The Color Purple Alice Walker

1. The Color PurpleAlice Walker Jordan Thompson AP English Literature K. Saunders 6 January 2014

2. Alice Walker

3. Alice Walker • Born February 9, 1944 • Eighth and youngest child in her family • Her parents were sharecroppers • Became blind in her right eye at the age of eight • Very shy and embarrassed as a child • Later in high school she became prom queen and valedictorian • Had a passion for reading and poetry

4. Alice Walker • Attended Spelman College in Atlanta and Sarah Lawrence College in New York • Active in the civil rights movement • Worked for voter registration, welfare, and childrens programs in Mississippi • Married in 1967 to Melvyn Leventhal • Worked at Jackson State College and Tougaloo College • Cofounder of the Wild Tree Press which is a feminist publishing company

5. Alice Walker • Arrested in 2003 for crossing a police line during an anti- Iraq war protest outside the White House • Written works include: The Color Purple, Everyday Use, Possessing the Secret of Joy, The Temple of My Familiar, The Third life of Grange Copeland, Meridian, and many others. • She continues to work as a political activist

6. Setting • Rural Georgia • Time Period: 1910-1940 • Traveling to Memphis and Africa

7. Point of View • Story told through a series of letters written to God by the main character, Celie

8. Main Characters • Celie- The narrator who is an African American woman who is abused by her father and later on her husband. She writes letters to God about her life. • Nettie-Celie’s younger sister that runs away from home to avoid abuse from her father. She later ends up with a missionary couple and Celie’s two children in Africa. She finally marries the man after his wife dies and becomes the mother of Celie’s adopted children

9. Main Characters • ShugAvery- A local lounge singer and Mr. ____’s (Albert) mistress, Shug turns into Celie’s friend, mentor, and even lover. Shug helps Celie find her sister’s letters that Albert had been hiding from her, giving her hope and inspiration. • Albert (Mr. _____)- Celie’shusband that abuses her until Shuginfluences him to treat Celie better. Eventually he understands that he has been treating Celie wrong and they develop a friendship with eachother.

10. Other Characters • Alphonso- Celie and Nettie’s Stepfather • Harpo- Albert’s eldest son • Sofia- Harpo’s wife • Mary Agnes(Squeak)- Harpo’s lover after Sofia leaves him • Miss Millie- Mayor’s wife • Samuel- Reverent that adopts Celie’s children • Corrine- Samuel’s wife • Adam- Celie’s son • Olivia- Celie’s daughter • Tashi- Adam’s wife • Germaine- Shug’syoung boyfriend

11. Summary Overview • Starts with Celie at the age of fourteen writing letters to God about her abuse • Alphonso comes to Celie to fulfill his sexual wants because her mother is too sick and weak • Celie becomes pregnant with her second child by Alphonso • Alphonso takes the children and has them adopted • Mr.____ (later known as Albert) asks for Nettie’s hand in marriage but has to settle for Celie • Celie gets stuck in an unhappy abusive marriage with Albert • Celie falls in love with Shug Avery the lounge singer and Alberts mistress

12. Summary Overview • When Shug becomes ill Celie nurses her back to health sparking a lifelong friendship • Harpo marries Sofia who is strong, independent and not afraid to speak her mind • Celie encourages Harpo to beat Sofia and later Sofia confronts Celie about it • This leads to understanding and friendship between Celie and Sofia • Sofia punches the mayor and lands herself in prison • She and Harpo are separated by this time and Harpo is seeing another woman named Mary Agnes (Squeak) • In an effort to get Sofia out of jail Squeak gets raped by the prison warden and while she is telling the story of her rape she demands to be called by her real name thus finding her voice

13. Summary Overview • Nettie has become a missionary in Africa with Samuel, Corrine, Adam, and Olivia • Nettie continues to write letters to Celie but Albert continues to hide them from her • Celie and Shug find all of the letters and Celie finds out through the letters about her two children • Celie begins to feel anger over her abuse throughout the years • With Celie’s growing confidence she confronts her father Alphonso and Albert • Celie Moves to Memphis with Shugand starts a business making pants • When Shug finds a new male lover Celie returns to Georgia and develops a new friendship with Albert that soon grows into love

14. Summary Overview • Nettie marries Samuel after his wife dies • Alphonso dies and Celie and Nettie find out that they own his former home • Celie and Nettie are reunited and Celie finds true happiness with her family • http://movieclips.com/VaAHR-the-color-purple-movie-celie-stands-up-to-albert/

15. Quotes • “Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance and holler, just trying to be loved.” • “I'm pore, I'm black, I may be ugly and can't cook, a voice say to everything listening. But I'm here.” • “We all have to start somewhere if us want to do better, and our own self is what us have to hand.”

16. Themes • Racism • Power of Female Relationships • Sexism • Pride • Poverty • Voice • Family

17. Literary Devices • Symbolism • Syntax

18. Personal Reaction • Enjoyed overall • Some parts were hard to read because such terrible things were happening to Celie and the other women • Shows the importance of standing up for yourself and having a voice