Oppression In The Book Of Negroes By Lawrence Hill And The Color Purple

Women and men are born equal. However, females are receiving unequal judgement and unfair treatment in the society, and thus Marilyn Frye brings up the notion of “oppression”, claiming that women are oppressed. Throughout the essay, I will first give the definition of Frye’s oppression and then list 5 critical qualifications to be considered oppressed. After that, I will explain my appreciation on Frye’s perspective on elaborating oppression using the “bird cage” analogy. I will support Frye’s “double-bind” argument for sexism followed by flaws in the argument. Furthermore, I will point out some social group are mistakenly placed inside or outside the parameters of oppression, once the theory of oppression extends over other marginal groups.

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

Gender inequality was a big issue during the early 1900s, and especially for the African American women because some “Africa American women were used as sex slaves or just slaves in generally” (Karpowitz). These women were treated badly even if it was from their dad or their "husband"/owners, but at the end of the day they knew only one person who these women can trust which is God. In Alice Walker’s novel, she shows and expresses how women will have bad times or bumps on the road, but if they keep going towards their dream they will succeed. Walker also showed how women did not have a voice to stand up for themselves but later in their life they started getting together to fight back for their rights. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker demonstrates gender inequality in the lives of African Americans in the early 1900s.

The oppression of all three characters is examples of how the fear of difference translates to the fear of life for those being discriminated against. In this oppression, Ruth McBride says she found comfort within the black community. She says she felt more welcomed from African Americans than from White society.

People are often tricked into believing that they have control. Every decision and choice is an illusion of the control they think they have in their lives. Some succeed in experiencing a sense of accomplishment; some still crave more control. Some try to rule over other people by beating them into submission or forcing them against their own will. They believe they possess a dominance over certain people, like women and minorities. In the past, culture has encouraged domestic abuse, discrimination, and unfair treatment upon women and minorities. Throughout The Color Purple by Alice Walker, the African American characters endure the hardships created by Southern culture, and they discover how love for each other unites them against their circumstances.

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.

Secondly, structural inequality depicts oppression through the control of authority in both books. During the time periods of the two books, 1802 in The Book of Negroes and 1910 in The Colour Purple, the unfortunate significance of slavery and racial discrimination was common. In particular, Aminata is abducted by Toubab (white men) and sold into the

'Democracy,' she said. 'Does anybody have a definition?' ... 'Equal rights for all, special privileges for none' (Lee 248).

The award-winning novel, “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, is a story about a woman going through cruel things such as: incest, rape, and physical abuse. This greatly written novel comes from a very active feminist author who used many of her own experiences, as well as things that were happening during that era, in her writing. “The Color Purple” takes place in the early 1900's, and symbolizes the economic, emotional, and social deprivation that African American women faced in Southern states of America. The main character of the story is Celie, a fourteen-year old that starts writing letters to God for thirty years, and then to her sister, Nette, who ran away to Africa to save herself from the troubles Celie went through. Celie starts off as a pushover and very dependent girl that would eventually grow and develop into an independent flourishing woman that opens a business making pants for all genders. This novel shows the hardship of a girl becoming a woman over the course of her life and eventually standing up for herself and being confident. Many of the experiences and characters of “The Color Purple” are based on history of that time and a bit of the author’s personal experiences. Her use of epistolary allows the reader to learn everything in the point of view of Celie. Alice Walker's influences for writing this novel range from her childhood experiences to the white society in her hometown of Eatonville, Georgia. Even during these times, it still shows that women

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many minor themes are present such as gender and age. However, the largest and therefore major theme of the book is racism. All of the events and themes in the book had only one purpose, to support the theme of racism.

To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, that offers a view of life through a young girl’s eyes. The novel is focused on two main themes which are racism and discrimination.

Discovering “The Color Purple” as my theme in analyzing “Literary Terms” to paint a clear picture of why these terms acknowledgement is comprehensive to what we are deciphering; it helps to establish a critical understanding of other aspects in our educational framework. Taking a look at the characters, tone, and symbol this book by Alice Walker, later turned into a movie by Steven Spielberg changed the way society saw women, men, and the continuation of slavery amongst their own people. We learn the fundamentals of reality through the eyes of others in order to face the harsh world we live in, for if we told ourselves the truth then something would have to be done and that action could not come from within our meek selves.

Every country on earth is affected by a common issue – discrimination. Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially in regards to race, age, or sex. Such an issue began to affect the world in the seventeenth century, and has continued till this day. African Americans were first targeted by the Caucasian race due to the significant difference within their skin tone. In the Colour Purple by Alice Walker, people are faced with several types of discrimination: sexism, domestic abuse and racism. Discrimination is one of the most devastating events that mankind may have to potentially face.

Throughout history African American woman have been systematically marginalized by American society, but typically always found the strength to overcome. Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” is a classic epistolary novel that took place in rural Georgia and it was a novel that addressed the issues African-American women were facing in the early 1900s. Authors Bulent Cercis Tanritanir and Hasan Boynukara stated that “Epistolary or letter-writing as a literary form in fiction is a powerful genre for woman writers interested in using novel to examine modern society critically and present a world better than the one they have had.” Some of the things they were facing was how domestic violence was accepted as way of life, how they were forced into marriage, and struggles regarding to faith. There is an old saying that trouble doesn’t last always and “The Color Purple” shows how that even though these women went through so many hardships that they were able to still prosper and find the light at the end of the tunnel. Celie, the protagonist, and the rest of the women in the novel were abused physically, emotionally, and sexually, but they were able to still overcome the many hardships that they faced and reinvented themselves.

When reading Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and “Everyday Use,” it is evident that she writes about her life through her use of allegory. Alice Walker uses the events of her childhood, her observation of the patriarchy in African American culture, and her rebellion against the society she lived in to recount her life through her stories. Alice Walker grew up in a loving household in the years towards the end of the Great Depression. Although her family was poor, they were rich in kindness and perspective and taught Walker a lot about her heritage and life.