Black Women Comparative Book/Poem Study

Black Women Comparative Book/Poem Study

  • Submitted By: sophiehemus
  • Date Submitted: 08/31/2013 10:27 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1255
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 1

50 years ago black women were not seen as strong and independent. They were seen as subservient and vulnerable people, who were easy to take advantage of and treated disrespectfully. The power of literature challenges our expectations and has the ability to make us question the stereotype. In the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker, the poem Still I Rise By Maya Angelou and the poem I Am a Black Woman by Mari Evans, we see the authors utilizing the different qualities and characteristics of characters to redefine the stereotypical black women.
The women in The Color Purple are strong characters that use their friendship to overcome the harsh realities of racism, sexism and abuse. Celie, and Shug overcome the obstacles put in front of them by using their friendship to comfort, lean and grow from each other. The Color Purple affirms the survival and liberation of black women through the strength and wisdom of others. Celie’s phrase “us sleep like sisters, me and Shug” is a symbol of the characters respect and love for one another and the two together epitomizes sisterhood, and through sisterhood comes greater strength. “….. say whatever come to mind, forget about polite”, Shug empowered Celie, she gave her the voice and confidence she needed to confront her husband and to abandon a destructive relationship, “You a lowdown dog is what’s wrong. It’s time to leave you and enter into the Creation. And your dead body just the welcome mat I need”. Mr. ______ responds in his characteristic insulting manner, but his put-downs have no power once Celie possesses the sense of self-worth she previously lacked. The self-actualization Celie achieves transforms her into a happy, successful, independent woman. This can be seen when after all the years of hardships she has had to face she says “Don’t think us feel old at all. . . . Matter of fact, I think this is the youngest us ever felt.” In this text we see that the author...

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