The Bluest Eye Argumentative Essay

Toni Morrison’s, The Bluest Eye was surrounded by controversy as Ohio’s board of education considered banning the book in high school curricula. On one hand, certain parents and school leaders found the book to be too graphic for students in its depiction of sexual violence. Conversely, those opposed to the ban as discussed by MSNBC’s Melissa Herris Perry, argued that teaching this book allowed for a safe space to address the grave implications of racism and sexual violence, ultimately illuminating an empathy and insight to the minds of students. In agreement with Perry’s stance, I would further her argument in posing that banning this book serves to silence the narratives of victims of oppression and sexual violence, as it is constituted in
As previously stated, this novel inspires empathy through allowing the victim a voice, an uninterrupted space where their narrative is heard, and a place where readers will undoubtably fault the perpetrator for the crime, rather than the victim. Those in favor of banning the novel devalue these insights, projecting a dismissive and maladaptive sensitivity to detect the truth within the victim’s narrative, ultimately (even if unintentionally) silencing and discrediting their stories. On this note, failing to address these issues is founded in a view which neglects the egregiously common reality and traumatic effects of both sexual violence and institutionalized oppression. Incidentally, blame seems to fall to the victim when their truth is discounted. Although the graphic material is uncomfortable for some readers, it promotes change and prompts recognition of the reader’s internalized bias. In short, banning this novel perpetuates a culture which devalues, silences, and blames the victim, while presuming and valuing the narrative of a privileged, partial perception of unaffected