First and foremost, I need to explain the situation I'm writing this in. I got six hours of sleep last night (I typically need nine.), I haven't had caffeine in like two weeks now, and I'm listening to dramatic music by Hans Zimmer on repeat. Needless to say, I'm kinda all over the place and may be thinking irrationally.
Secondly, I started thinking about conspiracies and Mumbo Jumbo during class today, after Mr. Mitchell brought up Antonin Scalia and the International Order of Saint Hubertus (fancy white guy secret society who hunt and wear purple robes...wouldn't purple scare off any animals?). And I wasn't thinking about conspiracies in the context of The Knights Templar, The Wallflower Order, or the Atonists. I was thinking about it in the nature of Mumbo Jumbo itself. Mumbo Jumbo is not an ordinary book. In fact, it's probably one of the most far out books I've ever read (the other candidate: The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker, a brilliant novel about nothing yet everything, the Seinfeld of postmodernist literature, and a tenet to his 20th Century Novel Course).
Back on topic now...Mumbo Jumbo is far out, and I'm kinda far out right now. Anyways, conspiracy theories are far out, so I got that going for me. Plus, the whole irrational state I'm in makes me the perfect candidate to create a conspiracy theory? When's the last time you heard one from a completely sane, rational individual? That's what I thought!
SO...here it is: Mumbo Jumbo is not a fictional tale. It is an autobiographical tale, in which Papa LaBas is telling the story of himself in the 1920s through his current persona, Ishmael Reed. Much like Hinkle von Vampton, LaBas is immortal. I mean, if Vampton can be, then why can't LaBas? This is a pretty shaky conclusion, I must admit. But a few points in the epilogue cemented a few points in my theory, or at least presented a few rather specific similarities in the characters of LaBas and Reed. First off, LaBas is described as a "Ghede..., unafraid to march up to the President's Palace and demand tribute" (211). First off, the Ghede are "the family of Loa that embody the powers of death and fertility" (1). This seems to partially explain how the very old LaBas has managed to survive into the 1970s, and perhaps continue living into the present day. Secondly, the mention of the President's Palace, in the context of a collegiate lecture, seems to indicate the home of the University's President. Reed lectured at UC-Berkeley for 35 years, despite having been denied tenure at the university throughout his time there (2). Just as LaBas fought to get the ability to lecture on Jes Grew, Reed fought for tenure. And while LaBas kinda won unlike Reed, he mostly lost in that he wasn't taken seriously. Kids left early, showing up for the bare minimum, probably providing the bare minimum of attention. While LaBas got what he want, he didn't really, because what he did failed to amount to anything useful to many. The other major point that made me think LaBas and Reed were the same person was on the last page, describing how "people in the 60s said they couldn't follow him...[and even] walked out". This is quite reminiscent of the view many had on Reed's controversial writings of the '60s, when "satirizing the black literary tradition in a period of Black Power" did not help Reed make allies at the time (2). Both Reed and LaBas faced uphill struggles throughout time, and it makes me think that perhaps, just perhaps, Reed and LaBas are the same person. Or perhaps, in a much more likely case, Reed based LaBas, especially the later LaBas, on himself.
Anyways, it's just a crazy conspiracy theory, so take it with as few grains of salt as you think it deserves. ;)
Thanks for reading!
MJ
SOURCES USED
1: WikiPedia Page on Ghede
2: Modern American Poetry Bio on Reed, UIUC
Friday, February 26, 2016
Saturday, February 6, 2016
A Whole Lotta Mumbo Jumbo
If there's anything I've noticed so far in Mumbo Jumbo, it's that it's a pretty confusing book. There's a lot of characters, and a whole lot of stuff going on. What should I focus on? Who should I focus on? There's the Wallflower Order, the Knight's Templar, the Mu'tafika...Warren G. Harding is a president planted by the Order. There's something going around as Jes Grew, and the Wallflowers are trying to stop it? But why? And why's the book called Mumbo Jumbo? Well, I think that it has to do with the book being so far, a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo.
Now what's mumbo jumbo, one might ask? According to Merriam-Webster, there are multiple definitions, but the most fitting ones here are "unnecessarily involved and incomprehensible language", as well as "language, behavior or beliefs based in superstition", which just like Mumbo Jumbo itself brnigs up originated with the Mandingo people of west Africa. There's a lot of relatively incomprehensible language, as well as superstition going on, so mumbo jumbo is most definitely involved, though indirectly. And this language is on both sides of the story.
For one, you have the "Jes Grew". What is this? The Wallflower Order treats it like an illness or disease, which must be eradicated. But it really doesn't seem to be a huge deal. It's just the new dance craze, coming in with jazz and merging with the ragtime era, which we discussed a lot with our last book, aptly named Ragtime. Jonah brought up a really interesting point, saying that "Jes Grew" sounded like a mispronunciation of "jazz groove", and represents not only jazz but the entrance of black culture into mainstream America. It's a really good point, considering "Jes Grew" is nonsensical on its own...it must mean something, after all! In fact, if you start saying "Jes Grew" over and over again quickly, it kinda morphs into jazz groove. It wouldn't surprise me either, that outsiders screw up and misunderstand whatever they're trying to figure out, and in this case, stop.
Then there's also the Mu'tafika? Who are they? I mean, I've heard of the Knight's Templar, the Masons, the Illuminati, and the affiliation of the Wallflower Order makes sense, but these guys aren't part of the established conspiracies running everything for years. Nick Cage hasn't gone up against these guys or found their treasure yet, after all. Unlike the Jes Grew, there name doesn't seem to be made up by the whites but is rather a name of some sort, and not a mispronunciation of a term for one who performs Oedipal actions.. Research shows up that "Mohammedan writers [wrote about] the mu'tafika, i.e. the Sodom of the Bible", so there seems to be a connection to real things, presumably Islamic in nature, which in turn fits with the ties it has with Abdul Sufi Hamid.
There's a whole lot of things which may at first seem like mumbo jumbo in Mumbo Jumbo, but with some interpretation and research, some of the confusing aspects of the novel can be cleaned up and become less unknown and more integrated into the complex, confusing plot of the novel.
On a side note...similarly to Ragtime, the novel seems to be starting with a lot of character introduction and setup, making it quite disorienting at first. There's also some plot similarities, especially in the Atonist plot, which hopes to bring in a figure similar to Booker T. Washington in Ragtime. I wonder what's gonna happen next...there's also, once again, the integration of fictional and real characters into a world which is both true and false at the same time. Love the whole "what is history" discussions we've had, so I can't wait to see how this plays in here.
Hope you enjoyed reading!
Jacob
Now what's mumbo jumbo, one might ask? According to Merriam-Webster, there are multiple definitions, but the most fitting ones here are "unnecessarily involved and incomprehensible language", as well as "language, behavior or beliefs based in superstition", which just like Mumbo Jumbo itself brnigs up originated with the Mandingo people of west Africa. There's a lot of relatively incomprehensible language, as well as superstition going on, so mumbo jumbo is most definitely involved, though indirectly. And this language is on both sides of the story.
For one, you have the "Jes Grew". What is this? The Wallflower Order treats it like an illness or disease, which must be eradicated. But it really doesn't seem to be a huge deal. It's just the new dance craze, coming in with jazz and merging with the ragtime era, which we discussed a lot with our last book, aptly named Ragtime. Jonah brought up a really interesting point, saying that "Jes Grew" sounded like a mispronunciation of "jazz groove", and represents not only jazz but the entrance of black culture into mainstream America. It's a really good point, considering "Jes Grew" is nonsensical on its own...it must mean something, after all! In fact, if you start saying "Jes Grew" over and over again quickly, it kinda morphs into jazz groove. It wouldn't surprise me either, that outsiders screw up and misunderstand whatever they're trying to figure out, and in this case, stop.
Then there's also the Mu'tafika? Who are they? I mean, I've heard of the Knight's Templar, the Masons, the Illuminati, and the affiliation of the Wallflower Order makes sense, but these guys aren't part of the established conspiracies running everything for years. Nick Cage hasn't gone up against these guys or found their treasure yet, after all. Unlike the Jes Grew, there name doesn't seem to be made up by the whites but is rather a name of some sort, and not a mispronunciation of a term for one who performs Oedipal actions.. Research shows up that "Mohammedan writers [wrote about] the mu'tafika, i.e. the Sodom of the Bible", so there seems to be a connection to real things, presumably Islamic in nature, which in turn fits with the ties it has with Abdul Sufi Hamid.
There's a whole lot of things which may at first seem like mumbo jumbo in Mumbo Jumbo, but with some interpretation and research, some of the confusing aspects of the novel can be cleaned up and become less unknown and more integrated into the complex, confusing plot of the novel.
On a side note...similarly to Ragtime, the novel seems to be starting with a lot of character introduction and setup, making it quite disorienting at first. There's also some plot similarities, especially in the Atonist plot, which hopes to bring in a figure similar to Booker T. Washington in Ragtime. I wonder what's gonna happen next...there's also, once again, the integration of fictional and real characters into a world which is both true and false at the same time. Love the whole "what is history" discussions we've had, so I can't wait to see how this plays in here.
Hope you enjoyed reading!
Jacob
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