In our class discussions of the Invention of Wings, we defined happening upon meaning as finding a passage in the novel that was striking to us. So far, there have been a couple of places in The Invention of Wings where I have happened upon meaning; for now, I’ll just give a couple of examples. One of the passages that was striking to me was on page 13 (“She took…couldn’t swallow.”) where Missus and Aunt- Sister were preparing Handful to be given to Sarah as her personal slaves. What was striking to me about this passage was how the lavender ribbon that Missus tied so tightly around Handful’s neck reminded me of a dog owner putting a collar around the neck of their pet. I think this small passage helps to show how slaves were seen as property than could be treated in any way instead of people who have their own rights, thoughts, and desires. In addition, I found the passage on page 53 (“After he.. our necks.”) where mauma explains to Handful the story behind a spirit tree to be striking as well. The reason I found this to be striking was because despite all of the hardships Handful and her mother faced, they still could cope through having a strong mother daughter bond, storytelling, and the making of spirit trees. I think this shows the resilience a lot of slaves had during the 19th century. Also, I just thought that this passages was very heartwarming and sweet.