The Color Purple is an honest emotional story about love, trust, respect, separation, friendships, and the bond between sisters. It was published back in 1982 by Alice Walker. Walker is a huge activist, and even participated in the 1960’s Civil Rights Movements in Mississippi. Throughout her novel she uses excellent rhetoric to convey her strong emotions. The Color Purple uses ethos to show you how horrible abuse is, logos to help give the characters confidence, and pathos to convey the pain.
Throughout the Color Purple Walker uses ethos to show the harshness of abuse, both mentally and physically. Especially, Shug’s relationships with just about everyone. Mr. ___ says it best on page 287: “All I ever wanted in life was Shug Avery, he
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For example, on page 210 when Celie is fighting with Mr. ___: “I’m pore, I’m black, I may be ugly and can’t cook, a voice say to everything listening. But I’m here.” Logically Celie doesn’t have much going for her, but she completely acknowledges that. By doing so she gives herself the confidence to change her fate. Nothing worse could happen to her then what already has. Also, there’s logos when Nettie is talking to the Olinka mothers: “Why, she said the mother of his children. But I am not the mother of anybody’s children, I said, and I am something.” This is extremely logical, and a great comeback, because Nettie is something. She might just be a black missionary, but she is something. Therefore, it isn’t fair to limit the poor girls of their education just so they can be a full time wife. In addition, this statement gives Nettie lots of confidence that she can succeed as a women, missionary, black, and in a completely different country. By recognizing the logical realness of their lives the characters were able to build up their confidence to persevere.
Throughout the Color Purple Walker uses pathos to convey the pain that the characters feel. For instance, on pages 287-288 when Mr. ____ makes a speech about asking himself questions after Shug left him: “I start to wonder why us need love. Why us suffer. Why us black…...The more I wonder, he say, the morel love.” During the speech there’s even repetition when he begins each sentence with why us. By dragging
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a very controversial novel, which many people found to be very offensive. It is basically the struggle for one woman’s independence. The main character in The Color Purple is Celie a coloured woman with little or no education at all. She is one who has been used and abused by all the men in her life, and because of these men, she has very little courage or ambition in her life. She has so little courage, that all she wants to do is just survive. Through the various women she meets throughout here life like: Shug, her sister, and Harpo’s wife, she learns how to enjoy herself, gain courage and happiness. She finally learns enough and with the final straw she could no longer bare, she leaves her husband
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is the story of a poor black woman living in the south between World War 1 and World War 2. This was at a time when, although slavery had ended,many women were still virtually in bondage, and had to put up with many conditions that was reminiscent of the days of slavery. The problem was that they had to endure being treated like an inferior being by their own families sometimes, as well as from the white people that lived there. It was a life that was filled with misery for many black women, and they felt helpless to do anything about their situations.
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker in 1982 and later made into a movie in 1985 directed by Steven Speilburg tells the story of a young women of color named Celie who endured countless hardships in the time period of racial discrimination and sexism.
Alice Walker grew up in rural Georgia in the mid 1900s as the daughter of two poor sharecroppers. Throughout her life, she has been forced to face and overcome arduous lessons of life. Once she managed to transfer the struggles of her life into a book, she instantaneously became a world-renowned author and Pulitzer Prize winner. The Color Purple is a riveting novel about the struggle between redemption and revenge according to Dinitia Smith. The novel takes place rural Georgia, starting in the early 1900s over a period of 30 years. Albert, also known as Mr._____, and his son Harpo must prevail over their evil acts towards other people, especially women. Albert and Harpo wrong many people
There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and
Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple, focuses on the struggles of a poor and uneducated African American girl, who is verbally, physically and sexually abused by several men in her life. She feels worthless and becomes completely submissive. Her only way to express her feelings is through private letters to God. An emphasized theme in this work is that expressing one’s thoughts and emotions is essential in order to develop an inner sense of self.
Firstly, The Color Purple (1982) is written by the African- American novelist Alice Walker. For creating such an innovative novel, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple won both the Pulitzer Price and the National Book Award. Walker initiated her novel by a confession that The Color Purple is her spiritual journey and the female protagonist represents her during this journey. The novel is made up of 90 letters written by Celie to God and some of these letters are written by Nettie to her sister Celie. These letters are similar to a diary that Celie finds as a way to express her feelings , emotions and thoughts in a place she is not permitted to be free. Generally, the novel portrays a life and a journey of a young fourteen -year- old black girl who is persecuted throughout her life from her stepfather who repeatedly raped her and forced her to marry a cruel man who, in turn, oppressed her.
Walker’s theme of writing is straight forward, she express through emotions and sexual conduct. Alice Walker adds, “The worse thing than being a woman is being a black woman” (282). The novel: The Color of Purple tells about the leading character Celie that writes down her deepest thoughts of unhappiness and sorrow in her diary. Celie was sexual assaulted by the man she called father, and she later conceives a child, that child was taken away from her at the age of fourteen. For example, Celie was not attending school, she felt rejected and unattractive. Celie stayed at home
Color of Purple is a Novel by Alice Walker, published in 1982. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983. A feminist novel about an abused and uneducated black woman's struggle for empowerment, the novel was praised for the depth of its female characters and for its eloquent use of black English vernacular.
Sofia is a very opinionated, strong person. With these traits, she teaches Celie how to be assertive. Sofia is not afraid to let people know about her views or opinions, but Celie is the complete opposite. She is too afraid to say anything; she just does what she is told by whoever it may be. “…not Sofia. She do what she want, don’t pay me no mind at all.” (Walker, 63) Harpo beats his girlfriend Sofia, but she has no problem beating him back. Celie understands that it is wrong to beat anyone, but she observe how taken back Harpo is by it and how Sofia has the confidence to do such things. Sofia is Celies reminder that she doesn’t have to stand by while everyone tells her what to do. Celie deserves to get treated respectfully. “Sofia claims her right to speech as she defends her humanity against a remark from the mayor’s wife and her body from assault from the mayor."(Bloom, 134) Sofia stood up to the Mayor after his wife asked her to become their nanny. Although Sofia ends up working for the Mayor, it is for the best because Sofia learns to tone her assertiveness down and Celie learns from it by using her voice to voice her opinions. It may have taken Celie too long to voice her opinion to Mr. ____ but she finally does it. "You a low down dog is what's wrong, I say. It's time to leave you and enter into the Creation. And your dead body just the
The Colour Purple is a novel that was written by the 1983 Pulitzer Prize winner, Alice Walker. The Novel was published in 1982 and was later turned into a film by Steven Spielberg in 1985. The book is about a young girl, Celie who was oppressed and seek to find happiness in life. Despite her inner turmoil, she had a strong belief in God, and also hopes that she would find her estranged sister, Nettie who loved her with all her heart. She got pregnant at an early age by the man she thought was her father. Celie was also a young bride who was being abused by her husband.
Life is a rollercoaster filled with ups and downs. Left turns, right turns, and sometimes completely upside down loop de loops. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a story about a colored woman named Celie who writes letters to God while living through extreme oppression and abuse. Celie eventually overcomes her oppressors by finding her purpose in life through friendship, love, hope, and change in faith. Discovering hope, love, and faith leads to a fulfilling life through difficult times.
“The Color Purple” written by Alice Walker is a story highlighting the values and ideals of the culture and society in the beginning of the 20th century. During this time period certain women were alienated from society due to their clothes, beliefs, and their actions. Although every woman in this book was alienated from society the extent of alienation differed depending on how their words and actions were perceived by society.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a true testament to the oppression of women. The main character in the novel is affected by her physical surroundings, in the way of people, which ultimately construct who she is as a person. Celie, the main character, has a father who sexually mistreats her that leads to many of her psychological traits. Later, Celie’s husband abuses her and treats her as if she were less than a human being. Finally, Shug is the end of all things bad for Celie as at first she is a curse but in the end she is a gift. Physical surroundings afflicting this main character are ubiquitous throughout The Color Purple.
In Alice Walker's The Color Purple, she explores the thin grey line that stands between survival and living. Through her protagonist, Celie, she examines the dramatic shifts of empowerment; focusing on the young black girl in the 1850’s.