The Community of Artists in Style Wars

I just finished watching Style Wars, and one thing that really stuck out to me was tightness of the community of the graffiti artists, as well as break-dancers. The movie starts with a scene of a huge group of artists all signing each other's books. That immediately struck me as interesting, because I had assumed that everyone did their "bombs" alone, and did not know any other artists in real life, only through their work. So from the very start I was impressed by the strength of the community of artists, but as the movie progressed I kept on realizing that they were tighter even than they seemed 10 minutes before.
One example of the bond held by graffiti artists, and one that I was truly not expecting, was the great age, race, and class differences among the artists. I had imagined that it would all be people about 18 or so, and all people in minorities who did not have much money. I remember that one kid even addressed my very assumptions, saying that while most people expect the people doing graffiti to be black or Hispanic and quite poor, but he, an upper class white guy, was just as much a part of the community. I was very surprised to see such racial mixing among groups of the graffiti artists, because it seems that a lot of the activities people do in their free time are segregated. Maybe this shows that if people were as free as the graffiti artists they would integrate more than we do in our structured environments. The other scene that really showed the bonds that formed between artists took place between a 16 year old and a 14 year old. They were talking about what a good artists the younger one was, but saying how the older one would draw the outlines and then his smaller friend would fill them in. I found it funny that, although he said that his 14 year old buddy was an amazing artists, the 16 year old still didn't trust him to do the whole piece. Then, later, we saw them talking again and the 16 year old asserted that in a few years, his pal would be the best artists ever. "A new Picasso." It is amazing to me that they had such a tight bond, and, despite the age gap, felt so close, that the 16 year old was looking into his friends future, and imagining how his skill would progress. They also talked about how they were always their to help each other, and always had each others backs. I thought that that was a very neat dynamic, especially between people who describe themselves as feeling like a father and son (at least in the older one's eyes). The 16 year old desire to protect the 14 year old was very interesting to me, especially because that is a very small age gap for a father son relationship, even though it is surprisingly big for a friendship. It seemed to me that the artists all had a mutual respect for each other, and that respect allowed them to bond with like-minded people from many different backgrounds and of many different ages. Seeing the friendships and community that the graffiti artists shared made me really want to do graffiti, not because the art itself looks like fun (although it does), but because I want to be in a community that is that close, and has each others backs to the extent that the artists had with their friends.

Beloved

This book is quite intense. After the first night of reading I felt like I had taken a long journey by the time I finished the thirty pages, but really I had only started. Every night I feel like I am wading through a thick river of sadness, troubles, and confusion, only making small and incoherent steps. That being said, I like the book. I am already understanding why this book has to be last on the syllabus. There is just a whole lot to digest and contemplate, and I believe I have only just barely touched the issues and questions this book will raise. The most enigmatic character so far is Beloved, so I will try and write my thoughts on her down, as jumbled as I'm sure they are.
Beloved seems very nice at first. She is a much-needed friend for Denver, and a sorta scarily devoted admirer of Sethe, but she appears to bring some happiness to 124, dancing with Denver and showing Sethe how to appreciate story-telling. From the start though, Beloved has been strange. with no back story, weird physical features, and (possibly) being Sethe's dead baby, she has always been an enigma. Now, she seemed to be getting along well with everybody, and even making Sethe feel wonderful by massaging her neck after saving her from choking, but there are doubts arising about Beloved's purity. She repeatedly shuns Denver and shouts at Denver for ordering her around. Beloved also constantly picks Sethe over Denver, ignoring and hurting Denver, who sees her as her first and only friend, in order to spend more time with Sethe. Sethe repays this time and care, telling stories and just being near Beloved. However, it seems that this isn't enough. There is some question of whether or not Beloved was the one choking Sethe. Denver thinks she was, and Sethe seems to begin to think that, but Beloved strongly denies it. Then, Beloved walks in on Sethe and Paul D being intimate, and appears to be very upset. Her animosity for Paul D grows beyond what it already was, and she becomes more surly towards Denver as well. Paul D seems to share this feeling of, if not hate, then at least wariness. I think the main question and worry that I have at this point is how far Beloved will go to solidify her relation to Sethe, and make sure no one else (like Denver or especially Paul D) get between her and Sethe. I think that it is pretty clear at this point that Beloved is Sethe's dead daughter, which explains her love and need for Sethe, but would she hurt her own sister for that? And why did she choke Sethe (if she did, and if she didn't then what or who did)? Like everything else in this book, Beloved leaves a trail of questions in her wake wherever she goes, and I can only hope to find out soon what will come of her and the rest of the residents of 124.