Blog Topic #5: Personal Review
I found this book to be very educational because it provided amazing insight into the life of a young, black woman when discrimination was at its peak. It was hard to read about Celie’s life because her descriptions are so raw, yet it is important that I see the hard lives that some people have to endure. I felt almost sick having to read about how horribly her father treated her, but if the descriptions weren’t so blunt they wouldn’t have been as powerful. Celie wrote things exactly how they occurred, not sparing any details or using any euphemisms; I liked this style of writing because it seemed more realistic; if the letters had been in proper, sophisticated English it would have seemed more like a story than real life. There was no part of the book I did not like; having to read about Celie’s sexual inclinations toward woman was not enjoyable for me, but, once again, it made the story seem real. Since so many men abused Celie throughout her life it was very obvious why she didn’t feel any love towards men; women were the more logical choice. The raw, candid style of writing in this book is one of its best aspects.
The other reason I liked this book is because it showed the attitude that men used to have towards woman. Woman were supposed to be totally compliant to their husbands, and there lives revolved around keeping their husband happy. I cannot even imagine having to grow up in a world where your only achievement in life in having kids, and everything else you do goes unnoticed. Woman were not encouraged to challenge their intelligence; in fact men preferred a woman who was uneducated because then the man appeared even more superior. It is quite incredible how much America’s values have evolved within the last hundred years, and how many strides toward equality have been taken. Being able to compare the social norm from back then until now is the other reason I found his book so interesting and important for people to read.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Blog topic #3: syntax
Blog Topic #3: Syntax
• “…and way down under his tobacco, Nettie’s letters. Bunches and Bunches of them. Some fat, some thin. Some open some not”(129).
Similar to the diction, the syntax in The Color Purple contrasts Celie’s uneducated, childlike writing to Nettie’s more intricate sentence structure. Nettie received enough education that her style of writing includes varied sentence structure, such as “When I don’t write to you I feel as bad as I do when I don’t pray, locked up in myself and choking on my own heart. I am so lonely, Celie” (136). The varied sentence structure adds more detail so the reader can easily imagine the story. Instead of simple saying I feel bad, Nettie says “choking on my own heart”, so the reader can really understand the pain that Nettie feels. Celie’s writing reflects her education perfectly; her sentences are choppy and don’t flow like Nettie’s, who’s sentences manage to roll off the tongue with more ease. Celie’s sentences lack transition, like when she writes “Too nappy to be kinky, too kinky to be nappy. No set color to it either. I give up, tie in a headrag” (112). The author purposely makes Celie’s sentences more staccato because it helps develop her character. Celie’s choppy sentences also bring attention to key points in her writing. In the bulleted quote, Celie spends quite a few sentences on describing the letters. The author’s purpose in doing this is that is shows how important the letters are to Celie. Celie feels as if Nettie is the only person who has ever loved her, so those letters mean the world to her. The syntax throughout The Color Purple is important in showing the character’s educational backgrounds and helping the author make key points stand out.
• “…and way down under his tobacco, Nettie’s letters. Bunches and Bunches of them. Some fat, some thin. Some open some not”(129).
Similar to the diction, the syntax in The Color Purple contrasts Celie’s uneducated, childlike writing to Nettie’s more intricate sentence structure. Nettie received enough education that her style of writing includes varied sentence structure, such as “When I don’t write to you I feel as bad as I do when I don’t pray, locked up in myself and choking on my own heart. I am so lonely, Celie” (136). The varied sentence structure adds more detail so the reader can easily imagine the story. Instead of simple saying I feel bad, Nettie says “choking on my own heart”, so the reader can really understand the pain that Nettie feels. Celie’s writing reflects her education perfectly; her sentences are choppy and don’t flow like Nettie’s, who’s sentences manage to roll off the tongue with more ease. Celie’s sentences lack transition, like when she writes “Too nappy to be kinky, too kinky to be nappy. No set color to it either. I give up, tie in a headrag” (112). The author purposely makes Celie’s sentences more staccato because it helps develop her character. Celie’s choppy sentences also bring attention to key points in her writing. In the bulleted quote, Celie spends quite a few sentences on describing the letters. The author’s purpose in doing this is that is shows how important the letters are to Celie. Celie feels as if Nettie is the only person who has ever loved her, so those letters mean the world to her. The syntax throughout The Color Purple is important in showing the character’s educational backgrounds and helping the author make key points stand out.
Monday, March 15, 2010
blog topic #2: diction
Blog topic #2: Diction
Celie’s quotes:
• 1. “she say something nasty. She say f***”(116).
• 2. “words us don’t know”(150).
• 3. “Us fight. I hardly pray at all”(204).
• 4. ast(ask), naw(no), gon(gone),
• 5. “Grady’s big toofs”
Nettie’s quotes:
• 1. “I had never realized I was so ignorant”(138).
• 2. “pitiful, cast-out woman who may perish…”(168).
• 3. sanctified
The author uses different diction in Nettie’s letters than in Celie’s to contrast their different educational upbringings. Celie never caught on to lessons in school as fast as Nettie, and she didn’t receive as much formal education as Nettie received. Nettie also had the opportunity to learn from Samuel and Corrine, so her vocabulary is more sophisticated than Celie’s vocabulary. Celie makes simple writing errors such as “ast” and “gon”, but Nettie is able to effectively use bigger words such as ignorant and sanctified. Celie’s diction also attributes to the tone of the story. In Celie’s first quote, she seems shocked and uneasy about Shug’s blatant language. Although Celie had lived through an abusive, traumatic childhood, she was also very sheltered from the rest of the world’s problems. Celie was never able to travel outside her town, so she was never exposed to the rough life that Shug experienced, full of drunken men, loose sex, and vulgar language. The third quote shows how there is a volta in the story. Celie’s attitude shifts from respecting God to feeling betrayed by him. She doesn’t understand why so many bad things have happened to her, and her diction in this quote reveal how she is starting to doubt the existence of God. The diction in this story is significant to the development of the tone.
Celie’s quotes:
• 1. “she say something nasty. She say f***”(116).
• 2. “words us don’t know”(150).
• 3. “Us fight. I hardly pray at all”(204).
• 4. ast(ask), naw(no), gon(gone),
• 5. “Grady’s big toofs”
Nettie’s quotes:
• 1. “I had never realized I was so ignorant”(138).
• 2. “pitiful, cast-out woman who may perish…”(168).
• 3. sanctified
The author uses different diction in Nettie’s letters than in Celie’s to contrast their different educational upbringings. Celie never caught on to lessons in school as fast as Nettie, and she didn’t receive as much formal education as Nettie received. Nettie also had the opportunity to learn from Samuel and Corrine, so her vocabulary is more sophisticated than Celie’s vocabulary. Celie makes simple writing errors such as “ast” and “gon”, but Nettie is able to effectively use bigger words such as ignorant and sanctified. Celie’s diction also attributes to the tone of the story. In Celie’s first quote, she seems shocked and uneasy about Shug’s blatant language. Although Celie had lived through an abusive, traumatic childhood, she was also very sheltered from the rest of the world’s problems. Celie was never able to travel outside her town, so she was never exposed to the rough life that Shug experienced, full of drunken men, loose sex, and vulgar language. The third quote shows how there is a volta in the story. Celie’s attitude shifts from respecting God to feeling betrayed by him. She doesn’t understand why so many bad things have happened to her, and her diction in this quote reveal how she is starting to doubt the existence of God. The diction in this story is significant to the development of the tone.
Blog Topic #4: text connection
Blog topic #4: Text Connection- text to text
The character Celie in The Color Purple is extremely similar to Janie in Their Eyes were Watching God. Both women are held down by controlling men who seem to squeezing the life out of them. Janie is controlled by her husband Joe, who considers her more of an object than an actual human being. Instead of marrying her for her thoughts and intellect, he marries her for her beauty. He forces her to be totally compliant, unable to share her opinion or engage with other townspeople. She finds it easier to remain silent than to fight with him, and it is not until after his death that she can act like herself again. Celie is in the same situation. First she is under the control of her abusive father, who cares so little for her that he continuously rapes her. Then she is pawned off to Albert, who she will be forced to marry. Her sole duty is to do whatever Albert wants: take care of the kids, tend to the fields, cook, and clean. Celie has learned throughout her life that it is easier to be silent, so she sits quietly as Albert abuses her and sleeps with another woman. The parallel between these women is that neither lady is able to break free from the bonds that their husbands have placed on them.
The character Celie in The Color Purple is extremely similar to Janie in Their Eyes were Watching God. Both women are held down by controlling men who seem to squeezing the life out of them. Janie is controlled by her husband Joe, who considers her more of an object than an actual human being. Instead of marrying her for her thoughts and intellect, he marries her for her beauty. He forces her to be totally compliant, unable to share her opinion or engage with other townspeople. She finds it easier to remain silent than to fight with him, and it is not until after his death that she can act like herself again. Celie is in the same situation. First she is under the control of her abusive father, who cares so little for her that he continuously rapes her. Then she is pawned off to Albert, who she will be forced to marry. Her sole duty is to do whatever Albert wants: take care of the kids, tend to the fields, cook, and clean. Celie has learned throughout her life that it is easier to be silent, so she sits quietly as Albert abuses her and sleeps with another woman. The parallel between these women is that neither lady is able to break free from the bonds that their husbands have placed on them.
Blog topic #1: rhetorical strategies
Blog topic #1: rhetorical strategies
Similes/metaphors
• “Look like a little mouse been nibbling the biscuit, a rat run off with the ham” (54).
• He real fat and tall, look like a big yellow bear” (58).
• “She skinny as a bean and her face full of eyes” (59).
• “Remind me of a hog at the troth” (64).
• “Thought so sharp it go through me like pain” (69).
• “But it really sound sort of like panthers…” (120).
• “Hot like cooking dinner on a big stove in a little kitchen in August and July” (154).
Repetition
• Angels all in white, white hair and whit eyes, look like albinos. God all white too…” (96).
Double entrendre
• “Weeds come up on my land, I chop ‘em up. Trash blow over it I burn it” (57). –Harpo’s girlfriend’s dad is referring to Harpo not being good enough for his daughter.
Since Celie’s education was severely limited, her style of writing is fairly simplistic, so she does not use of variety of rhetorical strategies. The one strategy she uses in abundance is comparisons, or similes. This allows the reader to imagine what Celie is writing about, and to envision what her life was like. Her use of repetition when discussing angels and God shows how she somewhat glorifies white people; most of the black people she knows have taken advantage of her and they do not live very joyous lives. She longs for the white lifestyle, so the color white is symbolic of happiness, wealth, and superiority.
Similes/metaphors
• “Look like a little mouse been nibbling the biscuit, a rat run off with the ham” (54).
• He real fat and tall, look like a big yellow bear” (58).
• “She skinny as a bean and her face full of eyes” (59).
• “Remind me of a hog at the troth” (64).
• “Thought so sharp it go through me like pain” (69).
• “But it really sound sort of like panthers…” (120).
• “Hot like cooking dinner on a big stove in a little kitchen in August and July” (154).
Repetition
• Angels all in white, white hair and whit eyes, look like albinos. God all white too…” (96).
Double entrendre
• “Weeds come up on my land, I chop ‘em up. Trash blow over it I burn it” (57). –Harpo’s girlfriend’s dad is referring to Harpo not being good enough for his daughter.
Since Celie’s education was severely limited, her style of writing is fairly simplistic, so she does not use of variety of rhetorical strategies. The one strategy she uses in abundance is comparisons, or similes. This allows the reader to imagine what Celie is writing about, and to envision what her life was like. Her use of repetition when discussing angels and God shows how she somewhat glorifies white people; most of the black people she knows have taken advantage of her and they do not live very joyous lives. She longs for the white lifestyle, so the color white is symbolic of happiness, wealth, and superiority.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)