Sexism and Racism in “The Color Purple” Essays - 870 Words

I feel every person should care about sexism and racism, because these two issues affect everyone. â€Å"The Color Purple† is a great film that focuses on the problems African American women faced during the early 1900s. The Color Purple provides a disturbing and realistic account into the life of Celie, a poor southern black woman with a sad and abusive past and Sophia, another poor southern black woman with a sad and abusive past. Sexism is a form of discrimination based on a persons sex, with such attitudes being based on beliefs in traditional stereotypes of different roles of the sexes. Sexism is not just a matter of individual attitudes; it is built into the institutions of society. In the film, Walker†¦show more content†¦Men need firm boundaries that define their sex role in order to keep them within the well respected category of masculinity. Women in the South knew their place in life were to cook and clean and to mind the men. They were denied masculin e power in being forced into the domestic service, serving others. Black women were also forced to mind white women. After the Civil War, slavery might have been done with, but racism was not. Racism is the belief that some races are essentially, superior to others and therefore have a right to dominate them. In the United States, racism, particularly by whites against blacks, has created profound racial tension and conflict in virtually all aspects of American society. Until the breakthroughs achieved by the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, white domination over blacks was institutionalized and supported in all branches and levels of government, by denying blacks their civil rights and opportunities to participate in political, economic, and social communities. So, blacks had a general sense of fear when it came to whites in the South. In the film, Walker displays the racism that black women in the south endured, such as when Harpo’s wife, Sofia, gets asked t o clean a house by the white mayor’s wife. Sofia replies, â€Å"Hell no† (Spielberg, 1985). The mayor then slaps Sofia for her comment, and she punches him. She is beaten by white people to where they cracked her skull,Show MoreRelatedRacism And Sexism In The Color Purple By Alice Walker788 Words   |  4 PagesRacism and Sexism are something that children observe and grow up learning, kids weren’t born racist or sexist. In the book The Color Purple by Alice Walker, there is a lot of racism throughout the story. There is a lot of discrimination towards black people and the sexism in the novel is overwhelming. Women were beat up constantly and had no rights given to them. In this book, you learn what lives were like back when women had no rights, and their skin color determined how their life was goingRead MoreCriticism and Reflection of the Color Purple by Alice Walker1151 Words   |  5 PagesCriticism and Reflection of the Color Purple by Alice Walker Criticized as a novel containing graphic violence, sexuality, sexism, and racism, The Color Purple was banned in several schools across the United States. Crude language and explicit detail chronicle the life of Celie, a young black woman subjected to society’s cruelties. Although immoral, the events and issues discussed in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple are prominent in today’s society, and must be public and conversed ratherRead MoreFeminine Narrative in Alice Walkers The Color Purple Essay1472 Words   |  6 PagesWalker’s The Color Purple, has been considered by critics as effectively using â€Å"narrative techniques† to make readers cry (Warhol 183). Emphasizing on these matters, Robyn R. 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Many of her books including, The Color Purple displays countless examples of these themes. Because these themes can be so sensitive and traumatizing in life, they should not be produced in books therefore exhibiting why the book should be banned.Read MoreSocial Influences On Social And Cultural Context968 Words   |  4 Pageswould approach this? What would you do to get your point across to the audience?† this example from the book really hit me. Once I started thinking about the statement and the questions that followed, I couldn t help but think strictly of racism and sexism out of all the isms. I thought of this video I saw on Facebook. The video started off with two babies, one black one white. They were happy and playing. They didn t see the other as white or black, they just saw a little human like them. The