the color purple Essay

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.

In a world where showing a bit too much shoulder was forbidden, came Susan Glaspell. Glaspell was an American playwright, born in the cruel times of oppression. This influenced women’s opinions on certain subjects which caused them to be silenced by fear of rejection from society. “A Jury of Her Peers” was based on an era where women felt as though it was unreasonable to speak up if they felt it was not absolutely dire. Harboring these pent up feelings could cause a person to act antagonistic. Minnie Wright was an example of this. She killed her husband and was subjected to the judgement of her peers. As the group investigated Mr. Wright’s death, there were two stories unraveling. The in depth explanation that the women figured out and the simplistic version the men had seemed to pick up (Glaspell). People would benefit from reading this story to begin to understand the struggle of what this and other women had gone through. Penn Manor American Literature students would benefit from having Susan Glaspell’s story “A Jury of Her Peers” in their curriculum because of how she expressed feminism through her writing at a time when it was new and discouraged; her ability to emphasize the themes with her settings and characters; and her literature that follows a protagonist that navigates through a sexist world.

Her pa hits and rapes her repeatedly. She writes, “He beat me today cause he say I winked at a boy in church. I may have got somethin in my eye but I didn’t wink”(Walker 5). Celie then writes,“I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them” (5). This goes to show how her father beats her over the littlest things, no matter what they are. This trend in her life, has made her petrified of all men. She looks at women, finding refuge in them, simply because they are kind to her. Not only does Celie’s pa beat her, her new husband, Mr. _____ does too. “He beat me like he beat the children. Cept he don’t beat them. He say, Celie git the belt. The children be outside the room peeking through the cracks. It all I can do not to cry. I make myself wood” (23). He doesn’t beat the children, who definitely need a whooping, but he’ll beat Celie simply because “she’s his wife. Plus she stubborn. All women good for”(23). This shows that there is no real reason for all the abuse. It’s all because the men view her as their property, not as another human being. All this abuse causes Celie to believe that she’ll never be truly loved, or be able to love. She believes this until Shug Avery comes

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

Although it caused her much grief while it lasted, her forced marriage to Mr.___ turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it was through him that Celie met Shug Avery. While becoming a close friend and a lover to Celie, Shug shared with her that “God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. God ain’t a he or a she but an it.”(Walker 204) By saying this she offers an alternative to the image of a male god that Celie has always held on to. As Hankinson put it; “Celie’s movement from monotheism to pantheism parallels her movement from feeling of isolation and inferiority under male authority figures”(327) She is now able to see that she is just as much a godlike being as any human in the world, regardless of gender, race or social

Alice Walker is a world renowned novelist, poet, short story author and political activist, with works including The Temples of my Familiar and In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens. Yet Ms. Walker’s most critically acclaimed novel remains The Color Purple. The Color Purple tells the complex tale African American women, their brutal living conditions, everyday abuse, and their instinct to survive. The Color Purple was an immediate success due to its simple writing style, the intricate storyline, and compelling characters. In 1983 The Color Purple was recognized for these very reasons and graciously awarded The Pulitzer Prize For Fiction. Every year several Pulitzer Awards are handed out to distinguished

In the novel, The Color Purple, there are three main characters who demonstrate meaningful traits of women. Celie, the main character, is the most important of the three. She is influenced by other characters in the novel and is inspired to let herself seek their virtues. Celie's two friends, Shug and Sofia, are both strong women who teach Celie how to achieve the happiness she desires.

Feminist perspective is one of the most significant aspects of this short story due to how it is used to portray each character in a unique way. With the use of the feminist perspective, one could effortlessly see that women within the short story are viewed as somewhat indignant. For instance, when Miss Emily proclaims, “See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson.”

Women were expected not to stand up for themselves, nor were they allowed to have the final say in anything. For instance, when the Narrator was sick and asked if she could stay in the room with the beautiful flowers, her husband would not listen. These kinds of treatments towards women would cause for them to be treated as if they were second class citizens. The main reason all of this is happening is mainly because she’s a

She calls out to them and invites them to let their fears be overpowered by the anger that is there in every woman against their different battles and struggles they all have faced.She invites them to embrace and shield the anger and frustration of their fellow sisters of Color and distinctive orientations instead of rejecting them in favor of maintaining the suffocating caricature of unison. Unity that comes out of acceptance of each other’s dissimilarities and finding oneness not despite but in full recognition of the various individual differences is what the women need to be able to gain equality in society, to have equal respect and rights that Man have while also maintaining their own self defined identity irrespective of the sex considered to be dominant in the patriarchy.

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.

When you think about your siblings and the names you’ve grown up to call them, do you think about the meaning behind it? Is it fact, that two human beings are related by some sort of bloodline? This is not the meaning of Sister to me. I grew up without living with my half-siblings and was always called by my first name. Over the years, friendships would come and go. The friends who stayed by my side started calling me ‘Sister.’ This name is important to me because it translates trust, compassion, and family. I chose Gigi as my font because I relate to the characters as they are a mixture between straight and curly and the cursive-type lettering does not all connect. This font relates to my nickname because I started off as my own first friend. The beginning S starts with a straight line and then

This source discusses Alice Walker’s accomplishments as the author and early life that lead her to writing the book, “The Color Purple.” The novel explores the female African-American experience through the life and struggles of its narrator, Celie. The compelling work won Walker both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983. Later the book was turned into a movie and received eleven Academy Award nominations. The article is a credible source because this website has many bibliographes that have been either interviewed personaly or created based on other scholarly websites.

Write an in-depth essay on any book or play we have read in class. Articulate one theme, question, or problem and explore it.