Research+Paper+Drafts

Yura Jung AP Literature Ms. Porter March 1st 2010 A Vivid Outlook Indirect words that convey the message often has more impact on the reader than direct ones. In her novels, //The Bluest Eye// and //A Mercy,// Toni Morrison exploits diction to depict grotesque images to show the result of racism. It is her words that describe the feelings and the setting that absorb the reader into the minds of the characters and allow him or her to see the scenes vividly. Moreover, her descriptions of the result of racism explores how heavily heritage influences paving the road for the future. There are countless novels disputing the consequences of racism, but Morrison distinguishes hers from the rest. In poetry, words are carefully selected as words are limited, but this isn’t the case for novels where words are abundant. Nonetheless, Morrison doesn’t waste a word. In her novel, //The Bluest Eye,// she doesn’t overtly mention skin color or black, but from her indirect words the reader simply knows or gets the feeling that it is about racism, not to mention the disgust created towards social discrimination. “The grotesque is deliberately extravagant, distorted, violent, and ugly,” which appeals to the readers and exposes the veiled distortions in society on a billboard (Bloom 4). Evidently, Morrison exploits words to arouse strong feelings and wake up the readers to take a step into the invisible burdens that underprivileged people carry. If it weren’t for her extravagantly violent or distorted depictions, the readers would neglect the theme of racism or call it trite. Morrison scrutinizes the aftermaths of racism by divulging its diverse effects and also its intensity. In the society portrayed in //The Bluest Eye// and //A Mercy//, the world is superficial—skin color determines or defines how a baby will pursue his or her life. Hence, at a innocent age, children are confused on who they think they are and who the society tells them they are. Yet, as they grow older and step deeper into society, they become more and more subservient to society’s inaudible words. For Example, in the //Bluest Eye,// Claudia is a African American girl who is confident that she knows her identity and it’s far from what her mom and the society tells her she is. Morrison sets her as an example of an innocuous mind who is countercultural because she is unaware of the intense racism that surrounds her atmosphere. Yet, eventually, as she becomes more cognizant of they society she breathes in, she encounters and enigma and her confidence slowly fades. Hence, the author proves that racism sets a frame of a person’s life before one even steps into the society and due to this stereotypes, black people suffer from loss of identity. In addition, this loss of identity due to subservience to society’s views mold the perspectives of these people. As society labels the black people as minorities, these victims go through a harsh process of accepting these stereotypical and discriminating views. And when they do, they start expunging their hopes and dreams in life—they simply accept the vapid and miserable life thrown at them. Racism forces them to let go of their true entity under the superficial labels. As a result, they feel like a minority group, indubitably and due to their dark skin, they start to think that they are meant to live a low quality life without a glimpse of happiness. Cholly is portrayed as a poor father to Pecola in //The Bluest Eye//. He fights with his wife, hits her, and rapes Pecola, but according to Bloom, he is a victim as well. He is a poor man that suffers from society’s oppression that he cannot control his anger, which piled up in the first place due to inequality. “quote” Racism may seem physical or perhaps simply superficial, but its effect goes deep into the minds of its victims. “quote.” It’s evident from Morrison’s portrayals that discrimination scars the characters deep inside their bones. Racism has many effects and some are more serious than others. It is indubitable that racism exists in society, but its effects aren't fully exposed. Evidently, racism separates different groups and categorized some higher than the others. Yet, this isn't it; it's not simply the matter of feeling belittled or degraded. A person is born with his or her own identity and this is developed throughout life. However, racism impedes strengthening of this identity. Black people are often born with an automatic identity: minority. Despite the efforts to fight against the stereotypes and reserve a unique identity, racism and society's obedience to it eradicates these efforts. Hence, due to racism, many people encounter a confusion in their entity-- they don't know who they are. Moreover, people treat them differently solely based on their skin color, which drops them in even more confusion. As a result, due to racism, people face mental problems. They are lost, but they know they are degraded and they know they can't be the person they are willing to be. Racism enervates its victims and sucks out the happiness and confidence in them. Therefore, these people feel repressed and they lack confidence. Such negative effects cause the black or other minority people to step away from the main society and become socially excluded. Racism triggers countless violent actions, but these are temporary unlike the effects on mental health, which are long-lasting and which leave people with no voice. Racism makes the minority groups feel worthless for no apparent reason but their skin color. Through Morrison’s books we see how the future is paved for black people, but she it’s crucial to realize that in //A Mercy// the ending is positive while in //The Bluest Eye// Pecola dies, defeated by racism. Miner believes that a person’s perspective of the world is what determines their future. Of course, genetics and physical appearance is crucial but at the end, a person’s survival tingles on the fingertips of the individual himself or herself. Miner believes that Pecola's life would be different if she were to change what she sees. Pecola is described as a girl who is afraid of reality and who wishes to elude from it. Hence, she filters the negatives in her life and hides from it. When she sees her family beating each other up and fighting continuously, she hides under a quilt to hide from it. Pecola continues to just ignore or hide from what's on her plate even at school when the kids talk about her father, Cholly. This girl refuses her reality because she has a strong impulse to live her idealistic life, which is a white person's life-- something impossible to occur. Yet, she believes in miracles. She thinks that if she avoids and ignores what people say, she can eventually reach her goal. Hence, she covers her eyes from whatever she doesn't want to see. Nonetheless, this is futile as she can still hear what people speak about her and her family. When Maureen calls her ugly, it finally hits Pecola that she cannot simply just hide from reality and her condition. As a result, she wants blue eyes because she believes that having blue eyes will help her see the world in a better way or the eyes will bring her a better world, the white people's world. Yet, as Miner said "If Pecola were to see things differently, she might be seen differently."

Yura Jung AP Literature Ms. Porter March 1st 2010 Author Criticism Paper A Vivid Outlook Indirect words that convey the message often has more impact on the reader than direct ones. In her novels, The Bluest Eye and A Mercy, Toni Morrison exploits diction to depict grotesque images to show the result of racism. It is her words that describe the feelings and the setting that absorb the reader into the minds of the characters and allow him or her to see the scenes vividly. Moreover, her descriptions of the result of racism explores how heavily heritage influences paving the road for the future. There are countless novels disputing the consequences of racism, but Morrison distinguishes hers from the rest. In poetry, words are carefully selected as words are limited, but this isn’t the case for novels where words are abundant. Nonetheless, Morrison doesn’t waste a word. In her novel, The Bluest Eye, she doesn’t overtly mention skin color or black, but from her indirect words the reader simply knows or gets the feeling that it is about racism, not to mention the disgust created towards social discrimination. “The grotesque is deliberately extravagant, distorted, violent, and ugly,” which appeals to the readers and exposes the veiled distortions in society on a billboard (Bloom 4). Evidently, Morrison exploits words to arouse strong feelings and wake up the readers to take a step into the invisible burdens that underprivileged people carry. If it weren’t for her extravagantly violent or distorted depictions, the readers would neglect the theme of racism or call it trite. Morrison scrutinizes the aftermaths of racism by divulging its diverse effects and also its intensity. In the society portrayed in The Bluest Eye and A Mercy, the world is superficial—skin color determines or defines how a baby will pursue his or her life. Hence, at a innocent age, children are confused on who they think they are and who the society tells them they are. Yet, as they grow older and step deeper into society, they become more and more subservient to society’s inaudible words. For example, in //The Bluest Eye//, Claudia is a African American girl who is confident that she knows her identity and it’s far from what her mom and the society tells her she is. Morrison sets her as an example of an innocuous mind who is countercultural because she is unaware of the intense racism that surrounds her atmosphere. Yet, eventually, as she becomes more cognizant of they society she breathes in, she encounters and enigma and her confidence slowly fades. “Knowing full well that the myth is a lie, she must nonetheless bow before its idol” (5). The myth is the fact that African Americans always have to be subservient and act or be a minority. Hence, the author proves that racism sets a frame of a person’s life before one even steps into the society and due to this stereotypes, black people suffer from loss of identity. In addition, this loss of identity due to subservience to society’s views mold the perspectives of these people. As society labels the black people as minorities, these victims go through a harsh process of accepting these stereotypical and discriminating views. And when they do, they start expunging their hopes and dreams in life—they simply accept the vapid and miserable life thrown at them. Racism forces them to let go of their true entity under the superficial labels. As a result, they feel like a minority group, indubitably and due to their dark skin, they start to think that they are meant to live a low quality life without a glimpse of happiness. Cholly is portrayed as a poor father to Pecola in The Bluest Eye. He fights with his wife, hits her, and rapes Pecola, but according to Bloom, he is a victim as well. He is a poor man that suffers from society’s oppression that he cannot control his anger, which piled up in the first place due to inequality. “quote” Racism may seem physical or perhaps simply superficial, but its effect goes deep into the minds of its victims. “quote.” It’s evident from Morrison’s portrayals that discrimination scars the characters deep inside their bones. Racism has many effects and some are more serious than others. It is indubitable that racism exists in society, but its effects aren't fully exposed. Evidently, racism separates different groups and categorized some higher than the others. Yet, this isn't it; it's not simply the matter of feeling belittled or degraded. A person is born with his or her own identity and this is developed throughout life. However, racism impedes strengthening of this identity. Black people are often born with an automatic identity: minority. Despite the efforts to fight against the stereotypes and reserve a unique identity, racism and society's obedience to it eradicates these efforts. Hence, due to racism, many people encounter confusion in their entity-- they don't know who they are. Moreover, people treat them differently solely based on their skin color, which drops them in even more confusion. As a result, due to racism, people face mental problems. They are lost, but they know they are degraded and they know they can't be the person they are willing to be. “Dark-skinned blacks redirect their self-hatred” (5). Racism enervates its victims and sucks out the happiness and confidence in them. Therefore, these people feel repressed and they lack confidence. Such negative effects cause the black or other minority people to step away from the main society and become socially excluded. Racism triggers countless violent actions, but these are temporary unlike the effects on mental health, which are long-lasting and which leave people with no voice. Racism makes the minority groups feel worthless for no apparent reason but their skin color. “In [Pecola]her last scene, she sits in her room talking to an imaginary friend about the precise intensity of the blue- ness, about whether she, in truth, now has America's bluest eye” (5). Through Morrison’s books we see how the future is paved for black people, but she it’s crucial to realize that in A Mercy the ending is positive while in The Bluest Eye Pecola dies, defeated by racism. Miner believes that a person’s perspective of the world is what determines their future. Of course, genetics and physical appearance is crucial but at the end, a person’s survival tingles on the fingertips of the individual himself or herself. Miner believes that Pecola's life would be different if she were to change what she sees. Pecola is described as a girl who is afraid of reality and who wishes to elude from it. Hence, she filters the negatives in her life and hides from it. When she sees her family beating each other up and fighting continuously, she hides under a quilt to hide from it. Pecola continues to just ignore or hide from what's on her plate even at school when the kids talk about her father, Cholly. This girl refuses her reality because she has a strong impulse to live her idealistic life, which is a white person's life-- something impossible to occur. Yet, she believes in miracles. She thinks that if she avoids and ignores what people say, she can eventually reach her goal. Hence, she covers her eyes from whatever she doesn't want to see. Nonetheless, this is futile as she can still hear what people speak about her and her family. When Maureen calls her ugly, it finally hits Pecola that she cannot simply just hide from reality and her condition. As a result, she wants blue eyes because she believes that having blue eyes will help her see the world in a better way or the eyes will bring her a better world, the white people's world. Yet, as Miner said "If Pecola were to see things differently, she might be seen differently." And perhaps, he’s right. Despite Morrison’s use of grotesque descriptions to portray the severe effects of racism, she also reveals a glimpse of hope. “We as readers are forced to consider not only the absurdity of idolizing a blue-eyed child and protecting the sexual vanity of a pre-adolescent boy, but also the horror when these absurdities lead to murder, incest, and schizophrenia” (Bloom 4). Nonetheless, we can’t help but wonder why Pecola didn’t try to build self confidence rather than idolize Shirley Temple, the blue-eyed child. It’s undeniable that the “absurdity” of the society and its obsession with whiteness was what convinced Pecola, but Morrison also shows a different character that has a different perspective—“Claudia serves as a contrast to the to Pecola” (5). As mentioned previously, Claudia does end up obeying the “myth” but at least deep in her heart, she knows that it’s a lie. Not only that, but in //A Mercy,// Florens goes on a harsh journey at the age of sixteen but learns to elude from her roots. Florens like Pecola is an African American girl, coming from a family that was never rich or respected. Moreover, Florens is taken in by Vaark as a slave. She adjusts to her new environment away from her home, her family, but she isn’t ashamed of her ethnicity like Pecola was. She does want to succeed but as a African American and not a white girl. Unlike Pecola, she doesn’t have dreams of having blue eyes and white skin, her thoughts and goals go beyond that.