...Born on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio, Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize- and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue and richly detailed black characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved. Morrison has won nearly every book prize possible. She has also been awarded honorary degrees. Early Career Born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio, Toni Morrison was the second oldest of four children. Her father, George Wofford, worked primarily as a welder, but held several jobs at once to support the family. Her mother, Ramah, was a domestic worker. Morrison later credited her parents with instilling in her a love of reading, music, and folklore. Living in an integrated neighborhood, Morrison did not become fully aware of racial divisions until she was in her teens. "When I was in first grade, nobody thought I was inferior. I was the only black in the class and the only child who could read," she later told a reporter from The New York Times. Dedicated to her studies, Morrison took Latin in school, and read many great works of European literature. She graduated from Lorain High School with honors in 1949. At Howard University, Morrison continued to pursue her interest in literature. She majored in English, and chose the classics for her minor. After graduating from Howard in 1953, Morrison continued her education at Cornell University...
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...The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Beauty is said to be in the eyes of the beholder, but what if the image of beauty is forced into the minds of many? The beauty of a person could be expressed in many different ways, as far as looks and personality goes, but the novel The Bluest Eye begs to differ. It contradicts the principle, because beauty is no longer just a person’s opinion but beauty has been made into an unwritten rule, a standard made by society for society. The most important rule is that in order to be beautiful, girls have to look just like a white doll, with blue eyes, light pink skin, and have blond hair. And if they’re not, they are not beautiful. Pecola, one of community’s ugly children, lives life each day wanting to be accepted. “The wider community also fails Pecola. Having absorbed the idea that she is ugly and knowing that she is unloved, Pecola desperately wants the blue eyes that she understands will make a child lovable in American society”(Kubitschek 35). In The Bluest Eye, Morrison argues that the black females in society have been forced to accept the blond hair blue eyed image as the only beauty that exists. Little girls in Lorain had it set in their heads that they should all grow up owning a blond haired and blue-eyed doll, also known as Shirley Temple. These images were placed in their minds, making them feel as if they had to live up to the expectations by going with the crowd, and letting their surroundings influence them. “Adults, older girls...
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...ENGL 112.003 African-American Communities in Beloved Thesis: Toni Morrison focuses on negative impact of slavery on the well-being of African American communities throughout her novel Beloved by depicting the damage done, its effects on individual characters, and the renewal of community. 1. The enforcement of slavery has destroyed black communities and families 1. Families throughout Beloved were split due to slavery 2. The community of 124 abandons its members 1. Characters are negatively impacted by the lack of community 1. The deeds and traits of Six-o compared to the rest of the men living at Sweet Home 2. Denver and Sethe’s lack of identity due to a lacking of maternal figures 1. Toni Morrison provides ways to repair a broken community 1. The significance of Beloved as a means to address the past 2. The individual efforts of characters compared to the successes of the community and the importance of Baby Suggs and the Clearing Conclusion African American Communities in Beloved Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a wonderfully written novel filled with themes and symbolisms. The novel is told with a linear moving plot that is constantly short stopped by the recurrence of character’s repressed memories. A very prominent theme in the story is of communal identity. Morrison emphasizes throughout the story the importance of community. Toni Morrison focuses on the negative impacts of slavery on the well-being of African...
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... 2016 More Than a Name in Toni Morrison’s Beloved Toni Morrison’s book Beloved focuses a lot on the treatment of black people during the harsh times of slavery. She deeply intrigue’s the reader by using names which are uncommon or unheard of. Toni Morrison separate’s black and white people by giving the black character’s names that have sentimental value. She does not touch on the white peoples names, she gives them names that society would assign to them. When it comes to the colored people in the book she goes into depth with the meaning of their name and its origins. Toni Morrison first does this by getting Sethe’s dead daughter’s tombstone carved with the words “Beloved”. This is no easy task for Sethe because she has no money and has to have sex with the tombstone maker in order to get the work done. This the first point of the significance of names because it demonstrates that the baby is going to be remembered by Sethe in a good way, she wants the tombstone to have some significance to her. Sethe has to look past the things she did and see carving in a positive manner. On page 11 Toni Morrison says, “ What she settled for was the only words that mattered.” This suggests that Beloved’s tombstone will have a meaning that is important to Sethe, not just a plain tombstone that has no meaning or significance to her. Stamp Paid is a character that comes up several times in the novel. He is not a major character in the book, but Toni Morrison decides to expand on his characteristics...
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...On the Acts of Love between Mother and Child in Toni Morrison’s Sula By Professor L.B. Johnson English 102.103 5 December 2011 Alicia D. Davis Professor L.B. Johnson English 102.103 5 December 2011 On the Act of Love between Mother and Child in Toni Morrison’s Sula Thesis: Eva is conflicted with the choice of putting her son, Plum, out of his misery or watching him die slowly; sacrificing herself to save her daughter, Hannah, or watching her burn; Eva is conflicted with the love she feels for grand-daughter, Sula and the contempt she also holds for her. I. Eva is left with the choice of putting her son, Plum out of his misery or watching him die slowly. A. Eva decides to remove stool from her son, Plum’s rectum to put him out of his misery. B. Eva decides to kill her son, Plum, to put him out of his misery. II. Eva is conflicted with the choice of sacrificing herself to save her daughter or watching her burn. A. Hannah’s dress caught fire and her daughter Sula watches. B. Eva jumps from a window to try and smother the fire with her own body. III. Eva is conflicted with the love she feels for Sula and the contempt she also holds for ...
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...1. This novel took place in Loraine, Ohio after the Great Depression from 1940 to 1941. During this time it was hard for people to find employment, especially blacks. It also shows the constant glorification of white beauty which lead to black self-hatred during this time. Furthermore, it was written at a major part of the Civil Rights Movement, which involved counteracting the bias that white is beautiful and black is not. 2. Toni Morrison is an African-American writer and professor. She grew up in Ohio, Lorain Where the Bluest Eye takes place. She developed a love for literature and storytelling as she grew up. The story is the told from the view of a 9 year old girl which would have been the same age as Morrison during time in the book. Showing the connection that the book has connection in her life personally. The story evolved from a conversation she had with a little girl in elementary school who wanted blue eyes. 3....
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...Toni Morrison displays “New World Woman” through Sula to readers. She is independent, unconventional and wild compared to other black women during that time in the novel. In the novel, after Sula comes back to Bottom to meet her grandmother and her grandmother wants her to get married and be settled, she says: “I don’t want to make somebody else. I want to make myself.” (92) Her declaration displays an image of an independent woman who can take care of herself and live by herself without a man. This “New World Woman” image really destroys the view of people who see black women always dependence on their husbands and need men to support their lives. Also, from the sexual life aspect of Sula, it shows the image of “New World Woman” of Sula. The quote from the novel says “She was pariah, then knew it. Knew that they despised her and believed that they framed their hatred as disgust for the easy way she lay with men”, (122) which indicates that Sula is so unconventional and wild that she does not care about her reputation and this behavior is kind immoral in other people’s view in Bottom since they think women should always obedient to their husbands. In addition, Sula leave Bottom for ten years and went to college during that time, which is not major black women would to do. Furthermore, from 1976 Interview with Toni Morrison1, Toni Morrison also mentions Sula as “a woman alone – not a woman without a man, but a woman alone, without women friends”. In the later life of Sula,...
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...The Bluest Eye Essay (2nd Draft) Ms. Morrison divides her novel “The Bluest Eye“ into four seasons by making use of motives of her own life. The desire for communicating and sharing aspects with the reader develops a real and identifiable story. But, the reader will only receive knowledge about character perspectives and time frames piece by piece. In order to develop Pecolas fortune to a dramatic climax, she let’s the nature act against her, too. Furthermore, various techniques are used that make the text narratively rich, which leads to a style that contributes towards the dramatic plot action. A lot of what makes The Bluest Eye such capable is the use of special techniques that safe the readers attention at all times. Though Morrison structered her novel with an exposition, climax and conclusion, the plot is still very complicated and never a simple one. You can compare the way Morrison changes charecter perspectives and time frames to building a tower, giving the audience only pieces of knowledge little by little. Furthermore, it sometimes even feels like the novel started at the climax and goes intentionally back to the exposition, because you get to know the tragedy in the beginning but you have to experience the end first by reading the book. The change between the characters narrative enhances the way Morrison structered her story. Another very important stylistic aspect is the change in the character narratives which changes from 3rd person omniscent to a lot of...
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...Jazz This was a very interesting piece of work by Toni Morrison. I have read other works of Morrison’s and she has a way of writing that can’t be only captured in one point of view or perspective in my opinion. There is always this underlying metaphor or meaning that isn’t recognizable from first glance. In Jazz I feel that there are two things that are the major overtones of the novel. The first is the different affects and types of desires and the other would be the comparisons that can be made back to jazz music. First I want to touch on her concepts of desire. Morrison is theorizing the nature of desire; particularly African American females desire (Cannon, 235). The desires of the two main characters in the novel are what give the story its flare and captivity of the reader. The first example would be the husband Joe. He gets caught up in a love triangle with his wife Violet and mistress eighteen year old Dorcas. First was his going and seeking out Dorcas and having found that sexual desire he yearned for he then kills her to “keep the feeling going” (Cannon, 235). This is what brings Violet’s emotions to light. With her finding out about her husband’s disloyalty drives her into an instant state of anger and depression. Initially Violet only understands sexual desire and that becomes confusing upon the finding of her husband’s doings. Now that everything is in the open her sexual desires then start to manifest into jealous rage. Her first outburst of this jealous rage...
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...1 Literature concerning the lives of African Americans during and after slavery explores the many horrific acts of violence. Violence manifests itself in people both physically and psychologically. Physical wounds may heal over time, but it is the emotional scarring that begins to take a toll on the human mind. The novel, Beloved, by Toni Morrison revolves around the character of Sethe, an African American woman who recently escaped from a slave plantation. Sethe's home on 124 Bluestone Road is haunted by her daughter, Beloved, whom Sethe murdered in order to keep her from the life of slavery. Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved, explores both the uses and effects of violence through multiple characters. The character of Paul D is left traumatized from his days as a slave. The violence that Paul D endured leaves him only with fear, believing that revealing too much will bring him back into a past from which he may never escape. This is evident in Chapter 7, when Paul D recalls the painful memories of his days as a slave with Sethe, “Saying more might push them both to a place they couldn’t get back from. He would keep the rest where it belonged: in that tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be. Its lid rusted shut” (Beloved). Both Sethe and Paul D avoid having to deal with the past by repressing the memories of their days as slaves. The effects of violence have ultimately left Paul D with no other choice but to use this destructive coping mechanism. Paul...
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...In the 1973 novel Sula Morrison delineates a lot of different scenarios in Sula to demonstrate how racism is depicted in not only the book but also in history. Sula is an African American novel written by Toni Morrison an African American english scholar who centralizes this story of two black girls into a “circulation of sorrow”. This literary work does not only focus on one main focus but many main focuses. Each character goes through a estimation or challenge they want to fulfill. Toni Morrison also talks a lot about gender roles and the difference between male and females. Males are displayed as greedy , manipulative and childish or child-like while the women are displayed as strong and powerful. There is no secret that Morrison favored...
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...and gender that have left individuals and communities alike subjugated and isolated. Toni Morrison, through her fictional novel Song of Solomon, tackles the desire for belonging that so many faced during the oppressive 1960s. Appeals to equal rights for African Americans were met with hateful discrimination and bloody discourse—ultimately dividing people from within groups. But Morrison pushes her discussion beyond just the confines of racism to the treatment of black women in society; the tyrannical repression they faced. Throughout Song of Solomon, a reoccurring theme of dependence and abandonment of women presides. Toni Morrison exploits women’s belonging to men and yet, also, their burdens for men’s freedom. In order to conquer the quest of the novel, the main character must recognize and overcome such female injustices. Foundational to the their societal repression, black women suffered not only from racial segregation but the social obligations to men, children, and their community. Women were the guardian of the family in the 1960s, and lacked the free-will retained by men. The man they married, the structure he created, defined a woman. Song of Solomon directly touches on the heavy racism circling the times. Milkman and Guitar actively talk about racism and the cruelty of the white “nonhumans.” The Seven Days group react to racist violence of whites with equivalent acts. But Morrison is not as direct with her comment on the despot that is men. This discussion, however...
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...American novelist, Toni Morrison in her acceptance speech “Nobel Lecture,” places a great deal of importance to the power of language, as well as reminding future generations that having such power takes a lot of responsibility. Morrison’s purpose is to urge us to recognize the lasting impact of the past and warns us against the misuse of language. With a passionate tone, she appeals to the feelings and experiences in her audience. Through her brilliant syntax along with her wonderful use of metaphors, her message is one of optimism and the guarantee that one day the power of language will eventually unite us. By opening with an anecdote of the blind, but wise old woman Morrison introduces us to the life of the bird. The bird’s life can be thought of as living or dead---the same can be said for language. There are the writers who can ‘kill’ the language; it comes to the extent where they begin to drain it, weakening the power from it. In this case, it initially seems that the youth mock the blind woman and want to destroy things the elderly cherish (for example, language) because it’s the believed nature of the youth: “For her dead language is not only one no longer spoken or written, it is an unyielding language content to admire its own paralysis.” In other words, the language with the sole reason that what its saying merely sounds beautiful, it is satisfied and living in bliss. This language that admires itself has come to the point where it doesn’t welcome the flourishing...
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...Stella Harutyunyan Per. 1 Sula and Nel The 1920s was a time of racism, sexism and discrimination. No freedom compared to the one we have today and not many who were brave enough to create it. In Toni Morrison’s novel “Sula”, two girls named Sula and Nel dreamed of living their lives to the fullest since they were little, but as they grew older their lives separated into different paths. Sula decided to get out of town and live her life searching for freedom and Nel ended up living the typical town life marrying a man she barely knew if she loved. Sula demands and seeks freedom while Nel continues her life playing by the rules and misses out on freedom. Sula is really complex and hard to understand at times. We sometimes feel sorry for her, sometimes appreciate her courage, and sometimes hate her for being so insensitive to other people's feelings. She's anything but boring, and she challenges herself to earn her freedom. We first encounter Sula as a child living in a chaotic household run by some pretty strong-willed women. Because her surroundings are so noisy, messy, and busy, she prefers the quiet and neatness of Nel's house. We learn much about Sula through her relationship with Nel. However, as these two women mature, they begin to separate and each start to grow into different perspectives on the community in which they live. Growing up Sula witnesses a lot of events that shape her into becoming an adult. But unlike Nel, Sula decides to leave the Bottom and live...
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...In Toni Morrison’s the novel “The Bluest Eye”, it provided a comprehensive understanding of how whiteness is the preferred beauty standards, which misleads the lives of African American women and children. Morrison is a master at examining the relationships between the races and genders. She also talks about the struggle between civilization and nature, despite the fact that if it is myth. Morrison has a unique way in her writing that causes the reader to get visual through her narrating stories. Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye demonstrates her creative techniques to express the struggles of how African American girl’s deals with society’s concepts of beauty, self-hatred, self-worth, and family. As many individuals may know that beauty is...
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