THE BLUEST EYE

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Thesis Statement

Until the Civil Rights Movement, most African American families were brainwashed with the ideal image of American family. However, Morrison stresses that the strength of African American Families must come from within.

OUTLINEoThesis StatementoFeatures of Black Language *Toni Morrison’s Writing Style *Oral Traditions in Black Language- Idioms, Grammar and Pronunciation *Songs and the RhythmsoFamily Identity * The Ideal American Family *Examining The Breedlove Family *Family Interdynamics (the Breedloves)oCivil Rights Movement *Civil Rights Movement in General *Civil Rights Movement in the Bluest EyeoConclusion StatementoReferences

TONI MORRISON’S STYLE

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What was your firs t impress ion about Mor r i son ’s wr i t ing s ty le?

Answer: Poetic and emotional. She wants readers to participate in her novels by making them feel like the characters.

“After a long while she spoke very softly. - Is it ture that I can have a baby now?” (p. 32)

Toni Morrison’s Style•Black language Love and passion

•By recreating black language Morrison shows that Black people enjoy playing and experimenting with words.

•Her writings are not poetic, metaphors in black language are natural.

Retrieved on 16 May, 2010 from: http://mrpoplife.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54ede41cc8833010535cc725c970c-320wi

-“Boyfriends?Boyfriends? Chittlin’, I ain’t seen a boy since nineteen and twenty-seven.” -“How come I ain’t seen a boy since nineteen twenty-seven? Because they ain’t been no boys since then. That’s when they stopped. Folks started gettin’ born old.”- “You mean that’s when you got old,” China said.- “I ain’t never got old. Just fat.”- “Same thing.”- “You think ‘cause you skinny, folks think you young? You’d make a haint buy a girdle.” (. . .)- “All I know is, them bandy little legs of yours is every bit as old as mine.”-“ Don’t worry ‘bout my bandy legs. That’s the first thing they push aside.” (p.52)

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Black Language

FEATURES OF BLACK LANGUAGEORAL TRADITIONS IN BLACK LANGUAGE

Idioms*Are the expressions that mean something different from the actual meaning of the words.

Idioms in General: -All in the same boat Go to bed

- Beat a dead horse To make someone laugh

- Crack someone up When everyone is facing the same challenges

- Hit the sack To force an issue that has already ended

Idioms in the Bluest Eye

“Girl, when I found out I could sell it-that somebody pay cold cash for it, you could have knocked me over with a feather.” (p.55)

What do those idioms mean?Answers: 1st one I was extremely surprised. 2nd one She won’t be back for a while.

“But she ain’t due back for a spell.” (p.75)

*It is mostly slang.

Grammar and Pronunciation

“Dere go da heart.”(p.135)“Shet up!” (p.91)“Lemme take it out.” (p.29)“Leave me ‘lone.” (p.40)“I ain’t gonna break nothing.” (p.27)“Looka here, buddy.”(p.36)“Well, naw, she ain’t.” (p.24)

“Some men just dogs.” (p.13)“Is I’m gone be all right?” (p.137)“Wasn’t her fault none.” (p.141)“We was just trying to stop the blood!” (p.31)“They wants to put their toes...” (p.53)

Songs and RhyhtmsPoland: “I got blues in my mealbarrelBlues up on the shelf I got blues in my mealbarrelBlues up on the shelf Blues in my bedroom‘Cause I’m sleepin’ by myself” (p.51)

Pauline: “Precious Lord take my handLead me on, let me standI am tired, I am weak, I am worn.Through the storms, through the nightLead me on to the lightTake my hand, precious Lord,Lead me on.” (p.114)Answers:

*Songs are rhyhtmic*Songs reflect personality and mood.

What do these songs have in common?

You’ve read white writers before, how would you

compare those with Toni Morrison’s writing

style?

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FAMILY IDENTITY

“Here is the house. It is green and white. It has a red door. It is very pretty. Here is the family. Mother, father, Dick and Jane live in the green-and-white house. They are very happy…”

What kind of image does this quote depict in terms of American lifestyle in the 1940s?Answer: The American Dream The ideal American family= white, upper-middle class, loving parents, cute kids, great environment(house, community etc.)

The Ideal Family of Dick and Jane

Answer: (Many/ open to debate)+ Victimized : low self- esteem, racial self- hatred, weak community..+ Socioeconomic factors such as; the lack of equal access to opportunities..

What problem does ‘the Dick and Jane model’ cause for the African American families?

What can be the reasons for this?

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THE BREEDLOVES [BREED + LOVE] => Irony

“ From the tiny impressions gleaned from one another, they created a sense of belonging and tried to make do with the way they found each other.” (p. 34)What does this quote tell you about the Breedlove family?

Answer: The Breedlove family is dysfunctional. It is even hard to call them ‘family’ since the members are like strangers to one another. These strangers who happen to live under one roof try to find ways to cope with others’ bothersome acts/qualities.

What else can we tell about the Breedloves?

“They lived there because they were poor and black… The rest of the family wore their ugliness, put it on, so to speak, although it did not belong to them” (p.38)

THE BREEDLOVES

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THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS

CHOLLY PAULINE

PECOLA SAMMY

Civil Rights Movement is a mass protest movement againstracial discrimination

in United Statesthat came to national

prominance during1960’s.Many active organizations during Civil

Rights Movement prefer the

term “Southern

Freedom Movement”

because the struggle was about fundamental issues of freedom, respect,dignity, economic and social equality.

Martin Luther King, Jr.was one of the importantfigures during this

movement.

Civil Rights Movement in General

Civil Rights Movement in General

Bus Boycott

Discrimination in social life

Black is beautiful

Civil Rights Movement in the Bluest Eye

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Black is beautifulvs

White is beautiful

The slogan in the Civil Rights Movement differ from the one in the Bluest Eye. What do you think that Morrison reveals by this differentiation?

Morrison hopes that blacks would rely on the strength of their communities instead of power, wealth or beauty.

Concluding Statement

The empowerment of the smallest societal unit is entitled to its own dynamics. Therefore, a certain standard is not applicable to prioritize one community over another.

Finally…Got a black magic womanI got a black magic womanYes, I got a black magic woman Got me so blind I can't seeBut she's a black magic woman And she's tryin' to make a devil out of me

Don't turn your back on me babyDon't turn your back on me babyYes, don't turn your back on me babyYou're messin' around with your tricksDon't turn your back on me baby'Cause you might just break up my magic stick

You got your spell on me babyYou got your spell on me babyYes, you got your spell on me babyYou're turning my heart into stoneI need you so bad, magic woman, I can't leave you alone

Yes, I need you so bad Well, I need you darlingYeah, I need you darling Yes, I want you to love meI want you to love me Whoa, I want you to love me, ahWhoh, yeah Oh, whoa, baby Yes, I need your loveOh, I need your love so badI want you to love me

Can you see a connection between this song and The Bluest Eye?

Referenceso Britannica, E. (N.D.). Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved on May 15, 2010, from Britannica Online Encyclopedia: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/119368/Civil-Rights-Movement

o Author unknown. (n.d.). Retrieved on May 15, 2010, from http://paintedricecakes.org/languagearts/pdf/BluestEyeQuickNotes.pdf

o Author unknown. (2009). Toni Morrison: The Bluest Eye. Retrieved on May 16, 2010, from http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/morrison.html

o Author unknown. (n.d). Idiom Site. Retrieved on May 16, 2010, from http://www.idiomsite.com/

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