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 discusses white supremacy in America and its place and effect in the novel. It goes on to specifically discuss how women in America especially suffer from racism and their methods of coping and surviving through this hostility and negativity. All of this is related back to women and the oppression they face within the novel.

Koch, E. “Hollywood’s Terror Industry: Idealized Beauty and The Bluest Eye.” Sanglap : journal of literary and cultural inquiry 1.1 (2014): 147–. Print.

-Koch discusses and breaks down the cultural ideal of beauty that existed in a 1940s era America and how Toni Morrison’s novel accurately displays the suffering that many Americans, especially African Americans, had to go through so that they could conform to these ideals.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye; a Novel. [1st ed.]. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. Print.

-This is the main novel that the essay will stem from. This novel contains the main plot and the other articles that are used all discuss the situations that take place within the main story.

Muhi, Ridha. “The Quest for an Ideal Beauty in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” مجلة كلية التربية للبنات, vol. 21, no. 2, College of Education for Women, Feb. 2019.

-This text identifies how a white complexion being the standard of beauty at the time in America has affected the African American youth. The text also goes on to further dive into how this standard of beauty can destroy a person’s self-esteem and the love they have for themselves. It can also blind them from recognizing their own natural beauty.

Scott, Lynn. “Beauty, Virtue and Disciplinary Power: A Foucaldian Reading of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” Midwestern miscellany 24 (1996): 9–. Print.

-The author identifies how Toni Morrison’s work is an example of a Foucauldian theory. They further explain this by discussing the power contained by European Americans and their control and influence on society. This power can also negatively impact other demographics such as African Americans.

I continued my search for reliable information amongst the vast amount of data present on the internet. I used the Hunter College Library website, JSTOR, and Researchgate to look for more articles. Although I had found some articles that could have possibly fit into my bibliography, I was already comfortable with the current selection I had and I personally found them to be more relevant to my essay and argument after picking through them. They seem to be satisfactory in the information they provide, but my incessant research may mean I can possibly come across better or more relevant information in the future, in which case may mean an updated bibliography.

Saunders, James. “Why Losing a Tooth Matters: Shirley Jackson’s The Tooth and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” The Midwest quarterly (Pittsburg) 53.2 (2012): 193–. Print.-This article compares Shirley Jackson’s novel and Toni Morrison’s novel. They specifically discuss beauty and how our body plays a major role in portraying our “outer beauty.” They also discuss Pauline Breedlove and how the loss of her tooth has affected her self esteem and personal outlook.

In a football match during the 2006 World Cup, a player named Zinedine Zidane was put in a “situation” by another player named Marco Materazzi. This situation began when Materazzi started to verbally abuse Zidane with offensive words. Zidane’s reaction or retaliation of responding with a headbutt which threw Materazzi to the floor is what caused this “situation” in time to be an iconic moment, not only in the history of sports, but also humankind.

Zinedine Zidane was placed in a bad situation because he was in an unfortunate location where he found himself surrounded by hate, such as the hate that came from Marco Materazzi at the moment. This “situation” has a deeper meaning and is not new, as Zidane and others have found themselves surrounded by hate before. Europe, and the world in general, has had a history of racism and hate towards Muslims. This was especially relevant to Zidane as he grew up in racially hostile environment in France. The event that took place at the 2006 World Cup match might have been surprising to some, perhaps because scenes of racism were not usually seen in events on the world stage, but to others, racism may unfortunately be something they regularly have to deal with or see. What made the situation even worse was that the event took place during 2006, when the world was tense with the subject of terrorism and its unwarranted association with followers of Islam. One particular major event that had recently contributed to the world’s tenseness with the subject of terrorism at the time was September 11th, 2001 when a terrorist group had attacked the United States and caused severe damage, not only to the United States but also the world in general.

Claudia Rankine uses quotes from Frantz Fanon in her text which talks specifically about Zidane’s reaction to the situation he was placed in. Rankine also uses quotes from James Baldwin which also discuss Zidane’s situation. Fanon acknowledges the racism that Algerians and Muslims such as Zidane face in Europe, especially in France which is a primarily Caucasian country. Fanon specifically discusses Zidane’s decision to react without guilt of the possible consequences or repercussions. Baldwin follows another path where he also discusses Zidane’s reaction but almost defends it as he somewhat believes these kinds of reactions are occasionally necessary. Baldwin goes on to discuss how people must attempt to restrain themselves when faced with hate, but occasionally our feelings can take over, which we have no control over, such as displayed in Zidane’s situation. The video produced by John Lucas and Claudia Rankine about Zidane perfectly supplement Rankine’s text as it provides a visual representation for the reader of the text to see. The video is also slowed down and shown in almost a frame by frame sequence with a voice over so the narrator can better explain the context and also so that the reader can better comprehend what is taking place.

Claudia Rankine highlights the theme of hatred and prejudice present in the situation that took place between Zinedine Zidane and Marco Materazzi during a football match in the 2006 World Cup. Rankine’s collaboration with John Lucas produced a video which visually displays and explores the discussions about Zidane’s situation present in her text. The abuse received by Zidane is not new, but it is something that the world is attempting to solve with fairness and equality.

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.

Koch, E. “Hollywood’s Terror Industry: Idealized Beauty and The Bluest Eye.” Sanglap : journal of literary and cultural inquiry 1.1 (2014): 147–. Print.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye; a Novel. [1st ed.]. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. Print.

Muhi, Ridha. “The Quest for an Ideal Beauty in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” مجلة كلية التربية للبنات, vol. 21, no. 2, College of Education for Women, Feb. 2019.

Scott, Lynn. “Beauty, Virtue and Disciplinary Power: A Foucaldian Reading of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” Midwestern miscellany 24 (1996): 9–. Print.

I primarily used the database available on the Hunter College Library website. I also used JSTOR and Researchgate to find other articles. I looked for articles that were relevant to my research question and came from verified sources. I used various key terms to find my articles, such as oppression. These articles provide valuable information to me and I will continue to look for more relevant articles to aid my essay.

How does a person’s appearance and experiences affect their perspective on others?

Based on The Bluest Eye

Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen: An American Lyric” covers the issue of racism and how it prevents someone from developing into their true self. This text is similar to Zora Neale Hurston’s “How it Feels to be Colored Me.” Rankine’s text emphasizes the obstacles that African Americans face when developing their own individuality and Hurston’s text contributes to that.

One major idea present in both texts is the unrecognition of African Americans. We can see this idea in the first chapter of Rankine’s text. It occurs when the main character is taking an exam and is asked to lean over by another student so that the answers can be copied. The teacher or proctor that was present during the exam did not say anything to the other student. This makes the main character think about the lack of involvement or saying from the teacher. The idea manifests into something larger and the main character notices that the teacher may not even notice her presence in the classroom. This lack of notice by her teacher may be connected to the color of her skin and her race. This idea is also present in Hurston’s text. In the beginning of her text, Hurston starts the second paragraph by saying “I remember the very day that I became colored.” This very sentence goes on to foreshadow other events mentioned in the text. Hurston also refers to her experience of education and the lack of diversity. She recalls her time attending Barnard and how she would physically stand out of the crowd of white students due to her race and skin color. “For instance, at Barnard. “Beside the waters of the Hudson” I feel my race. Among the thousand white persons, I am a dark rock surged upon, and overswept, but through it all, I remain myself.”

Both of the two events experienced by Rankine and Hurston took place in an academic setting. This is especially unfortunate because academic settings such as schools and universities are where students should feel the most comfortable to be themselves and properly express themselves. Without this confidence, there can be a stunt in growth or self-development. The events mentioned by Rankine and Hurston really highlight this.

Another major idea present in both texts is the idea of dealing with racial insults. Both Rankine and Hurston mention the constant harassment and racial insults thrown their way, and their reactions to it. In Rankine’s text, this occurs within the first chapter. It takes place when the main character associates her with another person who happens to be a maid. The only reason this association is made is due to the main character being the same race as the maid. Her friend eventually realizes and stops making the association to end the awkward situation. Although this was a specific situation in Rankine’s text, Hurston mentions it as being a more general and regularly occurring obstacle that she faced. “Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me.” Both Rankine and Hurston attempt not to acknowledge the insults and move past it so that they can better themselves.

Claudia Rankine and Zora Hurston both discuss the issue of racism within their texts. They especially highlight how this racism can stop or defer the growth and development amongst African Americans. Although both of these texts are from the past, many of the issues discussed are still issues that we face today in the modern world.