Answer to Question Seven

in answer to question seven about the presence of Universality in Song of Solomon compared to King's "Letter From Birmingham Jail" I felt that Song of Solomon is about emancipation on several levels: personal, racial, and universal. Milkman experiences emancipation from the ignorant and destructive way he lives his life, and he observes the coming of age of a generation of African-American activists. Although the story told in the book is specific to the African-American experience the message is one for all humanity: Everyone is looking for freedom, they just take different paths. This message is universal, but the way that Milkman gets freedom, through his roots and racial-history, is specific to African-American emancipation.