(Research question: How does Morrison portray blackness and sex as two things that directly and/or indirectly affect one another?)

• Abdullahi, Jumoke “Jay,” and Kym Oliver. “Triple Cripples: On Blackness, Sexuality, Disability, and Autonomy.” AAIHS, 17 Mar. 2020, https://www.aaihs.org/triple-cripples-on-blackness-sexuality-disability-and-autonomy/.
  • Unlike a few of my sources that focus on blackness and sexuality specifically in The Bluest Eye, this source focuses on blackness and sexuality in the present day and how they relate to each other. However, this source also ties in the topic of disability and its relations to blackness and sex, which is particularly unique because of how it can relate to Polly’s race and sexuality. This source also puts a slight emphasis on religion as well, which can further tie into Polly’s character because of how religious she became due to her poor relationship with sex that stemmed from her insecurity of being abused, black, and disabled.
• A.R. Gayathri, et al. “Objectification of African American Women in the Bluest Eye.” International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, vol. 119, no. 12, 2018, pp. 2769–77.
  • This article focuses on the direct relationship between blackness and sex by discussing the different types of objectifications that all the female characters in The Bluest Eye are subjected to. It then explains how this affects the characters by creating a sense of self-objectification. Thus, this text argues that Morrison’s portrayal of sexual objectification of black women leads to their lower self-esteem pertaining to their identity as African Americans.
• Byerman, Keith E. “INTENSE BEHAVIORS: THE USE OF THE GROTESQUE IN ‘THE BLUEST EYE AND EVA’S MAN.’” CLA Journal, vol. 25, no. 4, 1982, pp. 447–57.
  • Byerman makes the argument of how Morrison portrays blackness and sex as two things that are both “grotesque” to the audience. However, he states that this “grotesqueness” is not something that arrives from just racism and the sexualization black men and women, because our society already knows about racism – this is just not shocking enough to the audience because we already know of these problems. Hence, Morrison needs to use topics such as incest to make this novel truly “grotesque” in order to portray the relationship between blackness and sex. 
• Rosenberg, Ruth. “Seeds in Hard Ground: Black Girlhood in The Bluest Eye.” Black American Literature Forum, vol. 21, no. 4, 1987, pp. 435–45. JSTOR, doi:10.2307/2904114.
  • Rosenberg focuses on the levels of sexualization compared to the levels of blackness by focusing on colorism. She suggests that Morrison is able to focus on the relationship between blackness and sex by being one of the first authors to focus on how colorism, or in other words, light-skinned versus darker-skinned African Americans, and how it affects the treatment of different “types” of black people. Thus, Roseberg argues that there  appears to be a direct relationship between the type of blackness and sex.
• Rosenthal, Lisa, and Marci Lobel. “Stereotypes of Black American Women Related to Sexuality and Motherhood.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 414–27. PubMed Central, doi:10.1177/0361684315627459.
  • This source is a research experiment done with the purpose of finding out how prevalent stereotypes of African American women are related to sexuality and motherhood in comparison to white women. It was found that many stereotypes remain alive in the present day and that they have extremely detrimental effects on black women. This experiment is therefore useful to my research question because it actually analyzes the relationship between blackness and sex by using the scientific method. The findings can then be compared to the way black women are treated throughout The Bluest Eye in terms of how the research correlates with the relationship between blackness and sex portrayed in the novel.
• “Sex Stereotypes of African Americans Have Long History.” NPR.Org, https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10057104. Accessed 30 Nov. 2020.
  • Professors Herbert Samuels and Mireille Miller-Young discuss the sexual stereotypes, particularly honing in on black sex workers. They discuss how there is a direct relationship between blackness and sex based on how they are paid, how black sex workers are viewed compared to white sex workers, and even how these things are impacted by politics. However, what is most relatable to The Bluest Eye is how the professors discuss how black communities often disidentify with sexuality as a whole. This can relate to the sex workers in the novel and others’ attitudes towards them. (For example, Claudia’s mother despises them simply because they make a living off of sex, which can perhaps be interpreted as disidentifying with sex.) Thus, this source touches upon a more specific relationship pertaining to sex and blackness.

During the webinar interview with Claudia Rankine. I learned many interesting things about her. She is a very strong, creative and determined woman. I was also proud to know she’s a fellow Jamaican. Like many successful individuals Rankine had her share of negative critiques. However, she was most grateful for the  surprising mentors she came across on her journey. Persons who have aided in her success. She notes that  in her success she never knew who would have helped her in life. Therefore, she was always open and respectful to people regardless of race or gender . When  Rankine said this it reflected back to how we are grown in the Caribbean. We are taught to always treat people we meet with respect. Based on the fact that we never know if that person might be the one to save our life.

When  Rankine wrote “Don’t  Let Me  be Lonely,” she was with Grove Press. Which at the time told her they would not be publishing her work . Due to the fact that they did  not see it as  poetry.  Rankine did not let this damper her efforts. She continued to believe in her work , even after having a friend also referring to the book as terrible. I admired the fact that she never took it to heart . Rankine’s book was Later on  published and became a  major influence in people’s life. Which attest to the fact that you never know what lies a head of you on your journey to self development. In addition, how important  it is to always believe in yourself.

In September, Rankine received a letter from a publisher who also rejected her work. Stating how much he regretted not reading it. Along with the fact that he didn’t realize how wonderful it was. Rankine expressed her book was directed  towards cultural  whiteness.  Stating that everyone is a participant . However, she speaks mostly to her white audience,“Someone who’s interested in building something new.”  In addition,  her book was also a response to  moments. Based  on the fact  that history did happened and the questions that exist in society. She targeted the concept of sociology and what it really looks like.

During the process of creating her novel, Rankine interjected her most meaningful conversations . After having  them professionally analyzed by a hired psychiatrist. Rankine also took great efforts in making sure she had information from creditable sources. She did many research and use statistics along with fact checks. Which all aided as  support for her essays. Her final statement was that essays open more platform for close reading and to be taken a part.

The overall interview with Claudia Rankine was very insightful. It gave an opportunity to know more about her as an author and what really takes place in her mind when writing her books. In addition, the process in which she goes through to ensure her work is of a profound quality.

Gillan, Jennifer. “Focusing on the wrong front: historical displacement, the Maginot Line, and The Bluest Eye.” African American Review, vol. 36, no. 2, 2002, p. 283+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A89872243/AONE?u=cuny_hunter&sid=AONE&xid=82c9b322. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.

• • This piece discusses how the Breedloves are initially and repeatedly dehumanized through interactions with their surrounding society, and the reinforcement of the idea that they are something less than the ideal American citizen. Gillan outlines this by examining the social trends surrounding the settings Morrison chooses and how they map onto the characters and their relationships.

Hovet, Grace Ann, and Barbara Lounsberry. “Flying as Symbol and Legend in Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye,’ ‘Sula,’ and ‘Song of Solomon.’” CLA Journal, vol. 27, no. 2, 1983, pp. 119–140. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44321768. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.

• • Hovet and Lounsberry’s focus on flying and birds speaks directly to my topic, positioning the concepts on a timeline of Black literature. The association between flying and falling is also heavily explored, circling back into the link between animality and societal othering.

McWeeny, Jennifer. “Topographies of Flesh: Women, Nonhuman Animals, and the Embodiment of Connection and Difference.” Hypatia, vol. 29, no. 2, 2014, pp. 269–286. www.jstor.org/stable/24542034. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.

• • “Topographies of Flesh” as a topic is one that speaks directly to the flesh-twisting nature of the animal association. Despite this piece focusing on Beloved, it still speaks to Morrison’s greater project on race and feminism, as well as her examinations of how larger groups of people (do/n’t) relate to each other. McWeeny’s feminist approach explores this intersectionality and uses a human woman/nonhuman paradigm to explore a new kind of ontological connection that can account for the complexity of social space and what it means to take up space.

Pergadia, Samantha. “Like an Animal: Genres of the Nonhuman in the Neo-Slave Novel.” African American Review, vol. 51, no. 4, Winter 2018, pp. 288–304. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/afa.2018.0054.

• • This article looks at Morrison’s greater ideology through another of her works, using the link between slavery and animals built into the phrase “chattel slavery.” The reproduction of ideas that link physical characteristics to humanity and morality will be of particular interest, being common across racism in any era.

Vasquez, Sam. “In Her Own Image: Literary and Visual Representations of Girlhood in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John.” Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism, vol. 12, no. 1, 2014, p. 58+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A365688777/AONE?u=cuny_hunter&sid=AONE&xid=d1f1dab9. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.

• • Here is the main intersection between my topic and Morrison’s parodying of dominant culture, which serves to establish the boundaries of “humanity.” The essay simultaneously expands the somewhat Americentric concepts I plan to develop to an international level with the heavy analysis of Kincaid and the sociohistorical implications of specific (animal) imagery.

Wong, Shelley. “Transgression as Poesis in The Bluest Eye.” Callaloo, vol. 13, no. 3, 1990, pp. 471–481 .JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2931331. Accessed 17 Nov. 2020.

• • Again using the primer as a starting point, this piece examines Morrison’s use and deformation of language on a physical level, essentially looking at the way she reformats words on the page: typographical arrangements as symbolic representations of different kinds of family situations. Wong also draws parallels between Morrison’s writing and jazz music, examining her prose as a specifically Black formation with essential qualities akin to specifically Black music. Wong argues that in spatial terms, Morrison rhymes by distributing human and animal characteristics amongst her characters, linking both through a shared materiality.

According to the Oxford dictionary situation is defined as: a set of circumstances in which one finds oneself. It can also mean location. Claudia Rankine uses this word to define the events she discusses because they are snippets of time, but mostly because they describe black men and women finding themselves in an unwarranted set of circumstances and/or a location of injustice. Rankine situates the speaker by using a first person narrative and giving the reader insight in terms of setting and the events that are occurring. The text and the moving images are not a pairing I would have expected. In the video we see about 4 black, male teens in a clothing store talking and trying on clothing. Whilst the text describes cop cars and being pulled over and cuffed unprovoked. Although the images and text were not a pairing I expected, the video worked in a different, almost indirect way. Notably in the video, the young men are trying on various hoodies, which has become a symbol for racial injustice in the black community. The innocence of the boys going about their day while Rankine’s voice repeatedly utters in the background “and you are not the guy and still you fit the description because there is only one guy who is always the guy fitting the description” creates a powerful statement and gives the audience a perspective they may not have seen otherwise in an encounter like that.

In the short 6 minute video, I grew attached to the subjects. As Rankine’s words described a horrifying experience, and police siren lights blared over the innocent group, I found myself wanting to protect them. When things happen, even stop and frisks, outsiders tend to see just that–what is happening in the moment, and sadly many would place unwarranted blame and suspicion on the subjects of such matters. However, by showing the boys in a normal, everyday situation while foreshadowing what’s to come, Rankine humanizes them to those outsiders. I think her goal in including this video was to do just that because they are normal boys doing normal things, but because of their race they will be told they fit a description of a criminal. It is also subtly (but accurately) implied that police officers who perform stop and frisks do not take into account any other features of an actual description once the race is revealed. she highlights the systematic oppression of black people and the cops as puppet masters in a prison system that serves as modern day slavery.

The topic of this video is stop and frisk. It relates to the work as a whole because the majority (if not all) of stop and frisk subjects are black men. Solely because they are black. This ties into Rankine’s point to uncover what is right in front of us via microagressions or social injustices such as this. It relates to her ideas that the system is highly biased, like the  tennis population with Serena Williams.

1. Mahaffey, Paul Douglas. “The Adolescent Complexities of Race, Gender, and Class in Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye.’” Race, Gender & Class, vol. 11, no. 4, 2004, pp. 155–165. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43496824. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

• In this article it talks about TBE and how race, gender, and class is a constant affects black females. Since it destroys ones path to adulthood. Mentioning why Pecola makes the decisions she does through out this novel. It talks about how much these topics can mess someone up once they are older. The constant rejection of a young black female constantly makes Pecola life be so scarring.

2. Tahir, Ary Syamanad. “Gender violence in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.” Journal of Language and Literature Education, no. 11, 2014, p. 1+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A394999607/AONE?u=cuny_hunter&sid=AONE&xid=dbc6dff0. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

•  In this article it talks about the clearness in which gender determined the position of people all over the world. It affects even more on a female that is colored. This paper mentions its judgement of the topics of gender identity, violence, and etc.  It talks about how socially constructed these are and how it plays out in the novel TBE.

3. Roye, Susmita. “TONI MORRISON’S DISRUPTED GIRLS AND THEIR DISTURBED GIRLHOODS: ‘The Bluest Eye’ and ‘A Mercy.’” Callaloo, vol. 35, no. 1, 2012, pp. 212–227., www.jstor.org/stable/41412505. Accessed 16 Nov. 2020.

• This article focuses on violence and how it destroys Pecola.It shows the different type of racism that is going around her black community.

4.Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York ; Toronto: Penguin Books, 1994.

•  The novel that is being used through this whole research paper.

5. Nurhayati, Ari. “Intersecting Oppression of Gender and Race in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and God Help The Child.” Litera (Yogyakarta) 18.3 (2019): 382–400. Web.

• This article brings up the su=ituation in which the world face about white domination. It brings up the intersecting oppression of both race and gender. This article gets into details of how black women deal with this oppression. It also mentions the standard of beauty base on a white woman.

6. Putnam, Amanda. “Mothering violence: ferocious female resistance in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, and A Mercy.” Black Women, Gender & Families, vol. 5, no. 2, 2011, p. 25+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A343258245/AONE?u=cuny_hunter&sid=AONE&xid=2ce78189. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020.

• Focuses on the black female characters in Toni Morrison novels and how they are potrayed. It mentions how Toni Morrison when writing about black female in the novels they are are often portrayed as scarred oppressive environments around them. How they are also racially exploited and sexually violated. For example Pecola through out the dove TBE.

7. Bump, Jerome. “Racism and appearance in the Bluest Eye: a template for an ethical emotive criticism.” College Literature, vol. 37, no. 2, 2010, p. 147+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A226716030/AONE?u=cuny_hunter&sid=AONE&xid=9059cb7f. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020.

•  This article focuses more on the emotions in which Morrison brings in the novel. Especially talks about the environmental experiences happening with race in TBE.