Essay about Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye - Female...

Female Childhood Icons in Morrisons The Bluest Eye In The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison weaves stories of violation and hardship to examine the ugliness that racism produces. In this novel, the childhood icons of white culture are negative representations instrumental in engendering internalized racism. For the black child in a racist, white culture, these icons are never innocent. Embodying the ideals of white beauty, they expose the basis for Claudias bewilderment at why she is not attractive and Pecolas desperate desire for beauty. They nourish neither innocent desire, nor the need for acceptance, but denigrate the very idea of blackness. The worship of ideal white beauty, by adults as well as by children, coalesces into a†¦show more content†¦Appearing on screen with male and female, African-American actors, Shirley Temple also symbolizes the directed energy of African-American adults toward the care of white children. Subservient to her needs, and trapped in the stereotyped roles available to them, the adult actors who appe ared as her caretakers often appeared to be childish, rather than childlike, a demeaning position, especially when contrasted with the simulated adult behavior exhibited on screen by Shirley Temple. She keeps them in their place partly by imitating Little Eva, the wise and noble, white child of Uncle Toms Cabin, and partly by her mere presence on screen. As a representation of Little Eva, Shirley Temple characterizes the saintliness of the good child, a saintliness worthy of glorified attention and near worship. If we think of Shirley Temple as Little Eva, then we might also visualize her companions as Uncle Tom or Aunt Chloe, who love their own children, but in embracing the conditions of slavery, willingly put the welfare of white children above their own. On screen, the presence of Shirley Temple as a white child signifies the neglect of the African-American child. For Claudia, Shirley Temple represents her own absence in the attention of her family. Claudia hates Shirley Temple, Not because she was cute, but because she danced with Bojangles, who was my friend, my uncle, my daddy, and whoShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of Scientific Racism on Black Women Essay5776 Words   |  24 PagesBlack adolescent girl who is sexually abused by her stepfather. By writing letters to God and forming supportive relationships with other Black women, Celie finds her own voice, and her voice enables her to transcend the fear and silence of her childhood. By creating Celie and giving her the language to tell of her sexual abuse, Walker adds Celies voice to muted yet growing discussions of the sexual politics of Black womanhood in Black feminist thought. Black feminists have investigated how rape