The bluest eye annotations. Five Annotations for 'The Bluest Eye' 2022-12-14

The bluest eye annotations Rating: 6,4/10 154 reviews

The Bluest Eye, written by Toni Morrison in 1970, is a novel that explores themes of race, beauty, and self-worth through the experiences of its young protagonist, Pecola Breedlove. Set in Lorain, Ohio in the 1940s, the novel follows Pecola as she struggles to find acceptance and love in a society that values white beauty above all else.

Throughout the novel, Morrison uses various literary techniques to convey the themes and messages of the story. One such technique is the use of annotations, or small notes or explanations added to the text. These annotations serve a number of purposes, including providing background information, offering insight into the characters' thoughts and motivations, and highlighting important themes and symbols.

One significant example of annotation in The Bluest Eye is the use of song lyrics and other cultural references. Morrison frequently includes snippets of popular songs and cultural references in the text, often using them to comment on the experiences of the characters. For example, Pecola's mother Pauline often sings the song "Blue Skies" as she works, and the lyrics of the song serve as a commentary on the bleak and hopeless reality of Pecola's life. Similarly, references to films and other cultural phenomena, such as Shirley Temple and "The Little Colonel," serve to highlight the societal obsession with white beauty and the damaging effects it has on Pecola and other black characters in the novel.

Another important use of annotation in The Bluest Eye is the inclusion of footnotes and other explanatory notes throughout the text. These notes often provide background information about the historical and cultural context of the novel, helping readers to better understand the experiences and perspectives of the characters. For instance, Morrison includes a number of footnotes explaining the history of Lorain, Ohio and its significance as a center of industry and immigration. These notes also help to illustrate the ways in which the larger societal and cultural forces shape the lives and experiences of the characters.

In addition to providing background information and cultural context, the annotations in The Bluest Eye also serve to highlight the themes and symbols of the novel. For example, Morrison frequently uses the image of blue eyes as a symbol of the societal obsession with white beauty and the damaging effects it has on Pecola and other black characters. The annotations help to reinforce this symbol by providing additional context and explanation, making it clear to readers the importance of this image in the overall narrative.

Overall, the annotations in The Bluest Eye play a crucial role in helping readers to better understand the characters, themes, and symbols of the novel. Through the use of song lyrics, footnotes, and other explanatory notes, Morrison provides valuable context and insight into the experiences of Pecola and the larger societal forces at work in her life. These annotations serve to enrich the reading experience and enhance the depth and complexity of the novel.

The Bluest Eye Annotations

the bluest eye annotations

After Pecola feeds Bob the poisoned meat, the dog moves his mouth strangely. Pauline Williams Breedlove Pauline Williams Breedlove, the mother of Sammy and Pecola and the wife of Cholly Breedlove, is one of the nine children of Ada and Fowler Williams. This narrative of family life is artificial and flat, yet, in its use as such a central tool in teaching millions of children to read, the narrative became a powerful sign of what is normal and desirable—a story that inevitably impresses itself upon the child who is in the process of acquiring literacy. Little by little, they began to hear the story of Pecola Breedlove. She then throws a pop bottle at them and laughs. Frieda overhears a neighbor, Mrs.

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Bluest Eye Study Guide

the bluest eye annotations

The narrator here speaks with the voice of the past, of her childhood. Pecola fears that her eyes are not the bluest and will not achieve the love and acceptance she so desperately craves. MacTeer, scolds her for not wearing something on her head while outside. The movement was an effort to counteract the then prominent idea that white people were more beautiful and desirable than black people. The story becomes a litmus test against which the characters measure their self-worth.

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Bluest Eye Annotation blog.sigma-systems.com

the bluest eye annotations

They believe that whiskey will prevent Frieda from becoming fat, so they go on a quest for alcohol. Breedlove continued to do housework. She is affectionate, strong, and full of life. Retrieved November 15, 2016— via Access World News. Ralph is not a very interesting partner to Louis as Ralph is thoughtful rather than active.


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The Bluest Eye Study Guide

the bluest eye annotations

The incident is traumatic for Claudia and Frieda as well. In spite of his general loathing of people, Soaphead Church collects their personal effects. One of them, Jake, offers him a cigarette. Pauline, her mother, has a lame foot and has always felt isolated. Despite the impression the town holds of him, Henry Washington reads pornography, cavorts with prostitutes in the MacTeer house, and, ultimately, molests Frieda by touching her breasts. Jane Dick and Jane The novel begins with a replication of the Dick and Jane texts that were widely used by American educators into the 1940s and 1950s to teach primary school students how to read.

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The Bluest Eye: CHAPTER SUMMARIES WITH NOTES AND ANALYSIS by Toni Morrison

the bluest eye annotations

Cholly and Blue eat the melon together. Then, capitalization and punctuation are omitted. The story Pauline Breedlove tells herself about her own ugliness reinforces her self-hatred, and the story she tells herself about her own martyrdom reinforces her cruelty toward her family. Mother Mother is a character in the Dick and Jane book series. Frieda tells her that they are not allowed to come into her house, and Miss Marie laughs and throws a glass bottle at them. One of them, Jake, offers him a cigarette. She finds herself contending between feminist views of beauty and a racial denial of black beauty.

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Five Annotations for 'The Bluest Eye'

the bluest eye annotations

Finally, Claudia resists the premise of white superiority, writing her own story about the beauty of blackness. Unlike her brothers and sisters, Pauline was not noticed or made to feel special. In such a state, Cholly is outside of the boundaries of human interaction and, with no moral framework, is inevitably doomed to be a destructive force in the lives of others. Henry in their house with the prostitutes China and Miss Marie. Soaphead tricks Pecola into killing the dog and convinces himself that the act is for the greater good.

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The Bluest Eye: STUDY NOTES / BOOK REVIEW by Toni Morrison

the bluest eye annotations

Once Claudia scratches Rosemary's nose, an element of racial violence enters the scene, which erupts once Mrs. This conversation leads to a larger argument that ends with Maureen Peal accusing all of the girls of the same thing the boys had earlier accused Pecola of—being dark-skinned, poor, and, most pointedly, of falling outside normative behavior. Retrieved January 21, 2022. Henry alludes to the standard of white beauty existing at the time of the novel. Observing the culture around her that seems to embrace and adore little girls with blue eyes, Pecola comes to believe that if she had blue eyes, she would have a different experience of the world and would have the love and attention that she needs and desires.


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The Bluest Eye: Sparklet Chapter Summaries

the bluest eye annotations

Pecola Breedlove Pecola Breedlove is the second child of Cholly and Pauline Breedlove. How does the sofa represent something about the Breedlove family? Soaphead, however, finds the prospect of actually killing the dog himself too distasteful to enact. The foursome go on a walk and discover an unripe muscadine grape grove. She says that neither she nor Frieda felt anger or bitterness toward Henry Washington when they thought back on the incident. Soaphead tells Pecola that feeding the meat to the dog will help her to get the blue eyes she desires.


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