Self Definition

Self-definition Throughout history black women have been stereotyped and put into many different roles in society. Black women, it seems, have become the scapegoat for many issues and problems and have been misrepresented usually by men, mostly by white men. Through the creation of the mammy, the sapphire, the Jezebel, the strong black woman and more, black women have been misrepresented and portrayed in negative ways in society. In a response to this labeling, black women have begun to tell their own stories and speak out for themselves. Through their writings, black women writers have been able to dispel the stereotypes of black women by showing the truth, the true story of the women, told by the woman. Doing this, they have been able to resist the oppression of the many negative stereotypes. The thoughts, feelings, history and background story of black women is told by her and the reader is given a different view of her life. By showing the oppression of the women, the community around them and their thoughts and feelings, the author is re-defining the black women and giving her a chance for self-definition. Jacqueline Bobo states, "This community of heightened consciousness is in the process of creating new self-images and forming a force for change". These black women writers have helped create a consciousness among those that read their novels, helping change stereotypes. In the novels Sula by Toni Morrison, and the short story My Man Bovanne by Toni Cade Bambara; the main character, a woman, is able to express her side of her story, it is not told by anyone else, therefore she is able to self-define herself and break the stereotypes and oppression that are against her. Each author uses situational irony in action and thought and irony through allusion and hypocrisy in names and situations and names forcing the reader to realize that the only true account of a woman 's situation is the woman and forcing them to listen to her and allow her to

Cited: 1. Bambara, Toni C. Gorilla, My Love. New York: Vintage Books, 1972. 2. Bobo, Jacqueline "The Color Purple: Black Women as Cultural Readers." The Black Studies Reader : Section D. 3. Morrison, Toni. Sula. New York: Penguin Group,, 1973.