Racism In The Bluest Eye Essay - 1730 Words

Racism In The Bluest Eyes The Bluest Eye tells a tragic story of a young girl named Pecola who desperately wishes for beautiful blue eyes. Pecola believes that the only way she will ever be beautiful is if she has blue eyes. This story takes place in the 1970’s, a time where African Americans were second class citizens in society. They were often exploited and dehumanized because of the way they looked, and this will leave a long lasting effect. Americans would often think that the only way to be beautiful is to have white characteristics like pale skin, blue eyes, and to be very feminine. Racism in the 1970 and in the setting of the Bluest Eye caused self hatred in the black community. The effects of self hatred and racism in the†¦show more content†¦Morrison wrote â€Å"His mother did not like him to play with the niggers. She had explained to him the difference between colored people and niggers. They were easily identifiable. The colored people were neat and quie t; niggers were dirty and loud†. When writing this quote Morrison pointed out that the problem with racism in society is also the hypocritical and racist views that some African Americans see each other. A young black boy messes with the a girl named Pecola and thinks of her as someone who is lower than in him in status because she is looked as a â€Å"dirty nigger† to other people in the black community, despite being the same race as them. This boy is taught seeing her that way because his mother and also because of the way society looked at black people. Morrison also wrote, â€Å"The line between colored and niggers was not always clear; subtle and telltale signs threatened to erode it, and the watch had to be constant† . In the story, there are different ways to extinguish the difference between the â€Å"good† and the â€Å"bad† black people. If you were someone from the black community and were â€Å"bad† you would have been labeled as a nigger. The only reason some people were labeled as bad was because they were poorer and didn’t have the same education as the others. They were living in an world where everything was a cycle. Whites would be racist towards the African American community, treat them like they are second class citizens and keep themShow MoreRelatedRacism in The Bluest Eye Essay710 Words   |  3 PagesRacism in The Bluest Eye There is really nothing more to say--except why. But since why is difficult to handle, one must take refuge in how. When bad things happen to us, the first thing we ask ourselves is why? Most of the time however, the answer to why is not readily available to us, and sometimes there is not an answer at all. Racism has been a concept which has existed from the beginning of human civilization. For some reason, the whites believed they were superiorRead MoreRacism in Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye Essay1955 Words   |  8 Pages Since childhood, we all have been taught that â€Å"racism is bad† and should be avoided at all costs. We have been told that â€Å"everyone is a child of God and we are all created equal.† In fact, Americans are praised for the so-called equality they possess. However, renowned author Toni Morrison sheds light on the sheltered and unspoken truth that everyone—to some extent—is racist. â€Å"Home† is a reflective essay in which Morrison explains that her triumphs against racist ideologies are evident throughoutRead MoreEssay about Racism and Sexism in the Bluest Eye1798 Words   |  8 PagesToni Morrison, the author of The Bluest Eye, centers her novel around two things: beauty and wealth in their relation to race and a brutal rape of a young girl by her father. Morrison explores and exposes these themes in relation to the underlying factors of black society: racism and sexism. Every character has a problem to deal with and it involves racism and/ or sexism. Whether the characters are the victim or the aggressor, they can do nothing about their problem or condition, especially when concerningRead More Memoirs of a Geisha and the Bluest Eye Essay example900 Words   |  4 PagesComparison Essay of Memoirs of a Geisha and the Bluest Eye Memoirs of a Geisha by Aurthor Golden and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison are two thought provoking books with a unique style of writing. Memoirs of a Geisha has a beautiful poetic grammar which captures readers imagination and brings the story to life. Morrison on the other hand uses combined voices to give varied perspectives with out resorting to authorial intrusion or preaching. Memoirs Of A Geisha and the bluest eye both containRead MoreThe Development Of Girls1172 Words   |  5 Pagessuch as housework, cooking, and raising children. This inequality between men and women and the roles girls feel required to play impact their individuality. This essay will explore how the factors of racism, sexism and classism intertwine and contour girls’ characteristics using an analysis of The House on Mango Street, The Bluest Eye and Bastard out of Carolina. I argue that society’s idea of perfection and the pressures to fit into stereotypes negatively impacts young girlsà ¢â‚¬â„¢ identities becauseRead MoreThe Bluest Eye Analysis812 Words   |  4 Pages Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye follows Pecola Breedlove’s â€Å"journey† to obtain beauty in the form of the titular blue eyes. Not only is it told in Claudia’s perspective, but the readers witnesses several backstories, namely Geraldine, Pauline, Cholly, and Soaphead Church’s, which is in a third-person perspective. This might be seen as odd at first, but after taking a deeper look into their pasts, there is something that stands out: something â€Å"beautiful† in the eyes of these people. These â€Å"beautiful†Read MoreToni Morrison And Virginia Woolfs The Bluest Eye1629 Words   |  7 Pagesstyle of their works, but that could not be farther than the truth. These women, have in fact, made a tremendous impact on society and sculpted the way we see things in the world today. Toni Morrison, author of The Bluest Eye, challenged the Essentialistsâ€⠄¢ claim by making a novel about racism, and how it affected African American culture in the 20th century. Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, challenged this notion by addressing issues about sexual violence and political issues, except inRead MoreToni Morrison s Beloved And The Bluest Eye2300 Words   |  10 PagesPaper Toni Morrison s Beloved and The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison is known for her use of poetic language. In many of her writings Morrison captures the pursuit of African Americans identities(Parnell). Considering Morrison never experienced the horrific tragedies she writes about, she is a witness to many identities that were destroyed by society depiction of them. The themes that Toni Morrison illustrates in her works Beloved and The Bluest Eye demonstrates how Toni Morrison works show individualsRead MoreComparative Essay : Bluest Eye And The House On Mango Street1981 Words   |  8 PagesCOMPARATIVE ESSAY ON BLUEST EYE AND THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET â€Å"The Bluest Eye† is an English novel written by Toni Morison. The novel â€Å"The House on Mango Street† is written by Sandra Cisneros. These two novels have a number of similarities. The novel â€Å"The House on Mango Street†, revolves around a young girl and her struggle to fit the perplex bits of her personality, sexuality, ethnicity, sex, monetary status and social legacy. These features become possibly the most important factor as EsperanzaRead Morestudy on toni morrison Essay2402 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿A Study On Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye Ying-Hua,Liao Introduction Toni Morrison was the winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Literature. She is a prominent contemporary American writer devoted to the black literary and cultural movement. Her achievements and dedication to the promotion of black culture have established her distinguished status in American literature. Many critics applaud Toni Morrison’s artistic talent and contribution to American literature. Darwin T. Turner, for example