Lemonade Symbolism

Tom Brady once said, “Too often in life, something happens and we blame other people for us not being happy or satisfied or fulfilled. So the point is, we all have choices, and we make the choice to accept people or situations or to not accept people or situations.” In the book, Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, Paul Fisher discovers his true potential when he and his family move to Florida. Additionally, Erik Fisher’s (Paul’s brother) choices and consequences greatly affect Paul’s development as a valuable person. Erik’s choices are seen as disgusting, sly, and evil through the eyes of Paul Fisher himself and are not only frightening, but shocking as well. Through clever symbols and motifs, the author reveals and expresses through Paul’s journal

“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”- Malcolm X. Black women have been stripped of their humanity for so long in popular culture that society can’t even see the truth that lies in front of them. Black women can’t express their anger, or they’re just another angry black woman stereotype. Yes, black women are angry, they are fed up with white women flaunting around their culture like it's a fashion trend, black women are tired of having to work twice as hard just to gain respect in the workplace, and most importantly they are tired of being hypersexualized. Through music videos, black women are hyper-sexualized, which maintains the sexual glorification of a black female body, while also strengthening the abhorrent stereotype of the Jezebel, which is linked back to times of slavery. The Jezebel stereotype was the slavers justification for raping and assaulting black women. Black women were depicted as sexually promiscuous and “whores” by nature. This image generated the belief that black women couldn’t be victims of rape because they lust for sexual relations. The hypersexualization of black women is a danger to black women and girls. Black women can still be seen in a Jezebel like an image in hip-hop/pop music videos. Their hardly accoutred bodies are often adorned on expensive cars or caressed by male rappers.

Examining the links between sexuality and power in a system of interlocking race, gender, and class oppression should reveal how important controlling Black women's sexuality has been to the effective operation of domination overall. The words of Angela Davis, Audre Lorde, Barbara Smith, and Alice Walker provide a promising foundation for a comprehensive Black feminist analysis.

Along with the Mammy stereotype, the portrayal of Black women as being lecherous by nature is also a continuing stereotype. Lewd, hypersexual and loose are a few descriptive words associated with this stereotype (Thomas et. al, 2004). The Jezebel is everything the Mammy is not. Physically, she is seen as being a mixed-raced woman with Eurocentric features that those who fall into the physical characterization of the Mammy try to achieve. She has light-skin, less kinky hair, smaller lips and a more slender nose. Although the Jezebel fits the Eurocentric beauty standards, this image “branded Black women as being sexually promiscuous and immoral” (West, p. 294) due to the sexual violence committed against them during slavery. Hutchings et. al (2010) argues that, “explicit racial cues are not necessarily a thing of the past and under certain conditions they can be

“Tangerine” is a book filled with action, drama, heart, wins, loses, and brotherhood. Paul had always been the odd one out at school, and at home. Paul is legally blind, with glasses so thick, they look like the bottom halves of coke bottles on his face. But when Paul moves to Tangerine Middle school, his world is turned upside down. Paul finds himself happy, with friends, and on the soccer team. But not everything was perfect at home. Paul has an older brother named Erik who likes to bully and intimidate Paul. Paul had always been afraid of Erik, but he just can't quite remember why. The only thing he does know is to watch his back around Erik. Edward Bloor uses wonderful examples of characterization, and symbolism, to display the theme of growth and change in the story.

“But I can see. I can see everything. I can see things Mom and Dad can’t. Or won’t.” In the novel, Tangerine, Paul Fisher has justed moved to Tangerine, Florida. He is always trying to avoid his older brother, Erik. While Paul meets new people, little by little, flashbacks give him clues about what happened to his coke- bottle glasses. As death after death hits Paul, he grows into a new person. The author, Edward Bloor expertly uses symbolism and flashback to explore the theme of growth and change.

Black women's beauty cannot be denied. The sway of her hips, her voluptuous frame, thick full lips, and naturally curly kinks that grows from her head like stems on a tree. But often times her beauty becomes a mirror of exploit. The shame of slavery of being abused, used, raped, degraded, and exploited is tattooed on her subconscious mind and in essence she becomes what she was taught to be. In the same regards, black men is no stranger to such exploit by society, they are seen as masculine, strong, and sex objects. These stereotypes is depicted in Hip hop culture. Black men take pride in being masculine and having larger genitals than his counterparts, and is not afraid to say "suck my d***". All too often black bodies have become nothing

In the context of physical appearance, black woman are only featured with body parts- mainly their “large, rotund behind” (Perry 137). The presentation of the face is mainly limited to white or lighter-complexioned women. The highest idealization of women is one that possesses a “‘high-status’ face combined with a highly sexualized body read by the viewer as the body of a poor or working-class woman” (Perry 137). Perry further substantiates her claim by stating that “women are created or valued by how many fantasy elements have been pieced together in their bodies” (137). She debunks the opposition arguing that the bodies of black women are appreciated by pointing out that only a minority of black women have such attributes, and those without are pressured and struggle to achieve such proportions.

“Figurative language can give shape to the difficult and the painful. It can make visible and ‘felt’ that which is visible and ‘unfeelable’.” - Mary Oliver. Figurative language is used in stories to add emphasis to ideas. In the story “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” the author, Walter Dean Myers, uses descriptive adjectives and figurative language to develop the setting, characters, and mood.

African American women, often perceived as a sexual object or the Jezebel (the stereotype of white man view of the black woman as loose and over-sexed) have struggled to eliminate images that promote sexual exploitation such as their promiscuity (showing off their breast, behind, legs, and showing much of their skin on television, music videos and magazines) through the use of feminist movements and the creation of the womanist movement. However, in modern day society, black women have accepted these sexual ideas which were once considered to be dishonorable. The acceptance of this image, a direct cause of social construction and suppressed oppression, has given rise to a disturbed vision of black womanhood for years to come. Despite this,

Specifically, there is a prevalent portrayal of black women as innately licentious. Rap videos depict scantily clad black females that crowd around rappers and have their bodies grabbed, slapped, and all in all disrespected. To the viewer, this translates that black women welcome this type of treatment, which may lend an explanation to the high rape rates within the black community. In her essay, Kilbourne includes copious examples in which women were placed suggestive positions that imply abuse.

Slave women were forced to comply with the sexual orders given, if they resisted, consequences were in forms of physical beatings. Violence was a willful effort in keeping African women in a state of hopelessness, depriving them of any feelings of control. The women had no choice but to obey, and after generations there were numerous “mulatto” offspring. At times, women slaves hoped that having sexual activity would increase the chances of having their children be liberated by the slave holder, but at the end, many mulatto kids were forced into slavery. The mulatto child symbolizes domination and vulnerability due to the fact that the white man and the black woman both held a meaning through their color of skin. The white man reflects domination for the reason that he has violently beaten slaves’ hence building fear in them, resulting in slaves to perform hard labor for they feared for their lives. As the color white symbolize pureness, slaveholder did not view objectification as a bad thing, on the contrary, they thought they were doing a good. White men mainly viewed African women as sexual objects that can be used whenever they felt like it, resulting in black women feeling meaningless for they felt ‘dirty’ in the eyes of

This reading looks at the negative connotations and attitudes that are connected to the Black Females butt and how it defines their sexuality. Janell Hobson comments on the fact that society generally perceives black bodies as “grotesque” and connects this assumption to the ‘othering’ factor. The white body is what is deemed to be ideal and the pinnacle of beauty, the black female body is the opposite and something that is not to be desired. She goes on to talk about the focus on the black women’s backside in rap music. What it believed to be a celebration and acceptance for a black women’s butt in comparison to a white women’s, is in fact not the case. While white women are mocked for not having as large a butt, black women are still being

In the article, Hip Hop Demeans Women, Tricia Rose states: “The disrespect shown to black women by some black men is, for them, a sign of insubordinate black masculinity and thus needs correction and containment.” The writer means that the discourtesy appeared to dark ladies by some dark men is, for them, an indication of rebellious dark manliness and consequently needs rectification and control. To empower the feminist representations of black women, hip hop artists should consider lyrics and images that show due respect that evaluate black women. Respect for women is an essential part worldwide, and has nothing to do with recommending and women’s full equality or encouraging challenges to a society organized around the male power and privilege (Rose, 119). Any woman's rights that neglects to recognize how dark people in 1990s America were living and attempting to love in a combat area is pointless to black men and women. Rap music is fundamental to the battle against sexism since it takes us straight to the combat

replacement of stereotyped images of black womanhood with those that are self defined, 4) black women’s activism, and 5) sensitivity to black sexual politics. The first three themes correlate to black motherhood and living in a binary environment, one in which black people are the oppressed and white