Çağla Şahin

Sima Antalyali

Mehmet Ali Parlar

OUTLINE Thesis Statement Toni Morrison Morrison’s Style - Symbols Cultural and Historical Context - Dick and Jane readers; Shirley Temple and Bojangles. Themes and Characters - Race and Beauty

THESIS STATEMENTThe novel “The Bluest Eye” contains the black people’s acceptance of the idealized beauty of being white and having blue eyes and living in white-green houses and the writer tells the reader about the problems which this internalization of the powerful white culture causes in the lives of black beings by using ironies,comparisons and popular examples.

Born in Lorain, Ohio Epic themes, stunning dialogue, pretension and larger than life black characters. In 1993-Nobel prize in Literature In 1988-Pulitzer prize for fiction Some significant works: -Beloved -Song of Solomon -The Bluest Eye

SYMBOLS

Marigolds The House The Seasons Bluest Eye(s)

Marigold

- Safety and well-being of Pecola’s baby.

- Constant renewal of nature.

The House

- Not only socio-economic but emotional situations.

- The Breedlove apartment.

- The Macteer house.

Which one would you prefer to live?

The Seasons

- Autumn “Beginnings”

- Winter Sterility

- Spring Deprivation

- Summer Melancholy

The Bluest Eye(s)

-Symbolize the beauty and happiness.

-Saddest eye

Do you have any other ideas about these symbols that you want to impart?

Dick and Jane Readers

Basic readers for primary schoolsWritten by William S. Gray and Zerna Sharp. Published by Scott Foresman.Started in1930 ’s and continued until late 1960’s. Retrieved 12.05.2010 from

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GC4zlPbEl0o/SgMTWYUIryI/AAAAAAAAEg0/VL_FeisOQBQ/s800/dick_and_jane2.jpg

Dick: a little white boy Jane: a little white girlOthers: Baby(Sally),Mother, Father,Spot the dog,Puff the cat,and Tim the teddy bearRetrieved 12.05.2010

from http://thesamerowdycrowd.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/dick-and-jane.jpg

White,middle-class American family

Ironic with the reality of time

Male is the dominant.

Artificial illustration of the real life

Retrieved 12.05.2010 fromhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/calloohcallay/2861774119/

Positive effects: taught sharing,family interaction, health, safety, helping others and responsibility

Negative effects: Was an idealization so was not about “others”.

Started to have stories about minorities after the Civil Rights Movement

Retrieved 12.05.2010 from http://www.tagnwag.com/images/6265funwithourfriends.gif

1930’s

Retrieved 12.05.2010 from http://www.pan-tex.net/usr/j/julie/30prep2.jpeg

1940’s

Retrieved 12.05.2010 from http://www.alephbet.com/pictures/24875.jpg

1950’s

Retrieved 12.05.2010 from http://www.juliascollectibles.com/DJ50.htm

1960’s

Retrieved 12.05.2010 from http://queenofthemeadowblooms.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/07/dick_jane_mom_cleaning_cropped.jpg

Dick and Jane * The Bluest Eye

There is a big irony.

The life in the Dick and Jane reader versus the life in the novel.

Pecola ‘s desire The beginning

sentences versus the subject in the chapter

HEREISTHEHOUSEITISGREENANDWHITEITHASAREDDOORITISVERYPRETTYITISVERYPRETTYPRETTYPRETTYP

The words above are from Jane and Dick readers and they describe the house as nice.

Ironically the paragraph starting after these words consists of the description of Pecola’s house: “….Rather,it foists itself on the eye of the passerby in a manner that is both irritating and melancholy.Visitors who drive to this tiny town wonder why it has not been torn down ,while pedestrians,who are residents of the neighborhood,simply look away when they pass it” (p.33).

Shirley Temple

Film actress born April 23,1928.

Has white skin and blue eyes.

Pecola internalizes white culture.

Claudia hated Temple because she danced with Bojangles.

Retrieved 12.05.2010 from http://gooddeedaday.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/gary_cooper_and_shirley_temple_now_.jpg

Bojangles(Bill Robinson) American tap dancer

and film actor born May 25,1878 ; died November 25 1949.

Named Bojangles after his song “Mr. Bojangles”.

Played and danced in films with Shirley Temple

Claudia was jeallous of Bojangles

Retrieved 12.05.2010 from http://tapdanceclass.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/bojangles21.jpg

QUESTIONS

Can you give a similar type of basic reader example like “Dick and Jane” from Turkey ?

QUESTIONS

Do you think that “Dick and Jane” series were successful at those times in forming the reality; knowing about the historical and social status in those years?

QUESTIONS

For you, what is common about “Dick and Jane”, Shirley Temple and dolls in the terms of forming a theme in the novel?

Characters

Pecola Breedlove

Maureen Peal

Pecola Breedlove Black Ugly Imaginative

Question If you would become Pecola Breedlove

in this story what would you do to restrick the people though and how would you go on to your life?

Maureen Peal Light skinned black girl Superior Beauty New at school

Question Do you think people’s ideas about

beauty ad the future life is related with the skin colour nowadays?

Themes

Whiteness is the standart of the beauty

In what ways the story includes thewhiteness is the standart of the story?

Themes Seeing against being seen

If you would live Pecola’s miserable life what would you do for enable the ugliness eyes or skin colour?

REFERENCES

Steppenwolf Arts Exchange (n.d.) Study Guide: Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.Retrieved May 12,2010 from https://sucourse.sabanciuniv.edu/access/content/group/ENG102-A2B2C2D2-200902/Novel/The%20bluest%20eye%20STUDY%20GUIDE.pdf

BookRags ( n.d). BookRags on The Bluest Eye.Retrieved May 12,2010 from http://www.bookrags.com/The Bluest Eye

www.sparknotes.com www.wikipedia.com www.pan-tex.net