The Bluest Eye Essays

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Introduction to Pecola's World The Bluest Eye begins with a brief story about Dick and Jane. The story repeated three times to make sure the readers aware that the line of the story will be the heading of every chapter. The Bluest Eye presents Claudia MacTeer is the narrator of the story. She and her sister, Frieda MacTeer, are lived in Lorain, Ohio, after The Great Depression. They lived with their parents, although their parents didn't give them much attention,...
6 Pages 2756 Words
ABSTRACT Any literature written in the United States or the original colonies is part of what is today considered American Literature. The variety of cultures that were welcomed into America gave way to a fantastic diversity in the types of literature it spawned. From the 1500s to today, America has delivered some of the finest writers of our time. The reason that American literature is unique is because America from it's beginning had a special philosophy of life and freedom...
6 Pages 2715 Words
Introduction Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born as Chloe Ardelia Wofford) as known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist, editor, teacher and Robert F. Goheen Professor at Princeton University. Toni Morrison has been hailed as “ black America’s best novelist and one of America’s best.” In her own words, she writes “village” or “peasant” literature about the American black experience and culture. But she does so with language of such lyrical power and such vivid dialogue that, regardless of her...
5 Pages 2243 Words
Toni Morrison, original name 'Chloe Anthony Wofford', was born in Lorain, Ohio, on 18th February 1931 is a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, professor, and editor. Morrison’s books are known for their dramatic plots, beautiful vocabulary, and highly detailed African-American characters which are fundamental to their narratives. She has received several book-world accolades and honorary degrees, and the Presidential Medal of Liberty in 2012 as well. She was awarded the 1933 Nobel Prize for Literature in recognition of her services...
1 Page 572 Words
The Bluest Eye is about what it’s like to be hated for things that are outside of your control. She addresses the larger implications of that, probably something that all of us have experienced in our lives. Especially, she is talking about what it’s like to be hated for being a poor black girl. For many people, knowing that they’re hated for things that are outside of their control makes that hate easier to dismiss, especially if they have the...
2 Pages 1061 Words
“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This statement, said by Albert Einstein, restates one of the main themes of Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye. This novel takes us through the life story of a young African American girl named Pecola, who grows up during times of prejudice and racism. This story portrays Pecola as an ‘ugly,’ dark-skinned...
3 Pages 1278 Words
In the scene with Maureen, Pecola’s response is inertly passive, as compared to that of Claudia’s and Frieda’s, which shows they welcomed the “chance to show anger” (The Bluest Eye, 59). Although surprised at first by the meaning of Maureen’s declaration, they collected their pride and shouted back, “the most powerful of their arsenal of insults”. (The Bluest Eye, 61). Pecola, however, shrouded with shame “seemed to fold into herself, like a pleated wing” (61). Her gesture infuriates Claudia, who...
1 Page 630 Words
The transition from childhood to adulthood isn't as clear-cut as the physical traits would lead you to believe. The feminine transition isn't an exception. Culture plays a major role in deciding when the modification happens. Some mark a particular age as the purpose of passage whereas others are proverbial to acknowledge physical changes. Regardless, cultures around the world perceive that there's a definite distinction between the two. Toni Morrison’s 'The Bluest Eye' tells a story from the attitude of a...
5 Pages 2416 Words
The standard of beauty has changed throughout the years, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is how women have been forced to conform to the standards set by the media. “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison was set in the 1940s, a time when white beauty standards deformed the lives of black women. Upon googling the 1940’s images it can be seen that the majority of the pictures were white women and very few were black women. The basis...
2 Pages 896 Words
Each of the two texts, “This One Summer by Julian and Mariko Tamaki”, and “The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison” discuss common Incidences which happen in everyday Lives of teenagers such as Jealousy, problems caused by social standards which these girls just can’t seem to meet. In addition, both these texts portray the agony and suffering caused by unwanted Pregnancy. Pecola in “The Bluest Eye” was impregnated by her father. Jenny was impregnated by Dunc, her boyfriend in “This One...
4 Pages 2068 Words
Books are banned or considered controversial for many reasons. A major reason some create controversy is the sexuality within the writing. Though, the definition of sexuality is sexual interest and attraction to others, the way the term sexuality will be viewed in this paper is specifically related to women and how they are sexually abused, physically abused, and verbally abused for being a woman abused (Boundless). Such as the idea that women are lesser beings and are treated as such....
2 Pages 932 Words
The Bluest Eye is a book ahead of its time. Published in 1970, The Bluest Eye tells the story of an 11-year-old girl, Pecola who fervently wishes for beautiful blue eyes, in the hope that happiness love and acceptance would follow. Though many of the characters in the bluest eye possess dark and gloomy lives their stories shine a light on many of the problems modern society has today. Furthermore, Morrison uses this book as a vehicle to drive discussions...
5 Pages 2255 Words
According to Zlogar, “The Bluest Eye opens and closes with Claudia MacTeer’s reflection on the meaning and significance of a little girl’s suffering and her community’s responsibility and obligation to her” (“The Bluest Eye” 188). According to Zlogar, “Dark-skinned Claudia values herself more than the world does” (“The Bluest Eye” 188). According to Zlogar, “Using Marigold seeds as a metaphor for the affection that might have allowed her abused friend PecolaBreedlove to thrive, Claudia realizes that the failure of her...
3 Pages 1206 Words
In the novels Mathilda, by Mary Shelley and The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison; both writers convey ideas around the effects of traumatic events caused by deep desires. In Mathilda, the majority of trauma faced is based around the incestuous love and desire Mathilda’s father feels for her which ultimately leads to his suicide and Mathilda’s lonely death. However, in The Bluest Eye, Morrison examines trauma faced by black people in America. She focuses on societies impacts on the way...
7 Pages 3162 Words
Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (1970) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah (2013) both follow a black female protagonist and their experiences with discrimination in a prejudiced society. Whilst racial and gender discrimination seem to only have negative effects on an individual, it plays a crucial role in the development of one’s personal identity. The Bluest Eye is a bildungsroman text which explores a young girl’s struggle to accept herself, whereas, Americanah follows an African woman as she integrates herself into...
3 Pages 1182 Words
In the novel, The Bluest Eye , is about partiality, yet there are commonly a couple of case of mental maltreatment from relatives and the community. The characters in the novel are liable to a hidden game plan of characteristics which makes its own one of a kind cycle of abuse. It seems to demonstrate how the African American social measures are reliant on the shade of their skin to give some illumination. For all races and for all individuals,...
2 Pages 744 Words
Introduction to Censorship and Book Banning When material is censored, is knowledge being kept from the public? Throughout history, there have been countless instances in which people argued if certain pieces of literature should be banned. According to the first page of the article, “First Amendment and Censorship”, censorship is “The suppression of ideas and information that certain persons-individuals, groups, or government officials-find objectionable or dangerous”. One kind of censorship is book banning, which as stated by the article, “Banned...
4 Pages 2101 Words
In numerous cultures, there is an ideal beauty that most people attempt to acquire. However, imagine a scenario in which beauty were impossible to grasp and there were nothing one could do to be ‘beautiful’. In the novel the Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison recounts the story of a powerless girl struggling to prosper against the stereotypes and racism she is up against and growing up being convinced that she is unappealing, useless, and dirty. For Pecola Breedlove, this state of...
2 Pages 1113 Words
As Flannery O’Connor says in her essay on The Nature and Aim of Fiction, “the novelist makes his statements by selection, and if he is any good, he selects every word for a reason, every detail for a reason , every incident for a reason, and arranges them in a certain time- sequence for a reason.” By this definition, Morrison and Johnson establish themselves as good writers from the very beginning. In both The Bluest Eye and Trian Dreams, authors,...
1 Page 475 Words
Insanity is at once a social stigma and a tool used toward exclusion, marginalization, and domination of characters rebellious in nature otherwise ‘difficult to control’; in many cases, it is a reaction toward the external world, and in a limited number of cases it is what is called- ‘mental imbalance’ or insanity which may or may not have been triggered by the external world/circumstances. If we go with Michel Foucault’s observations in Madness and Civilization before the social and physical...
4 Pages 1902 Words
When an individual desire to achieve something, they’re willing to go to extreme measures to accomplish their goal”- Chanté Blake. In doing so, trials and tribulations may come aboard however, that doesn’t hinder them from executing their initial plans. Your strive to accomplish something can come from many sources, for example, an influence from others or your passion to accomplish something based off of how others deem something to be. In the literature pieces ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison,...
3 Pages 1347 Words
No matter who we are – our skin color, race, or religion – we are all beautiful. However, society fails to accept that and only portrays white beauty. There is an image of how to be beautiful to fit into society's norms and their category of beauty. Society teaches that beauty is racist, valuing white beauty; white beauty will always be at the top of the social hierarchy. It sets standards for women to look a certain way; if you...
3 Pages 1244 Words
Toni Morrison was born in 1931 and is still alive today. She lived in Lorian, Ohio. Four of her most famous works are Bluest Eye, Sula, Tar Baby, and Song of Solomon. I am doing this essay on her because of her variety. She writes not only novels but poems as well. Another reason I chose her is because of her book The Bluest Eye. It is a very interesting book. I also chose her because of her novel Sula....
1 Page 607 Words
As a society, stereotypes are inevitable to avoid. From childhood to adulthood, people use these as a standard to judge people. Sometimes they can be seen positively, but most of the time, stereotypes can be harmful. Every culture has its standard of beauty as well, and it can either be difficult or easy to live up to those expectations within a culture. In the novel The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison reinforces the idea that people must change the way they...
4 Pages 1604 Words
The word “sex” is a noun used to describe an interaction between the bodies of two people, typically associated with the expression of love and intimacy with someone. It is also a symbol of maturity and adulthood. While sex is an action typically associated with affection, it is not always pursued with that intention, and can often come from a place of affliction. This eye-opening theme is exposed within Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye - the story of Pecola Breedlove,...
1 Page 563 Words
Introduction The purpose of this thesis is to examine what the Harlem Renaissance is and the reflections of the Harlem Renaissance in Toni Morrison’s novels: Beloved and The Bluest Eye. This thesis will explore racism, slavery, and black feminism, and how these themes are portrayed in these two books. These investigations will elucidate the traumas of black people due to their skin color and how they have struggled against white oppression. Toni Morrison crafted compelling stories through the sufferings and...
3 Pages 1320 Words
After reading the novel, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, I believe that the author's intended message is to express the effects of imposing whiteness as an ideal beauty standard on black people. At the beginning of the book, Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl has a deep desire to obtain blue eyes to feel accepted, beautiful, and loved by her family and white dominant society. However, she lives in a society where people of her race are marginalized and...
1 Page 419 Words
Humankind’s proclivity to racism, intolerance, and bigotry has provoked an outcry from all levels of society. Toni Morrison and Jodi Picoult typify authors who have sought to represent the victim’s voice. In The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison a black African American gives a haunting torturous account of Pecola Breedlove, a child, within a culture dominated by racial segregation and prejudice. On the other hand, Jodi Picoult as a white American delivers Small Great Things as a fast-moving, hard-hitting narrative depicting...
6 Pages 2559 Words
Pecola’s insanity signifies internal and external racism, it is the discourses imposed on black girls that drove Pecola insane as stated within the novel, “she, however, stepped over into madness, a madness which protected her from us just because it bored us within the end”. Pecola Breedlove is the definitive illustration of the persistent damaging effects that internalized racial favoritism has on black girls, and the way it led her to a psychological state. For Pecola, and as for all...
1 Page 632 Words
According to Stuart Hall, a Jamaican-born cultural theorist, and sociologist black people living in the diaspora are constantly reinventing themselves and their identities by mixing, hybridizing, and creolizing influences from Africa, Europe, and the rest of the world in their everyday lives and cultural practices. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all cultural identity for diasporic people, but rather a multiplicity of different cultural identities that share both important similarities and important differences, all of which should be respected. Morrison wants to...
6 Pages 2707 Words
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