Uniting People in The Color Purple
Red, a color of hatred, a color of anger, a color of oppression. Purple, a color of pride, a color of love, a color of triumph. The clashing of colors, and the uniting of a people. Think of how much more we would see if we did not have eyes. Physical appearances rule the world; the spiritual and emotional gifts emanating from within each individual are left to live an empty existence of incessant, smother-some abuse and to die a tragic and appalling death.
Through colloquial diction, emotionally and spiritually turbulent episodes, and an uninhibited, straight-forward writing style, Alice Walker's The Color Purple, astonishingly displays society's alienation of the African-American woman. Celie, a homely woman, lived a life of penetrating violence. At an early age the man thought to be her father shamelessly soiled her fourteen year old body for his own carnal satisfaction; she did "what her mammy wouldn't". With one forceful act of violence a childhood ended and a life-time of pain began. The only reason for Celie's existence was to fulfill the needs of a vile and abusive congregation of men. The white man destroyed the black man, the black man destroyed the woman. An endless cycle of rancor and insecurity dominated the lives of women who knew not of their own talents and self-worth. Bare-foot and pregnant, was the only way of life for these abandoned souls. "She ugly. But she ain't no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God done fixed her. You can do everything just like you want to and she ain't gonna make you feed it or clothe it." Celie, sold, like a slave, into an unloving marriage, represents the indifference and ignorance of society.
Celie's marriage to Mr.__...
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...ug, Squeak, and Celie fled from their oppressors to the North. Celie utilized her talent of sewing to create new fashions. A talent, once employed only at her husband's call, gave her the self assurance necessary for her attainment of a better future. The death of her father served as a drastic realization. An era of abuse and vulgarity finally ended. His hold on Celie and Nettie no longer existed, they were truly free.
Awaiting Nettie's return and escaping the emotional turmoil of Shug's departure, Celie ventured home. Respect from Sofia, Harpo, and even Mr._____ shocked and rattled Celie's mind. Standing up for her rights destroyed an aura of weakness and pushed her ahead to redeem a dormant spirit. Nettie's, Olivia's, Adam's, and Shug's return finalized the uniting of a family, of a town, of a nation, proving in the end we are one . . .a nation of purple.
In a speech that Lincoln gave prior to his presidency, we can see how ambiguous his stance on slavery truly was. This speech, known as the ‘House Divided’ speech, was given on the 16th of June, 1858, and outlined his beliefs regarding secession, but did not solidify the abolition of slavery as his main goal. Lincoln states that the nation “could not endure, permanently half slave and half free,” and that the slavery will either cease to exist, or will encompass all states lawfully (Lincoln). At this point in his life, Lincoln’s primary concern is clearly with the preservation of the nation.
In the case of Bigsby, his isolated community contributed to his white supremacist view of the inferiority and contempt for the black race. Mostly filled with racists and bigots as noted by the Frontline reporter who ventured into Bigsby’s community, it’s a consequential fact that there is an overrepresentation of negative opinion that guided Clayton to the identity he possessed. Similar to his headmistress, his white peers took advantage of his blindness, acting as the only source of information regarding views on blackness. Evidently, these views were one that portrayed blackness in a negative light as Bigsby would go on to call blacks “big butt having [and] wide-nosed [who were] breathing all the white man’s air,” in a disapproving manner. Visibly , there is no way he could tell if blacks really did have big butts or wide noses without word of mouth and there is no way he could have really cared about the “negative” effects of these wide noses – because it really does not matter to him – without external influence. Hence, in growing up blind, Bigsby developed perpetual self-hate as the overrepresentation of negative black stereotypes left him with a skewed perspective of who he
The adolescence is proposing questions of self-identity and trying to understand more of self during these years. Mean Girls emphasizes these self-identifications by capturing different cliques and group of people that the high schoolers associate and label themselves as. For instance in the film, Cady is being accepted by Janis and Damian, but they want Cady to engage in a risky behavior by associating herself as “The Plastics.” This plan started out with the intention of trying to find out more high school secrets and to humiliate “The Plastics,” but Cady turned more like them as she received more acceptance by them. Mean Girls demonstrates not only the sense of self emerging during the adolescent age, but the struggles of all it takes to find a sense of self-identity. Cady eventually put her relationship with Janis and Damian, parents, and acquaintances of school on the line by trying to maintain her “Plastic”
Throughout China’s history, many dynasties had their turn at ruling this immensely growing country. The Shang dynasty was the first, ruling during the Bronze Age. Bronze was used more for ritual objects like goblets, steamers, and cauldrons rather than for war. They ruled for more than two centuries when they were defeated by the Zhou. Sacrificing to their ancestors was something the Zhou and Shang had in common. During the time of the Zhou transmitted texts such as the Book of Documents existed for the first time. The early Zhou rulers set up a decentralized feudal system instead of trying to directly rule all their territories. Relatives and trusted subordinates ruled these territories and the positions became hereditary letting them pass on the position to their sons. After a long time loyalty grew more obscure and the lords became too powerful and no longer obeyed the king. An alliance of the Rong tribesmen killed the Zhou king and the Zhou Dynasty couldn’t get full control over its vassals again bringing China into what is called the Warring States Period. The states fought and destroyed each other and were in constant warfare for a long period of time before finally the Qin took over. This king invented the title “emperor” because “king” grand enough. He also adopted the legali...
Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.
The education of an author on their topic is the biggest contributor to their reliability; having enough prior knowledge and background information on a subject is crucial when providing a historical analysis. An author’s personal background is of great importance as well, because their personal heritage and beliefs may lead to bias and misrepresentation of information, which removes all credibility of them and/or their work as source. Partiality, favoritism, and/or prejudice towards a specific demographic can create a blurred line between what is fact and what is opinion, which in turn can allow for personal assessments to be presented as arguments and facts even though they have been influenced to a great extent by prior thoughts and opinions.
Feminists from various eras have shown moments of resignation, wondering whether they have become masculine in their struggle against male oppression. This struggle does not have an easy answer. One feminist retaliation to Lysistrata’s approach is that the marriage of beauty and submissiveness is a totalitarian quality invented by males to make women feel dependent or incomplete without male affection. At the same time, Lysistrata makes clear that militancy is a decisively male quality, as throughout history men have been the ones to initiate battles. During the Gulf War, it was common to find bumper stickers that said: “If Women Rule the World, There Would Be No
Walker brought most of the horrific and even sickening scenes of the book to life, with the help and influence of society in history. One of the greatest influences to have an effect on Walker's style of writing and especially The Color Purple, were instances from slavery and prejudice. The whites owned and empowered America during the time of slavery. They had no respect for any other race, which they thought of as substandard. As Lean'tin Bracks stated, blacks were considered to be racially inferior, and they were used for the exploitation of the white culture. The whites used the black people as animals, and made them do their every bidding. Blacks and whites were separated form each other and this segregation of the two races barred blacks from legal and economic access, and they were put to punishment by the white culture. Interaction between the two races rarely occurred other than specific affairs or whites intruding on blacks. There were no penalties to pay by whites, therefore intrusions were common, and they took advantage of the African-Americans. The intrusions varied from breaking and entering to rape and murder for no apparent reason (84). Walker used this basis of racism to grip the reader and take them through a story of a women, who survives physical, verbal, and emotional abuse, everyday.
The Color Purple is about Celie’s life. In the beginning of the novel, we learn that Celie was raped by her father. We also learn that Celie’s mother is ill and is unable to take care of the family. Celie is forced to cook and clean for her family. Celie conceived two children because of her father’s continuous raping. She never sees her children and believes that her father killed them. A man from town wanted to take Celie’s sister Nettie as a wife, but her father convinces the man to take Celie instead. Celie is now forced to marry an older man who already has children. Celie’s husband constantly beats and rapes her without any remorse. He even made Celie nurse Shug Avery, his mistress, when she was ill. It is now that Celie learns from Shug Avery about love. Shug Avery encourages Celie not to take the abuse from her husband anymore and that she deserves better. Celie would finally leave her husband when she found out that he kept her sister’s letters from her. Nettie was the sole reason why Celie had managed to survive. Celie could not tolerate any more abuse and left with Shug Avery and Mary Agnes. Mary Agnes was Celie’s stepson’s mistress. Celie eventually meets up with Nettie and her two children whom she believed to be dead. She than goes back to her husband who has drastically changed since Shug Avery and Celie left.
Alice Walker’s writings were greatly influenced by the political and societal happenings around her during the 1960s and 1970s. She not only wrote about events that were taking place, she participated in them as well. Her devoted time and energy into society is very evident in her works. The Color Purple, one of Walker’s most prized novels, sends out a social message that concerns women’s struggle for freedom in a society where they are viewed as inferior to men. The events that happened during and previous to her writing of The Color Purple had a tremendous impact on the standpoint of the novel.
There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and family, she is able to overcome her obstacles and grow into a stronger, more self-assured individual. While there are numerous themes transpiring throughout the course of the novel, the symbolism is one of the strongest prospects for instigating the plot.
The Color Purple depicts the struggle within the life of the female protagonist, Celie. Celie, a clear victim of abuse, narrates the story through a collection of writings that starts with her confession of “Dear God.” Celie’s story encompasses around her life and the characters that breaks the common gender depiction. The story heavily addresses the subject of social and behavioral standards for either men and women. It raises an issues on traditional marital subjects, family patriarchy, and social topics. In a traditional take of the family structure, the man often exhibits the dominant male figure head with the final say. The father provides the money and security for the wife and children as well as claim authority over the family. He becomes very work oriented and cares for the children only in times of need. On the other hand, the woman acts to be passive and pleases her husband. She plays a major role in raising and educating the children in every way possible. Often times, the woman takes a small part in maintaining a profession; although, she holds responsibility for all house work. The societal perspective of the patriarchal family system relies so heavily on gender roles that it becomes an expectation and the regulated norm. The Color Purple disrupts this gender norm by introducing characters that faces marital issues due to being the opposite of the typical gender role. Because they embody the opposite gender’s likely attributes, it becomes a questioning issue that leads to striving to live up to social norms or dealing with society disapproval. Within the progression of the novel, the women possess a sense of empowerment while as the men accept how things are in the world. The introducti...
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the story of a poor black woman living in the south between World War 1 and World War 2. This was at a time when, although slavery had ended,many women were still virtually in bondage, and had to put up with many conditions that was reminiscent of the days of slavery. The problem was that they had to endure being treated like an inferior being by their own families sometimes, as well as from the white people that lived there. It was a life that was filled with misery for many black women, and they felt helpless to do anything about their situations.
In the movie, “The Color Purple,” directed by Steven Spielberg, portrays the disruption of gender roles, various sexual orientation stereotypes and sexuality from various surroundings that everybody can relate to. The Color Purple uses imagery, symbols, and characters to help viewers understand the dominance of sexuality. Furthermore, there are various scenes like Celie’s abuse from her father, Celie and her husband relationship, Celie relationships with various women throughout the movie. “The Color Purple,” is important to anybody that views this movie because it demonstrates the importance of women empowerment and self-love that everybody can relate to.
The novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the story of a poor, young black girl, growing up in rural Georgia in the early twentieth century. The novel follows the protagonist, Celie, as she experiences such hardships as racism and abuse, all the while attempting to discover her own sense of self-worth. Celie expresses herself through a series of private letters that are initially addressed to God, then later to her sister Nettie. As Celie develops from an adolescent into an adult, her letters possess m...