Sam Ekleberry

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple

So I have the very rough draft of my paper all typed out and I just need to do some heavy editing! I still need to do the background sources and the works cited page but that is on the back burner for now. I think this project stressed me out way more that it needed to. I mean I’m still stressed out because I definitely don’t want to fail but I thought I would never finish writing it. I don’t think I will be fully unstressed until I actually turn it in. 

This book had so many influences that Alice Walker used. Including her own family as one inspiration. I think I could use this and the time period the book takes place in as influences for the background sources. 

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple

I have typed all that I have so far for the paper and it’s only 6 pages. I still have a lot of work left to do on this paper. I’m worried all the writing I have done so far isn’t what we were supposed to have. I just need to keep reviewing and adding to the work I have done and eventually it will be the final product. 

I’m so happy I chose to read this book because I actually didn’t mind reading it and there is plenty to talk about for the paper. Alice Walker had so many influences when she was writing this book and many critics have analyzed the themes which I can use to help me when writing the the paper. 

[sekleberry]

At the library we couldn’t get the copy machines to work so I ended up taking pictures of all of my sources but here is the pic! On the bright side I found some really great sources on my book. It was a little overwhelming reading all the sources I found for my book but eventually I narrowed it down to the ones I wanted. 

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple #8

As I was finishing this book, Celie found out that her father was not actually her father but her stepfather. She was relieved by this a little bit because that meant her children weren’t the result of incest. Although this is still very disturbing because this man sexually abused a 14 year old girl who thought this was her father. She also finds out that when her stepfather died his house was left to her and Nettie. 

Before we found out any of this, Celie finally worked up the courage to leave Albert and moved to Tennessee with Shug. In Tennessee, Celie started her own business making her own pants. But of course the story couldn’t be completely happy yet, so Shug left Celie for a while to be with a younger man. Celie also gets a letter saying that as her sister was coming home from Africa, their ship sunk with both her kids on it. Celie doesn’t truly believe this so she goes back home and spends time with Albert. They have grown an appreciation for each other and I think this shows character growth. Both these characters have had stuff happen to them that has caused damage and now they are starting to finally heal from these wounds. Eventually in the end of the book Shug comes back and it ends with Nettie and her family walking to meet Celie. Although this book had many low and depressing moments, I was happy I chose this book for the final project.  

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple #7

From the letters that Celie has received from Nettie we found out that Nettie has actually started working with the minister and his wife. This is significant because these are the people that adopted Celie’s two children. Nettie has been living with them and their family. In a way, Celie is getting to know some stuff about her children through Nettie. Since Nettie has been working for the missionaries she is sent to Africa with the minister and his wife. 

The way they talk about the Africans is interesting. They talk about the people in Africa like they are from a completely different world. They have an appreciation for the African people. Nettie says, “ They are the blackest people I have ever seen, Celie. They are like the people we are talking about when we say, ‘So and so is blacker than black, he’s blueblack.’ They are so black, Celie, they shine.” This is the way Nettie describes the people to Celie abd she is simply amazed by how different these people are even though they came from the same place. We later get to see some of the thoughts the Africans have about the missionaries and some of them say they had no idea missionaries could be black. I think this could be another influence about race in the book. The stereotype that missionaries are white and this is the only way it can be.

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple #6

We found out in the book that Celie’s husband has been hiding letters from her sister, Nettie, for over 10 years. He knew that Nettie was the only person Celie really loved besides Shug Avery. The reason behind his hiding of the letters was because Nettie never wanted to be his wife so instead her tortured Celie and Nettie by thinking they would never see each other again. This makes me so sad and feel even worse for Celie. After all the ways Albert, her husband, has treated her this just adds more to the list of all the reasons she hates him.

Normally, Celie always starts out a new chapter by saying Dear God and writing down in her perspective what has happened. Once she begins to read the letters that Shug found from Nettie this changes. Each new chapter is either what Nettie has written to Celie or Celie writing something back to Nettie. Shug and Celie have a conversation about why Celie has stopped writing to God. She responds, “ What God do for me?” and then continues to list all the reasons she is angry with God. This is the first time we have seen her question God. I think this is important because many people have questioned God before and this shows that Celie is like any other person.  

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple #5

Some major influences I see in the book are ones involving race. I can see examples of both white gaze and male gaze. Celie is the person most effected in the book by male gaze. Everything that she has done so far has been under the influence of what her husband or her father would think. Eventually Celie starts to break away from the male gaze, but in the beginning of the book she was really brought down by it. The book also mentions the differences in the way the white people are treated vs the African American people. Since most of the characters are African American, we can see their encounters with white people and how it affects their attitudes and lifestyle. 

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple #4

The relationship between Celie and Shug is getting stronger and stronger as I am getting further into the book. The relationship between them makes me wonder what Alice Walker’s influence was when she was writing this book. It was first published in 1984 and takes place sometime in the early to mid 1900′s. Not many gay or lesbian relationships were accepted during these times so it surprised me that Alice Walker would choose to have the main character be put through another struggle.

I think Shug and Celie’s relationship is really helping Celie to come out of her shell and to finally start enjoying life. I mean I believe that after everything Celie has gone through she deserves to have happiness in her life. I’m worried that this happiness won’t last forever because that all seems to happen in book. When the character gets too happy or is enjoying their life something always has to knock them down. 

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple #3

I like how so far in the book we see the personalities of all the different characters. For example, the character Sofia is a very head strong character and stands up for herself no matter what the consequences are. Celie, on the other hand, is completely opposite. She has dealt with so many bad things happening to her that she becomes used to it. As I am reading the book, I am getting the impression that Celie is becoming more and more comfortable with who she is and is starting to find things that she wants to live for. The connection between Shug Avery and Celie is getting stronger and I think this is helping Celie to figure out she doesn’t need a man or anyone to build her happiness off of. 

As I mentioned Sofia before, she is the wife of Albert’s son Harpo. She is a character who always stands on her own and doesn’t rely on anyone else. She says to Celie one time that she has had to fight all her life so she is used to it. It really surprised me how far she would take standing up for herself. The mayor tried to slap her for mouthing off to him and so she beat him up. Sofia was sent to jail for 12 years and then had to work as a maid after that for the mayor. Of course the mayor was a white man and because Sofia is a black woman she was more severely punished. 

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple #2

A few pages into the book we first hear about the character of Shug Avery. I was really confused about who this character was and how she related to the story. I think this character will be important later though because she seems to be connected to Celie as well as her sister’s boyfriend. One thing I’ve noticed in the book is that whenever they say a man’s last name it is blanked out and there is an empty space. I’m not exactly sure why the author chose to do this but maybe it has something to do with the fact that the main character is an African American female. She may have been taught or she believes that men are above her and she doesn’t have the authority to write their last name.

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple #1

So far in the book I’ve noticed that there are no chapters, but the author does separate different parts of the book. She does this by starting each new scene with the words Dear God. I think this makes the book feel more like a diary from the main character, Celie’s, perspective and less like a story. The book jumps right into the life of the main character and is depressing from the start. Celie has to deal with so many bad things that have happened to her and she doesn’t know what she really deserves. 

Celie’s mother died when she was just 14 years old where she was left with her abusive father. After her mom dies her father rapes her and then Celie has two children that he gives up for adoption. That is crazy and totally disturbing that this girl’s father is the father of her children. Also Celie was forced to marry a man her father picked out for her which results in Celie being beaten and never being able to see her sister. The book is just so sad right now.

[sekleberry]

The Color Purple

I was struggling for a while with deciding what book I wanted to read. I didn’t really know what type of story I was looking for and I was concerned that if I did find a book it wouldn’t meet the criteria I needed for the project. Mr. Kreinbring was making suggestions to me and this one stood out to me. I had heard the title before, but never considered reading it. So I decided to read The Color Purple by Alice Walker. After reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, which has themes of oppression and personal growth I thought this book would go along with those themes. The little description I read of the book seemed really interesting to me and empowering. This woman goes through a rough period during her childhood that transitions into her adult life but then eventually becomes strong enough to believe in herself. I believe this book will be very interesting to read and an empowering story.

[sekleberry]

Rebel Without a Cause

When I was watching this movie, I was mostly confused the whole time. The plot didn’t really make sense as to why so many things happened in one night and due to this, it made the movie seem unrealistic. The fact that the characters went through so much in 24 hours plays into the idea of movies dramatizing events just to get people to want to watch them. Although the amount of time that passed in the movie, I do think some parts were relevant to what happens in today’s society. The one boy, Plato, has family issues because his dad left him so he has no one to support him or even look after him. This leads to him having trust issues and not being able to get close to people without the fear of them leaving him behind. The main character, Jim even has issues of his own. He was not accepted by the people in his new school and was cast as one of the outsiders before he even got a chance to walk through the school doors. Jim also had parent issues. He struggled with his dad not sticking up for him and not being the man or example in the house. Although Rebel Without a Cause may not be totally realistic to today, I believe it does portray problems many teenagers have today and how it can be difficult to deal with them. Times have changed since the movie came out in 1955 but it can still be used as teens have struggles like trying to fit in and having family problems.

[sekleberry]

Denby Post

The movie Hidden Figures transcends beyond its genre. Hidden Figures has three important woman each with their different jobs in Nasa, going through a sort of struggle to reach their full potential. Not only does the movie talk about inequality among race, the movie also tells the story of gender inequality. It portrays these three women not being seen as capable to do the work that is needed to be done along with their race making it even harder for them. Throughout the movie, these women break through the typical stereotype of women needing to be in the kitchen and breaking the barrier by working in the Nasa space program.

[sekleberry]

Lady Gaga- original

Not only is Lady Gaga known for her catchy pop hits, but she is also known for her insane outfits. Due to her crazy outfits and music it leads me to believe she is an original artist. Lady Gaga goes out of what is considered to be normal in society by the way she dresses. She doesn’t dress to be considered fashionable but she dresses to make herself unique and easily recognizable to people. I think originality is doing someone way out of the ordinary that no one else would consider trying to do.  Another example of her being original is during her halftime performance at the Superbowl. Many people believed she jumped off the roof during her performance and came down by wires to the stage. Her jumping was actually prerecorded by see was the first person to jump off the Superbowl roof for the performance, as well as her use of drones. Not all of Lady Gaga’s songs may be totally original but her creative mind and unique style make her an original artist. I mean who else would even try to wear a meat dress after her?

[sekleberry]

How One Moment Can Change Your Life

Something terrible happens and then months, years, or decades later we realize we wouldn’t be in this great situation or doing this great thing if that terrible thing hadn’t happened.

I saw this from Gracie and I thought it could relate to my character Cheryl as well. She was told her mother was not going to make it another year when really she only made it a few months. Change can happen in an instant and no one can predict when or who it is going to affect. For Cheryl, the death of her mother made her family not as close as they once were and after her divorce from her husband she was losing another person again. These are both big changes, but if they never would of happened Cheryl would not have gone on the amazing journey she got to experience on the trail.

[sekleberry]

Wild- Blog post 6

“ ‘That’s what the Indians believe-that when a great warrior dies you’ve got to kill their horse so he can cross over to the other side of the river. It’s a way of showing respect. Maybe Mom can ride away now.’ I imagined our mother crossing a great river on Lady’s strong back, finally leaving us nearly three years after she died. I wanted it to be true.” (162).

This is another example of a change Cheryl and her family had to make. They had to decide whether it was time to put their mother’s horse down or whether to let her keep living in pain. I think this was a difficult decision to make, but I think making this change let the kid’s believe their mother was happy with her horse again. I also think this helped the kid’s to return back to their normal lives knowing possibly their mother could be happy again. This change would be extremely hard to make but I believe they made the right decision to end the horse’s suffering and possible end some of the pain of their mother’s death.