Category: Alice Walker

  • Symbolism of Sewing in The Color Purple

    Sewing is often viewed as a proper pastime for married women to engage in, even if it can often be laborious to do for hours on end. Yet, the women in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple managed to turn this monotonous activity into something profitable. Celie begins to use sewing as a way to bond…

  • An Exploration of Matrilineal Art in in Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens

    In the essay “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” Alice Walker presents a moving portrait of matrilineal art and creativity extending throughout black history. Following this line, Walker illustrates generations upon generations of lost artists, mothers and grandmothers “driven to a numb and bleeding madness by the springs of creativity in them for which there…

  • Culture Clash: The Struggle with Racial Identity in “Strong Horse Tea”

    Community is as life sustaining as food and water. It provides human connection, a sense of identity, and support. However, human nature leads individuals to seek experiences separate from their communities. In Alice Walker’s story “Strong Horse Tea”, Rannie goes a step further, rejecting her community in search of validation from a different one. She…

  • The Impact of Literature on Activism

    Activism is crucial in advocating or impeding social constructs, ultimately resulting in transforming and redefining the nation. It has been present throughout history, playing a major role in ending slavery, opposing racism, defending worker rights, and many other global concerns (Martin). Literature can be recognized as a highly influential form of activism, as it is…

  • Celie’s Transformation in Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”

    The Color Purple, by tells a story of a young girl named Celie. The book is formatted as an journal so that daily experiences can be shared through the voice of Celie. In the beginning, readers learn that she lives in a life of recurring hardship, confusion, and turmoil. Readers also learn that she is…

  • Female Marginalisation Embodied in The Color Purple and The Yellow Wallpaper

    Female marginalisation is a major theme in The Color Purple, with Celie’s emancipation from repressive male patriarchy being the culmination of the plot. When discussing the way narrative method and perspective are used within the novel to address these themes, it is useful to make comparisons and contrasts with a different text. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s…

  • Analysis of Alice Walker’s Poem, a Woman is not a Potted Plant

    Women and Strength The poem that I have chosen to type my essay over is a very strong poem. It gives a lot of insight to how certain people feel about certain topics. The poem is in a way, a voice for those who can’t share it alone. The poem, “ A Woman is Not…

  • Reading Response: The Flowers and Superman and Me

    For this assignment, I was to read two pieces; The Flowers by , and Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie. Both poems were drastically different, and each has its merits, but I preferred to read The Flowers. I have always been a fan of symbolism and allegories, so choosing this work was pretty obvious for…

  • Alice Walker’s Description of The Idea of The Household as Illustrated in Her Book, Everyday Use

    The Heritage of the House In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Dee’s negative attitude towards the Johnson’s household reflects her ashamed views of her family and their interpretation of heritage. The descriptions of the house portrayed by Mama, Maggie, and Dee distinguish how different their lifestyles are, and how they affect Dee’s perception of her…

  • Review of The Character of Shug and Celie in Alice Walker’s Book, The Color Purple

    From the first moment that Celie sees Shug (which is in picture form) she is immediately mesmerised by her, describing her as “The most beautiful woman I ever saw”. She even places her above her mother “She more pretty then my mama” which shows already how important Shug has become to Celie to the point…