Charmayne Hill Professor Young ENGL 1120 25 March 2011 Imagism Natasha Trethewey’s “White Lies” discusses issues of race and the struggle of identity, which are at the heart of Trethewey’s poem. In this poem imagery represents colors and lies to describe the main character. Imagery the collective set of images in a poem or other literary work. The author points out that, by employing skillfully techniques of imagery, symbolism and metaphor, and by utilizing concrete details, Trethewey is able to communicate effectively the difficulties she experiences growing up interracial. The poem tells of an African American girl, struggling with her identity that may tell lies that she doesn’t really mean much.
Discuss the presentation of the character of Celie and how she functions in the novel. How successful do you think Celie is a viewpoint to portray Walker’s view of male/female relationships in the novel? The novel deals with sexism struggle both in America and Africa, where male dominance is a norm. Walker uses Celie as an instrument to show male/female relationships of the 20th Century. In the novel, Celie starts of as an abused, submissive wife, but is transformed into a confident and independent black woman, which goes against the ‘traditional’ values of that time.
Her aim was to gain allegiance from middle class white women but in this process she lost esteem from the women within her own race. She played into assertive ideals and clichés in order to be recognized. The author focused too much on gaining acceptance from white people instead of having self-assurance and understanding of possibly never being fully welcomed by her aggressors. It is one thing to desire equality, but when the basis of gaining equality requires degrading your own race, it is no longer equality of race nor mankind, but only gaining appreciation based on performance. McDougald thinks that the low class black women intrude as a hindrance for the entire black race and the few who have proven their dominant are still associated with ignorance and the signification of being a black woman.
A Critique on Alice Walker’s Two Essays: “Looking For Zora,” and “Zora Neale Hurston: A Cautionary Tale and Partisan View” One can hardly speak of Alice Walker without referring to Zora Neale Hurston in the same breath. Many critics have observed the literary, cultural and spiritual similarities between these two black female writers. In fact, a collection of essays, Alice Walker and Zora Neale Hurston: The Common Bond, was published on this very subject. Alice Walker first created this intertwining connection between her and Zora Neale Hurston partly based on being black and being a woman. So, it would be interesting to explore how Walker uses this blackness to her advantage.
“Popular culture can sometimes quicken this silent transformation, because the atmosphere it creates and racist messages are so prevalent that they are difficult to ignore. Therefore, African- Americans are especially vulnerable to the messages conveyed by popular culture that white beauty will inevitably dominate people’s life.” She idolizes Shirley Temple unlike Claudia who despises Shirley. “Younger than both Frieda and Pecola, I had not yet arrived at the turning point in the development of my psyche which allowed me to love her. What I felt at the time was unsullied hatred” (Morrison pg.19). Claudia is too young to understand what is about Shirley that makes her beautiful and Claudia not.
In Katherine Wilson’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” she begins with a powerful introduction saying “this is about hair, breasts, and identity” (Wilson 21), insinuating it is going to be a gender identity piece. Reading more of the first page, you assume the thesis is about the common misconceptions of how a woman is supposed to look and how not looking that way could take away from a woman being a woman. Wilson gives the example of her hair being buzzed and people looking at her differently. Although she tries to argue the hardships of not looking like the normal female, Wilson’s argument fails to meet the rest of her story. She claims her argument is about “hair, breasts, and identity,” she is really just ranting and raving her being disrespected and her own issues of being black.
The project of finding a voice, with language as an instrument of injury and salvation, of selfhood and empowerment, suggests many of the themes that Hurston uses as a whole. Zora Neale Hurston draws attention towards her novels because she uses black vernacular speech to express the consciousness of a black woman and to let the reader know exactly how statements are said. This use of the vernacular is particularly effective in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Their Eyes Were Watching God exposes the need of Janie Crawford's first two husbands for ownership of space and mobility with the suppression of self-awareness in their wife. Only with her final lover, Tea Cake, who's interest orbit around the Florida swamps, does Janie at last glow.
Select one of the poems and explain why the poet is effective in presenting his message. Consider such elements: rhythm, rhyme, diction, imagery, and purpose. In this Petrarchan sonnet, Dunbar makes clear his message and expression of the pain of racial injustices after the Civil War. Douglass, as depicted as a great leader, is called upon for comfort through this problem that America faces. The purpose of this poem I feel is to represent the struggles the African Americans had to endure during their time being slaves while offering hope for the black community, letting the reader knows that one day someone will lead them out of this struggle and into their promise land.
W.E.B Dubois is recognized as an advocate of the racial uplift movement. Racial uplift ideology refers to an idea of African Americans who adapted to the social codes of society during the early 1900’s. These were educated African Americans whose common goal was to reshape the image of its people. The middle and upper class African Americans were tired of being racially profiled, or characterized by negative stereotypes. In Dubois’ The Souls of Black Folk, he asks, “how does it feel to be a problem?” This statement triggered a new philosophical movement for African American writers and people.
2. Violence. CONCLUSION Topic: Beauty and Race in The Bluest Eye FINAL PAPER REFLECTION Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye provides the modern reader with a first-hand view of the hardship faced by African-Americans in the 1940’s. The novel is about the life of the Breedlove family who resides in Ohio, Lorain. The issues of both race and beauty are portrayed in many ways.