`` Song Of Solomon Written By Toni Morrison And Film The...

Maya Angelou once said â€Å"Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible†. This sentiment is apparent in the novel Song of Solomon written by Toni Morrison and the film The Searchers directed by John Ford. In both these works of fiction prejudice is an underlying theme of the central plot. Throughout both plots, it becomes apparent the cause, cost and cure for prejudice taking the form of racism. The root of prejudice in Song of Solomon comes from slavery and the legacy of it that the generations that follow carry with them. The continuing legacy of slavery is evident in the protagonist Milkman’s own ancestry. For example, Milkman’s own true last name is unknown because it had been taken from his family when they were slaves, and when slavery was abolished his family got their surname, Dead, via a drunken union soldier making a careless mistake. This shows the magnitude of how much was taken from black citizens. Their freedom, their pride and their own identity. This also shows the reader how much of Milkman’s own history and self is unknown to him. History like his own family’s ordeal with slavery, which he only discovers through a song well into his adult life. His great grandfather, Solomon, flew away to Africa to free himself from the clutches of slavery, even though it cost him leaving behind his wife and twenty one children. This legacy of sl avery, unknown till Milkman till he was a grown man, still affects him and