Stereotyping In Toni Morrison's Recitatif '
In “Recitatif” readers are confronted with different events that are unfolding so that they can recognize the stereotyping that is taking place in society. “Recitatif” opens up for readers to see how we are sometimes more focused on the group that we stereotype the individual character with instead of viewing them as their own person and getting to know them as an individual. I had an issue with which girl is black and which girl is white yet what I adore about the two young girls in the story is the way they see no issue with one another after their first meeting. This story opens up my eyes in how effectively today individuals are stereotyped. I had a desire to know and to positively identify the characters by race. Yet, Morrison avoided the racial identifications.
It is interesting to me how when we think of a certain food, clothing, or a certain action that someone may do, we automatically place them in a certain race. Morrison has left off this information showing us that, race in a way, does not matter. What makes a difference is that people have an issue about it. Morrison is stating that race does not make a difference, what is important is that individuals are hung up on race. We ought to view others of different race just by their character and actions, …show more content…
not by the color of their skin. This story really showed me how friendship should come from the heart, similar to the two girls represented in the story. They did not see one another as looking different as in different colored skin, yet instead valued each other because of their character and how they cared for each other. This story showed me how we as individuals do decide the race of others. It shows ho quick someone can be prejudice about someone of different color. An example of two parts of the story that I found hard to distinguish between who is white or black was when they went to dinner and Roberta picked up the menu and Twyla asked her if she ever learned how to read (1410). Roberta read the menu to prove to Twyla that she could. Roberta enjoyed music by Jimi Hendrix and by finding out what type of music she listened to is another clue to try to distinguish which girl is black or white (1410).
Morrison writes this story to demonstrate that people should not judge others based on their race. The way that she intentionally portrayed each character was a test to how the reader would view the race of the character. It is clear to me that society has stereotypes for about every race and we have a tendency to characterize individuals by their stereotypical characteristics that we put on them. Morrison challenges the reader by choosing not to classify either Twyla or Roberta as black or white. In the story there were some terms like “salt and pepper” and “sandy-colored” (1404). These terms demonstrate the ki of racial words that readers sometimes bring to a text.
Since reading “Recitatif”, I have questioned my reliance on racial stereotype.
I did not realize about myself how quickly I stereotype someone not just by the color of their skin but also by the clothes they are wearing, how they talk, and what they choose to eat. I found myself throughout the story, trying to figure out which girl was white and which girl was black. A few examples that I recognized while reading “Recitatif” were when Twyla describes Roberta of being of a whole other race that never washed their hair and smelled funny (Levine 1403). When she referred to her being of a whole other race she was saying that Roberta was either black or white which would have been the opposite race of
Twyla.
Morrison does a clever job of knowing how the readers’ view the common racial stereotypes. Some examples are: which race is either rich or poor, which race eats certain types of food, which race is more likely to be Christian, which race is to wear certain types of clothing, to listen to certain genres of music, and even having a certain type of hair. I like to think that this story positively affected me and how I see other individuals. I have put an effort in changing the way I look at others and I am slower to judge.
It is interesting to me how when we think of a certain food, clothing, or a certain action that someone may do, we automatically place them in a certain race. Morrison has left off this information showing us that, race in a way, does not matter. What makes a difference is that people have an issue about it. Morrison is stating that race does not make a difference, what is important is that individuals are hung up on race. We ought to view others of different race just by their character and actions, …show more content…
not by the color of their skin. This story really showed me how friendship should come from the heart, similar to the two girls represented in the story. They did not see one another as looking different as in different colored skin, yet instead valued each other because of their character and how they cared for each other. This story showed me how we as individuals do decide the race of others. It shows ho quick someone can be prejudice about someone of different color. An example of two parts of the story that I found hard to distinguish between who is white or black was when they went to dinner and Roberta picked up the menu and Twyla asked her if she ever learned how to read (1410). Roberta read the menu to prove to Twyla that she could. Roberta enjoyed music by Jimi Hendrix and by finding out what type of music she listened to is another clue to try to distinguish which girl is black or white (1410).
Morrison writes this story to demonstrate that people should not judge others based on their race. The way that she intentionally portrayed each character was a test to how the reader would view the race of the character. It is clear to me that society has stereotypes for about every race and we have a tendency to characterize individuals by their stereotypical characteristics that we put on them. Morrison challenges the reader by choosing not to classify either Twyla or Roberta as black or white. In the story there were some terms like “salt and pepper” and “sandy-colored” (1404). These terms demonstrate the ki of racial words that readers sometimes bring to a text.
Since reading “Recitatif”, I have questioned my reliance on racial stereotype.
I did not realize about myself how quickly I stereotype someone not just by the color of their skin but also by the clothes they are wearing, how they talk, and what they choose to eat. I found myself throughout the story, trying to figure out which girl was white and which girl was black. A few examples that I recognized while reading “Recitatif” were when Twyla describes Roberta of being of a whole other race that never washed their hair and smelled funny (Levine 1403). When she referred to her being of a whole other race she was saying that Roberta was either black or white which would have been the opposite race of
Twyla.
Morrison does a clever job of knowing how the readers’ view the common racial stereotypes. Some examples are: which race is either rich or poor, which race eats certain types of food, which race is more likely to be Christian, which race is to wear certain types of clothing, to listen to certain genres of music, and even having a certain type of hair. I like to think that this story positively affected me and how I see other individuals. I have put an effort in changing the way I look at others and I am slower to judge.