Imitation of Life is about Peola Johnson, light skined black girl who tries to go through life as a white person. To achieve this she ostracises her family. She breaks all ties with her black mother and her culture and tries to fit into this community in which she really has no place.
"It's because of you, you made me black! I won't be black!"
The problems Maureen Peal and Peola Johnsson share are as serious as the ones the young blck girls have in the bluest yes.
According to Sandy Flitterman-Lewis:
In each film's representation of the transgressive woman-the black daughter who looks white, and who, because of the contradiction between being and seeming which defines her, can fit comfortably into neither culture-there is a correspondence between feminine sexuality and alterity which results in a sexualization of the radical 'otherness' of the black woman. (44)
This is instrumental to the development of Pecola’s charater. This is also instrumental to the fate she meets in the end. Pecola and Peola are similar, not in their looks but in their situations. Pecola does also live between two worlds like Peola but in a different manner. Peolas’s problems are serious and the implictions are serious and extensive. According to Flitterman-Lewis, the mere term mulato brings up miscegenation, and theerfore leads people to think of “forbidden sexual relations and the impossible mixing of races" Flitterman-Lewis 46).
Pauline is so immersed into images projected by the screen that her daughter is named after Peola. Nevermind that mother nor daughter is mulatto like Peola.
Nornally a mother would not want her daughter to be in such situations yet Pauline names her daughter Pecola and embraces the beauty ideals and Maureen’s mother embraces the film. Maybe in someway she felt a kinship[ with Pecola because she would understand her position.
Sources
Blumler, J G & Elihu, K (1974) - Sage Annual Reviews of Communication Research Vol.3, The Uses of Mass Communication: Current perspectives on gratifications research. CA:Sage
Christian, Barbara. Black Women Novelists: The Development of a Tradition, 1892-1976.
In the article “Twoness in the style of Oscar Micheaux” by J. Ronald Green critiques the common theme of twoness which was a common debilitating dilemma for black film in America concerning American Social Codes. African Americans face the possibility of two identities at the same time but somehow resolve individually for her or himself. The point is made that African Americans are American citizens, but are hindered by the color line which sets them up to be positioned to understand two sides to the American hegemony. Hegemony consists of leadership or domination, either by one country or social group over others. American black cinema acquiesced in segregation, placed white cupidity off limits as theme, rehashed white Hollywood stereotypes
These actions that Pauline’s Tante takes show how she is determinate to make Pauline’s dream come true. Thus, the author
Women during this Jazz era were freer about their sexuality, but due to this freeness, an article called “Negro Womanhood’s Greatest Need” criticized the sexuality of Black women. In this article, the writers criticized Black women of the Jazz era; one part stated “.“speed and disgust” of the Jazz Age which created women “less discreet and less cautious than their sisters in the years gone by”. These “new” women, she continued, rebelling against the laws of God and man” (p.368). Women expressing their sexuality is not only an act against God, but also against men. In Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif” Twyla’s mother Marry had no problem expressing her sexuality because she was a stripper, who danced all night, she wore a fur jack and green slacks to a chapel to meet her daughter Twyla.
Structurally speaking, Fleur is mentioned in every chapter of the book, either being referred to by the two narrators or being part of the story. In fact, after researching the novel several times, no other character including the two narrators is consistently mentioned in every chapter. In the first chapter, Nanapush tells Lulu, his granddaughter, about the fate of the Chippewa Tribe. He then spends most of the chapter discussing the beginning of Fleur, who is Lulu’s mother, and how he saved her life. In the second chapter, Pauline, the second narrator, begins her story gossiping about Fleur to an unknown listener in detail. Pauline continues to focus her story on Fleur’s life, discussing in length of incidents about her. Pauline’s obsessive behavior becomes more evident when she’s in Argus with Fleur. “Since that night (in Argus), [Fleur] puts me in the closet, I was no longer jealous or afraid of her, but follow her close as Russell (Pauline’s cousin), closer, stayed with her, became her moving shadow that the men never noticed…'; (22).
Despite the fact that the character of Phyllis as the “tough as nails” perpetual, intentional aggressor is a valid attempt to obliterate the image of women as the oppressed, one interpretation of this role is that she ultimately seems to misrepresent herself, and females in cinema, anyway. Janet Todd, author of Women and Film, states that, “Women do not exist in American film. Instead we find another creation, made by men, growing out of their ideological imperatives”(130). Though these “power girl”characters are strong examples of anything but submissive and sexual females,the...
Elderly folks are eminently mature and have the finest instinct about what is right and wrong though It’s challenging to change someone’s point of view in a matter like this. When such injustice takes place, it de-motivates senior workers from their work. In an article over Ageists by Vincent J Roscigno, he states facts about different views on older Americans in general and in workplaces such as, “most of the population consists of biases and preconceptions, and the accused are unashamed in their views of older Americans. Those who believe that younger employees have much more value than senior employees are inserting a strong assumption based on their age. “Ageist attitudes and discrimination is what results in lower levels of overall organizational commitment to older workers, and a “push” out of a particular workplace.” Just because of an older employee’s depiction, such unfairness circulates in workplaces which cause false impressions of older
Throughout this paper the word 'queer ' will be used as an umbrella catch all term for any individual who is not heterosexual or cisgender, and anyone in the LGBTQ spectrum. Queer will also be used as part of the methodology, it will represent "a moment of fissure when that which is normal is thrown into question...[and] set out the notion of queer as a way of denormalizing gendered heterosexuality." ( Li-Vollmer and LaPointe 92) Using queer examination of film, this paper will discuss and explore the struggle between normalcy and deviance. Queer coding occurs when a character is given common traits associated with queer people, whether that is stereotypical or not depends on the character and the creator themselves. This paper will explore
182), having only been completely codified in 1979, revised in 1985 (Watson, 1988), and expanded and advanced lately (Watson, 2005, 2008). Watson states that she was motivated to develop her model of human caring because of a deep concern for preserving humanity today and to rediscover the human spirit. She expresses a commitment of moving nursing away from the limitations of the philosophy of positivism or a system that hold every rationally defensible assertion can be scientifically justified or is capable of logical or mathematical proof, and that therefore rejects metaphysics and faith. The central focus of Watson’s conceptual nursing model is human care. Human care, as conceived by Watson, is an intersubjective process and an epistemic effort that include human-to-human interaction. Watson has always been explicit in describing the human as a holistic, interactive being possessing energy field experiencing health and illness as characteristics of human pattern (Watson,
In addition in comparison, (Noe, pg 429) denial of training opportunities and engaging in better treatment of younger employees can be used to sustenance claims of age discrimination. Older employees may bring lawsuits against companies based on a denial promotion or discharge. As evidence of age, the courts will look into whether older workers were denied training the same opportunities that were provided to those of a younger age. Age discrimination is illegal and those who make employment verdicts based on age are in violation of the
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 is an act that was passed that clearly states that employers can’t be discriminate against someone based on their age 40 and older. The older adults are trying so hard to hold onto their jobs with dear life, because if not they will be nudged out and pushed aside. Not because of anything but rather because of their age. Age discrimination is on the rise as young as 50 years old. Age discrimination can happen to anyone regardless of your race, ethnic backgrounds or sexual orientation. A study was published in the Journal of Age Ageing and in the report it said that British People 50 years old and older faces discrimination about one third of them. In a resent survey older adults says job insecurity
Three major laws that protect employees are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and The Americans with Disability Act. Title VII makes it unlawful to refuse to hire or terminate anyone based on race, gender, national origin, color, or religion. This law applies to any business that has 15 or more employees, government, labor, and employment agencies (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2012). Title VII also does include harassment, compensation, and advancement issues based on these categories as well. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits discrimination for anyone from being employed or terminated over the age of forty. This law does not protect those under the age of forty and they may be discriminated against because of their age. This law also requires specific record keeping which employers must maintain for three years. The required information is name, address, and date of birth, occupation, pay rate, and compensation earned each week. In addition to that information this information is required to be maintained for one year: job applications, records of promotions: demotions, transfers, layoffs, terminations, tests and test papers, as well as job ads. Some states go beyond the ADEA and provided greater protection to those older workers. The Americans with Disa...
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, as amended, protects workers age forty and over in hiring, promotion, and termination decisions. This project is going to analyze the ADEA and its amendment in terms of effectiveness, ineffectiveness, and influence which will be demonstrated by employment cases, research data. The project shows that the ADEA is not as effective as it suppose to be and its purpose of prohibiting age discrimination has not been implemented efficiently in workforce. The ADEA somewhat has enabled Americans work longer, however, it might not be the best
Watson first published her theory of caring in 1979 in a book titled, Nursing: Human Science and Caring. Watson and other researchers have built upon this theory and caring theory should continually be evolving as the delivery of patient care evolves. This theory focuses on care between the nurse and the patient. This interaction is defined as setting mutual tasks, how a spiritual force may help the interaction and when caring in the moment of true healing may occur. When the nurse and patient are on the same level spiritually self-awareness and self-discovery occur. There are ten themes identified in this article essential to caring in
In 1967, a law was passed called the “Age Discrimination Employment Act”. The law simply means that an employer may not discriminate someone in any way due to their age. So often you hear of someone not getting a job because they are too young or even too old. Employers think that if someone is young they might not have the experience or maturity for certain positions, which may not always be the case. On the other hand, if a potential candidate for employment is older, a company might not want to hire them because they know that the person may be retiring soon. Take a look at the lawsuit against Radio Shack in 2007. David Nelson, then 55, had been employed for over 25 years when RadioShack assigned a new, 43-year-old regional manager to supervise him. Within four months of the new supervisor’s arrival, Nelson, who had a 25-year spotless performance record, was placed on two performance improvement plans (United States). Nelson, believing that he was being discriminated against by his new supervisor because of his age, complained to the human resources department. According to the complaint, within five days, before the allotted time for improvement was over, RadioShack terminated Nelson in retaliation for his complaint of discrimination (United
The representation of violence exacted upon women in cinema is inextricable from being projected upon all women. To provide a scene that objectifies the female is to reduce the feminine form to its non-dual state, e.g., a sexual object providing a vessel for male gratification (hubris and sexual) rather then being defined by its duality of sentient and physical forms. Those who construct scenes of violence against women are bound to a moral responsibility to subjectify the woman’s perspective, thus reestablishing the female as a victim rather then an object and rendering the act of violence intelligible (deplorable, open to interpretation).