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Racism In Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

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How racism deeply impacted black women Racism is a problem that everyone of all races have to deal with. We have been struggling with this issue for quite a while now and it doesn't seem to be getting any easier. Toni Morrison wrote a novel, “The Bluest Eye” about a young african american girl who was not happy to be her race. This made me wonder, how we're young black females treated around the upbringing of Toni Morrison and why? While researching I found out that they were treated this way due to discrimination, segregation, poverty, and nonetheless feminism.

Here’s a little background information on the author, Toni Morrison. Toni Morrison was born in Lorain,Ohio on February 18, 1931, which was a time when the great depression was in effect. Her house was burned down at the age of two when her family couldn't afford to pay rent. Her father, who was from the south, witnessed the lynching of two of his neighbors and his trauma drove him to move away. He never discussed his feelings about it with his family. Toni Morrison later dealt with a little racism of her own in Washington D.C. while she was attending Howard University. After her college years she met her husband Harold Morrison whom she later divorced. The Bluest Eye was the first novel Morrison wrote. She published the book in 1970 at the age of 39. The story takes place in her hometown, Lorain Ohio and the life of some of the characters portray similar events that have taken place in Morrison's life. In an interview with Elissa Schappell, Morrison explains how she didn't expect for her to become a writer. She said that coming up being a writer was looked upon as a male preserve. She also explains how almost every female writer received some sort of permission to write, as in they were encouraged by others to start writing rather than their own free will. In The Bluest Eye there is a character named pecola. She moves to a foster home when her house burns down. This is similar to Toni Morrison's life with how her house burned down at a young age.

Now onto the novel, The Bluest Eye. The Bluest Eye is a story about how foster life is for three black girls; Claudia, Frieda, and Pecola. Even though Pecola was a new edition to the family, most

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