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Presented by Selen Onat Sıla Alemdar Denise Nart

The Bluest Eye. Presented by Selen Onat Sıla Alemdar Denise Nart. Outline. Thesis Statement Great Migration Time and Coming of Age Morrison’s Style Storytelling & Structure. Thesis Statement.

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Presented by Selen Onat Sıla Alemdar Denise Nart

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  1. TheBluestEye Presentedby Selen Onat Sıla AlemdarDeniseNart

  2. Outline • ThesisStatement • GreatMigration • Time andComing of Age • Morrison’sStyle • Storytelling & Structure

  3. ThesisStatement • Inthenovel ‘TheBluestEye’ MorrisondemonstratesthroughthecharacterPecolaand her coming of ageexperiences, thepowerandcruelty of whiteAmericanpopulationsdefinition of beauty, byusingstructure as an aidfortellingthestoryandbuilding her storyup on historicalevents.

  4. TheGreatMigration • 1910-mid 1970's • Migration of 4 millionSouthernAfricanAmericansto North • A greatshift in populationdiversity • “Searchingfor a betterlife”

  5. “Itwasto hard togettoknowfolksuphere, and I missedmypeople. I weren'tusedtosomuchwhitefolks. Theones I seedbeforewassomethinghateful,but theydidn'tcomearundtoomuch.” • “Northerncolored folk wasdifferenttoo. Dicty-like. No betterthanwhitesformeanness.”

  6. Time andcoming of age • novel is dividedintofourparts:changingseasons • Pecola’sentranceintowomanhood: • incestuousrape, unwantedpregnancy, socialrejection http://blog.lib.umn.edu/icd/labschool/ross/four-seasons.jpg

  7. Connotation of seasons • Autumn • leavesfallingthingsdyingthingscomingto an end • Spring • signifyingrebirthandreproduction • beginning -> pecolastartsmenstruating, whichsignifiedsthepossibilities of reproduction • shegetsrapedby her dadandalso, theseedssheplansshrivelupanddie Connotation vs. Events in thebook

  8. Time andcoming of ageAutumn • Pecolastartsmenstruating • movesout of childhoodquicklywith no comfortfromher ownmother • Absence of love Retrieved 8 May 2010 fromhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/henribonell/1341594582/

  9. Time andcoming of ageWinter • Pecola'sfriendshipwithClaudiaandFriedadevelops • WalkinghomewithMaureenPealandtheothergirls, Pecola is part of a community • Does not lastlong • Maureen'srejection of Pecolarepresents: continualrejectionPecolareceivesfromeveryone Retrieved, 08 May, 2010 fromhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/gardinergirl/410177126/

  10. Time andcoming of ageSpring • Pecola is rapedby her father • TheeventrupturesPecola'sadolescence, • tearingawayfromchildhood • into an adultsexualityshe is not readyfor • AftertherapePecola is disconnectedfromtheprocess of coming of age Retrieved 08 May, 2010 from, http://www.flickr.com/photos/doblonaut/837324571/

  11. Time andcoming of ageSummer • a pregnantPecolaturnstoSoapheadChurch, askingGodtoanswertheprayer he has ignored: togive her blueeyes • babydiesbefore it is born • Pecolatakesrefuge in a world of her owncreation • Pecola: • losttotheworld • trappedbetweenchildhoodandadulthood • broken http://www.flickr.com/photos/hell_phantom/2672001468/

  12. Claudia • “We had fun in thosefewdaysPecolawaswith us.  Friedaand I stoppedfightingeachotherandconcentrated on ourguest, trying hard tokeep her fromfeelingoutdoors” • “I did not wanttohaveanythingtoown, ortopossessanyobject.  I wantedrathertofeelsomething on Christmasday” What do this 2 quotesfromClaudiamakeobvious?

  13. Towhatextent is theprocess of growingupmoreproductiveforClaudia in contrasttoPecola? Refertotheirfamily • WhenMr. Henry, thefamily'sboarder, fondlesFrieda-> Mr. MacTeerkickshimout of thehouse • Familyabletocopewithlove • not onlydoesChollyBreedlove not protectPecola, but he is theveryonewhoviolates her • Her family is full of negativeemotions, aggressions Claudia Pecola becomesolidadultsbecause of thelove &stability of theirfamily traumatizedbythehardships of growingup

  14. Morrison'sStyle Storytelling & Structure

  15. Storytelling & Structure • Morrison employs “structure” as an aid for telling the story • Morrison makes use of an unusual structure: • Novel not written in a straightforward narrative • Use of 4 structural devices

  16. Structural Devices • Use of an Americanfirstgradereadingbook - Thestory of “DickandJane” • Use of differentnarratorstotellthestory - ClaudiaMacteer (as a grownup) - ClaudiaMacteer (as a nine yearold) - Morrisonherself (as an all–knowingnarrator) - Firstpersonnarration (Pecola & her mother)

  17. Structural Devices • Divison of thenovelinto 4 seasons (4 time sequences) – Autumn, Winter, SpringSummer • Furtherdivison of the 4 seasons / chaptersintoseveralsubsections, headedbyunpunctuatedlinesfromthe”DickandJane” story

  18. (1) The story of “Dick and Jane” • Excerpt from an American first - grade reading book • Describes picture - perfect, American white family: - strong and nice father - warm and loving mother - clean–cut son Dick - pretty blue–eyed daugther Jane

  19. The story of “Dick and Jane” • The passage describing the family is repeated 3 times • 2nd time without any punctuations: “Here is the house it is green and white it has a red door.” (p.3) • 3rd time without any spaces between the words: “Hereisthehouseitisgreenandwhiteithasareddoor”(p.4)

  20. The story of “Dick and Jane” Why does Morrison begin her novel with the fictional “Dick and Jane” story? Discuss why Morrison repeats the first paragraph, leaving out punctuation and spacing.

  21. The story of “Dick and Jane” • The Dick and Jane story represents the ideal american white family • Very simple sentences are used to teach the children and the readers about the images of white perfection. • Use of repeating paragraphs, full of fractured and chaotic sentences: - Prepare the reader for Pecola's chaotic life about to be told - foreshadow the chaos of the black girl's life.

  22. (2) Use of different narrators • Thenarrations in thenovel do not comefromonesource, theycomefromseveral

  23. Use of different narrators What is the purpose of using different narrative perspectives instead of just one narrator? How does it affect the reader?

  24. Use of different narrators • Pecola = victim = unreliable narrator - Narration would be subjective and one sided • Claudia, able to see how Pecola idolizes the ideal beauty of the white. • The omnipresent narrator gives background stories and important information about the characters • Reader is able to see every perspective of the story

  25. (3) Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer • 4 chapter --> 4 seasons --> 4 seperate time sequences • 4 Seasons = cycle • Events have occured before and will occure again Autumn Summer Spring Winter

  26. Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer • “Quite as it kept, there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941. (...) For years I thought my sister was right: it was my fault. I had planted them too far down the earth. It never occured to either of us that the earth itself was unyielding” (p.5) • “I talk about how I did not plant the seeds too deeply, how it was the fault of the earth, the land, of our town. I even think that the land of the entire country was hostile to marigolds that year.” (p.206)

  27. (4) Subsections • The seasons are further divided into several other sections. • Subsections are introduced by unpunctuated lines from the “Dick and Jane” story. • Relation between the excerpt of Dick and Jane & the section that follows. • Example: SEEMOTHERMOTHERISVERYNICEMOTHERWILLYOUPLAYWITHJANEMOTHERLAUGHSLAUGHMOTHERLAUGH “Her general feeling of seperatness and unworthyness she blamed on her foot. (p.110) (...) Into her daugher she beat a fear of growing up, fear of other people, fear of life.” (p.128)

  28. Subsections Why are the seasons divided by the chaotic line-up of words of the “Dick and Jane” story?

  29. Subsections • Theexcerptsfrom “DickandJane” • Show howprevalentandimportanttheimages of whiteperfectionare in Pecola's life • Higlightsthedifferencesbetweentheworld of the‘perfect’ whiteandblack

  30. References • Ohiohistorycentral, GreatMigrationRetrieved, May 8 2010, fromhttp://ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=502 • SparkNotesEditors. (2002). SparkNote on The Bluest Eye. Retrieved , May 72010, from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bluesteye/ • Steppenwolf Arts Exchange (n.d.). Study Guide: Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. Retrieved May7, 2010, fromhttp://www.steppenwolf.org/_pdf/studyguides/bluest_eye_studyguide.pdf • Tolnay, S.E. (2003), Sociology-Ohio. TheAfricanAmerican “GreatMigration”http://www.sociology.ohio-state.edu/classes/soc367/payne/African%20American%20Migration.pdf

  31. Thankyouforyourattention !!

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