Why Should The Color Purple Be Banned Essay
What’s Black, White, and The Color Purple?
“First he put his thing up against my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and get used to it.”(Walker 1). If you as a parent took The Color Purple off the shelves and just opened the book you would begin by reading the quote above. As a parent who just opens the book and reads the first two pages, already, based on a snap judgment do not want their child to read this Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker. However, The Color Purple should not be banned. The novel writes of many current issues needed to be addressed in this day and age. Many issues concerning The Color Purple consist of abuse, rape, explicit sexual content, human sexuality, profanity, racism, etc.; the list goes on. Abuse was a big part of this novel, as it was seen throughout the entire novel starting from the very first page of the novel. It was mostly seen through both sexual and emotional abuse, seen mostly towards the main character of the book, Celie. In Texas during 1996 The Color Purple was “retained on the Round Rock Independent High School reading list after a challenge that the book was too violent” (Doyle). This can be seen …show more content…
all throughout the book: “Kilt it out there in the woods. Kill this one too, if he can,” (Walker 2) and “She ball up her fists, draw back, and knock two of Squeaks side teef out. Squeak hit the floor. One toof hanging on her lip, the other one upside my cold drink glass,” (Walker 84). Many people argue that quotes such as these are too violent to be in a classroom setting stating that this type of literature can cause the students to take up these types of violent acts. Numerous quotes of the book display inferences of rape and incest as well: “He beat me for dressing trampy but he do it to me anyway,” (Walker 7). Numerous people consider The Color
Purple inappropriate for certain age groups, therefore has been banned in countless schools across the country. It is understandable that the book has a lot of explicit content that may not be appropriate for certain age groups but people should not be told what they can and cannot read. The book consists of sexual and emotional abuse which can be seen throughout the entire world. There were mentions of wife-beating and fighting, but it is not in great detail or glorified. These types of issues need to addressed in a safe environment for the younger generations to understand these concepts and the hardships of dealing with these problems to prevent these types of situations in the real world from occurring. Perhaps junior high the kids aren’t as developed in a mature sense yet, but high school students have that mental capacity to fully understand, comprehend, and empathize with these kinds of real world catastrophes. Unfortunately abuse is all too common through the whole of the world. During the course of this book, Celie, the main character, is able to step out of the constraints of her fear and step up to the perpetrator of her abuse, her husband Mr. _______, later established as Albert. Through gaining self-confidence Celie was competent in that she could face her problems head on and overcome them. This may teach students that hiding from their fears may just cause more agony. Walker had developed Celie’s character into a strong independent woman who didn’t need the comfort or approval of a man by her side, showcasing feminism in her novel. Feminism and lesbianism had been a big part of why The Color Purple had been banned. In North Carolina during the year 2008, one of the more recent banning, this novel was “challenged in Burke County schools in Morgantown by parents concerned about the
homosexuality, rape, and incest portrayed in the book,” (Doyle). “All the men got they eyes glued to Shug’s bosom. I got my eyes glued there too,” (Walker 82). Over the course of novel Celie is constantly beat and put down by the men that are involved in her life, whether it be her step-father, husband, or even her own son. This mistreatment caused her to lose trust and respect for men. Parents think that glorifying this type of sexual relationship in an educational reading would be outlandish, for most parents prefer their child to have a heterosexual relationship which is considered “normal” in society. Parents want to keep their children away from such ideals to “protect” them from these types of dangers and risks of their children possibly liking the same sex. By banning this book the spread of these types of homosexual ideals are prevented and the parents are happy to the extent of “now my child won’t be deemed as strange.” Homosexuality in ancient as well as modern cultures has always thought of to be unmentionable. Starting from the past and stretching to present day homosexuality has always been a taboo in society, even in modern times where it seems to be more acceptable. Being heterosexual would just mean you would blend in to the “social norms” of the world and evade the negative thoughts, whispers, stares, and rumors. However in the story, Celie begins to gain self-confidence and self-esteem once she had begun developing feelings for another woman, Shug. Shug is certainly a symbol of feminism. The woman who manages to challenge this male dominance the most is Shug, who asserts her independence by living according to her own laws. Shug is a powerful goddess who refuses to be brought down by men, ever vigilant to maintain the upper hand. Celie is a victim of male abuse who has closed herself off from the possibility of trusting men. When she comforts Harpo, who is crying on the porch, she feels nothing more than
she would for a dog. “Patting Harpo back not even like patting a dog. It more like patting another piece of wood. Not a living tree, but a table, a chifferobe,” (Walker 30). Together, these females free each other. A dominant theme of the novel is the power of women coming together. They are degraded by men and generally used for male pleasure. In contrast, women see men as careless and insignificant to their lives. As Celie says, 'Well, you know wherever there 's a man, there 's trouble. ' The female relationships are friendly, sisterly and also sexual. Celie 's been oppressed by men her whole life. She 's been raped, beaten, and told by men that she 's worthless and ugly and nothing. Shug opens Celie’s eyes to her self-worth. Shug makes her see that she has power and she 's lovable and worth more than those men who held her back. There is also an instance in which Celie tells her son, Harpo, to beat his wife, Sofia, when he asks her what to do when she doesn’t listen to him. She tells him that because she was jealous of Sofia because she was independent and strong. Harpo want to know what to do to make Sofia mind…
I think bout how every time I jump when Mr. _____ call me, she look surprise. And like she pity me.
Beat her, I say. (Walker 36-37)
….
I say it cause I’m a fool, I say. I say it cause I’m jealous of you. I say it cause you do what I can’t.
What that? She say.
Fight. I say. (Walker 40)
When Celie confesses her wrong doings to Sofia, Sofia tells Celie as to how she grew up with six girls and six boys. This brings the girls closer as Sofia tries to help Celie step up to Mr. _____. With each other, the women in this novel free each other from their sexist restraints, but as well empower them to be independent, free, and strong. However, these African American characters still face the prospect of racism throughout the book. Racism in The Color Purple is evident. There are three instances in which racism in prominent in this novel.
She say to Sofia, All your children so clean, she say, would you like to work for me, be my maid? Sofia say, Hell no.
She say, What you say?
Sofia say, Hell no.
Mayor look at Sofia, push his wife out the way. Stick out his chest. Girl what you say to Miss Millie?
Sofia say, I say, Hell no.
He slap her.
This passage doesn’t end with Sofia simply being slapped, but being beaten nearly to death and dragged off to jail.
As a black woman, white people like the mayor and his wife assume that it’s a great honor to be a white lady’s housemaid. Because Sofia is unwilling to place herself in a degrading position, the white mayor and police beat her in order to reassert their racial dominance. There is also an instance where Sofia describes her position at the mayor’s house and her son refuses to let herself see herself as a slave; he’s got too much pride for that. As well as another when Nettie describes how overjoyed she was to realize that the Bible is full of
black
people – just like her. One manifestation of racism had just been that white people had whitewashed the bible. This book had been banned not only because of the parents of the students but quite possibly as well as the teachers. In these cases, the teachers could feel uncomfortable with an African American student in the room while teaching a book such as The Color Purple; the student could view them in a negative manner, causing the teacher not wish to teach such a novel. The book showcases American history in a negative light. The Color Purple shows part of our history in American culture that had been one of the darker times of racism; a time when African Americans had virtually no rights and were deemed as still below those who were Caucasian. However if taught in a classroom setting students are able to learn as to how the African Americans were treated in America and as to how much our society and culture has grown as a whole since that time. If these types of controversial issues are not taught to children and they don’t understand the dangers and consequences of them, than these concerns may reoccur again in America. Racism is a reality that existed in the past and exists today also. As a matter of fact it is a reality that has great impact on human life. Therefore the understanding of racism will definitely be very useful in many areas of public administration and management of human behavior under different contexts. Teaching of racism to people involved in such work will enable them to work more effectively. Some understanding of racism is also useful for individuals, as it can lead to avoidance of offending racial behavior in personal conduct of individuals. There are multiple reasons as to why The Color Purple should not be banned.
Should this book be banned? Absolutely not. Consider what censorship actually is: books are ideas, the manifestation of human thought and consciousness, the most intimate exploration of the human condition that we have. Ban a book, and you 're essentially banning free thought. It doesn 't matter whether or not a book has mature content nor has themes of racism, like The Color Purple; to ban it is to suggest that it should not be read or understood or thought about. Books like The Color Purple are important because of the themes and ideas it presents; to ban such a book is to falsely insulate kids from those real, important issues and maintain a culture of ignorance and misunderstanding. People who believe in banning books are not about "protecting" kids from mature themes or "getting rid of so-called obscenity," they 're about banning ideas. And that is simply unforgivable.
For this book to be banned is outrageous. The purpose of school is to teach students how to think, not what to think. A school should not be in the business of forcing ideology on its students especially by withholding information. This novel also has such an important message and story that I think anyone should be able to read it if they want to. Perhaps it’s due to guilt over a dark period in our nation’s development; or perhaps it’s the realization that despite all of our technological achievements, the sort of depravity depicted in the novel is still alive and well in twenty-first century society. We have a shared duty, not just in the roles of writer and reader, but as an intelligent species, to maintain a level of integrity and accuracy with regards to academic pursuits. As Mark Twain once said, “The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” How can silencing the intellectual discussion of rape, incest, violence, and racism be of any service to its victims? Placing these themes in the context of outside characters helps to convey a sense of understanding, and provide comfort in the knowledge that these experiences are not unique.
By banning this novel in a classroom, it does a disservice to the potential readers.
These prospective readers are missing out on a chance to getting to experience these real-life situations through story, and that could be almost as powerful as experiencing it first-hand but in a classroom environment it makes these experiences safe and educational. “Students in an advanced junior or senior year English class or social studies class doing a unit on the treatment of Black Americans after the Civil War would probably benefit the most from The Color Purple,” (Clarke). “Rosenblatt’s theories support the use of The Color Purple in the classroom. Rosenblatt (1983) states that if student is aware of his own past and the history of mankind and its injustices, he will “be better able to make choice to dominate, and if necessary, to remold his environment. Students who read The Color Purple and see the injustices that people have been forced to endure in the past will be better able to make sure that these mistakes are not repeated in the future,” (Clarke). Bad things can 't just be censored; they have to be taught by a teacher who knows how to convey the seriousness of the topics while still showing the beauty in the story. “The Color Purple is a wonderful way to teach moral development as we see the character Celie start out in the preconventional stages and mature through the postconventional stages,” (Clarke). Through reading this book students would be able to understand real life problems dealt with today in this day and age. The novel consists of issues concerning sexual and emotional abuse, incest, homosexuality, and racism, which are all relevant in today’s society. By reading this book students are able to learn from past and current problems and apply it to their future lives, preventing them from having any of those types of issues in the future. These are subjects
that should and need to be dealt with; and by high school a student should have enough intellectual and psychological development to not only deal with it, but to analyze it with logic and reasoning for its artistic and social relevance. That’s all part of learning how to think, act, and live as an adult.
Works Cited
Brantley, Mary. "The Color Purple 8." Masterplots II: African American Literature, Revised Edition. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. EBSCO eBook Collection. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
"The Color Purple." NCTE. NCTE, 1998. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Involved/Action/Rationale_ColorPurple.pdf>.
Doyle, Robert P. Challenging Our Freedom to Read. Chicago: American Library Association, 2010. Print.
Foerstel, Herbery N. Banned in the U.S.A. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994. Print.
Intellectual Freedom Committee, comp. Hit Lilst: Frequently Challenged Young Adult Titles. N.p.: ALA 's Young Adult Services Division, 1989. Print.
Slomski, Genevieve. "The Color Purple." Masterplots. 4th ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. EBSCO eBook Collection. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [1982?]. Print.
Worthington, Pepper. Writing a Rationale for a Controversial Common Reading Book: Alice Walker 's the Color Purple. N.p.: NCTE, 1985. Print.
“First he put his thing up against my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my pussy. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and get used to it.”(Walker 1). If you as a parent took The Color Purple off the shelves and just opened the book you would begin by reading the quote above. As a parent who just opens the book and reads the first two pages, already, based on a snap judgment do not want their child to read this Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker. However, The Color Purple should not be banned. The novel writes of many current issues needed to be addressed in this day and age. Many issues concerning The Color Purple consist of abuse, rape, explicit sexual content, human sexuality, profanity, racism, etc.; the list goes on. Abuse was a big part of this novel, as it was seen throughout the entire novel starting from the very first page of the novel. It was mostly seen through both sexual and emotional abuse, seen mostly towards the main character of the book, Celie. In Texas during 1996 The Color Purple was “retained on the Round Rock Independent High School reading list after a challenge that the book was too violent” (Doyle). This can be seen …show more content…
all throughout the book: “Kilt it out there in the woods. Kill this one too, if he can,” (Walker 2) and “She ball up her fists, draw back, and knock two of Squeaks side teef out. Squeak hit the floor. One toof hanging on her lip, the other one upside my cold drink glass,” (Walker 84). Many people argue that quotes such as these are too violent to be in a classroom setting stating that this type of literature can cause the students to take up these types of violent acts. Numerous quotes of the book display inferences of rape and incest as well: “He beat me for dressing trampy but he do it to me anyway,” (Walker 7). Numerous people consider The Color
Purple inappropriate for certain age groups, therefore has been banned in countless schools across the country. It is understandable that the book has a lot of explicit content that may not be appropriate for certain age groups but people should not be told what they can and cannot read. The book consists of sexual and emotional abuse which can be seen throughout the entire world. There were mentions of wife-beating and fighting, but it is not in great detail or glorified. These types of issues need to addressed in a safe environment for the younger generations to understand these concepts and the hardships of dealing with these problems to prevent these types of situations in the real world from occurring. Perhaps junior high the kids aren’t as developed in a mature sense yet, but high school students have that mental capacity to fully understand, comprehend, and empathize with these kinds of real world catastrophes. Unfortunately abuse is all too common through the whole of the world. During the course of this book, Celie, the main character, is able to step out of the constraints of her fear and step up to the perpetrator of her abuse, her husband Mr. _______, later established as Albert. Through gaining self-confidence Celie was competent in that she could face her problems head on and overcome them. This may teach students that hiding from their fears may just cause more agony. Walker had developed Celie’s character into a strong independent woman who didn’t need the comfort or approval of a man by her side, showcasing feminism in her novel. Feminism and lesbianism had been a big part of why The Color Purple had been banned. In North Carolina during the year 2008, one of the more recent banning, this novel was “challenged in Burke County schools in Morgantown by parents concerned about the
homosexuality, rape, and incest portrayed in the book,” (Doyle). “All the men got they eyes glued to Shug’s bosom. I got my eyes glued there too,” (Walker 82). Over the course of novel Celie is constantly beat and put down by the men that are involved in her life, whether it be her step-father, husband, or even her own son. This mistreatment caused her to lose trust and respect for men. Parents think that glorifying this type of sexual relationship in an educational reading would be outlandish, for most parents prefer their child to have a heterosexual relationship which is considered “normal” in society. Parents want to keep their children away from such ideals to “protect” them from these types of dangers and risks of their children possibly liking the same sex. By banning this book the spread of these types of homosexual ideals are prevented and the parents are happy to the extent of “now my child won’t be deemed as strange.” Homosexuality in ancient as well as modern cultures has always thought of to be unmentionable. Starting from the past and stretching to present day homosexuality has always been a taboo in society, even in modern times where it seems to be more acceptable. Being heterosexual would just mean you would blend in to the “social norms” of the world and evade the negative thoughts, whispers, stares, and rumors. However in the story, Celie begins to gain self-confidence and self-esteem once she had begun developing feelings for another woman, Shug. Shug is certainly a symbol of feminism. The woman who manages to challenge this male dominance the most is Shug, who asserts her independence by living according to her own laws. Shug is a powerful goddess who refuses to be brought down by men, ever vigilant to maintain the upper hand. Celie is a victim of male abuse who has closed herself off from the possibility of trusting men. When she comforts Harpo, who is crying on the porch, she feels nothing more than
she would for a dog. “Patting Harpo back not even like patting a dog. It more like patting another piece of wood. Not a living tree, but a table, a chifferobe,” (Walker 30). Together, these females free each other. A dominant theme of the novel is the power of women coming together. They are degraded by men and generally used for male pleasure. In contrast, women see men as careless and insignificant to their lives. As Celie says, 'Well, you know wherever there 's a man, there 's trouble. ' The female relationships are friendly, sisterly and also sexual. Celie 's been oppressed by men her whole life. She 's been raped, beaten, and told by men that she 's worthless and ugly and nothing. Shug opens Celie’s eyes to her self-worth. Shug makes her see that she has power and she 's lovable and worth more than those men who held her back. There is also an instance in which Celie tells her son, Harpo, to beat his wife, Sofia, when he asks her what to do when she doesn’t listen to him. She tells him that because she was jealous of Sofia because she was independent and strong. Harpo want to know what to do to make Sofia mind…
I think bout how every time I jump when Mr. _____ call me, she look surprise. And like she pity me.
Beat her, I say. (Walker 36-37)
….
I say it cause I’m a fool, I say. I say it cause I’m jealous of you. I say it cause you do what I can’t.
What that? She say.
Fight. I say. (Walker 40)
When Celie confesses her wrong doings to Sofia, Sofia tells Celie as to how she grew up with six girls and six boys. This brings the girls closer as Sofia tries to help Celie step up to Mr. _____. With each other, the women in this novel free each other from their sexist restraints, but as well empower them to be independent, free, and strong. However, these African American characters still face the prospect of racism throughout the book. Racism in The Color Purple is evident. There are three instances in which racism in prominent in this novel.
She say to Sofia, All your children so clean, she say, would you like to work for me, be my maid? Sofia say, Hell no.
She say, What you say?
Sofia say, Hell no.
Mayor look at Sofia, push his wife out the way. Stick out his chest. Girl what you say to Miss Millie?
Sofia say, I say, Hell no.
He slap her.
This passage doesn’t end with Sofia simply being slapped, but being beaten nearly to death and dragged off to jail.
As a black woman, white people like the mayor and his wife assume that it’s a great honor to be a white lady’s housemaid. Because Sofia is unwilling to place herself in a degrading position, the white mayor and police beat her in order to reassert their racial dominance. There is also an instance where Sofia describes her position at the mayor’s house and her son refuses to let herself see herself as a slave; he’s got too much pride for that. As well as another when Nettie describes how overjoyed she was to realize that the Bible is full of
black
people – just like her. One manifestation of racism had just been that white people had whitewashed the bible. This book had been banned not only because of the parents of the students but quite possibly as well as the teachers. In these cases, the teachers could feel uncomfortable with an African American student in the room while teaching a book such as The Color Purple; the student could view them in a negative manner, causing the teacher not wish to teach such a novel. The book showcases American history in a negative light. The Color Purple shows part of our history in American culture that had been one of the darker times of racism; a time when African Americans had virtually no rights and were deemed as still below those who were Caucasian. However if taught in a classroom setting students are able to learn as to how the African Americans were treated in America and as to how much our society and culture has grown as a whole since that time. If these types of controversial issues are not taught to children and they don’t understand the dangers and consequences of them, than these concerns may reoccur again in America. Racism is a reality that existed in the past and exists today also. As a matter of fact it is a reality that has great impact on human life. Therefore the understanding of racism will definitely be very useful in many areas of public administration and management of human behavior under different contexts. Teaching of racism to people involved in such work will enable them to work more effectively. Some understanding of racism is also useful for individuals, as it can lead to avoidance of offending racial behavior in personal conduct of individuals. There are multiple reasons as to why The Color Purple should not be banned.
Should this book be banned? Absolutely not. Consider what censorship actually is: books are ideas, the manifestation of human thought and consciousness, the most intimate exploration of the human condition that we have. Ban a book, and you 're essentially banning free thought. It doesn 't matter whether or not a book has mature content nor has themes of racism, like The Color Purple; to ban it is to suggest that it should not be read or understood or thought about. Books like The Color Purple are important because of the themes and ideas it presents; to ban such a book is to falsely insulate kids from those real, important issues and maintain a culture of ignorance and misunderstanding. People who believe in banning books are not about "protecting" kids from mature themes or "getting rid of so-called obscenity," they 're about banning ideas. And that is simply unforgivable.
For this book to be banned is outrageous. The purpose of school is to teach students how to think, not what to think. A school should not be in the business of forcing ideology on its students especially by withholding information. This novel also has such an important message and story that I think anyone should be able to read it if they want to. Perhaps it’s due to guilt over a dark period in our nation’s development; or perhaps it’s the realization that despite all of our technological achievements, the sort of depravity depicted in the novel is still alive and well in twenty-first century society. We have a shared duty, not just in the roles of writer and reader, but as an intelligent species, to maintain a level of integrity and accuracy with regards to academic pursuits. As Mark Twain once said, “The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” How can silencing the intellectual discussion of rape, incest, violence, and racism be of any service to its victims? Placing these themes in the context of outside characters helps to convey a sense of understanding, and provide comfort in the knowledge that these experiences are not unique.
By banning this novel in a classroom, it does a disservice to the potential readers.
These prospective readers are missing out on a chance to getting to experience these real-life situations through story, and that could be almost as powerful as experiencing it first-hand but in a classroom environment it makes these experiences safe and educational. “Students in an advanced junior or senior year English class or social studies class doing a unit on the treatment of Black Americans after the Civil War would probably benefit the most from The Color Purple,” (Clarke). “Rosenblatt’s theories support the use of The Color Purple in the classroom. Rosenblatt (1983) states that if student is aware of his own past and the history of mankind and its injustices, he will “be better able to make choice to dominate, and if necessary, to remold his environment. Students who read The Color Purple and see the injustices that people have been forced to endure in the past will be better able to make sure that these mistakes are not repeated in the future,” (Clarke). Bad things can 't just be censored; they have to be taught by a teacher who knows how to convey the seriousness of the topics while still showing the beauty in the story. “The Color Purple is a wonderful way to teach moral development as we see the character Celie start out in the preconventional stages and mature through the postconventional stages,” (Clarke). Through reading this book students would be able to understand real life problems dealt with today in this day and age. The novel consists of issues concerning sexual and emotional abuse, incest, homosexuality, and racism, which are all relevant in today’s society. By reading this book students are able to learn from past and current problems and apply it to their future lives, preventing them from having any of those types of issues in the future. These are subjects
that should and need to be dealt with; and by high school a student should have enough intellectual and psychological development to not only deal with it, but to analyze it with logic and reasoning for its artistic and social relevance. That’s all part of learning how to think, act, and live as an adult.
Works Cited
Brantley, Mary. "The Color Purple 8." Masterplots II: African American Literature, Revised Edition. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. EBSCO eBook Collection. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
"The Color Purple." NCTE. NCTE, 1998. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Involved/Action/Rationale_ColorPurple.pdf>.
Doyle, Robert P. Challenging Our Freedom to Read. Chicago: American Library Association, 2010. Print.
Foerstel, Herbery N. Banned in the U.S.A. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994. Print.
Intellectual Freedom Committee, comp. Hit Lilst: Frequently Challenged Young Adult Titles. N.p.: ALA 's Young Adult Services Division, 1989. Print.
Slomski, Genevieve. "The Color Purple." Masterplots. 4th ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. EBSCO eBook Collection. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [1982?]. Print.
Worthington, Pepper. Writing a Rationale for a Controversial Common Reading Book: Alice Walker 's the Color Purple. N.p.: NCTE, 1985. Print.