An Analysis of Love Countering Molestation in Walker’s The Color Purple and Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Dr Wilson book Hurt people hurt people; premise is as simple as the book’s title. She shows how the process of hurting others is a cycle in that; “All of us have been hurt by people who all were hurt by other hurt people. In turn we-as hurt people-all have hurt other people to one degree or another” (Wilson, 2001). She also states that individuals learn child-like solutions to such issues as “trust, identity, and attachment” where become rooted in an individual because of binding shame (Wilson. 2001) .Sadly many children have to learn to act in a defensive or dysfunctional way to survive the abuse at the hand of their family. Parents that tend to abuse where abused themselves and never got the needed emotional healing. Even though

Alice Walker's The Color Purple is an excellent account of the life of poor black women who must suffer not only social ostracism due to gender and skin color but also women who suffer greatly at the hands of black men.  This is true in terms of infidelity, physical and verbal abuse, and sexual abuse.

Maya Angelou, the current poet laureate of the United States, has become for many people an exemplary role model. She read an original poem at the inauguration of President Clinton; she has also appeared on the television show "Touched by an Angel," and there read another poem of her own composition; she lectures widely, inspiring young people to aim high in life. Yet this is an unlikely beginning for a woman who, by the age of thirty, had been San Francisco's first black streetcar conductor; an unmarried mother; the madam of a San Diego brothel; a prostitute, a showgirl, and an actress (Lichtler, 861927397.html). Her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings argues persuasively

Steven Whitacre experienced a very traumatic childhood of abuse from his father which led to a very difficult adulthood. In his book “My Fathers Prostitute”, he talks about his life, starting out when his father first abused him to more recent times in adulthood to where he finally sought help and started to move on in his life started to live the life he should and deserves. This book really opened my eyes on what all goes on in this world that I would have never guessed. “Every eight minutes, a child is sexually assaulted in the U.S., and 93% know the perpetrator” (“Adult Survivors of Childhood”). To me this statistic seems insane and I cannot ever imagine being sexually assaulted by anyone let alone one of my parents that I am supposed to trust and love. When you really think about it, that how every eight minutes a child is getting sexually assaulted it is astonishing. It makes me wonder how many people I know that I have been sexually assaulted but don’t tell anyone. I assume there are many different cases of sexual assault and how there are different levels of how traumatic they are to the individual someone came upon. With some people, the sexual assault only happened once, and with others like the author of My Fathers Prostitute it happens during their entire childhood to impact the individual even more. I am not saying that the individuals who have only been sexually assaulted once came out un hurt or traumatized, but I would just imagine that it would not leave

Marguerite was extremely opinionated and she wasn't afraid to express it. This was unusual for a lady, especially a future countess. Ladies of this era were expected to agree or accept the fate that was handed to them, Marguerite did not, as she would express her feelings and her opinion on decisions made for her. "Tell my father I'm staying in my room and will not eat until he changes his mind" I scream with tears in my eyes" (Page 144). This quote shows that she disagrees with her father's idea of an arranged marriage and she is determined to change his mind. She is not afraid to speak up, considering the consequences. She undermines the medieval social norms by expressing her opinion as normal ladies wouldn't.

When she finally does take action by screaming to the fugitives in the hut telling them their leader is in danger, they have already escaped. This seems to imply that Marguerite can take action in the woman’s world of balls and moonlit strolls but not in a man’s world of chases and escapes. Marguerite often blames Fate for her decisions, even claiming to be “morally innocent” for the murder of a whole aristocratic family she denounced. When she faces the either-or from Chauvelin and decides to spy on the Scarlet Pimpernel, she claims, “Fate had decided, had made her speak, had made her do a vile and abominable thing, for the sake of the brother she loved.” Marguerite is the one who chooses her brother over the Scarlet Pimpernel, but blames Fate rather than herself. By not taking charge of her own life, Marguerite is a pathetic, fragile woman.

This sort of skill is rare, and the fact that she can think of these in a split second just shows her ruthlessness. Other people believe that she is kind because of how she treated those below her. After all, she did feed a poor man food soon after she arrived in England. While they do have a valid point, even though she was nice to one person; however, it doesn’t mean she isn’t a bitter person. The author even states that Marguerite was “rigid, erect and defiant” and the “very personification of unbending pride” (Orczy 11).

For a number of reasons, most sexually abused children never share “the secret” of their abuse that is most often committed by someone the child knows. Therefore, crippling their lives is the loss of self-worth, overwhelmed with shame, and fearful of developing relationships that prevents them from experiencing life as God intended throughout Scripture. The solution I propose is to understand how God sees the problem while providing a safe atmosphere while share Christ-like love and compassion enabling the victims to break the power of the secret and live for Christ.

Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya shields herself against the confusion of St. Louis by reading fairy-tales and telling herself that she does not intend on staying there anyway. Vivian works in a gambling parlor at night. Maya pities Mr. Freeman because he spends his days at home waiting for Vivian to return. Maya begins sleeping at night with Vivian and Mr. Freeman because she suffers from nightmares. One morning after Vivian has left the bed and the house,

Men all through the globe have always been the dominant sex ever since the early former ages. Domestic Violence is a critical issue which negatively impacts women in the world today. The novel The Color Purple deals with the narrator Celie, a black woman uneducated and poor, who gets physically abused by both her so called father and husband. Throughout the novel, it is shown how a powerless woman rises and stands up for herself after years of being mistreated. Over 85% of women experience or go through a domestic violence through friends or family. Domestic Violence has sadly played a big role in families, specifically women, and has led to many deaths. The Color Purple demonstrates how through out the world, thousands of incidents of

Joyce Carol Oates, an American writer, once proclaimed, “Love is an indescribable sensation- perhaps a conviction, a sense of certitude” (QuotesGram). Love, in the most profound sense, is entirely indescribable in every aspect. Each individual has been exposed to a different sense of love that has either affected or altered their emotional or mental state of being. The feelings associated with love come from a sincere interaction, or likewise, lack of this sensation. Celie, from Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, although dealt with many hardships throughout her lifetime, identified and grew effectively from her perception of the infatuation with her partner, Shug Avery. Their bond throughout the novel not only introduced readers into a dysfunctional, heartfelt relationship, but shaped Celie into a substantial, independent character, influenced her decisions for the good of her wealth, and showed her the true meaning and purpose of her place in the world.

Storytelling helps other people to emotionally connect themselves to the author so that they know they are not the only ones who are experiencing a painful or exciting experience, and are able to share the same emotions. It often helps other people to know what they should do in order to get over it when it comes to a painful experience. Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings explores the life of Maya Angelou and the struggles she has been throughout her childhood to her adulthood. Richard Wagemese’s Indian Horse explores the life of Saul Indian Horse and the struggles he has been through after departing from his family. The power of storytelling can unfold questions which ask the audience of how and why are the events are unfold the

As a result of these tragic events, Celie writes to an unknown audience, resembling her unknown identity. In the beginning, the only person she can talk to is God. She writes her first letters to God shortly after her so-called father raped her. Each one of the letters is short, choppy and has a similar rhythm. The patterns found in her letters symbolize her state of mind; she feels depressed and weak. "Celie does not think of her letters as anything else than just that, as written documents saying the things she wishes to tell the recipients she cannot speak to in person”, making God the person she has always wished to communicate with (Boynukara). Her letters in the beginning are also mostly written to God and not signed off, illustrating her lack of identity. Her conception of God is a “Big and old and tall and graybearded and white. He wear white robes and go barefooted” (Walker 195). Celie’s first letter proves that she has a low self-confidence when she writes, "Dear God, I am fourteen years old. I am I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me." (1). According to Janoff Bulman, “cognitive strategy used to make

Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are afraid to tell anyone what has happened (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry). Childhood sexual abuse is a traumatic experience affecting the lives of not only the victim, but those close to the victim as well. Many think there is only one person truly traumatized, but in fact, everyone involved is affected. The victim has to deal with their experience the rest of their lives. They may be more at risk for other mental issues as well, including depression. The family involved has to deal with its pain, often causing hardship and discord within the family. This is especially true

Sexual abuse to children happens across every socioeconomic status, ethnic, cultural, religion and education. Getting treatment for a victim of child sexual abuse is a difficult process because of the lack of trust by the child. When child sexual abuse occurs the victim’s family has a difficult time talking about the abuse, which leads to the family pretending the abuse never happened. Once the family