Morrison, T. (2007). The bluest eye: A novel. New York: Vintage International.

-The main novel will be used as the primary point of reference in the essay. I will use the pop cultures references/symbols in the book to draw connections to my main question of how the message of white narratives in the media affects the black protagonists in the book.

Werrlein, Debra T. “Not so Fast, Dick and Jane: Reimagining Childhood and Nation in the Bluest Eye.” MELUS, vol. 30, no. 4, 2005, pp. 53–72. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30029634. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

-This article talks about so many historical pop culture references and their implications in the book that will make it very helpful in my own essay. An important part of this article is how it connects Pecola’s view of her own ugliness to the character of Peola in Imitation of Life. It also goes into great detail about her affinity for Shirley Temple. 

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 15 Nov. 2020.

-This article also talks in great detail about the representations of Shirley Temple and Imitation of Life in the article. It talks alot about Claudia as well as Peculia, as it explores Claudia’s outlook on the world around her and how Morrison uses her to convey a message regarding white imagery in media. It also mentions the clark doll study. 

Wall, Cheryl A. “On Dolls, Presidents, and Little Black Girls.” Signs, vol. 35, no. 4, 2010, pp. 796–801. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/651034. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

-This article brings the conversation about The Bluest Eye to a more present day lens. The writer reflects on the election of President Obama and the announcement that dolls will be made of his two daughters. The writer connects this to the significance of dolls and imagery in Bluest Eye and hypothesizes if this would make a true difference to Pecola or Claudia. 

Hyman, Ramona L. “PECOLA BREEDLOVE: THE SACRIFICIAL ICONOCLAST IN ‘THE BLUEST EYE.’” CLA Journal, vol. 52, no. 3, 2009, pp. 256–264. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44325476. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

-This article goes into great detail about Pecola’s character and how she turns to the white imagery around her as an escape from her own community betraying her by casting her as “ugly”. It states how Pecole turns to the white image of beauty as a pathway for her own beauty and compares her to modern black children that seek validation from a community. It makes a strong argument for why Pecola turns to these white images for beauty and also to effectively escape from her community. 

Bergner, Gwen. “Black Children, White Preference: Brown v. Board, the Doll Tests, and the Politics of Self-Esteem.” American Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 2, 2009, pp. 299–332. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27734991. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

-This is an in-depth look at the clark doll study and it’s possible implications on self image in black children. It talks about the original study, as well as other recreations in years after, to make conclusions on what these studies imply on the way black children have viewed themselves throughout history. 

Stewart, Jacqueline. “Negroes Laughing at Themselves? Black Spectatorship and the Performance of Urban Modernity.” Critical Inquiry, vol. 29, no. 4, 2003, pp. 650–677. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/377724. Accessed 16 Nov. 2020.

-This article talks about the relationship between cinema and black viewers as its audience. It talks about the often harmful characterchures of black people portrayed in cinema and the reason why some black audiences may turn blind eyes to it. It also interestingly connects the character of Pauline, with her love of cinema, because of the way that she uses the white reality in cinema to escape her own reality. 

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