User:Gmartinez1255/sandbox

Possible Edits for The Bluest Eye needs to be specific about Auntie Jimmy's death. It was more than just the peach cobbler that killed her "Early critics were also seen being ambivalent about Morrison's portrayal of the black woman as an object in society rather than a person, only ever going so far as to bring this fact to light and rarely commenting past it" written under "Reception" should be more specific with what the editor of this article mesns The section "Effects of white beauty standards" under Themes should be split up into two different paragraphs to avoid it from sounding too similar to an essay. There could more about the ending of the novel and the analysis of Pecola after the miscarriage

Effects of white beauty standards[edit source] Literary critic Lynn Scott contends that the constant images of whiteness in The Bluest Eye serve to represent society's perception of beauty, but the idealization of white beauty standards ultimately proves to have destructive consequences that leads to Pecola's demise. Scott explains that superiority, power, and virtue are associated with beauty, which is inherent in whiteness in the novel. She further asserts that white beauty standards are perpetuated by visual images in the media as well as attitudes of the family. When Pauline first arrives in Lorain, she feels pressured to conform to white beauty standards and begins to develop a construct of femininity based on the actresses she watches in the movies. For example, she begins to model her hairstyle after Jean Harlow. Pecola is also surrounded by constant images of whiteness that perpetuate white beauty standards, including references to Shirley Temple and an image of Mary Jane that appears on her candy wrappers. Scott claims that Pecola, "...is the victim of a power that values and classifies bodies according to norms established and disseminated by visual images".[35] These images become a constant reminder of her inability to attain these white beauty standards.[36] Pecola attempts to seek the power associated with whiteness, and in her attempt to conform to these cultural ideals, she develops a desire for blue eyes.[35] In addition to the white beauty standards promoted by the media, Harihar Kulkarni, an author of a book on African American feminist fiction literature,[37] recognizes that these ideals are often transferred generationally. Kulkarni asserts that Pecola's feelings of inferiority are linked to Pauline's own diminished sense of self-worth due to her obsession with white beauty standards. This acceptance of inferiority and ugliness, which has been passed on generationally, makes Pauline complicit in Pecola's descent into madness and the psychological damage she experiences. In contrast, Claudia has maintained her self-esteem due to Mrs. MacTeer's refusal to surrender her sense of identity to white cultural standards.[37] Ultimately, Pauline and Pecola develop a sense of shame and internalized self-hatred since they cannot achieve the beauty ideals that exist in society.[35] This shame is particularly damaging for Pecola, because as Pecola strives to attain these unobtainable white beauty standards, she is consumed by her own destructive self-hatred,[36] resulting in irreversible psychological damage.[

The book has been challenged for content dealing with sexually explicit situations.[14] In early April 2016 the American Library Association named Looking for Alaska on of the most controversial books.[15] In 2016 in Marion County, Kentucky, parents have urged schools to drop it from the curriculum, referring to it as influencing students to; "to experiment with pornography, sex, drugs, alcohol and profanity."[16] Although the teacher offered an opt-out book for the class, one parent still felt as though the book should be banned entirely and filed a formal complaint. The woman has since been joined by different members of the community, including those who do not have children in the school district. Specifically, parents have said the description of oral sex within the book is what would lead to teen pregnancy. One parent has said, “And we wonder why our teens are getting pregnant, why our young men can’t keep their pants zipped?” Another Kentucky resident went as far as to write to the local paper about the number of curse words in the novel. They described it as "mental pornography."[16] A letter written by a news editor for a local newspaper argues, “That includes the parent who does not want his son or daughter to read Looking for Alaska. One or two or 10 parents' objections do not justify denying other people's children an educational opportunity, however” After the challenge, students were given an alternate book for any parents who were not comfortable with their children reading the book. One parent still insisted on getting the book banned and filed a Request for Reconsideration on the basis that Looking For Alaska would tempt students to experiment with drugs, alcohol, and sex despite the decisions made after the challenge.

Two teachers at Depew High School near Buffalo, New York, used the book for eleventh grade instruction in 2008. Looking For Alaska was challenged by parents of students in the class for its sexual content and the parents moral disagreements with the novel. Despite the teachers providing an alternate book, parents still argued for it to be removed from curriculum due to its inappropriate content, describing the book as “filth”. Specifically, the inappropriate content stated was offensive language, sexually explicit content, including a scene described as “pornographic”, and references to homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, and smoking. One parent refused to read the book himself, reportedly saying that "One does not need to have cancer to diagnose cancer." The book was ultimately kept in the curriculum by the school board after a unanimous school board vote due to the teachers of the 11th grade regents class giving the parents a decision to have their children read an alternate book. Looking for Alaska was defended by the school district because overall it “addresses very pertinent and relevant issues that young adults deal with”. These themes include death, drinking and driving, and peer pressure. Additionally, the students argued that not reading the book would put them at a disadvantage for college and reading Looking for Alaska is necessary to discuss sensitive topics

Green defended his book in his vlog, Vlogbrothers. The video, entitled “I Am Not A Pornographer”, describes the Depew challenge of Looking For Alaska and his anger behind it being called pornography. Green defends the inclusion of the oral sex scene in Looking for Alaska stating, “ The whole reason that scene in question exists in Looking for Alaska is because I wanted to draw a contrast between that scene, when there is a lot of physical intimacy, but it is ultimately very emotionally empty, and the scene that immediately follows it, when there is not a serious physical interaction, but there's this intense emotional connection.” Green argues that the misunderstanding of his book is the reason for its controversy, and calls to people to understand the actual literary content before judging specific scenes. He also condemns the way that groups of parents underestimate the intelligence of teenagers and their ability to analyze literature. He ends with encouraging his viewers to attend the Depew School Board hearing to defend the choice of parents, students, and teachers to have Looking For Alaska included in public schools.

In March 2012, The Knoxville Journal reported that a parent of a 15-year-old Karns High School student objected to the book's placement on the Honors and Advanced Placement classes' required reading lists for Knox County high schools on the grounds that its sex scene and its use of profanity rendered it pornography.[18] Lori Seal, the mother of the child, found it unacceptable that she was not informed of her son reading Looking For Alaska, and she was not given the opportunity to choose an alternate book for him to read. She stated that if her son were to not read the book, his grades would be affected. Ultimately, students were kept from reading the novel as a whole, but Looking For Alaska would still available in libraries within the district. In May of 2012, Sumner County also in Tennessee banned the teaching of Looking For Alaska. The school’s spokesman argued that two pages of the novel was considered enough explicit content to ban the novel. He stated, “You take somebody like Hemingway or a John Steinbeck and there can be some language or description that may make parents uncomfortable, but the value of a writer like that outweighs what controversy may be in the individual book”.