A Historic View of Racism

Racism will always be a dark spot on America’s history. From slavery to segregation, it is something to be ashamed of; it is something we can’t erase but we should learn from the past. With adversity also comes heroism. Many reformers have stood up to the abuse. In this blog post, I want to compare Pecola, from The Bluest Eye, and her community to previous civil-rights activists. The first two that come to mind, both very different in their styles of remonstration, are Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Washington emphasizes the importance to adapt to white culture. He believed that with time, after working hard to make money, African Americans would eventually be accepted within society. His ideologies are most comparable to those of Pecola. Morrison demonstrates that many of the characters would rather become white than fight for their rights to be black. W.E.B Du Bois rejected Washington’s teachings. He believed that African-Americans should demand equal rights rather than take a back seat and just hope for change. Unfortunately, after years of attempting different solutions to the problems of slavery, Du Bois gave up on hope in America and moved back to his native country: Ghana. The civil-rights movement was a turbulent time for all activists. It was hard enough for them to gain respect of their white peers. As for Pecola, respect can never be achieved. She does not even believe in herself, therefore no one else in her community will ever believe that she is worth something.

Love and Abuse

In The Bluest Eye, the reader follows along as Pecola, a sensitive and delicate girl, comes of age within her suffocating community. As seen in pop-culture today, sex is a monumental part of growing up; it is a symbol of adulthood. Sex is more than just a vessel for reproduction – it is a representation of love. A major reason that Pecola is damaged and ashamed of her identity is because love is hard for her to find. She has been exposed to traumatic sexual experiences, as well. Love is associated with white skin and sex is associated with violence. Pecola’s growth is inhibited because of her upbringing. Her parents are abusive and she has no other outlet for positive affection. Pecola is surrounded by abuse, and because of this, she thinks that racism and exploitation is normal.

Racism vs. Self-Acceptance

Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye, explores racism and its detrimental effects on a person's self-image. Pecola (the story's protagonist) is a confused and misguided African American 11 year-old girl growing up in a damaging environment. Within her close-minded community, she is surrounded by people who mistreat and abuse her. Even her own flesh and blood treats her like a piece of garbage. Without a positive role-model and a loving outlet, Pecola is suffocated by society's dismissive standards while her self-image rots into decay.
Everywhere Pecola turns, beauty is associated with white skin color. The racism that is so prevalent within her community influences Pecola's own self-image, leaving her with no self-worth. The idea of black=ugly becomes engrained into her head, and without an escape, Pecola blames her problems on something she can't control: her skin color. Instead of embracing her identity, Pecola wishes for blue eyes, as if it would solve all of her problems.


Much like Pecola, one cannot achieve success or happiness without self-acceptance. Both the media and society are very influential, and can also inhibit a person from developing a unique identity. Pecola feels trapped and ashamed of her skin color, race, and even her identity. Such low self-esteem can happen to people of all different backgrounds. Whether it is the media or a surrounding community, the environment always has a dominating impact on self-image. Are people growing up in the ghetto destined to be criminals? Can homosexuals involved in religious societies escape from the ridicule?


Use these sources and an open-mind to explore some tangible problems in today's society that are similar to those of Pecola.

For Questia article please follow these steps:
1. Log onto www.questia.com
2. Type USA: The Struggle for Freedom and Self-Respect. in the search panel. It is the first magazine article listed.
3. Click and read.

Podcast

Directions:
1) Become familiarized with the electronic sources to grasp a solid understanding of the issues faced within The Bluest Eye.
2) Trading Places: BLOG POST: Imagine you are removed from your current community and placed within one opposite of your present home (higher crime, poverty) and you are the minority. How would life be different if you lived there all your life and if you just began living there?
3) BLOG POST: Write a thank you letter to a person who influenced you when you were in a bad situation. Then write another letter and imagine you are in a bad environment. How has this (imaginary) person given you self-confidence?
4) Create a storyboard timeline of your life, with pictures, and imagine how it would unravel if you were to grow up in a negative community.

Insecurity

Society has created its own standards of what is beautiful and what is ugly. The pressure to be beautiful can be seen all over the media, school classrooms, and even at the work place. Whether through surgery or commercial products, people are willing to sacrifice their identities in order to transform themselves into something they are not. This has become a major problem. Low self-esteem can be caused by the pressure to look or act in a certain way: society’s standards of perfect. Around every corner, from celebrities to loved ones, people are demanded to be something that they are not – leading to a low self-worth, distorted views, and a lack of confidence. I have heard parents call their children “fat” and even force them on diets. My friend has told me stories of how her boss makes her go tanning to be more beautiful. Everyone has insecurities, but sometimes a lack of self-worth or self-esteem can be a large problem.

Being Comfortable In Your Own Skin

If the past dictates the present and influences the future, then heritage is the foundation of a person’s identity. These roots can extend deep into ancestry or grow from different cultures. Either way, one certainty is that heritage is impossible to escape. The struggle with identity is a prevalent theme in the media, literature, and is accessible to people of all races. Jack E. White, a contributing writer for TIME magazine, is one of many looking to connect with his ancestry. In the article “In African-American Eyes”, White discovers how kinship and individuality are so closely intertwined. Before leaving for his anticipated journey back to his native land, White asked himself, “What does Africa mean to me?” To many, Africa may not be any more familiar than the distant tales of “the coups, the starving refugees, the monumentally mismanaged governments, the ugly dictatorships” (White Par. 5). These stories are hard for Westerners to imagine and can explain why the genetic link sometimes seems distant. As White traveled from country to country on his journey through his native land, feelings of belonging and empathy overcame him. He felt the pain of “all that was lost when our unwilling ancestors made their transatlantic voyage” (White Par. 8). After visiting Africa, the place he considers to be his “motherland”, White not only had a greater appreciation for his people but also felt more complete as an individual. White was able to fill the void in his core by embracing a defining characteristic of his individuality: his ancestry.
Being comfortable, or not being comfortable, in your own skin is a universal feeling. Race, religion, sexual orientation all are defining characteristics in a person, but should not be restrictive or bounding. In Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Pecola feels ugly because of her skin color. She has trouble fitting in with her peers and is ostracized from her community, but even more tragically, feels uncomfortable in her own skin. A lot can be accredited to Pecola’s insecurity: a lack of love at home, racism, naivety. Unlike Jack E. White, Pecola refuses to accept her inherited skin color as beauty. Her heritage is seen as inadequate and the lack of appreciation from the people surrounding her makes Pecola confused. In chapter 1 of The Bluest Eye, Pecola asks, “How do you get someone to love you?” This is reoccurring theme in the novel. Claudia, who is also confused, takes apart a doll to its core to see why it is so “lovable”. Because Pecola has no one in her life with a loving or embracing spirit, she cannot even love herself and does not embrace her inner beauty. Pecola feels incomplete and blemished and would rather be white with blue eyes. She is very fragile and the void in her heart is love. She cannot accept her heritage and this damages her. Pecola looks in all the wrong places for beauty. Instead of ignoring his heritage like Pecola, White sought answers. His trip back to Africa provided “greater knowledge and a powerful awareness” (White Par. 9). Hopefully as Pecola comes of age she discovers that out of all that defines her, no one or nothing can destroy her individuality.
Self-worth is the most important aspect of appreciating individuality and understanding the lineage of our ancestry. Although society has always influenced people, literature has tried to express that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In both Jack E. White’s article and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, beauty is not skin deep. Whether the answers are planted with the roots, or deep within the soul, ancestry cannot be ignored. Pecola’s naivety makes her question the existence of beauty. She has been convinced she flawed by being black. Fortunately for White, he has realized that skin color does not define him, but that his heritage is a defining part of identity. Both characters have struggled as a people throughout history but prove that an internal struggle can be more detrimental.


White, Jack E. "In African-American Eyes." Time Magazine 7 Sept. 1992. 25 Mar.
2009 0,9171,976426-1,00.html>.

Questions to Consider:

Similar to the questions in The Twilight Zone episode, who, realistically, is responsible for determining what is wrong or right, ugly or beautiful?

Why is there sometimes animosity towards homosexuality? Historically, religiously, culturally.

Will gay marriage ever be legal across the entire United States?

Relating to variables such as attraction, behavior, fantasies, emotional and social preferences, self-identification, and lifestyle, can bisexuality exist?

Are people pansexual? Pansexuality is the idea that gender and sex are insignificant or irrelevant in determining whether they will be sexually attracted to others.

What is the hardest or scariest part of "coming out" to something or being truthful and honest?

How does sexual orientation affect someone's reputation or image? Does it have the influence to change someone's image? Can sexual orientation ever be ignored when judging a person?

Who benefits from the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy? Is that a good way to handle sexual orientation?

Homosexuality in the Media

In a day and age when everything has to be politically correct, the media and pop culture have to be very careful. Gender, sexual orientation, race, can be touchy subjects but America tends to ignore the issues all together. By disregarding anything that is different from the norm or exploring stereotypes no further than skin deep, we are only feeding into the heterosexual privilege. When it comes to discretion, Will and Grace exceeds all boundaries. Instead of shying away from the idea that society is eclectic with both heterosexuals and homosexuals, this sitcom makes light of something that many people refuse to discuss: homosexuality. Sometimes it is hard to ignore the stereotypes that society has jammed into our brains but in Will and Grace such a stereotype is not neglected. Between the four main characters, no Gaydar is needed to figure out that two of them are gay. After watching an episode I realized that the show is not about the characters and their sexual orientation but rather that it’s just a part of who they are as people. Will and Grace is a similar to many other sitcoms aired on television. Every episode begins with a conflict and concludes with a resolution. This is something that every person can relate to; it is human nature. Will and Grace complements the two gay protagonists with other characters who have even bigger “problems”. Karen, another main character is a rich drunk, and her character pros and flaws evolved from stereotypes. It is hard to ignore stereotypes because sometimes there is truth behind them. Will and Grace illustrates that whether straight or gay, that is not something that should define a person. In many other shows that I have watched, the topic of homosexuality is comparable to a 600-pound gorilla everyone notices but will not acknowledge. Will and Grace explores deeper than just the stereotypes and shows that all characters are human.