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Example research essay topic: Toni Morrisons Bluest Eye - 1,549 words

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... as individuals. While talking about Pecola, Morrison always emphasizes the fact that she comes from lower social strata: She looked at Pecola. Saw the dirty torn dress, the plaits sticking out on her head, hair matted where the plaits had come undone, the muddy shoes with the wad of gum peeping out from between the cheap soles, the soiled socks, one of which had been walked down into the heel on the shoe (Morrison, p. 71). We can say that author strives to manipulate with readers mood, because it is essential for understanding novels true meaning. The rhythm of The Bluest Eye can be described as continuous, because Morrison does not resort to the principle of literary apogee in her book.

There are only three instances of rhythm picking up its pace, in the novel when boys try to beat up Pecola, when she is being raped by Chilly and when she finally becomes insane. Morrison often uses sarcasm, which affects novels intonation. This increases The Bluest Eye literary value, but at the same time, it makes it hard for us to believe that protagonists are actually young girls. (4) In her novel, Morrison was able to organically combine rhetorical devices. She uses symbolism as the main tool of convincing readers to adopt her point of view on the issue of racial prejudice.

This is quite explainable, given Morrisons fascination with Virginia Wolfs writing style. However, Morrisons symbolism is not very refined. In fact, author provides us with the explanation what did she have in mind, while attaching a symbolical meaning to an event: Dolls we could destroy, but we could not destroy the honey voices of parents and aunts, the obedience in the eyes of our peers, the slippery light in the eyes of our teachers when they encountered the Maureen Peals of the world (Morrison, p. 57). Therefore, we can say that Morrison uses symbolism to enrich her story, however, operating with symbolical categories, on her part, does not derive out of authors worldview being deeply symbolic, as it is the case with Wolf. In her novel, Morrison proved herself as author who has a taste to metaphors.

She uses them indiscriminately, throughout the text: We courted death in order to call ourselves brave, and hid like thieves from life. We substituted good grammar for intellect; we switched habits to simulate maturity; we rearranged lies and called it truth, seeing in the new pattern of an old idea the Revelation and the Word (Morrison, p. 163). This allows Morrison to reach a specific literary effect, when readers begin to think of surrounding reality, while using authors logistics. This points out to the great value of her book. Being able to apply metaphorical meaning to ordinary objects allows Morrison to provide readers with the chance to look at the world through her eyes. Author often refers to Black people as pilgrims without a cause, which implies that African-Americans are just as idealistic as Whites, but their inability to associate their racial identity with the notion of physical beauty prevents them for realizing their full potential.

Literary critics point to the fact that Morrison also uses allegorical devices in The Bluest Eye. It is very hard to disagree with then. Morrisons sense of imagination allows her to entitle seemingly banal events with metaphysical sounding: I even think now that the land of the entire country was hostile to marigolds that year. This soil is bad for certain kinds of flowers. Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear, and when the land kills of its own volition, we acquiesce and say that victim had no right to live (Morrison, p. 2006). In this passage, Morrison talks about infertility as something that contradicts the most basic law of biology.

Pecola's suffering was fruitless, because it did not make her stronger. Neither did it teach her how to distinguish between good and evil, in esthetic sense of this word. The theme of seeds that are being planted in the wrong soil is recurrent in Morrisons novel. We can be sure that this is because it corresponds to authors own subconscious anxieties. Seeds are meant to become trees, which in their turn, are meant to bear fruits. Therefore, seeing seeds being rejected by the soil is something utterly unnatural: It never occurred to either of us that the earth itself might have been unyielding.

We had dropped our seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecola's father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt. Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his lust or despair (Morrison, p. 250). Morrison often uses rhetorical questions, which imply that the answer is whether too obvious or that it simply cannot be given. Pecola's passive stance in life is usually explained by her inability to leave the world of dreams.

In its turn, it was caused the fact that nobody could answer Pecola's questions. What was the secret? What did we lack? Why was it important? And so what? asks Claudia, but these questions are directed inwards.

Apparently, Morrison uses rhetorical questions to emphasize the futility of objective reality, which surrounds girls. There is one memorable scene, where Pecola prays to God, asking him to turn her eyes blue: Please God, let me have the. Would you not want to see me being happy? (Morrison, p. 270). The positive answer to this question suggests the existence of loving God, however Morrison shows that Pecola's expectations were in vain. Therefore, her questions still linger in the air. As whole, The Bluest Eye is very distinctive, because novel is based on inner antithesis between White and Black.

Author uses antithesis to suggest that color of a skin defines individuals fate more than any other biological factor. The lighter is persons skin, the happier is his life: Colored people were neat and quiet; niggers were dirty and loud... The line between colored and nigger was not always clear; subtle and telltale signs threatened to erode it, and the watch had to be constant (Morrison, p. 87). Even though that author promotes the idea that racial inequality does not correspond to peoples biological worth, the fact that she uses antithesis, while comparing Black and White people, betrays her as believing in something opposite. There is no doubt that Morrisons novel incorporates biographical motives. Therefore, it is only logical to conclude that author was never able to fully get rid of the feeling of her own inferiority. (5) The Bluest Eye is the novel, where semantic meaning often derives out of textual content.

The idea of esthetics that are based on White perception of beauty, is described by Morrison as being scientifically inconsistent. The feeling of esthetic inferiority, experienced by Pecola and her parents, is shown as being self-imposed. This explains another reason why Morrisons novel became so popular. It is because it suggests that, even though the American culture has traditionally been pro-White, there was no compelling reason for Black people to think of themselves in much lower regard, unless they really felt that they could not math Whites physically and intellectually. Thus, the blame for the underprivileged status of Afro-Americans cannot be put exclusively on White people. It would not be an exaggeration to say that stylistic finesse in The Bluest Eye is related to the ideological refinement in inseparable manner.

Morrison was able to prove herself as being both: outstanding sociologist and talented writer. In his article Serious Anarchy: Notes on The Bluest Eye, John Pistelli makes a perfect point when he says: The Bluest Eye is a great novel because Toni Morrison didn't yet know how to write a novel; no one told her to show instead of tell, and we can be thankful for that, because it's the book of someone with much to tell, someone rather mysterious, someone who spent the rest of her writing days showing us things that are often hard to understand (Pistelli). Morrisons book has already been translated into 5 languages, which proves that it has a great literary appeal, which is going to grow even stronger, as time goes by. Bibliography: Coles, Robert The Bluest Eye. 1996. New Oxford Review. 8 Jun. 2007.

web Marks, Paul. The Bluest Eye, 's take With Vision. 20 Oct. 2006. Washington Post. Com. 8 Jun. 2007. web Pistelli, John. Serious Anarchy: Notes on The Bluest Eye. 28 Feb. 2005.

BC Books. 8 Jun. 2007. web Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Random House, 2000. Moses, Cat The Blues Aesthetic in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. 1999. African American Review.

Find Articles. Com. 9 Jun. 2007. web Sugiharti, Esti Racialised Beauty: Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye. 2000. Department of Women's Studies. University of Adelaide. 8 Jun. 2007. web Rutherford, Ed The Bluest Eye: a Heartbreaking and Intense Examination of Racial Insecurity. 11 Feb. 2005.

Center Stage Chicago. 8 Jun. 2007. web Rosenberg, Ruth Seeds in Hard Ground: Black Girlhood in The Bluest Eye. 1999. JSTOR. 8 Jun. 2007. web (198724) 21: 4 % 3 C 435: SIHGBG% 3 E 2. 0. CO; 2 -D Abstract: This paper analyses Toni Morrisons novel The Bluest Eye from conceptual and stylistic perspectives. Outline: Introduction Close Textual Analysis Prosodic Analysis Rhetorical Devices Conclusion


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Research essay sample on Toni Morrisons Bluest Eye

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