The bluest eye study guide answers. Bluest Eye Study Guide 2022-10-24
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The Bluest Eye, written by Toni Morrison, is a novel that tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young African American girl living in Ohio in the 1940s. Pecola is tormented by her own sense of worthlessness and her desire to have blue eyes, which she believes will make her more attractive and accepted by society. The novel explores themes of race, beauty, and self-esteem, and raises important questions about the ways in which society shapes and influences our sense of self-worth.
One of the central themes of The Bluest Eye is the destructive power of racism and white supremacy. Pecola's experience of being constantly told that she is inferior because of her race has a profound impact on her sense of self-worth. She internalizes the messages of white supremacy and begins to believe that she is inherently flawed and unlovable. This internalization of racism is a common experience for people of color, and it can have devastating consequences on their mental health and overall well-being.
Another important theme in The Bluest Eye is the concept of beauty and its impact on self-esteem. Pecola's obsession with blue eyes is a clear example of how societal standards of beauty can shape our sense of self-worth. Pecola believes that if she had blue eyes, she would be more attractive and desirable, and this belief is fueled by the constant reinforcement of white beauty standards in the media and society. The novel highlights the dangerous and damaging effects of these narrow beauty standards, and how they can contribute to feelings of inadequacy and self-hatred.
One of the key questions raised by The Bluest Eye is the extent to which society shapes and influences our sense of self-worth. Pecola's experience is a clear example of how societal messages and expectations can have a profound impact on an individual's self-perception. The novel highlights the importance of challenging and resisting these harmful messages, and of cultivating self-love and self-acceptance in the face of societal pressure to conform.
In conclusion, The Bluest Eye is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that explores important themes such as racism, beauty, and self-esteem. It raises important questions about the ways in which society shapes and influences our sense of worth, and highlights the dangers of internalizing harmful messages and standards. By examining these themes, The Bluest Eye encourages readers to think critically about the ways in which they view themselves and others, and to strive for self-acceptance and self-love in the face of societal pressure.
The Bluest Eye: PRINTABLE STUDY GUIDE by Toni Morrison
China, Poland, and the Maginot line, they are all prostitutes they spend a lot time with Pecola especially Maginot Line. The Bluest Eye enjoyed some but far from universal critical success on its first publication, but the novel was also a commercial failure. Why do the black children of the novel and of the period insult each other by calling each other black? What does it mean and what does it do when a black woman wishes she could look like Jean Harlow? She loves the Fishers more than her own family. Then he found fun in bullying girls as they came by through the playground. China- invade the Maginot line Poland- invade the Maginot line Maginot Line- In WWII it was a heavy war zone and this line was supposed to protect the invasion of other countries and keep people out, but it failed to do so Pecola is closest to the Maginot line and the head of the house, and she fails to protect pecola from invasion Mr. He is a misanthrope and he only liked objects that had been inhabited by other people.
He is the man in the town that makes Pecola go crazy by making her think she has blue eyes. We learn about another man named Soap head and feels superior to God due to having light-skin. The sounds of the names of these towns--Akron, Mobile, Meridian, Nagadoches--remind the listener of love, kisses, and butterflies. Pecola would go to the store and be treated like the bottom of the barrel. While she was crying, the cat rubbed her legs and Pecola began to rub it and admire its blue eyes. Is there a way out? In Junior, Morrison demonstrates the linkage between racist oppression and gender oppression. The mother of Pecola and Sammy.
She feels real affection only for her cat. After centuries of coveting white dolls and decades of longing to look like Caucasian Hollywood stars and thinking that it was perfectly appropriate to do so , Black-Americans began to argue for a new standard of beauty. How has this happened? Be sure to answer all parts of the questions and use textual references as often as possible. Does the adult Claudia, who narrates part of the novel, seem to have recovered from her times of hatred for white culture Shirley Temple and the violence on the dolls? The second is the date of publication online or last modification online. The effect is like speeding up film of a slow process? While there, Pecola drops a pie on herself and the little girl her mom takes care of. In the Summer, The news spread that Pecola is pregnant and no one is sharing compassion for her which bothers Frieda and Claudia. As an emerging writer, she remembered the girl and became interested in the mechanics of feelings of inferiority "originating in an outside gaze.
She is harsh and abusive to her children. They do not stand out. At the end of the story , she becomes crazy after getting her blue eyes Mother of Sammy and Pecola, wife to Cholly. She is the youngest pretty brown girl, she hates white people Shirley temple but she loves Mr. Breedlove beats and yells at her. To what degree are Cholly's and Pauline's mistreatments of their children explained by their own past experiences of racism and low cultural self-esteem? Claudia and Frieda are proud of their background: Having a mom and dad a good home, even though they aren't the richest. Versus Pecola hating her background: Father and mother are abusive, later her father rapes.
This new standard was meant to be racially inclusive, allowing blacks to see black as beautiful, but the need to argue for this new standard reveals how firmly the white standard of beauty was entrenched. Why or why not? He came from a religious wealthy family that believed in incest to keep the family line strong, he Mari Velma, but they had to separate because he was boring and did not like physical contact. The novel opens with an excerpt from an old-fashioned reading primer. She is considered ugly, and is emotionally and socially awkward. Pecola prays for blue eyes to be seen by others and be treated like a normal person. He did not pick on "nigger girls" because they beat him up.
We thought, at the time, that it was because Pecola was having her father's baby that the marigolds did not grow. The Bluest Eye generates spirited discussion on the nature, extent, and ubiquity of prejudice in modern America, and other texts on this subject by writers like Alice Walker and Toni Cade Bambara can develop useful dialogues about prejudice, its effects, and possible cures. She sees the weakness in Pecola ad is able to share a bond with her that makes Claudia and Frieda upset, she argues with the girls about seeing their father naked and they end up separating and we never see her again Above the small storefront that Pecola and her family stay are three women. Men who marry women like this know all their domestic needs will be met with rigor and efficiency. Claudia would appear to connect the barrenness of the land to Pecola's tragedy. The girl, whose wish for the eyes of a white girl revealed her contempt for her own racial identity, raised troubling questions about beauty and oppression.
He played with white kids and the right kind of African-American kids. She called the little girl a "nasty little black bitch" and ordered her out of the house. One day he saw Pecola pass by and noticed her because she was ugly. Junior once longed to play with other black boys. One of the main characters.
The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Henry and loves that he talks to them which they aren't used to. Many of the questions that follow are intended to stimulate conversations on the tone of The Bluest Eye, or the attitudes implicit in Morrison's characterization and rhetoric. How fair a characterization of American cultural aspirations is the "Dick and Jane" story by which Morrison introduces many chapters? Is the stereotype more painful for members of minority than mainstream culture? They will only have sex when necessary and never give themselves to sexual pleasure freely. Are other characters in the novel more successful in overcoming the same kind or degree of prejudice? He believed that he was doing the little girls a favor by assaulting them and her referred to the Bible for confirmation of this, but he altered the scripture so that he thought it was okay, he assaults all little girls except Pecola.
For most, the home town is just a place one was born. Claudia is on of the narrators in the book she provides the how. During this time in the world, whiteness was the only beauty standard; or having some white in you, you were seen as superior and taught that you were. . She has adopted a strict code of respectability, often used by working-class people to emulate the middle-class lifestyle. The lines begin to blur and run together -- as they do at the beginning of select chapters.
Before he had thrown the cat, Pecola was in shock at the beauty of the house and its furnishings. In 1993, after Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature, Plume published a new edition with a new Afterword by the author. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. Pecola wished she had to bluest eyes to hopefullly be seen Pecola: wishing she could be seen and doesn't understand why no one wants to be around her Claudia: Very strong and independent has a different outlook on something's that adults overlook by still is a child Pauline Breedlove: felt ugly and useless all her life and it rubbed off on to her children and personal life Soap head: Cobtraducts himself, depressed at times, believes he is higher than god due to being light skin Geraldine: thinks being middle class and black makes her more worthy Junior; made fun on others when bored due to his mom not doing him attention Cholly: tried to justify what he did to his daughter: couldn't understand why he felt rage and tenderness ; hatred for women came from when he was forced to continue having sex At the beginning ,Claudia foreshadows what's to come in the book. Three girls, Pecola, Frieda, and Claudia, become friends and explore their outlooks on life. So many different people and. His mother saw in Pecola all that she had been running from all her life.
