The Maginot Line tells them Pecola is at her mother's workplace, explaining that Mrs. . We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. They fought for four years in WWI, but were done in a week in WWII." By referring to the floor as hers, Mrs. Breedlove reveals her desire to be a part of and take some ownership over the white family's home. creating and saving your own notes as you read. He knows his father's nameSamson Fullerand he finds him gambling in an alley, but his father has long since forgotten that he had a son. [31] Stephen Ambrose wrote that in January 1945, "a part of the line was used for the purpose it had been designed for and showed what a superb fortification it was." When The Maginot Line asks if the girls are looking for someone, Claudia explains they are looking for Pecola. Morrison also manages to humanize Marie (the Maginot Line) without sugar-coating her. She allows the girls inside. The old women of the community, matriarchs described with great reverence by the narrator, take care of Aunt Jimmy and she seems to get better. These are large reinforced buried concrete bunkers, equipped with armoured turrets containing high-precision optics, connected with the other fortifications by field telephone and wireless transmitters (known in French by the acronym T.S.F., Tlgraphie Sans Fil). Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Pecola, already showing signs of pregnancy, comes to him and asks for blue eyes. The Maginot Line is upstairs on the porch drinking root beer, and she tells the children that Pecola is helping her mother at her workplace. The hot pie filling burns Pecola's legs painfully, but when Mrs. Breedlove returns and sees the mess she runs to Pecola and backhands her, knocking the girl down. Dont have an account? [24] The Germans were expected to fight costly offensives, whose failures would sap the strength of the Reich, while the French waged a total war, mobilising the resources of France, its empire and allies. The Maginot Line is upstairs on the porch drinking root beer, and she tells the children that Pecola is helping her mother at her workplace. At a conference in London in 1924 to settle the Franco-German crisis caused by the Ruhrkampf, the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald successfully pressed the French Premier douard Herriot to make concessions to Germany. "The Maginot Line would have done just fine against a German army with no tanks, airplanes or heavy artillery," says Kirchubel, all of which were banned inside Germany after WWI. There are several kinds of armoured cloches. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Beyond that, the French were well aware of the contribution of Britain and its dominions to the victory of 1918. 20% French military experts believed the line would deter German aggression because it would slow an invasion force long enough for French forces to mobilise and counterattack. Look up his videos for some good strategy. She has renounced her own black family for the family of her white employer. The Maginot Lines nickname comes from the bulky defensive fortifications built before World War II to protect the border of France from Germany. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! She then comforts the little white girl and begins to clean the black stain off of her pink dress. 20% Their purpose was to locate the enemy, direct and correct the indirect fire of artillery, and report on the progress and position of critical enemy units. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. Belgium was overrun, and British and French forces evacuated at Dunkirk. General Maurice Gamelin, when drafting the Dyle Plan, believed this region, with its rough terrain, would be an unlikely invasion route of German forces; if it were traversed, it would be done at a slow rate that would allow the French time to bring up reserves and counterattacks. She depends upon their interpretation of what has taken place in order to understand it herself. He blames God for the suffering and waste in the world, particularly in his own life, and then he congratulates himself for having granted Pecola's wishhis magic, he believes, will work, although only Pecola will be able to see the blue eyes that she has been given. Here the Line ran east-west, around the villages of Rittershoffen and Hatten, south of Wissembourg. Without the natural defensive barrier provided by the Rhine River, French generals argued that France needed a new defensive barrier made of concrete and steel to replace it. And like any trench, it belonged to the . Under the Treaty of Versailles, France was to occupy the Rhineland region of Germany until 1935. Infantry Reserve Shelters: These were found from 5001,000m (1,6003,300ft) behind the principal line of resistance. Wed love to have you back! Read an in-depth analysis of Pecola Breedlove. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! She knows that Henrys actions are inappropriate, but she does not understand what they mean. The Germans then broke through the fortification line as defending French forces retreated southward. She invites the girls upstairs for a soda, but Frieda tells her that they are not allowed to visit her because she is ruined. The Maginot Line throws the root-beer bottle at the girls in anger, but then she laughs. ouvrages to be ready at their battle stations. Love in the Bluest Eye is often paired with violence. The three prostitutes are nice to her, which makes her love them.. The fortifications were built as a result of experiences from the . How did this happen? [20] The drop in the birth rate during and after the war, resulting in a national shortage of young men, created an "echo" effect on the generation that provided the French conscript army in the mid-1930s. The French had been building state-of-the-art fortresses and fortified cities along the German border for centuries. He feels that is right for a black girl like Pecola to long to "see the world with blue eyes," but a thoughtful reader will note that eye color does not have an effect on vision. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. He is a pedophile who loves to touch little girls. She treats the girls with some kindness, telling them that Pecola is with Mrs. Breedlove at the house where Mrs. Breedlove is a servant. Frieda and Claudia walk to the lakefront houses, in a beautiful neighborhood with a park that is for white children only. The specification of the defences was very high, with extensive and interconnected bunker complexes for thousands of men; there were 45 main forts (grands ouvrages) at intervals of 15km (9.3mi), 97 smaller forts (petits ouvrages) and 352 casemates between, with over 100km (62mi) of tunnels. It is the Maginot Line. The serpent is the largest remaining artifact from World War II. Some of the larger ouvrages were converted to command centres. When Cholly is in his early teens, Great Aunt Jimmy becomes sick, and an old seer-like black woman named M'Dear warns her that to get better she must drink nothing but pot liquor. Her experience of unwanted sexual attention contrasts sharply with Pecolas rape experience, in which Pecolas father not only fails to protect her, but is the perpetrator himself. Nazi Germany Conquers France: April 1940-December 1940, Constructing an Unbreakable Wall of Defense, The Nazis' End-run Around the Maginot Line, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security, multiple books on World War II military campaigns, magnificent fortified town of Neuf-Brisach, a string of obstacles, traps and artillery forts. In a sense, the way the MacTeer girls read and misread the adult world echoes the Dick-and-Jane reader at the beginning of the novel. Contact us Cholly, then, is free, without parents or people. Although the alliances with Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia were appreciated in Paris, it was widely understood that this was no compensation for the absence of Britain and the United States. She learns that Mr. MacTeer has beaten up Mr. Henry and kicked him out of the house. When she speaks to Pecola and her friends, her voice is like rotten pieces of apple, but when she speaks to the white girl, her voice is like honey. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. They also misinterpret Mrs. MacTeer's words and attempt to avert Frieda's "ruin," misunderstanding the words of adults. Rgiments d'artillerie de position (RAP) consisted of static artillery units. The women live together in an apartment above the Breedloves. In contrast, the opposing German Army Group C only contained 19 divisions, fewer than a seventh of the force committed in the Manstein Plan for the invasion of France. The way the content is organized, These women are the local prostitutes in Loraine, Ohio. [39][40], The historian Clayton Donnell commented, "If one believes the Maginot Line was built for the primary purpose of stopping a German invasion of France, most will consider it a massive failure and a waste of money in reality, the line was not built to be the ultimate saviour of France". This section is arguably the most successful part of the novel. The thinness of her companions is then connected to whisky (again based on something that they have heard their mother say, but which they misunderstood), and so they undertake a quest to procure whisky for Frieda. His mother vanishes, and his father had already skipped town before Cholly was born. These were composed of at least six "forward bunker systems" or "combat blocks" and two entrances and were connected via a network of tunnels that often featured narrow gauge electric railways for transport between bunker systems. The quest for whiskey and the girls' disdain for the Maginot Line show, once again, the esteem the girls have for their mother's opinion and her wisdom. -Graham S. The girls misunderstanding of what their parents mean by the word "ruined" speaks to their naivet with regard to sexual matters. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. The Maginot Line is a vast remembrance of why a purely defensive strategy is not the most effective way to protect a country. [17] With the United States isolationist and Britain stoutly refusing to make the "continental commitment" to defend France on the same scale as in World War I, the prospects of Anglo-American assistance in another war with Germany appeared to be doubtful at best. The line has since become a metaphor for expensive efforts that offer a false sense of security.[1]. These GFM cloches were sometimes used to emplace machine guns or observation periscopes. Cholly is supposed to be taken in by an uncle, but the humiliation by the river is the catalyst for him running away from home to find his father. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. The MacTeers boarder, who has a reputation for being a steady worker and a quiet man. [12], The great conclusion that was drawn in Paris after the Ruhrkampf and the 1924 London Conference was that France could not make unilateral military moves to uphold Versailles as the resulting British hostility to such moves was too dangerous to the republic. Teachers and parents! The third-person narrator returns to fill in details about Pauline Breedlove's life, in a section that also has passages narrated first-person by Pauline. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Maginot Line was built to fulfil several purposes: Maginot Line fortifications were manned by specialist units of fortress infantry, artillery and engineers. Read an in-depth analysis of Claudia MacTeer. Such accusations are unfounded". From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. The latter meant the next war's destructive consequences would not take place on French soil. Why did the French build the line? But does that mean that the Maginot Line was the colossal blunder that many historians have made it out to be? Pecolas mother, who believes that she is ugly; this belief has made her lonely and cold. 9. Frieda ran from the house to find her parents, who were in the garden, and told them what had happened. Behind them were minefields and tank traps made from row after row of porcupine-like iron girders that would cripple armored vehicles. Pecola is about to use a wagon to bring the wash back to the Breedlove storefront, and Mrs. Breedlove says that the MacTeer sisters can walk back with her. Why does Maureen have a privilege status in the school community? Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Constructed on the French side of its borders with Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, the line did not extend to the English Channel. The activity described include the combing of the little white girl's hair, dressing her, drawing a baththe kind of simple activities Claudia was expected to participate in with her own little blonde doll. [35] The idea was shelved. His desire to poison the animal stems solely from his own hatred of the beast, and his racial self-loathing prevents him from offering any sound counsel to Pecola. Frieda is more knowledgeable about the adult world and sometimes braver than Claudia. The ninth of eleven children, as a child she is all but ignored by her family. Borey, Eddie. The fire control stations would give orders to the hundreds of anti-tank and heavy artillery positions that could pop out of the ground and fire from armored turrets. Please wait while we process your payment. Humiliated but also powerless, Cholly keeps at it until the hunters grow bored and leave. When the bigger plan went to crap, the Maginot Line went along with it.". Considered by many to be an expensive failure, a symbol of French . Today the Maginot Line has become a metaphor for expensive efforts which offer only a false sense of security. Check out the Hackenberg Maginot Fort, now a military museum offering tours, and the Schoenenbourg Fort. It turns out that Henry touched Friedas breasts. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." They find the house and see Pecola sitting on the stoop outside. Geraldines son, who, in the absence of genuine affection from his mother, becomes cruel and sadistic. THE MAGINOT LINE I31 ernment.I As a result, much of the spirit of the reform was quietly nullified, though the law, including the two-year service, remained on the statute books. The white neighborhood in which Mrs. Breedlove works is beautiful and well kept, demonstrating the connection between race and class. More books than SparkNotes. She is pretty, playful andaffectionate. Cholly knows nothing of love and little of faithfulness or family. Their crew consisted of between 100 and 200 men. However, he noted that the French failed to use the line as the basis for an offensive. The Nazis knew that the heart of the Maginot Line was nearly impenetrable, so they feinted attacks along the heavily fortified border while they planned for their massive 1940 invasion of France through the Netherlands and Belgium. Soaphead Church, whose real name is Elihue Whitcomb, is a man of mixed race from the Caribbean. He is a religious hypocrite. [19] Part of the rationale for the Maginot Line stemmed from the severe French losses during the First World War and their effect on the French population. Continue to start your free trial. The Maginot Line was a series of fortifications built by France between 1929-34 and subsequently enhanced until 1939. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. After an afternoon of relaxing in a field, splitting milkweed stems. The infantry casemates often had one or two "cloches" or turrets located on top of them. Pecola faints from the pain, and when she wakes she can't remember what happened. "Why the Massive Maginot Line Failed to Stop Hitler" In the 17th century, from his luxurious palace at Versailles, Louis XIV oversaw the construction of citadels and fortresses meant to mark and protect the Sun King's territory. A rapid advance through the forest and across the River Meuse encircled much of the Allied forces, resulting in a sizeable force having to be evacuated at Dunkirk leaving the troops to the south unable to mount an effective resistance to the German invasion of France.[3]. They could be single (with a firing room in one direction) or double (two firing rooms in opposite directions). These various structures reinforced a principal line of resistance made up of the most heavily armed ouvrages, which can be roughly translated as fortresses or big defensive works. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Following the Munich Agreement and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Germans were able to use the Czech fortifications to plan attacks that proved successful against the western fortifications (the Belgian Fort Eben-Emael is the best-known example). By the end of the novel, through Pecola's experience, the MacTeer sisters will have a much better understanding of ruin. [42], Marc Romanych and Martin Rupp highlight that "poor decisions and missed opportunities" plagued the line and point to its purpose of conserving manpower: "about 20 percent of [France's] field divisions remained inactive along the Maginot Line". Once the French forces left the Rhineland in 1930, this form of leverage with the Rhineland as collateral was no longer available to Paris, which from then on had to depend on Berlin's word that it would continue to abide by the terms of the Versailles and Locarno treaties, which stated that the Rhineland was to stay demilitarised forever. Petits ouvrages: These small fortresses reinforced the line of infantry bunkers. Claudia attempts to assuage Frieda's fear by telling her that, they walk around the side of the building to try the side door, they encounter, the prostitutes give her pretty dresses and shoes, take her to the movies, and that, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Toni Morrison and The Bluest Eye Background. However, when the Germans attacked . Indeed, Belgium feared it would be sacrificed in the event of another German invasion. He feels a mix of tenderness and hatred as he rapes Pecola, the tenderness confused and misapplied. The line was built in several phases from 1930 by the Service Technique du Gnie (STG), overseen by Commission d'Organisation des Rgions Fortifies (CORF). [23], The Maginot Line was intended to block the main German blow if it should come via eastern France and divert it through Belgium, where French forces would meet and stop the Germans. Infantry Casemates: These bunkers were armed with twin machine-guns (abbreviated as JM Jumelage de mitrailleuses in French) and anti-tank guns of 37 or 47mm (1.5 or 1.9in). Frieda is uncertain how to describe what has happened to her. By early June, the German forces had cut off the line from the rest of France, and the French government was making overtures for an armistice, which was signed on 22 June in Compigne. Frieda narrates the whole story to Claudia: Mr. Henry made sexual advances at Frieda, who ran to tell her parents. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. The French military was especially insistent that the population disparity made an offensive war of manoeuvre and swift advances suicidal, as there would always be far more German divisions; a defensive strategy was needed to counter Germany. They nerfed breaking through the line to the nth degree honestly. 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