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Final Draft
Controversy History

The Bluest Eye landed the fifth spot on the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books in 2006. It was the second most challenged book of 2013 and the fourth most challenged book of 2014. According to the ALA, the reasons reported for challenges are “offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence."

Littleton, Colorado

In August 2005 in Littleton, Colorado, the Littleton school board voted to ban The Bluest Eye from reading lists, where it was listed as optional, and remove it from the libraries of the Heritage and Arapahoe high schools, despite the recommendation of a committee that the book be restricted to juniors and seniors. The ban was enacted in response to a complaint received by the board from the parent of a ninth-grade student who took issue with the novel’s sexual content, specifically the scene of Pecola’s rape. During a meeting to discuss the decision, some parents agreed that the book was not age-appropriate and would be better suited for college students. However, other parents, teachers, and students expressed their opposition to the ban, including English teacher Amanda Hurley who stated that the novel is "painful, difficult to read, " but "We have to discuss it, we have to learn from it." Students also protested the ban by reading passages from the book in their school libraries. In response to the ban, Camille Okoren, a student attending the sit-in acknowledged that "students hear about rape and incest in the news media. It’s better to learn about those subjects from a Nobel Prize winner…and to discuss it with a teacher in class.” Ultimately, the book was reinstated after English teacher Judy Vlasin filed an application to the board.

Adams County, Colorado

During 2013, in Adams County, Colorado, The Bluest Eye was challenged by a group of parents who launched a petition, which gathered approximately 700 signatures, and submitted a formal request to the superintendent to reconsider the inclusion of the novel in the Legacy High School AP English Language curriculum. The novel had previously been challenged in 2010 due to its sexual content and, as a result, was restricted to the AP curriculum. It was further decided that parents would be notified before their child read the book and an option for an alternative book would be given. In her letter to the superintendent, parent Janela Karlson contended that The Bluest Eye should be removed from the curriculum since she claimed scientific research supports that the introduction of sexually graphic material including rape, incest, and pedophilia can be developmentally harmful to minors. She also claimed that since high school English teachers are not professional mental health counselors, they cannot adequately “…help students psychologically process and debrief sexually explicit content of an abusive and degrading nature" . Other reasons cited for the ban include its “pornographic content” which could promote sexually explicit behavior and its lack of “educational value."

In response to the challenge, Legacy High School student, Bailey Cross, created a petition to maintain the book in the curriculum, which amassed over 1,200 signatures. She expressed the importance of retaining the book, stating, "Banning and censoring this tells students that … racism, incest, rape, abuse, are taboo subjects that should not be mentioned." Numerous teachers also spoke out against the ban, stating that the book was used to analyze Morrison’s writing style and that banning this book could set a precedent for censorship in the district. Ultimately, the Adams County School Board voted to retain the superintendent’s original decision during the 2010 challenge, but only one of the three sections of the AP class would teach the novel.

Northville, Michigan

In 2016, The Bluest Eye was challenged in the Northville, Michigan school district after a parent filed a complaint petitioning for the removal of the book from the AP Literature and Composition curriculum, stating the book’s portrayal of sexual assault was not age-appropriate. A committee, consisting of a school administrator and other educators, evaluated the book and recommended that the board vote to maintain the book in the AP curriculum and allow students the option to choose an alternative book. The committee announced their decision explaining that removing the book “would eliminate the opportunity for deep study by our student[s] on critical themes in our society." At a Northville Board of Education meeting, some parents in favor of the ban argued that the book was “pornographic.” Others cited the potential for “deviant behavior” after reading the novel and the “negative references within the text against the Christian faith” as reasons for the ban. Despite some support for the ban, many parents and students objected to it, with one student stating, “The purpose of AP literature as a class is to expand our understanding and enlarge our world, not make us more comfortable inside boxes of ignorance.” Parents and students opposed to the ban were also supported by national organizations including the National Council of Teachers of English, NCAC, and ALA. After voting, the board ultimately sided with the evaluation of the committee and retained the book in the AP curriculum.

Effects of White Beauty Standards

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 and 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 pressure 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.” These images become a constant reminder of her inability to attain these white beauty standards. Pecola attempts to seek the power associated with whiteness, and in her attempt to conform to these cultural ideals, she develops a destructive desire for blue eyes. Harihar Kulkarni, an author of a book on African American feminist fiction literature, recognizes that these ideals are also often transferred generationally. Kulkarni asserts that Pecola’s feelings of inferiority are linked to Pauline’s own diminished sense of self-worth which she has acquired 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. Ultimately, Pauline and Pecola develop a sense of shame and internalized self-hatred since they cannot achieve the beauty ideals that exist in society. 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, resulting in irreversible psychological damage.

Rough Draft:

Controversy History

The Bluest Eye landed the fifth spot on the ALA’s list of most challenged books in 2006. It was the second most challenged book of 2013 and the fourth most challenged book of 2014. According to the ALA, the reasons reported for challenges are “offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence."

Adams County, Colorado

During 2013, in Adams County, Colorado, The Bluest Eye was challenged by a group of parents who launched a petition, which gathered approximately 700 signatures, and submitted a formal request to the superintendent to reconsider the inclusion of the novel in the Legacy High School AP English Language curriculum. The novel had previously been challenged in 2010 due to its sexual content and, as a result, was restricted to the AP curriculum. It was further decided that parents would be notified before their child read the book and an option for an alternative book would be given. In her letter to the superintendent, parent Janela Karlson contended that The Bluest Eye should be removed from the curriculum since she claimed scientific research supports that the introduction of sexually graphic material including rape, incest, and pedophilia can be developmentally harmful to minors. She also claimed that since high school English teachers are not professional mental health counselors, they cannot adequately, “…help students psychologically process and debrief sexually explicit content of an abusive and degrading nature" . Other reasons cited for the ban include its “pornographic content” which could promote sexually explicit behavior and its lack of “educational value".

In response to the challenge, Legacy High School student, Bailey Cross, created a petition to maintain the book in the curriculum, which amassed over 1,200 signatures. She expressed the importance of retaining the book, stating, "Banning and censoring this tells students that … racism, incest, rape, abuse, are taboo subjects that should not be mentioned". Numerous teachers also spoke out against the ban, stating that the book was used to analyze Morrison’s writing style and that banning this book could set a precedent for censorship in the district. Ultimately, the Adams County School Board voted to retain the Superintendent’s original decision during the 2010 challenge, but only one of the three sections of the AP class would teach the novel.

Northville, Michigan

In 2016, The Bluest Eye was challenged in the Northville, Michigan school district after a parent filed a complaint petitioning for the removal of the book from the AP Literature and Composition curriculum, stating the book’s portrayal of sexual assault was not age-appropriate. A committee, consisting of a school administrator and other educators, evaluated the book and recommended that the board vote to maintain the book in the AP curriculum and allow students the option to choose an alternative book. The committee announced their decision explaining that removing the book “would eliminate the opportunity for deep study by our student[s] on critical themes in our society" . At a Northville Board of Education meeting, some parents in favor of the ban argued that the book was “pornographic” . Others cited the potential for “deviant behavior” after reading the novel and the “negative references within the text against the Christian faith” as reasons for the ban . Despite some support for the ban, many parents and students objected to it with one student stating, “The purpose of AP literature as a class is to expand our understanding and enlarge our world, not make us more comfortable inside boxes of ignorance” . Parents and students opposed to the ban were also supported by national organizations including the National Council of Teachers of English, NCAC, and ALA. After voting, the board ultimately sided with the evaluation of the committee and retained the book in the AP curriculum.

Perpetuation and Effects of White Beauty Standards

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 and leads to Pecola’s demise. Superiority, power, and virtue are associated with beauty, which is inherent in whiteness. Scott 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 pressure 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”. These images become a constant reminder of her inability to attain these white beauty standards. Pecola attempts to seek the power associated with whiteness, and in her attempt to conform to these cultural ideals, she develops a destructive desire for blue eyes. In addition to the white beauty standards promoted by the media, Harihar Kulkarni, an author of a book on African American feminist fiction literature, 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 which she has acquired 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. Ultimately, Pauline and Claudia develop a sense of shame and internalized self-hatred since they cannot achieve the beauty ideals that exist in society. 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, resulting in irreversible psychological damage.

Additions to Wikipedia page:

I plan to add to my previous research of a censorship case in Northville, Michigan and research another censorship case in Broomfield, Colorado. I can also contribute to the literary interpretations section and write about literary interpretations explaining either the effects of white beauty standards on the characters in the novel or African American motherhood. I have also found sources regarding the critical reception of Morrison's novel so I can add a critical reception section and explain how the novel has been received since its publication.

Bibliography

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Bloom, Harold. Toni Morrison's the Bluest Eye. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2007. Print.

"Broomfield Enterprise Letter to the Editor: Make Curriculum Choices with Student Safety in Mind." Broomfield Enterprise (CO). 25 August 2013. Web. 10 November 2016.

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"Censorship Dateline: Schools." Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom (Online) 62.5 (2013): 184-5. Research Library. Web. 10 November 2016.

de Weever, Jacqueline. "The Inverted World of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Sula." CLA Journal 22.4 (June 1979): 402-414. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 November 2016.

Furman, Jan. "Black Girlhood and Black Womanhood: The Bluest Eye and Sula." Toni Morrison's Fiction. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. 12-33. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 194. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

Hicks, Mark. "Northville Schools Reconsider 'Bluest Eye' - Many Parents Deemed the Novel's Content Inappropriate for Students." Detroit News, The (MI): A3. 13 April 2016. Web. 10 November 2016.

Hoffman, Sarah. “The Bluest Eye Stays in Michigan.”  NCAC. National Coalition Against Censorship. 13 April 2016. Web. 10 November 2016.

Karlson, Janela. Letter to Superintendent Christopher E. Gdowski. 24 March 2013. TS.

Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova. 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc., 2011. Print. 10 November 2016.

Kulkarni, Harihar. "Mirrors, Reflections, and Images: Malady of Generational Relationship and Girlhood in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye." Indian Journal of American Studies 23.2 (Summer 1993): 1-6. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 173. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resource Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Vintage International, 2007. Print.

NCAC. “Michigan Parents see ‘Porn’ in The Bluest Eye.” NCAC. National Coalition Against Censorship. 23 April 2013. Web. 10 November 2016.

NCAC Staff. “In Broomfield, CO ‘Bluest Eye’ is Removed Without Being ‘Banned.’” NCAC. National Coalition Against Censorship. 13 August 2016. Web. 10 November 2016.

O’Connor, Acacia. “Read ‘Em and Weep: Quotes from a Real, Live Book Censorship Debate over Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.”” NCAC. National Coalition Against       Censorship. 17 July 2013. Web. 15 November 2016.

"Place of "the Bluest Eye" in Legacy High Classrooms Subject of Debate." Broomfield Enterprise (CO). 18 July 2013. Web. 10 November 2016.

Reimers, Ashley. "Board Denies Effort to Change Decision." Westminster Window (CO). 27 August 2013. Web. 10 November 2016.

Roynon, Tessa. The Cambridge introduction to Toni Morrison. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Print.

Singh, Monika. "Maternal images: reading Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye." Language In India Jan. 2012: 640. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 November 2016.

Scott, Lynn. "Beauty, Virtue and Disciplinary Power: A Foucauldian Reading of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye." Midwestern Miscellany 24 (1996): 9-23. Rpt. in   Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 173. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

"Toni Morrison Ban Booed." American Libraries 36.10 (2005): 29. ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

"Top ten frequently challenged books lists." American Library Association. American Library Association. n.d. Web. 10 October 2016.