the lives of Leonie, Pop, and Mam plays a large role  throughout the novel. His death shapes aspect of their existence and influences their emotional journeys and relationships.   One of the most touchin g  quotes in the novel comes from Jojo, the young boy trying to make sense of the world around him: "I like to think I know what death is. I like to think that it’s something I could look at straight." Jojo’s young confidence or naivety is shattered as the reality of death, espec ially Given’s ,  impacts the family. For Leonie, Given’s death becomes an unbearable. She f requently sees him when s he’s high, which shows how intertwined her grief and addiction have become. The visions of Given haunt her, but they also serve as a connection to the brother she lost too soon. Her inability to process his death manifests as anger, leading to her detachment from Jojo and her self-de...

Question:  Pop’s stories often involve the ghost of the young boy, Richie, but he rarely speaks about Given. Is the fixation with one related to the other? What does it tell us about Pop and his own grief?   In Sing, Unburied, Sing Jesmyn Ward brings in characters that have a dynamic and complex viewpoint, and Pop is no different from this representation. We get an early insight into Pop's backstory right away: “Pop, you going to tell me about you and stag’...’about what’...'Parchment’” (Ward 16-17). Parchment being a filthy, below par prison. It becomes clear that Pop is clearly struggling with his time at parchment because he is never able to finish the story about his time there. Pop is always able to talk about Richie in the beginning, a 12-year-old boy at Parchment, but he is reluctant to tell what happened to him. Pop’s continuance to talk about Richie is a fixation that differs from his silent grief over Given, Pop’s deceased son. The fixation over Richie becomes an int...

Jesmyn Ward’s novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing, incorporates many uses of the phrase “I’m going home (Ward 131) along with references to family and the environment. The narrative consistently portrays characters as animals or forces of nature. For example, Maggie “who is the wind (Ward 205)” that sways her husband or Pop who is described as “one of them petrified trees (Ward 207)”. Through this nature-based relationship, a way of interpreting “home” is that it’s an ecosystem of characters and their connections. Richie is one such character who is clearly not home at any point in the reading, and it is debatable if he ever had one (because his upbringing was so poor). His main relationship was with Pop, and going “home” meant finding him, his only positive connection. Going home isn’t necessarily a good thing though. Since following Jojo home, he is depicted as a pest who then devolves into an antagonist that intrudes into Mam’s room (Ward 268). Richie’s attempt to “go home” is akin to someo...