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Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison allowed me to begin to understand how African Americans are portrayed though white based literature. I was able to begin to see that our society has struggled with the notion of grasping the Aficanism concept. However I became entangled within her arguments and facts. I became clear what her view as a general idea but I found it difficult to break through and really delve into the heart.
What I was able to get from the beginning of the text was the fact that American literature and history exists today due to a large role of the African Americans. Yet we continue to portray then as a static stereotype image. Toni Morrison allowed me to see this more clearly when she used the example Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather. Toni says that because of a passage of dialogue from the mother we are swayed to believe that black woman are bad mothers and lack the necessary care. She discussed how the white woman dealt with her insecurities through the black slave girl, Nancy. Toni mentions that the stories plot would crumble if it weren t for the mistreatment of the black girl.
I feel that she means that if it were a white girl then the plot would be weak and uninteresting but because it is a slave girl it turns the tables. She also states that it the title were, Sepphira and Nancy then the book would be read for the wrong reason. It is as if the white writer uses the African American as a tool to develop and fill a plot. From what I read in Playing in the Dark, I was able to begin to see Toni s message and her strong concrete beliefs. I had a little hard tome extracting them due to her complex language and use of words. I became aware that her beliefs are strong and I have gained a respect for her and her work almost instantly.
However, I have only scraped the surface, soon I will begin to dig in.
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Research essay sample on Toni Morrison Slave Girl
