"So charged with pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry" - New York Times

The Bluest Eye was written by Toni Morrison and published in 1970. Morrison uses Lorraine, Ohio as a backdrop to tackle serious issues, such as the media’s portrayal of beauty and self-hatred induced by internalized racism.

The story is told mainly from the viewpoint of an adolescent girl, Claudia. She is an interesting narrator because she does not go along with the ideals of the society, or her friend, Pecola. Claudia does not value the “beauty” of Shirley Temple’s porcelin skin. Pecola, on the other hand, is defined by structures set by those in authoritative positions. She has internalized the notion of white beauty so much that the only way she will be perceived as beautiful is by acquiring sky blue eyes. Morrison emphasizes this desire is what drives Pecola to ruin, and unfortunately is was because no one really complimented Pecola on her personally, they only focused on her race.

"We don't have the vocabulary to tell children what to value. We do say, "Oh, you're so beautiful. Oh, you're so pretty. Oh—that's not really what we really ought to be saying. What do you tell a child when you want to say, "You are good, and I like that. You are honest and I like that. [Y]ou are courageous. I really like that. I really like the way you behave. I like the way you do yourself. Now. The way you are.' That's the vocabulary we need." - Toni Morrison

One of the goals in writing this book was for the tender and fragile nature of adolescent girls to be exposed, and how some girls end up horribly scarred because there are no other chioces, so they do the best they think they can.

This novel is worth reading because it is written by a great author who has been overlooked too often. It is a tool to educate the youth of our world because it shows the reality of people's lives. If you are interested in thought provoking quetions, learning more, or discussing this book further, please follow this link.

Without Knowledge There is No Freedom

I was in the library and saw this quote (it is written on a stained-glass window in a stairwell, see if you can find it) and I was reminded of our discussion in class the other day concerning diversity and the symposium which was recently held. At the symposium, one issue that was brought up repeatedly was the notion of education ourselves so we are more knowledgeable and more accepting to others who are different from what we know.

When I saw this quote, “Without Knowledge There is No Freedom”, I thought how true that statement is. If we do not take steps to educate ourselves, our friends, and our family, then we will remain captive to our own small beliefs.

Just something to ponder at our liberal arts college!

What is a Documentary?

When some of us hear the word "documentary" we may first think of an episode on the history channel. A documentary is the presentation of true facts without embellishment from the producer. A documentary is not fictionalized, although sometimes the director may choose to recreate an event for the sake of accurate portrayal. Source

In our media world today, the scope of documentaries has increased vastly. Now, a documentary can be 3 minutes long and you can find it on YouTube, or you can go the theatre to see a documentary film based on a true event. Television is still a popular medium for documentaries, especially since reality shows, specials and series are all methods to present a documentary. Everyone who makes a documentary has a different agenda, therefore, we are always going to get a tainted view of the documentary topic. I believe that many producers recognize this fact and strive to eliminate personal beliefs, and I hope that if the producer feels passionately enough about their topic they would have the integrity not to impose their own views. It is almost as important that as the viewer we do our research to see if what we are watching is a reality show (such as 30 Days), a movie simulation (Supersize Me), a film based on a true event (Fahrenheit 911...a video clip with Quick time) or a ploy that appears to be real (Campus Ladies)

Documentaries are a special genre, and I find that I am beginning to appreciate them more as I get older. Before, I used to think that they were boring, slow-moving shows. Now, I am able to look that them critically - I try to understand whose story is being told and if the director is trying to influence me or merely inform me. One aspect that I know really affects how I perceive a documentary is how music is used. Music really triggers my emotions, and I am sure that is onereason why I can feel so impacted during certain documentaries. Which brings up the question of whether it takes a producer who is passionate to make a documentary, or a producer who is just very talented at making a show emotional.

As far as the documentaries we are about to embark on, I feel we should try to include a few important nuggets. We should strive to present the voice of someone else and not worry about hearing our voice. We should use music to convey the emotion of our subjects. We should recognize the value in simplicity and not try to make our film into something extra fancy, after all, we are only beginners. When viewers are done watching my group's documentary I hope that they are a bit more informed on the topic and have learned something that can increase thier understanding of the world. In other words, I hope that we can expand upon the pictures in thier schema just as other documentaries have done to me.

"No Human Being is Illegal"

Last week Morgan Spurlock expanded the simple pictures in our heads concering minutemen and illegal immigrants. He did this by presenting this controversial issue through an episode of his reality show 30 Days entitled "Living as an Illegal Immigrant". In case you haven't heard Spurlock's name before...he's the Supersize Me dude. Some critics say that Spurlock seeks to challenge the participants of his show "...in body and soul..." source

This show achieved what many documentaries set out to do - it informed it's audience of the facts that surround the immigrants of illegal aliens in our country. We learned by observing Frank (the minuteman, once a legal Cuban immigrant himself) live in the Gonzales home for a month. He was literally on the doorstep of enemy territory. I learned that the Gonzales' left their home in Mexico in hopes of finding a job and making a better life for their children. Many anti-immigration people find this distrubing because Mexicans are taking away jobs and opportunities from deserving Americans. The Gonzales family is not a mean group of people, nor do they seek out trouble, but they are still here illegally. (This also raises the point of how Armida, the eldest daughter was accepted into college without a social security number...curious.) At the end of the 30 days, Frank goes home and continues his work as a minuteman, but he did recognize that we can still "...love people for who they are - all politics aside...". I believe that is a main theme that many of us in the audience picked up on.

I was very interested in this show and it kept my attention the entire time. While it was very informative, Spurlock also added to the drama by adding sappy music and using strategic shotting angles. I would be inclined to watch 30 Days again based on this one episode. Although it may be reality TV, it is informative and not petty like many shows can be. I feel others could benefit by watching this show because we should try to strive to expand upon our pictures and stereotypes in our heads.

On my Soapbox for a Minute

Today in class I stated my opinion on how I feel minority groups should be addressed.

Because I have been in situations where I am the minority and have talked to individuals about their minority status, I feel very passionate about this topic. When we refer to others as “they”, “those people”, or say things like, “that’s what they do”, or “you know how those people are” we are doing nothing but perpetuating a stereotype.

Please be aware of the stereotypes in your head and consciously try to avoid using degrading and generalized terms. When we are aware of stereotypes we can change our schema and pictures in our minds! Address people for who they are – say their name, race, or ethnicity! When we do this we are appreciating a quality that minority groups deem important to their own lives.

Thank you for understanding that this is my personal view, which I am free to post in my own personal blog.