I can’t tell which question is the “best,” so here are a few that I’ll have picked by Monday.
Based on The Bluest Eye:
- What is the definition of “beauty” in this novel and how does its standards affect each character in the novel?
- How does Morrison portray blackness and sex as two things that directly and/or indirectly affect one another?
- To what extent are Polly’s and Cholly’s actions excusable given their backstories?
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I like the first two more than the third, since the third really depends on one’s moral judgement, which is more the province of philosophy or religion than lit crit. The second is promising, since I think it’s less-discussed than the first in the existing criticism. Working outward from the single positively inflected depiction of sex–Polly’s description of her old love life with Cholly–to the text’s much more traumatic or problematic depictions–from Marie/Poland/China’s cynical use of sex for $$ to Cholly’s trauma at the hands of the “coon hunters” to of course the rape at the center of the novel–would be a great approach.
Yes, that’s also what I decided this morning as well! I ended up not liking the third question as much and thought the first one was a little too basic. I’ll definitely focus on the second question.
Do you have any suggestions for tweaking the wording of the second question, or do you think it’s good enough as it is? I’m not sure I worded it well but I don’t know where to begin if I need to fix it a little.