Pemika Sritong-in Earn

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The Bluest Eye
When I born, I black.
When I grow up, I black.
When I go in sun, I black.
When I scared, I black.
When I sick, I black.
And when I die, I still black.
And you white people.
When you born, you pink.
When you grow up, you white.
When you go in sun, you red.
When you cold, you blue.
When you scared, you yellow.
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you grey
And you calling me colored??
Written by an African child and nominated by The United Nations as the Best Poem of 2006.
This poem obviously reflects upon what Africans think that no matter where they stay, they

are still black. The Bluest Eye is a novel written by one of the famous American writer so-call

Toni Morrison. She has been awarded as the winner of the Nobel Prize. This book mainly

introduces about Pecolas life, and about 1942 is the time that this novel is set. Pecola is African

American girl whom father attacked her mother, and her father tried to burn down familys house.

Pecola strongly believes that whiteness is beautiful, but her blackness skin is actually ugly. She is

surrounded by bad environment. For instance, her father is alcoholic, and her parent flight against

each other. Besides, she got defamed from male students at school. She considers that if she were

pretty, her life would be better and easier for her. The writer mentions about the story of Cholly and

Pauline Breedlove, Pecolas parent. Pauline is young women who feel like an outcast for society.

She dedicates her life for work, but she does not play attention taking care of her daughter.

Therefore, she dreams about someone who would be able to take care of her and protect her.

Another main character is Cholly who is Pecolas father. His aunt whose name is Jimmy raised him,
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and she looks after him until she finally died. The day that Jimmy is buried, he also has the first

sexual experience with Darlene who is a local woman. While they are having sex, there are two

white males walk pass. They use a flashlight pointing at them, and they are laughing out loud. Next,

those white guys force them to continue having sex in front of them. After this shameful situation

was happened to him, he decide to move from one country to another country and another country

in order to stay away from her home country. Pauline and Cholly are abandoning their daughter. Her

father tragically rapes Pecola, and she is impregnated. However, Pauline who is her mother

disbelieve her story. Pecola wishes to solve her problems by having whiteness and blue-eye. In

other words, her ideology of beauty was racialism. Toni Morrison presents ethnic background of

African-American people including moral principle and life manner.

First of all, ethnic background of African-American people including their native region and

family. People who live in different geographical region typically have vary skins color. Referring

from On the Origin of Species published 150 years ago by Charles Darwin An English naturalist

and geologist who is best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. It is the fact that

darkly pigmented people was found close to the equator. On the other hand, lightly pigmented

people were found closer to the poles. Obviously, the earliest humans evolved in the high-UV

environment that in equatorial Africa, people normally have darkly pigmentation resulting in darker

skin. African-American people have their unique culture. According to Historical

Overview(2007), African people brought their culture consisting of religious beliefs, traditional

food and arts such as music and dances. Their custom and tradition are preserved and transformed

in America. In the past, African American people were from West Africa, they were transported in

slaves ships to Virginia (The African American Family,n.d.). During the 17-century many

African people were suffered in the world of slavery since there was a high death rate of African

people. Also, African people could not travel freely to find their mate since they were under control

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of their European masters forcing them to work in agricultural farms. Black men and Black women

were married outside church. Most of the time husband and wife had different masters, so they

needed to travel over a long distance in order to meet their beloved families during the period of

slavery (The African American Family,n.d.).

Secondly, the author represents moral principle from the viewpoint that white people are not

moral than black people. The bluest eyes expresses the idea of internalized racism of African

American people community of Lorain, Ohio, where this novel is set during 1940. To explain, this

kind of thinking occurs when a group of people is targeted by racism. At that time, African-

American people feel inferior to themselves as white people oppress them. Considering some

certain situations happening in the novel, Pecola, an eleven-year-old girl is mocked by group of

boys at school. Instead of respond this bully by using violence, she tries to make herself small and

does not fight against those boys. She stands up for herself showing her innocent toward the

discrimination. Another specific example can be seen in devastating experience with racism of

Cholly Breedlove, Pecolas father. During his first sexual experience when he is a fourteen-year-old

boy with the girl named Darlene, two white racists interrupt his pleasure. They force him to perform

sexual experience as a joke. Cholly is oppressed because he seems less power to against two

European-American. The consequential outcome is worse towards African-American society during

that time. To illustrate, Cholly begins to oppress those people who are weaker than him. In this case,

his wife and his own daughter are oppressed, and the implementation of child and woman abuse are

the result from his violent actions.Up until now, there is surveys about individual discrimination

among black people. According to the article On View of Race and Equality(2016),

discrimination that base on prejudice can deeply harm black people than institutional racism. To

explain, the majority of black people roughly about 71 percent report that they experience

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individual discrimination as they are treated unfairly through workplace and school. In contrast, for

white people, the discrimination slightly affect their personal life typically only 5 percent.

Last but not least, life manner of African-American is affected from their surrounding

environment. It is clear that almost African American people in the story facing some difficulties in

their life. Even though they try to put a lot of afford live their life ordinary, internalized racism is

one of the biggest obstacle toward their daily life. For example, Pauline Breedlove who works for

white employer is hard-working woman and places all of her attention for work feel fascinated only

white people. She has constrictive image of beauty because she watches Hollywood Film. Then she

strongly believes and dream about romantic love, which later on this idea destroy her life indeed

and her marriage fall apart. In addition, the author provides a big picture of ideology thinking about

beauty. In the novel, the main character including Pauline and Pecola Breedlove are distorted the

idea of beauty by media such as movie. They believe that white people are privileged. For Pecola,

an innocent child, believe that if she had blue eyes, she would be loved and her life would be

changed. According to Morrison as cited in the bluest eye, there are several sentences introduce the

ideology of beauty from the main character, Pecola as follow.

It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and

knew the sightsif those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be

different.

In the autumn chapter of novel, this quotation shows the complexity of Pecolas need. To

explain, she does not want to have blue eyes just because they are sign of superior beauty. However,

she hopes that being white people can make her life easier. She would like to receive kind behavior

from other people including her parent and her friends. However, nowadays the idea of beauty

should not only rely on appearance. Instead, black people have special talent and also are smart as

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same as white people. In the late of 20 century, black people began to receive the equality just like

white people in American. Many famous African-American people are keen on many different

fields such as sport, media entertainment and politics. Their special talent is diverse and impressive.

For example, in the music industry African American people become very successful as the favorite

singers of all time such as Beyonc ,Whitney Houston and so forth(Famous African American,

n.d.).

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References

Bibliography:Foundation, T. C. W. (2016). The African American family. Retrieved

December 13, 2016, from http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/family/black.cfmIn-line Citation:

(Foundation, 2016)

Bibliography:On views of race and inequality, blacks and whites are worlds apart. (2016,

June 27). Retrieved December 13, 2016, from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/06/27/on-

views-of-race-and-inequality-blacks-and-whites-are-worlds-apart/#more-whites-and-blacks-say-

individual-discrimination-is-a-bigger-problem-than-institutional-racismIn-line Citation:(On views

of race and inequality, blacks and whites are worlds apart, 2016)

Bibliography:Foundation, T. C. W. (2016). The African American family. Retrieved

December 13, 2016, from http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/family/black.cfmIn-line Citation:

(Foundation, 2016)

Bibliography:2016. (2007). History and African American DNA and Genealogy. Retrieved

December 13, 2016, from https://www.africandna.com/history.aspxIn-line Citation:(2016, 2007)

Bibliography:ONeil, D. (1998). Human biological adaptability: Skin color as an

adaptation. Retrieved December 13, 2016, from http://anthro.palomar.edu/adapt/adapt_4.htmIn-

line Citation:(ONeil, 1998)

Walther, M. (1990). Out of Sight: Toni Morrison's Revision of Beauty. Black American

Literature Forum, 24(4), 775-789. doi:10.2307/3041802

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