Evaluating the Seven Days
In chapter 6 of Song of Solomon, Guitar informs Milkman about the organization that he is a part of, the Seven Days. The Seven Days is composed of seven black men that are each assigned a day of the week to kill white people in the same methods that were used in the killing of a black person. For instance, if a black man was killed by lynching on a Monday, the person that is assigned to Monday is ordered to kill a white man in the same method. Guitar claims that this is to balance the ratios, and justifies the killing of white people as an act of love towards his own people. While some aspects of his argument seem to follow a logical pattern, I agree with Milkman that this doesn’t seem to be a practical way to bring justice. This is not to say that the killing of black people throughout history is warranted in any way; they were truly acts of cruelty and injustice.
One of the aspects of the killings done by the Seven Days is that they kill any white person, not specifically the one that performed the murder. When Milkman brings this argument up, Guitar responds that any white person could be a potential killer, as they all have innate “unnaturalness,” therefore it does not matter what person is killed. I think that this brings up a questionable aspect of their methods of murder, because it doesn’t seem to make sense to kill an innocent person solely on the basis that they could have the potential to be a killer. This seems to generalize the beliefs and thought processes of a race as a whole.
In addition, killing still does not seem to be a good method of bringing about justice. No matter the reason behind it, murdering a person is still murder. In some degree, it puts Guitar at the same level as the white people that performed the murder. However, I think that Guitar most likely thought that the methods of more peaceful protest at the time were not enough to create change, thus inspiring him to fight back in a stronger way, which I do believe is a warranted and valid view point.
Overall, there are a lot of opinions and interpretations surrounding the methods and validity of the acts of the Seven Days. I am curious as to how others may view them, so let me know what you guys think.
Great post! I agree that the Seven Days is a very thought-provoking organization. On one hand, they're trying to respond to very real injustices and oppression. However, their methods don't make a lot of sense and don't seem to be very effective. The Seven Days ends up perpetuating the beliefs and actions of white racism, both through their belief that there's something inherently different between black and white people, and the fact that they literally repeat the crimes of white people.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the point of the 7 Days is to make social change. At first, it seemed like it could be an organization to stand against violence against black people, and maybe push for justice. But that's not what it is at all. The violence is to "maintain ratios" as Guitar puts it: it isn't meant to change anything, only to literally keep things they way they are at that exact point in time, which would in turn give more reason to kill more people. With that perspective, this organization just looks like a thinly veiled excuse to murder people for selfish reasons.
ReplyDeleteIt is an important detail to keep in mind that Guitar insists that none of them derive any pleasure from these killings, and many Seven Days members are deeply traumatized by what they've done (Porter, Robert Smith). I can't even imagine the "mission" that Guitar is facing as a "Sunday man" after the Birmingham church bombing--but according to his logic, it's the racist terrorists in Alabama who have sealed the innocent white girls' fate. If it's acceptable that four Black girls could be murdered without consequence or justice, than the logic is that it's equally acceptable for Guitar to do the same to four white girls. Most of us find this cold mathematical logic deeply problematic, but we have to admit that there's a poetic-justice kind of symmetry at work.
ReplyDeleteThe Seven Days members believe they are obligated to maintain the "ratio" of black and white people. I think we should also consider each members own possible morals, such as Guitar's traumatic past. He was so affected by the death of his father at the hands of a negligent white boss, that he is unable to do things that remind him of that time. The feeling of helplessness that could accompany being subject to racist attacks, might have pushed them to want to believe in a system of justice that is greater than human morals.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest motivation of the Seven Days is a need for revenge. We learn very early on that Guitar Baines's backstory has made him deeply traumatized by white people since the death of his father, and the mathematical precision he lays out while explaining his rationale for killing white people feels twisted and precise.
ReplyDelete