The Struggle to Express Themselves in The Color Purple There is one primordial reason why we do not doubt Europeans have taken the lead in history, in all epochs before and after 1492, and it has little to do with evidence. It is a basic belief which we inherit from prior ages of thought and scarcely realize that we hold: it is an implicit belief, not an explicit one, and it is so large a theory that it is woven into all of our ideas about history, both within Europe and without. . . (Blaut pg. 6-7). African-American people have had to climb over many obstacles to get to their position today. First, was the selling of their people into slavery. Then, they endured slavery itself, being treated like an animal. After slavery was abolished, Colored people still had to deal with racial discrimination and hatred. If this sounds rough, black women had it worse. African-American women had to deal with all the previously mentioned things, but they were women too! Females were oppressed almost as bad as the blacks. White women were not able to vote until the 1920. Therefore colored women had a double edged sword, they had to fight for freedom, but not be to dominate as to effect the men. Alice Walker's The Color Purple is a good example of colored women's plight. Three obstacles black women had to overcome to be able to express themselves were Racism, the lack of education, and the stereo-type that women are inferior. African-Americans have always experienced racism throughout their habitation in America. Slavery, is what caused most of the hatred towards blacks. African Americans were sold by their people and sent off to a foreign land. Colored people were used as work horses when they entered America. "It was acceptable for a white person to be lazy (in the South), and therefore, a white person takes advantage of this" (Theriault). White people wanted to keep their laziness. If the slaves were set free, then the whites would have to do more work. The slaves still fought for what they wanted, and finally won their "independence." Another dilemma was "if the south could abolish slavery, what would happen to the slaves? These slaves have been slaves for all their lives and would require education. These slaves would also require homes, some type of compensation, and more" (Theriault). Blacks were put in prison for rebelling against the white establishment. Most times these crimes were minuscule in comparison to the crimes committed against blacks or by whites. A colored person could be put in jail for looking at someone inappropriately, but if a black man was lynched, nothing happened. "I have been locked by the lawless. Handcuffed by the haters. Gagged by the greedy. And, if I know any thing at all, it's that a wall is just a wall and nothing more at all. It can be broken down" (Shakuer). This excerpt from "Affirmation" is an example of the feelings of hatred for the Whites. However, this quotation also shows the fight in the African-American race let alone its women. If the South could have kept education away from the blacks. Then ides as the one above would have never been published. Lack of education was a way the South tried to keep the blacks in a lower class. In The Color Purple, Celie is not allowed to go to school because she is to be kept barefoot and pregnant. She still received an education by learning what her little sister was teaching her, though. It was believed that if the blacks were kept uneducated then they would not know any better and would not fight for freedom. Unfortunately, for the South, the North was educating their blacks. Then these blacks were coming south and starting colleges for colored people. Booker T. Washington wrote, in his autobiography, ONE day, while at work in the coal-mine, I happened to overhear two miners talking about a great school for coloured people somewhere in Virginia. This was the first time that I had ever heard anything about any kind of school or college that was more pretentious than the little coloured school in our town. In the darkness of the mine I noiselessly crept as close as I could to the two men who were talking. I heard one tell the other that not only was the school established for the members of any race, but the opportunities that it provided by which poor but worthy students could work out all or a part of the cost of a board, and at the same time be taught some trade or industry. Thus the education had begun. Most coloreds were not able to read or write because they were never exposed to an education. Black women again had it worse because they were women. Women were believed to be weak and incompetent in comparison with men. This has since been disproved, but it was the practice in those days. In The Color Purple, Harpo, Mr. marries an independent Black woman. Sophia is bigger than Harpo and does not really do what he says. When Harpo beats Sophia to "make her mind," she beats him. The idea that a man has to beat a woman follows right along with the stereo-type that women are inferior. The hackneyed image that women were inferior was basically just a myth. The black women in the book The Color Purple did all the work. Celie would get up to cook, clean, go out and work in the fields all day, then come back and cook and clean some more. Sophia would work in the fields, repair the roof, and take care of the children. The men, Mr. and Harpo, would sit and not do much. Then if the women ever said anything they would beat them. It was not until Shug Avery came along did Celie realize not to take men seriously. Ms. Avery and Celie did become lesbians, but Shug taught Celie that a person has to stand up for themselves, if they want respect. As Celie and Shug fell in love, Celie grew as a person. She started to stand up to Mr. Celie also started to wear pants. In doing so, she was showing her independence. In those days, men were only supposed to be clothed in pants. Celie was showing, in a small way, that a woman can do anything a man can. Through help from Shug, Celie started a successful business making pants for all the relatives. This is another way Shug helped Celie gain her independence. Women were supposed to rely on men for everything (i.e. food, clothing, shelter, etc.). With Celie making her own money she did not need a man. Celie and her sister Nettie also owned a house, which was left to them by their step-father. Celie is further independent from men. Celie found a way out by acquiring a plan. This plan was patterned after an already independent woman, Shug. Shug got out by singing, Nettie by being a missionary, and Celie by making pants. Any minority that is being oppressed can learn from The Color Purple. A minority can pattern his/her assent to greatness after someone who came from similar backgrounds. All minorities can take this advice to heart. Stand up for what is believed. Make a difference. African-American women have overcome quite a bit in order to get to be where they are today. Colored women have(and are still) over coming racism, lack of education, and the myth that women are inferior. Black women have taken care of their children, men, land and themselves for years. The book The Color Purple shows the previous point very well. This book teaches that if there is a struggle, someone will overcome it. The book also teaches minorities a way to get out of their present situation. First, the desire has to be there, then all the minority has to do is pattern themselves after someone else who has made it out of the ghetto. Even though the setting of this book is in the great depression , the lessons it teaches are relevant to today's society. It is finally time for black women to be given the respect they deserve.
Lady Audley realizes that she has too much to lose if she were to flee. She knew that Sir Michael Audley would never learn to believe her, therefore she felt it was best if she stayed where she was and defended herself. She wanted to prove that Robert Audley was actually the insane one.
Mintner, David. "The Fate of Writing during the Great Depression". A Cultural History Of the American Novel. http://ocean.st.usm.edu/ ~wsimkins/minter.html>. 19 June 1997. (5 May 1999).
In conclusion, The Baker family went through a lot through the great depression, and it affected there lives in many ways that they thought it wouldn’t. This autobiography on the troubles him and his family faced during the Great Depression. During the Depression, the major problems that Baker faced through the novel were about the financial difficulties that his family endured, ending in result of his father passing away, the struggles of moving from rural life to urban life, and the lack of Medical attention around the area. During the depression, in Morrisonville there was a common occurrence as many towns people died from common illnesses like phenomena, or whooping cough. This book has much to offer to teenage readers who are interested in the story of one individual’s growth, development, and struggles of his life in the Great Depression.
History is a vast never-ending story, to which new experiences are added to every day. It’s important to recognize that not everyone is able to learn history a certain way, nor does everyone have the resources to. While Water for Elephants and The Great Depression both expose the reader to the hardships of the Great Depression era, they choose approach the history in different ways to draw in and interest their intended audience using the differences in genres. It’s important to note that the differences in these genres creates a unique learning experience for both readers and may lead to readers developing exceptionally diverse opinions on learning history. For example, someone who may have been turned off by the scholarly tone of The Great Depression may find themselves more interested than ever before in history by reading Water for Elephants. Personally, I enjoyed reading Water for Elephants more simply because the words flowed better, making it much easier to get through the story, while The Great Depression often had chapters where Watkins used language that made the book seem to drag on forever, thus making a lot of the information difficult to fully absorb. However, I do feel like I learned more about the more economical aspects of the Great Depression with Watkins book, while Gruen’s novel gave more insight into the social elements, and how certain individuals living during the Depression managed to find entertainment and a somewhat stable place, even if it was not at all permanent. When examining these books, it becomes clear that these different methods that are used to reveal and explore the history of the 1930s allow the books’ readers to learn about the topic in a way that interests them
According to Carl Jung in his book “The Personal and Collective Unconscious” people programmed with certain instincts. He either believes that we are programmed like birds to instinctually know or feel drawn to certain things or that throughout the generations we have been taught specific things over and over again that we now view them as instincts. Jung asks, “Could the longing for a god be a passion welling up from our darkest, instinctual nature, a passion unswayed by any by any outside influences, deeper and stronger perhaps than the love for a human person?”(496) I think that Jung is saying that people exude certain qualities based on the instincts they constantly try to suppress. Such as the woman’s story he mentioned in the book; she was having dreams about a divine father-lover that brought her comfort and a sense of peace. Yet she had no idea why she was dreaming about a divine being since she did not believe in any god. So Jung deduced that it was her unconscious speaking to her through her dream trying to get her to recognize that there was a god. If this happened to everyone then why do so many people still believe there is no such thing as a god?
Nancy Lee is very proud of who she is and where she comes from. Until the scholarship she received was taken away from her, she holds her head high as an African American and loves who she is and the country she lives in. Even after the scholarship is taken away from her she promises to make a difference in the world. As the pledge comes to an end and the words “one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” are spoken, Nancy Lee thinks to herself “That is the land we must make.” She keeps confide...
The speaker questions many things in relation to the wall that is being rebuilt. For example, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall”, is used to question what despises the wall’s presence. The speaker goes on to discuss the earth’s swells that make gaps in the wall, as well as the hunters, “not leaving a stone on a stone,” (l. 7) merely to please the yelping dogs with a rabbit. In line thirty, the speaker questions, “Why do they make good neighbors” because he believes that the wall is interfering with a possible relationship with his neighbor. Another key question asked is “What I was walling in or walling out,” to show that there is no difference when the wall is construct or not, both neighbor’s tasks a...
So they decide to act in order to end the war themselves. Calonice asks, “What thoughtful thing could women ever do?” (Aristophanes 42). Calonice’s lack of faith in the ability of women shows that Lysistrata is an exception to other women, due to her informal education. Lysistrata responds to Calonice’s comment that she wants all the women to walk around in “Those dresses, and perfume, and rouge, and shoes, / and little see-through numbers that we wear” (Aristophanes 47-48) but deny men sex. The plan to use sexuality to convince men to return home from war is a cunning one. Control over sexuality is one of the few things a woman could use at the time to enact change. By using sexuality as a unifying tool, the women become more confident in themselves and their ability to make an impact. The women compliment each other’s appearance and decide that men can’t resist the temptation of sex, even if it means staying home from war. In many ways, this can be seen as a first step for the women in the text towards overthrowing the societal structure of their
The book realistically portrays what life was like during the Great Depression through the lens of the main character, Jim Nolan. Jim’s life had not been easy; he grew up in a violent household, lost both of his parents, and later lost his job and went to jail for vagrancy before he decided to join the Party. His father had unsuccessfully fought against unfair labor practices and died in a labor riot. Many of Jim’s problems were related to his father’s violent approach to labor reform, and he had seen how little progress had been made to help workers gain more labor rights. Jim joins the Party to feel that he has a purpose in life, recognizing that the structure of society and labor at the time made it difficult for members of the working class to advance, either in wealth or status.
Steinbeck's book could be regarded as one of the best books from America and perhaps the best on the subject of the Great Depression. It doesn't focus on the stock market crashing or from the upper class perspective at all; instead it shows the effects of it on the common man. And, like all great fictional stories set in historical events, it uses the situation just as the basic story structure and it's not until a certain point that the true theme is revealed. In this case the setting is during the Great Depression but (and I don't want to sound too hokey) the theme is of course about the struggle of life, the ever endearing human spirit, and the hope of better opportunities.
“Lysistrata,” written following the trouncing of Athenian forces in Sicily in 413 BC, harkens back to this time of war. As is traditional in Athenian theater, males in drag played all of the female parts. This ritual increases the play’s absurdity. The play begins with the streets empty as the men are at war. The women speak to each other of both emotional and sexual starvation. They both
Many people have seen statues of Nike and know that she has wings. She is also depicted with a palm branch or a wreath. One of her faults is that she is inconsistent on giving out victories. Athena is one of Nike's best friends. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. The origin of Nike is said in in the poem “Theogony” by Hesiod (Nike, Goddess of Victory). It is said that she was born, with her siblings, in the Armenian Highland which was in the country of Anatolia. Then she grew up in Nakhchiuan (Goddess Nike). But her family is a different story.
...t of happiness for others. By doing so, it will eliminate the risks of racism spreading and possibly turning in retaliation.
Kim Harrison once said, “Knowledge is Power. Ignorance is Bliss. But curiosity—even if it had killed the cat—is king.” It is one’s natural curiosity that leads them to make inquiries and investigate certain issues until they are satisfied with their research and the answers they have found. Nevertheless, common idioms such as, “Ignorance is bliss” and “Some things are better left unsaid” will conquer this natural curiosity when faced with controversial issues that directly contradict one’s beliefs and upbringing. When presented with these uncomfortable choices, one must decide whether to acknowledge different perspectives despite possible consequences or remain uneducated in hopes of maintaining the status quo.
American literature over the Great Depression was a quite settle time since no one had strong education but more experience. With new ways of government rulings “2 thinkers whose idea had the great impact on the period were the Austrian Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and German Karl Marx (1818-1883)” (Bayom 1712) are changing people’s way of thinking. With Communism rising both outside and inside the US and poverty made people start to question society logic on the rich and lower class. Even with all the change from the wars “American Literature…not separated family roots” (Bayom 1713); families were able to stay together but moved on from different ideas and view of life. New ideas of way of life were starting to change literature this time “between the two world wars found itself… attacking the old-style idea of tradition literature” (Bayom 1716). The American people slowly progressed from a straight conservative view to a more liberal view on lifestyle and society. The Great Depression authors were able to change how writers write after authors “writers before World War I had faith in society and in art, writers after between 1914 and 1945 had faith… writers after 1945 had lost even faith and never the faith in themselves that had inspired and sustained writer between the wars.” (Bayom 1713). The change in how writers wrote their books happened because of the depression and which they were forced into poverty and little hope for their future. Harper Lee showed us about how her life was with racism and poverty mixed in with the outcome of sadness and depressing from it. The writers in the 1930s were so influential that “[authors during the Great Depression] remain strong… as teaching of American Literature in college... on the premise that these earlier writers constituted a true American literary traditional worthy of study alongside the British” (Bayom 1713). Big writers