Preview

How Is America Still Portrayed In The 1970's?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
609 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Is America Still Portrayed In The 1970's?
American has been described in many terms such as the melting pot and tossed salad, but what are these terms really telling us as Americans. What these terms are trying to convey is that America is a country of great diversity. When it comes to the literature of this country reflects its population in its diversity of genres, themes, language, and voice. For example, the voices of Toni Morrison, whose voice were very powerful and appreciated in many ways as she wrote a very inspiring book call “The Bluest Eye.” In a book it talks about both racism and beauty are portrayed in a number of ways. This story illustrates many of the racial concerns which were immense issues in the 1970’s which is when this book was written, however not as much …show more content…
She takes her readers into the mind of a helpless little black girl by the name Pecola who looks into the mirror to try and discover the secret of the ugliness, that made her ignored or despose. Pecola was depicted as ugly because she always miserable. If you were to look at her you would see that she always had a sad, grim look a pond her face, and rarely talked to anyone. Who tragically withdraws into her own reality where she sees herself with the ideal blue eyes, but is concerned that someone else may have “ the bluest eyes in the whole world” given these points racism and beauty plays a big role thoughout this novel. Toni Morrison’s intertions in writing this book were to show that racism and beauty are within the mind of the beholder. As Toni draws a imagined and possible lives and lives that should be inimaginable,but exist. Her Contribution to the American novel is the power of her language and the images that the lnguage instills in the hearts and mids of her

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    One of the main ideas of this book, commonly associated with America and the way we live, is that there are a wide range of people living in this country. America has been well known as the "melting pot" of the world. We have many ethnicities and races, and countless cultural differences. Within our melting pot people have different lifestyles and ambitions in life. Some work hard for what they get, and others try to find a quick way of getting what they want.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Recitatif” is a story about Twyla and Roberta; two characters of different race that accidently meet every couple of years. From the onset of the story, Morrison introduces the story with a racist thought from Twyla, stablishing the story’s main topic is race. The story in general is to get the reader to contemplate on the significance of the story. She does this by never unveiling the race of either character. Instead she uses various social codes to help the reader identify the race of each character. Also, “Morrison has explored the experience and roles of black women in a racist and male dominated society. Besides revealing the hurt caused by racial discrimination and segregation to the black women, she has also described their inner psychological world twisted by the dominated white society” (Li-Li, WANG). Furthermore, Maggie is also another significant character. Twyla and Roberta detested Maggie and thought Maggie deserved all the hate and suffering. Most importantly, “Recitatif” is a “work exposing society’s unspoken racialized codes” (Stanley, Sandra Kumamoto). Therefore, the message Morrison is reflecting is the issue that lies in our society. In…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The United States of America has been called the “melting pot” of the world. It is a country that is open to diversity and welcomes culture, race and ethnicity of all sorts, for as long as it complies with its laws. United States become a nation rich in immigrants who found new home in a foreign land. Most of the big and key cities in the United States are culturally and racially diversified. This diversity is taught to be an asset of the society. If not understood well, this diversity may also lead to internal and external conflicts such as discrimination and stereotyping. Stereotyping can be as harmless as thinking that Chinese cooks the best orange chicken or Indians have the best chicken curry, but it can also be as destructive as stereotyping Muslims as potential terrorists or Mexicans as potential illegal aliens. Stereotypes come in different forms and it is also apparent in the news, media, television, songs and…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The theme of the story, “The Bluest Eye” written by Toni Morrison, demonstrates the connection between the self-esteem of African-American people (beauty and ugliness), racism and hate. The reason why this theme is discussed was because, we can go back to the origins of African-Americans, it relates to the African diaspora, Jim Crow era, and how people negatively look at blacks today in society, and white supremacy destroyed black imaginary. But before this goes on furthermore, the audience needs to understand the importance of the dominant society which strongly removed the identity of African-American. Claudia and Maureen play perfect roles during the story. They show…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The American Character”, written by American historian and social critic Morris Berman (2006), challenges the notion of multiculturalism in America, and how the vision of economic prosperity and self-preservation has created a sense of mainstream behavior that rarely gives way to cultural background, race or religion.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To begin, "The Bluest Eye" is Toni Morrison's first novel. This novel tells a story of an African American girl's desire for the bluest eyes, which is the symbol for her of what it means to feel beautiful and accepted in society (American). In the novel, women suffer from the racial oppression, but they also suffer from violation and harsh actions brought to them by men (LitCharts). Male oppression is told all throughout the story, but the theme of women and feminity with the actions of male oppression over the women reaches its horrible climax when one…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A three-hundred-year history of slavery in America led to a psychological oppression of black people in America, which still exists today. Toni Morrison decides not to delineate how white dominance has affected African-Americans culturally yet she challenges American standards of white beauty and how that beauty is socially constructed within our culture. In The Bluest Eye, Morrison uses society’s image of beauty to demonstrate how the value of black beauty is diminished by racial prejudices and dilemmas through the lives of Pecola Breedlove, Claudia and Freida MacTeer, whose young minds were affected by this internalized idea that the color of your skin determined how perfect or worthy you were seen, not to yourself and on the inside, but…

    • 125 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    While Toni Morrison was growing up she has also experienced prejudices similar to Twyla. Toni Morrison’s family moved to Ohio to get away from the dangers and economic struggles of the south (Kubitschek 5). As Toni Morrison grew up, she wondered what it meant to be black. She has said that when someone was born black they had to “decide to be black” (3). What Morrison said goes beyond skin color and refers to what the world views (3). This gives insight on why Morrison decided to write this short story. Both women Twyla and Roberta have preconceived views of each other based on world views. Once they build an emotional relationship with each other, they forget what the world has always told them about each other.…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cafeteria Nation

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In One Nation, Slightly Divisible, David Brooks breaks down the country into two groups. Blue America, or the city, and Red America, the rural area. Brooks discusses the vast differences between each group as well as the stereotypes of each. For example, in his article he says, "We sail; they powerboat. We cross-country ski; they snowmobile. We hike; they drive ATV 's. We have vineyard tours; they have tractor pulls. When it comes to yard work, they have rider mowers; we have illegal aliens" (Brooks 53) where Brooks refers to himself as a Blue American. The divisions in our country are very visible, but the hostility and jealousy toward other groups is underneath the fact that we are Americans together. It is like a cafeteria nation.…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Stranger in America

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages

    What does it mean to be an “American”? To each individual person it means something very different. For the writer Bharati Mukherjee, who wrote the essay, “American Dreamer”, to be a true American someone has to want to be an American, not just prove that they merited citizenship. Her essay “American Dreamer” goes in depth into this idea and her opinion that as an American one should believe in bringing together the cultures in America. “We must think of American culture and nationhood as a constantly reforming, transmogrifying “we” (Mukherjee 438). For the author James Baldwin, who wrote the essay “Stranger in the Village”, an American is a person who is integrated with other cultures, and will never be a strictly “white” culture. “This world is white no longer, and it will never be white again.” (Baldwin 449) There are vast differences in the cultures of the world and to be integrated into a new culture can often be troublesome. These two essays have agreeing opinions on both of the authors’ predictions for the future of America and the refusal of the American culture to accept cultures other than their own, however they contrast with the authors’ own personal experiences in a culture other than their own.…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Diversity is the main factor in bringing America’s heritages together. America is not defined by a color, yet it is defined by numerous distant factors. Source 2 proves, how America is not defined by one detail; by saying, “Alongside the pain of immigration, then, and the possibility, there…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1970s American Values

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many American values that existed back in the 1970s still exist today, even if they may have taken on slightly different forms. An American value stated by Williams, that has persisted into the 21st century is that Americans s\till highly value achievement and success. To this day Americans honor those that they believe have achieved tremendous achievements through their own hard work and dedication. The value of achievement and success does still change from time to time in America, with Americans switching from valuing individual success the most, to valuing the success of a team of people, and then back again. Another value stated by Williams that has not only persisted into the present, but has also grown since the 70s, is humanitarian…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Many issues divided Americans in the 1920s and 1930s. This paper with examine some of these issues, such as dating, youth culture, the influence of Hollywood, the role of the automobile and sexuality. These issues arose during the roaring 20s and the 30s because the young generation started to do things differently than the generation before them. This was seen as rebellious and against the older generation’s morals.…

    • 1333 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Race, Class, & Gender

    • 2265 Words
    • 10 Pages

    "I am an American," says over 308,745,538 people in the United States this year ("2010 Census Data.") These people originate from everywhere; America is a "melting pot" of culture, and that can unfortunately cause social inequalities to arise through the Matrix of Domination, a theory that mirrors the intersectionality of race, class, and gender, as coauthor of Race, Class, & Gender, an Anthology Patricia Hill Collins claims (Andersen, and Collins xi-xiii.) These two terms give label to the commonplace phenomena of race, class, and gender work within a system of social relationships. The understanding of people from other cultures has grown in many ways over the history of the United States. America is starting to realize that the ethnocentric, or judging of others culture through the values of their own, is no longer an acceptable way to approach others. There is still a long way to go to more firmly develop a country with a general appreciation of diversity and inclusive thought. Knowledge is the power that will keep populations in peaceful, cultural awareness and harmonious equality.…

    • 2265 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even during the colonial era, the characteristics that distinguished American society was the diversity of its people. By European standards, America was extremely diverse. A fifth of the entire population was African American. Three-fifths of whites were English in ancestry and the other fifth was Irish or Scottish. The remainder was of French, Dutch, Swedish, and German. As one can see, America, above all is a quite diverse country and has been since the beginning of its’ time. American citizens represent a huge scale of cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds. America is often characterized as a nation of immigrants and is often referred to as the "melting pot" due to successive waves of immigrants from around the world coming to America. America has let more immigrants in than any other country, more than fifty million total, and today welcomes almost seven hundred thousand new immigrants a…

    • 1050 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays