Tuesday, 30 September: conclude The Bluest Eye (pp. 95-206 ("Spring" and "Summer") + Morrison's 1993 Afterword, 209-216 .

Minority Culture Reader: Allison Beck

The Bluest Eye--An Examination of beauty, racism, and self worth.

Objective 1c. - to observe alternative identities and literary strategies developed by minority cultures and writers to gain voice and choice:

* double language

You said “ Suffer little children to come unto me, and harm them not.” Did you forget?

Did you forget about the children? Yes. You forgot. Pg(181). Soaphead church is saying I did what you said you would do for all children. But your promises have fallen by the wayside, and I wont apologize for doing what you should have done. But this is double talk, because he starts out telling God about his high regards for him and attempts to justify his actions. I related this to Philippians 4:6,“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your request to God” Soaphead didn’t leave them at the altar, he took matters into his own hand. His means didn’t justify his own selfish goals.

Precious Lord take my hand ,

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Through the storms, through the night

Lead me on to the light.

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me on. Pg (114). The language to white Americans

may mean I given up, just take my life, end this madness. However for colored people , it means that everything is going to be okay. The Lord knows what I’m dealing with and I know he’s got my back, so I’m going to sing this song to reassure myself of my faith in him.

SEETHE DOG BOWWOWGOESTHEDOG

DOYOUWANTTOPLAYDOYOUWANTTOPLAY

TOPLAYWITHJANSEETHEDOGRUNR. pg(164)

In white society children playing with their dog, represents the simple pleasures of being a child. However, for Pencola the dog represents the evil side of life. By not separating the words in the sentences, one relates this to the history of the suffering colored endured.

. “The Color code” Literature represents the extremely sensitive subject of skin color infrequently or indirectly.

“A little black girl yearns for the bluest eyes of a little white girl, and the horror at the heart of her yearning is exceeded only by the evil of fulfillment.” Pg (204) This represent for me the false perception of being able to change something from what it really is. If one can change the outer appearance of something , it will become something else. Like for example, milk. Milk comes in a variety of flavors, the taste may vary but, the end result is that its still milk.

Beating the air, a winged but grounded bird, intent on the blue void it could not reach. pg(204) Can this be compared to the “glass ceiling?”

The soil is bad for certain kind of flowers. pg ( 205). For me this was about as perfect as any analogies could possibly get. The Marigold in this novel was the annual -which is a flower that completes it life cycle in one growing year. Usually its planted in the spring and dies in the winter. (The marigold represents colored people). Plants that bloom continuously are called perennials. ( represents white people). White’s were expected to have aspirations , were as colored people were discouraged to have aspirations.

Questions

1. Do you agree with my analysis, did anyone else notice these passages?

2. What did we learn about minority culture?

Final Question

Are black people today still considered annual flowers or with the proper nourishment can they become perennial flowers?