Purple Crayon

I know why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou experienced a number of hardships throughout her life, which shaped and molded the thoughts she had about herself. She experienced abandonment from her parents, discrimination, and rape, all of which contributed to the negative self-image she had. Despite the adversity faced, Maya Angelou found strength and a will to survive. In her book “I know why the Caged Bird Sings” Maya Angelou tells the traumatic events of her life and how it influenced her…

In the novel "The Bluest eye" by Tony Morrison, Morrison attempts to explore the meaning of beauty through the point of view of adolescent black girls as they tackle poverty, racism, sexism and the transition to adulthood. Morrison accomplishes this, through her writing she scrupulously decides which rhetoric devices to use in order to do so. Throughout her writing Morrison uses Scesis Onomaton to emphasize particular aspects she deems vital to the storytelling, while using symbolism to…

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is a novel centered around change. As a romantic novel, it demonstrates that people and circumstances can and do change for the better, and that those deserving of a happy ending will find one. Besides the narrative, change is also reflected in the names of certain characters. The dispositions of certain characters-- particularly Sofia, Shug Avery, and Fonso-- and the changes other characters experience as their circumstances evolve-- particularly those of Mr.…

captures some aspects of the Southern Belle amid romanticized views of the Civil War South, filmgoers have a greater understanding of Southern womanhood when their repertoire is balanced out with the harsher aspects of Southern culture found in The Color Purple and The Help. By comparing the women of all three films to scholastic resources on Southern Belles, viewers can find that despite class and racial boundaries, they all embrace some of the strongest qualities of the Southern Belle,…

just because he didn 't look like he was in an obeying frame of mind when a white person said something he must do. I mean, that 's terrorism, too” (“Alice Walker.” 1). By saying this Walker gives us a look into why she may have written The Color Purple. To show us the oppression people of this time, especially women, went through. Also by growing up in the South Walker lets us into the personal and emotional aspect of a little girl just trying to make it. Celie, the main character, starts as a…

Toni Morrison, author of The Bluest Eye, reflects the feminist theory throughout the novel. Characters narrate the novel from different point of views to help understand the story of the protagonist, Pecola Breedlove, and the hardships of growing up as a young black girl. The eleven-year-old fails to get help because of the suffering from other characters, which eventually contributes to her fate. The feminist theory is presented by Pecola’s desire to be beautiful, black women resisting…

When someone thinks of a good role model they think of a person that has great success and can be emulated. However that is not always true, Nathaniel Hawthorne views a role model in a different aspect. In The Scarlet Letter there was a lot of hate and suffering in the community of Boston. Throughout Hester’s life she has changed dramatically, coming from insults and insecurities she has become a great role model. From being a heinous adulterer to a very wise women she has changed the views of…

Have you ever been to a new country and felt small and difference than the rest? Have you ever felt like there was a sudden drop of unpredictability on your shoulders, fearing how the new country would change your life? In the story “The Thing Around Your Neck,” Nigerian Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells a story of an immigrant girl in that exact same situation. By winning the American visa lottery, Akunna is given the chance to move to America by herself to live with her uncle in Maine.…

Friendships often evolve over time and can be tempered in the fires of conflict. This is particularly true for Sofia and Celie from The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Their friendship is put to the test when Celie advocates for Sofia to be beaten by her husband. When she and her husband fought, they accidentally wrecked a gift from Celie to Sofia: curtains. After reconciling, Celie and Sofia repurpose the curtains into a quilt. The torn curtains represent Celie’s and Sofia’s broken relationship,…

Alice Walker was a talented writer who found ways to reflect on her personal experiences and obstacles that she faced throughout the course of her life. She was often victimized through racism and sexism. After all, living as an African American woman in the South during the Civil Rights Movement was flawed. Yet, in spite of her circumstances, she became an author, a poet, and a Civil Rights Activist. A recurring theme in Walker’s works is the victimization of African American women through…