Toni Morrison essay
The history of black people is extremely and dramatically meaningful, blatantly. The reason is because for many centuries these people were suffering and struggling for their rights and better lives. However, contemporary world is not as cruel to black people as in previous centuries. Poets and artists with dark skin showed all the pain and hopelessness of their, but I needed something more, and the something more was wisdom. I have found it through Toni Morrison’s novels.
Most of published literature in mid 1960s was written by black men. It was aggressive, revolutionary and powerful. It showed the beauty of black people. However, authors missed something. Indeed, people are not always beautiful. Thus, some people felt extremely apologetic because of their dark skin. Toni Morrison was concerned about the feelings of being ugly and wanted to show it before everyone would decide that they were beautiful. That was one of the reasons of writing “The Bluest Eye” (her first published novel).
Black women were depicted in the books as householders, mates, and cooks by black and even white poets. “But the children were always lesser”- as Toni Morrison said. That was another motivation for writing her novel. She wanted to black hurt girl be in the center of the novel. To make the focusing on her less harmful and depressive Toni Morrison surrounded her with people like her. To make this novel more understandable for readers she told this story how she saw it.
Further still, the societal elements that Morrison discusses in the interview (“ToniMorrisonTalksAboutHerMotivationForWriting”, 2004, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Zgu2hrs2k>)have impacted on many people. The problems of race become more and more fashionable, so that scientists in different spheres (sociological, psychological, and anthropological) and of course artists have great interest in solving such problems.Trying to explain all the similarities and difference, people have found Critical Race Theory, many songs, novels, pictures. But the truth is people are different: sex, age, views, colour of skin, weight, nation, sexual orientation. And it is beautiful, I think. Toni Morrison said about children, this theme is important to me. Black children and youth suffer greatly. I think it should be paid more attention to this problem.
The concept of physical appearance as a virtue is the center of the social problems portrayed in the novel “The Bluest Eye”. Thus the novel unfolds with the most logical responses to this overpowering impression of beauty: acceptance, adjustment, and rejection (Duvall 38). The problem of beauty impacted on me. Not everyone is beautiful, but everyone wants to be. I think, the problem is in self-acceptance and perception of own appearance. In conclusion, Morrison’s novels and views, and societal issues that she has discussed in the interview influenced on me.
