User:Jrr108/sandbox

I am working on the page for The Bluest Eye. In the Censorship section, I plan to discuss one instance when the book was challenged in Howell, MI in 2007 by a group called LOVE (Livingston Organization for Values in Education). Eventually, the book was allowed to remain in the English curriculum, where it was used in an 11th grade English class, but I still think it would is be an important, recent case to add. Also in the censorship section, I'd like to include a sentence or two about 3 times when the book was censored in the 1990s (information from Foerstel).

I would also to create and contribute to a "Themes" section, adding in subtopics of "Religion" (Alexander), "Shame" (Bouson), "Media and Culture" (Kuenz), and "Duality" (Page). If I have time, I would consider adding more Themes, or adding in more articles to support those themes (like the Werrlein article as more evidence under the "Media and Culture" theme).

Howell, MI
In February of 2007, a group called LOVE (the Livingston Organization for Values in Education) challenged four books in the Howell High School curriculum, including The Bluest Eye. Black Boy by Richard Wright, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and The Freedom Writers Diary were also challenged. Vicki Fyke, the founder of LOVE, challenged the books due to their images of sex, rape, and incest, claiming that inclusion of these books in a high school curriculum did not comply with federal child pornography and obscenity laws, and was against Michigan's sexual education laws. In addition to Fyke, some members of the school board and parents were against the curriculum, one arguing, "At the end of the day, they're my kids. I don't want my kids to read [these books]. I don't let them eat just anything...I want you to respect that". The school board Vice President also argued that parents should receive warnings of the type of material that is discussed in their children's curricula, and that kids should have the option to avoid a particular book based on content. The National Coalition Against Censorship published a letter in response to the criticism, claiming that scenes involving sex "represent small but essential parts of the novels, consistent with the kind of material that high school students frequently read". Their letter also argued that the books in question "are widely recognized as works of significant literary and artistic merit," and "are widely taught in high schools and colleges around the country".

Despite controversy, the curriculum was approved in a 5 to 2 decision by the Howell school board. In response to legal concerns raised by LOVE, Livingston Prosecutor David Morse, the Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, and the U.S. Attorney confirmed that no laws, state or federal, had been broken by including the selected books in the curriculum. In a statement, Cox addressed LOVE to say that, in order for the curriculum to change, LOVE "must either take appropriate civil legal action or use the electoral process to change the members of the board". The books have since been included in an 11th grade advanced English curriculum.

Montgomery County, MD
The Bluest Eye was challenged on February 10, 1998 by a mother named Christine Shwalm. She brought The Bluest Eye and four other books to the attention of the Montgomery County school board, describing The Bluest Eye and others as "lewd, adult books". The book was not removed from the curriculum.

Baker City, OR
In March of 1999, The Bluest Eye was successfully banned from Baker City, Oregon after multiple complaints from parents about the content of the book. The decision was made by Baker City school superintendent Arnold Coe, and was supported by the school board.

Claremont, NH
In June of 1999, The Bluest Eye was restricted to classes for Juniors and Seniors only, after a decision by a review committee. Additionally, students were given the option to opt out of reading The Bluest Eye, and reading lists were sent out to parents earlier in the year, giving them the opportunity to review the material their children would be reading.

Religion
Critic Allen Alexander argues that religion is an important symbol and theme in The Bluest Eye, especially in how the God of Morrison's works possesses a "fourth face" outside of the Christian Trinity, and this explains and represents "the existence of evil, the suffering of the innocent and just--that seem so inexplicable in the face of a religious tradition that preaches the omnipotence of a benevolent God". Alexander claims that much of the tragedy of Pecola's character stems from her attempts to rationalize her misfortune with the notion of an all-loving, all-powerful God. He further argues that, for Pecola, much of the story is about "discovering the inadequacy of Western theological models for those who have been marginalized by the dominant white culture". While this ideology has negative effects on Pecola's sense of self worth, it also negatively impacts her mother Pauline, who fully accepts Christianity and in doing so spends most of her time away from her own family and caring for a white household. Alexander suggests that the image of a more human God, rather than purely morally upstanding one, is a more traditional African view of deities and that this model is better suited to the lives of the African American characters in The Bluest Eye.

Shame
Dr. J. Brooks Bouson, English professor and assistant chair of the English department at Loyola University Chicago, claims that The Bluest Eye is a "shame drama and trauma narrative", that uses Pecola and its other characters to examine how people respond to shame. Bouson argues that some characters, like Claudia, are intended to show how people can respond violently to shame: Claudia does this by rejecting the racist system she lives in and destroying the white dolls she is given. However, most characters in the novel pass on their shame to someone below them on the social and racial ladder. For example, Soaphead Church comes from a family obsessed with lightening their skin tone, and passes on the shame of his African American heritage by molesting young girls. Bouson suggests that all of the African American characters exhibit shame, and eventually much of this shame is passed onto Pecola, who is at the bottom of the racial and social ladder.

Media and culture
Dr. Jane Kuenz, Professor of English at the University of Southern Maine, states that The Bluest Eye reveals the role of mass media in shaping society. She argues that evidence of this is seen immediately, as the book opens with a story in the style of Dick and Jane, an example of a white family that is looked up to and aspired to be. Evidence of white-run culture is pervasive, especially "in the seemingly endless reproduction of images of feminine beauty in everyday objects and consumer goods," which Kuenz points out are representative of exclusively white beauty. Kuenz shows that, as the novel progresses, Claudia becomes more and more similar to what white society expects of her, learning to "adore" Shirley Temple and other manifestations of whiteness, proving the power of mass media. Kuenz argues that The Bluest Eye shows the effects of mass produced images in a white-run society.

Breakage and separation
Author Phillip Page focuses on the importance of duality in The Bluest Eye. He claims that Morrison prevents an "inverted world," entirely opposite from the Dick and Jane story that is at the beginning of the novel. The idea of breaks and splitting is common, as seen in the context of the war occurring in the time period of the story, the split nature of Pecola's family, and the watermelon that Cholly observes break open during a flashback. Page argues that breaks symbolize the challenges of African American life, as seen in the rip in the Breedloves' couch that symbolizes poverty, or the break in Pauline's tooth that ruins her marriage and family. He goes on to identify how each of the characters are broken personally, since Cholly's former and present life is described as chaotic and jumbled, and Pauline both is responsible for her biological family as well as the white family she works for. The epitome of this, Page argues, is seen in Pecola at the end of the novel, since the events of her life: broken parents in a broken family, have resulted in a totally fractured personality, that drives Pecola into madness.