Free Essay

Color Purple Essay Questions

In: English and Literature

Submitted By LAELONNIRW32
Words 1289
Pages 6
LaeLonni Williams
Color Purple Final Exam

1. Celie's writing letters to God is known as an "epistolary form," because letters to God or in a religious context are called "epistles." Why does Celie write to God? What sorts of things can she tell God that she cannot tell others? What sorts of things does she learn to tell Shug that she is afraid to tell God? Does God ever listen to Celie? Celie rights to God because in the beginning of the book her step father says to her “You better not tell no one but God. It’d be kill your mammy.” Even though her mother dies I believe Celie still feels comfortable with only tell God and she may even be ashamed of whats going with her likes she is somehow responsible. Celie rights about her true feelings for the people around her such as Shug, Mr__, Nettie, her father, mother, Sophia, Squeak and Shug’s husband. She also tells God about how it feels to be raped, mistreated and abused. Celie tells Shug about her sexual experience or lack of but doesn’t tell God. Celie often compares Shug to her mother. God does listen to Celie evident by her getting the strength to leave Mr__ and do something for herself. I believe God gave Shug to Celie ti help her overcome abuse and slavery by Mr__.
2. What role do you think Sofia plays in the novel? Describe her character and discuss how she contributes to the themes in the book.

Sophia is the first glimpse of a woman being in control of herself that Celie sees. Sophia refuses to be a slave to Harpo and chases after won happiness despite the role that Celie plays to Mr__. Mr__ and Celie advise Harpo to beat Sophia so that she will obey him. Sohpia fights Harpo back and leaves with her children and gets married. On the other hand Sophia’s strong will gets her arrested and she is sentenced to be the slave to the Mayor’s wife for her actions. In the time this novel was set in not only were women inferior to men but so African Americans were inferior to Caucasians and Sophia was both African American and a woman so her talking back to the Mayors wife and hitting the Mayor was not tolerated. Sophia still remained a strong woman behind bars and eventually learned to accept the rules of society and obey her “owner”.

3. How did Shug influence Celie's life before and after their introduction? Discuss both fully.

Before Celie met Shug she was taken by her beauty and class. She was a little obsessed with her flyer and wished she could meet her in person. She compared Shug to her mother but said Shug was meaner. After Shug came to the house he Celie became close and Celie confided in Shug and told her about Mr__ beating her she also told Shug about not enjoying sex with Mr__. Shug helped Celie find Nettie’s letters and also helped Celie find herself, which led to Celie leaveng Mr__ and going to find out about her biological parents and confronting her step father.

4. Why is the " _____" in "Mr. _____?"

I believe the ___ after Mr represents any man from those times. They all seemed to be controlling and superior to women. ___ was used to describe the abusive men in the story. This could symbolize emptiness and sens of “who are they” and “why do they feel they can do this to woman” a blank space.

5. What insight do we get from Mr.____’s character after seeing him attempt to flirt with Nettie? He wanted a young pretty wife to have sex with and to take care of him and his children. He had no morals or respect for women or children.
6. Compare the relationship Mr.____ has with his father to the one that he has with his son. Is there any real difference in these relationships or is it a cycle of abuse from father to son? Mr__’ father is arrogant, demeaning and degrading just like Mr__ any be even a little more meaner. Mr__ is afraid to stand up to his father just like Harpo is afraid to stand up to Mr__. Mr__ lives his life the same way by treating Harpo like his father treated him. He advises Harpo to beat his wife like he beats Celie but it back fires on Harpo when Sophia fights back and eventually leaves Harpo. Harpo is afraid to tell the truth about the injuries he gets from Sophia’s beatings because he knows his dad would not approve. Harpo tries to gain weight to stand up to Sophia but that doesn’t work either. Mr__ does change towards the end realizes that he was mean and mistreated Celie and tries to get her to stay. I do believe it is cycle but one that was about to be broken because of Mr__ actually wanting to treat Celie an equal rather than dominate and abuse her.
7. Compare Walker's representations of rape in this book--especially Celie's rape by a Black man, and Squeak (Mary Agnes)'s rape by a white man. What is going on here? What is Walker saying about sexual violence and womens' reactions to it? In the black community it was ok to rape your wife whether she is an adult or child but when squeak is raped by her uncle, who is white, it is not ok. I think Walker was showing during those times it was socially accepted to be forced to have sex with your husband but not by a stranger. Even though there is no difference rape is rape. It was accepted by woman in their marriages and families.
8. How is it shown that Celie has matured? Discuss all aspects. Celie's innocence was taken from her when she was raped by her step father. Losing her mother, sister and children and such a young age caused her to mature very early. When Mr___ bought Celie and she became a wife and mother she was forced to be an adult. In another way Celie is also starting to mature as a women when she meets Sophia and Shug. Sophia is an independent woman who refuses to be a slave to her husband Harpo. She stands up to him and refused to beaten and worked life a slave. Shug is also a an independent woman who does what she wants and gets what she wants. Celie looked up to her and followed in her fooststeps. When Celie and Mr__ start to get along and Celie refuses to remarry him but says they can remain friends shows how she has matured from a scared little girl to mature independent woman..

9. Do you see Celie as victim or victor in The Color Purple? Explain your position fully I see Celie as a Victor and a Victim. Celie is a victim in the beginning of the story when she abused, raped and confused about what is going on in her life. When Celie starts to mature and sees the light she transforms into a victor because she overcomes all of her hardships and turns into an independent strong woman.
10.What is the significance of the "I am I have always been..." on the first page? Now, I think this statement is telling of Celie’s path to independence. Saying that she was confused and unsure in the beginning but now she knows and is confident that she is and always was a good girl despite all the bad things that happened to her.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Alice Walker

...a white activist civil rights lawyer named Mel Leventhal, and they married him in 1967. A year later she gave birth to their daughter, Rebecca. It was not until she began teaching that her writing career really took off. She began teaching at Jackson State, then Tougaloo, and finally at Wellesley College. Walker was involved in the Civil Rights Movement and spoke for the women’s movement, the anti-apartheid movement, for the anti-nuclear movement, and against female genital mutilation. She also started her own publishing company: “The Wild Trees Press”, in 1984. Walker refused to ignore the tangle of personal and political themes and produced five novels, two collections of short stories, numerous volumes of poetry, and two books of essays that address such issues. She won fame and recognition in many countries but did not lose her sense of rootedness in the South. She also recognized her mother as showing her the...

Words: 2381 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Alice Walker

...Beteckning: Humanities and Social Sciences Double Oppression in the Color Purple and Wide Sargasso Sea. A Comparison between the main characters Celie and Antoinette/Bertha. Ingela Lundin 2008 C-essay English Literature Supervisor: Dr Maria Mårdberg Examinator: Dr Helena Wahlström Table of Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose and main questions ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Method and material......................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Theoretical approach ........................................................................................................ 2 1.4 Previous research – an overview ...................................................................................... 3 1.5 Introducing the novels ...................................................................................................... 4 2. A comparison of the double oppression in the two protagonists’ marriages.................. 6 2.1 The diminishing and isolation of Celie and Antoinette/Bertha........................................ 6 2.2 The upholding of the white man’s norm ........................................................................ 14 Conclusion..........................................................

Words: 10734 - Pages: 43

Premium Essay

Comparing The Giver To Our Modern Day Society

...Prompt: Write an expository essay that compares and contrasts life in and The Giver to our modern-day society. Ever wondered what it would be like to not see color? Or to never experience the knowledge of death? Well, in the novel “The Giver”, that is what it is like. The Giver society is very bland, boring, and plain. In this Essay we will be taking a look at some of the differences and similarities from The Giver and our Modern Day society. First, most of The Giver society is unaware even of what color its. Imagine that. They only see in black and white because of the genetic changes they made to themselves so that everyone could be the same. There are only two people that have seen color. One of them is Jonas. Jonas is an eleven year old boy who has the gift of seeing beyond. One day,...

Words: 806 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Welcome Table

...because I am familiar with the author, Alice Walker, and having read her Pulitzer Prize book “The Color Purple”. In addition, Ms. Walker established an image at the beginning of the story. As noted in the text an image is a distinct representation of something that can be experienced and understood through the senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste). (Clugston, 2010) With the description of the old woman’s attire I was able to picture in my mind exactly what she was wearing and even that she had cataract. “There was a dazed and sleepy look in her aged blue-brown eyes”. (Clugston, 2010) The setting of this story takes place in Georgia during a time when this woman did not have an automobile and had to walk ½ a mile to church. It took place at a time when all parishioners were not allowed to worship at the same church. While reading this story, I found that this old woman was not welcomed in this particular church (table) that she found herself in, I believe, because she was African American and it was a Caucasian church. Eventually, this old woman was tossed out of the church carelessly by some of the men in this church. This “welcome table” was very cold and uninviting, but the table Jesus allowed her to sit at was the complete opposite. Using the reader-response approach to criticize this essay, as indicated in the text, I would ask the following “connecting” questions: What captured my...

Words: 550 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Genki Living

...[pic] Place that I feel comfortable. Crystal Kim Ethan Johnson Writing Studio: Intensive 02/ 18/ 09 On February 6th, I decided to go to a Japanese Café called Genki Living. I woke up late and did not feel like eating a lot, so I got ready to go to Genki living. The Café is about 8 minutes away from my house. It was kind of cold when I came out from my house, so I went back home and grabbed my purple jacket. It was around 7:30 at night when I came out from house and got into my car. As I turned my car on, I heard a song called ‘Take a bow’ by Rihanna. I started singing along to the song and started heading towards the café. I asked one of my friends to meet me there. As I drove along the Michillinda Street I passed by a few cars and met up with Huntington drive. I stopped on the red light and was thinking about what to get when I got to Genki living. After I stopped at a red light I turned right onto Baldwin Street. As I got onto Baldwin Street I passed through so many bright vivid lights of many restaurants. After passing by the bright beam lights of the cars I got to small plaza. I crammed my car into a small parking space and got off from the car. When I got out from car I was welcomed with a bright red, white, and green neon sign. There are many restaurants surrounding the cafe. Few Chinese restaurants and yogurt shops are surrounding the Genki living. As I got to the entrance and through the glass walls I found my friend sitting under a tree that is inside the café...

Words: 1067 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Hsm 250 Bright Tutoring/Hsm250.Com

...HSM 250 Entire Course For more course tutorials visit www.hsm250.com HSM 250 week 1 Checkpoint Human Services Vocabulary Hunt HSM 250 Week 1 Written Assignment My Cultural Identity HSM 250 week 2 Checkpoint Character Case Study HSM 250 week 2 DQ 1 and DQ 2 HSM 250 Week 3 CheckPointCollaborative Discussion and Reflection on Perceptions HSM 250 Week 3 Written Assignment Developing Ethnicity HSM 250 Week 4 CheckPoint Gender Role Development HSM 250 week 4 DQ 1 and DQ 2 HSM 250 Week 5 CheckPoint Sexual Orientation Identity Theory HSM 250 Week 5 Written Assignment Sexual Orientation Case Study HSM 250 Week 6 CheckPoint Influences on Family Structure HSM 250 week 6 DQ 1 and DQ 2 HSM 250 Week 7 CheckPointAbleist Beliefs HSM 250 Week 7 Written Assignment Care Plan HSM 250 Week 8 CheckPoint Religion and Human Service Organizations HSM 250 week 8 DQ 1 and DQ 2 HSM 250 Week 9 Capstone CheckPoint HSM 250 Week 9 Final Written Assignment Character Profile ******************************************************* HSM 250 week 1 Checkpoint Human Services Vocabulary Hunt For more course tutorials visit www.hsm250.com CheckPoint: Human Service Vocabulary Hunt Due Date: Day 4 [post to the Individual forum] Use the reputable online resources to define each of the following vocabulary terms: Enculturation Acculturation Assimilation Encapsulation Collectivism Individualism Write an original definition for each term and provide an APA reference...

Words: 826 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Psychology

...COLOR PURPLE: LIFE OF CELIE Margaret Njigua Northshore Community College Psychology 118 Professor Stanga April 14, 2014 The Color Purple is a novel that was written in 1982 by Alice Walker. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name. Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of women of color in the southern United States and addresses numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. Born in 1895, Celie who is the main character was raised on a farm in a small town in Georgia where formal education took a back seat to physical labor and household maintenance, and the Church was the main focal point of socialization among local town members. The Color Purple chronicles the startling tragedy and triumph of Celie in her struggle for self-empowerment, sexual freedom, and spiritual growth in the early twentieth century. Its winter 1909 and Celie is fourteen years old. Her step-father, who she thinks is her real father, sexually and verbally abuses her. He impregnates Celie and she gives birth to a girl, whom he steals...

Words: 3168 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Join

...results in written form. • STEM—You will use your knowledge of kinetics to analyze scientific investigations. • 21st Century Skills—You will employ online tools for research and analysis. Introduction You have probably heard about the ozone layer and/or the hole in the ozone layer. Ozone is an allotrope of oxygen (O3) which is a very important part of our lives. In this activity, you will learn more about ozone and how it is formed. You will also investigate what causes the ozone layer to be depleted over time in the upper atmosphere. ________________________________________________________________________________ Directions and Analysis Task 1: The Ozone Layer Read about the ozone layer and answer the following questions. You can use the key word “ozone” or “ozone layer” in a search engine to learn more about it. Key search terms: ozone, ozone layer, benefits of ozone 1. Describe a few of the properties of ozone and compare these to the properties of diatomic oxygen. Type your response here: 2. Describe the process by which ozone can be formed in large cities. Type your response here: 3. Even though ozone may be dangerous to our health here on Earth, how can it be beneficial in the upper atmosphere? Type your response here: 4. How is ozone formed in the upper atmosphere? Type your response here: 5. How does the ozone protect us from harmful radiation? Type your response here: Task...

Words: 1422 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Eng Port

...April 21, 2015 Professor Mya Poe Advanced Writing Professor Northeastern University Boston, MA 02115 Dear Professor Poe, This semester has been a great learning opportunity for me and my writing skills. Before this class I was already comfortable with some of the learning goals presented on the syllabus, however, a few of them were strengthened with the projects we worked on. For example, before this class I would never peer review or revise my own papers. With the amount of revisions that were undertaken in all four projects, I feel that I have become more comfortable in the act of revision. Also, I was never good at incorporating forms of evidence to support my claims, ideas and arguments. This class was very helpful in showing how to take research and incorporate it into a project. Overall, this class has allowed me to strengthen my skills as a reviser, helped me “formulate and articulate a stance through my writing”, and helped me to use more forms of evidence to support my claims, ideas and arguments. Project 1 was the simplest of the four projects. I decided to analyze a research article on Marketing and how companies have started to move their businesses into developing nations. At first I didn’t think I would be able to write a rhetorical analysis on this article because of its length but after multiple revisions and help from peers I wrote my final draft. This was the one project where the revisions really helped me grow as a writer. Without these revisions...

Words: 7476 - Pages: 30

Free Essay

Metaphysics

...been several attempts find a solution to the problem of universals, an unresolved issue which revolves around the question of whether or not universals actually exist, and if so, which particular form they take. Though there are many possible solutions to this question, in modern metaphysics one of the most popular stances on the issue is Realism, which can be further boiled down into two popular schools of thought, Aristotelian realism and Platonic realism. Although both forms of realism agree that universals are actual entities, they are distinguished by their contradictory views on the independence of universals. Aristotelian realism asserts that universals exist exclusively as properties instantiated by particulars, while Platonic realism suggests that universals can exist as entities separate of their particulars. However, with regards to the problem of universals, this distinction is negligible because both forms of realism use the same essential logic to attempt to prove the existence of universals. Realism hinges upon the idea that in order for certain phrases and ideas to be true, universals must be considered distinct entities. For example, consider the statement “the sky is blue.” There is a known entity, the sky, that, in all senses of the word, can be accurately described as being blue. This much is indisputably true. But why, of all the possible colors that could be have been used to describe the sky, was “blue” chosen? By itself, the word blue is inherently meaningless...

Words: 1418 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Synaesthesia – a Convincing Example of a Genuine Effect in Psychology.

... shape, taste, smell). For synaesthetes, in everyday life, reading a newspaper or listening to CD might result in seeing colours or experiencing tastes. For example (Simner, 2007), when ES hears a major sixth tone interval he tastes low-fat cream. Similarly, on hearing F-sharp he sees the colour purple. Such experience is sometimes described as a “merging of senses”. After Galton (1880) carried out his first studies on synaesthesia in the late 19th century not many scientists were investigating the phenomenon treating it instead as a curiosity. Recently, in the light of contemporary cognitive and neuroscience studies the topic of synaesthesia regained interest. Since initially, evidence indicating that synaesthesia is a real and concrete sensory phenomenon was scarce and based mainly on the anecdotal reports, scientists were interested in testing its genuineness. According to Ramachandran and Hubbard (2001) some accounts of the condition stated that it is solely product of imagination or that such experiences are nothing more than childhood memories of coloured magnets. Others considered the condition to be no more than metaphorical speech or an effect of taking drugs. In this essay I will demonstrate how various studies dealt with the problem of proving that synaesthesia is genuine. One of the most popular methods investigating synaesthesia is The Test of Genuineness (TOG) for Coloured-Word Synaesthesia (Baron-Cohen, Wyke...

Words: 2900 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Marketing

...In Praise of the Purple Cow Remarkably honest ideas (and remarkably useful case studies) about making and marketing remarkable products. From: Issue 67 | January 2003 | Page 74 | By: Seth Godin [pic] For years, marketers have talked about the "five Ps" (actually, there are more than five, but everyone picks their favorite handful): product, pricing, promotion, positioning, publicity, packaging, pass along, permission. Sound familiar? This has become the basic marketing checklist, a quick way to make sure that you've done your job. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but it used to be that if you dotted your is and paid attention to your five Ps, then you were more likely than not to succeed. No longer. It's time to add an exceptionally important new P to the list: Purple Cow. Weird? Let me explain. While driving through France a few years ago, my family and I were enchanted by the hundreds of storybook cows grazing in lovely pastures right next to the road. For dozens of kilometers, we all gazed out the window, marveling at the beauty. Then, within a few minutes, we started ignoring the cows. The new cows were just like the old cows, and what was once amazing was now common. Worse than common: It was boring. Cows, after you've seen them for a while, are boring. They may be well-bred cows, Six Sigma cows, cows lit by a beautiful light, but they are still boring. A Purple Cow, though: Now, that would really stand out. The essence of the Purple Cow -- the reason it would shine...

Words: 4445 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Pakistan

...Exam 2: Introduction to African American Studies Short Answer Questions: Be sure to respond to both parts of the question. (4 points each/100 points total) 1. Name the leader of Black America’s Accommodationist camp during the early twentieth century. Give an example of his “accommodationist” views. Booker T. Washington. Washington felt the best way for Black people in the South to get ahead was to stay with the same skills they had practiced under slavery, namely farming and vocational trades. “In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.” In this line, he indicates that Blacks and Whites can work together with the latter feeling no threat to the system of segregation in the South. 2. Who was considered the leader of Black America’s Radical camp? Give an example of his radical views. W.E.B. Du Bois. He is associated with the concept of “The Talented Tenth,” which is a reference to the top ten percent of Black Americans who Du Bois felt should lead the way in creating opportunities to advance the lives of all Black people. He also felt that Blacks should have the same rights that any White person had. 3. Who were considered the “Talented Tenth”? Name a specific person who fell into this group. A reference to the top ten percent of Black Americans who Du Bois felt should lead the way in creating opportunities to advance the lives of all Black people....

Words: 2298 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Oprah Effect

...Donelle Kates Professor English ENGL 1101 - 930 11 Feb 2016 Summary and Response Essay ( create own title) Oprah Winfrey impact can not be measured in words, She has influenced millions across the globe through the power of words. Touching the hearts and souls of her admirers through her; T.V. show ( The Oprah Winfrey Show), book clubs, movies, broad way, charity work, and her own magazine ( O magazine). Carmen Wong Ulrich wrote “On a seismic scale of impact, Ms. Winfrey is a 10, with aftershocks felt at both poles. This is how her influence stacks up.” According to CNNMoney.com in January of 2006, Oprah ranked second only to Google as the biggest brand newsmaker of 2006. Behind her was Amazon, ebay, and iPod. Oprah Winfrey is our modern day Moses, chosen by an higher power bless with a gift to influence an entire culture with charisma, charm, and elegance. Oprah Winfrey life is bigger than herself, she extends her hand and opened doors for her own protégés. Dr. Phil success has taken on a life of it’s own, his talk show became the second highest rated talk show along with eight best-selling books. Others gained enormous notoriety being associated with Ms. Winfrey, interior designer Nate Berkus, with his own home line at Linens ‘N Things; Bob Greene, Oprah’s personal trainer and fitness guru; Suze Orman money diva; Mehmet Oz, M.D., health guru; and her two newest additions, Robin Smith, love and relationship psychologist, and Rachael Ray, TV chef and magazine powerhouse in her...

Words: 919 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Yeeee

...Investigation Criteria for Full Markings (Syllabus Excerpt) • Analyses and compares perceptively art from different cultures and times, and considers it thoughtfully for its function and significance. • Demonstrates the development of an appropriate range of effective skills, techniques and processes when making and analysing images and artifacts. • Demonstrates coherent, focused and individual investigative strategies into visual qualities, ideas and their contexts, an appropriate range of different approaches towards their study, and some fresh connections between them. • Demonstrates considerable depth and breadth through the successful development and synthesis of ideas and thoroughly explained connections between the work and that of others. • Demonstrates effective and accurate use of the specialist vocabulary of visual arts. • Uses an appropriate range of sources and acknowledges them properly. • Presents the work effectively and creatively and demonstrates effective critical observation, reflection and discrimination. • Presents a close relationship between investigation and studio. Outline and Explanation: • Introduction Page- introduce the studio work you plan on investigation, brainstorming and creating. Explain why you are interested in that specific studio work creation. Give a few minor sketches of how you visualize the project. • Brainstorming Page- brainstorm your ideas. The brainstorming page may turn...

Words: 5490 - Pages: 22