Tetso college
SOVIMA, 6TH MILE, DIMAPUR, NAGALAND
797115
ASSIGNMENT ON HISTORY 501
TOPIC : Explore how Toni Morrisons works has shaped the
landscape of African American Literature
(with reference to The Bluest Eye)
SUBMITTED TO: Miss Tenipumei
SUBMITTED BY: Mongliba Jamir
COURSE: B.A (English Honours)
SEMESTER: 6th
ROLL NO: 286
SUBMITTED ON: 26.02.24
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ____________________________________p.2
2. Toni Morrison___________________________________p.3-4
a. Biography _________________________________p.3
b. Career_____________________________________p.4
3. Her Influence ___________________________________p.4
4. The Bluest Eye__________________________________p.5
5. Conclusion _____________________________________p.6
6. Bibliography ___________________________________p.7
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INTRODUCTION
The focus of this assigned work is Tony Morrison, the winner of the Nobel Prize, who
has done a fantastic job of sharing the narratives of the lives of Black Americans. Her
major
The disenfranchised Black society and the harm caused by the pursuit of both
internalized and externalized racism are the subject of works. Specifically, this essay
examines how her novels, especially” The Bluest Eye” shaped the field of African
American literature.
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Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (1931-2019)
“My world did not shrink because I was a Black female writer. It just got bigger.”
Her Biography
Toni Morrison, born on 18th February, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. Toni's real name was Chloe
Anthony Wofford Morrison and was the second of four children. She converted to Catholicism at
the age of twelve and was baptized under the name Anthony after Saint Anthony of Padua. Later,
she went by the nickname of "Toni" after this saint. Morrison, for her higher education attended a
historically black institution in 1949. It was then that Morrison experienced racial segregation in
a new and different way. She also witnessed how racial hierarchy was divided among the people
based on the colour of their skin tone. She attended Cornell University to earn the masters of arts
in English and in 1955, she started teaching English at Texas Southern University but returned to
Howard University as a professor. Afterwards, she moved to New York and became the editor
for the textbook division of Random House Publishing. She began to edit fiction and books by
African American authors and was later named the "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress.
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Her Career
Toni Morrison was an exceedingly acclaimed creator known for her effective narrating and
investigation of topics such as race, character, and history. She started her career as an editor for
Random House, where she played an essential part in advancing African-American writing.
Within the late 1960s, she started composing her own books, and in 1970, she distributed her big
appearance novel, "The Bluest Eye," which got basic acclaim. Throughout her career, Morrison
composed a few famous books, counting "Sula," "Melody of Solomon," and "Cherished," which
won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988. Her works regularly dug into the complexities of the
African-American involvement, tending to issues of injury, memory, and the bequest of slavery.
Morrison's scholarly commitments earned her various grants and respects, counting the Nobel
Prize in Writing in 1993, making her the primary African-American woman to get this
prestigious award. She kept on type in and distribute books, expositions, and children's books,
cementing her bequest as one of the foremost powerful scholars of the 20th and 21st
centuries.nnBeyond her scholarly accomplishments, Morrison was too a recognized teacher,
instructing at prestigious colleges such as Princeton College and Cornell College. Her effect on
writing and the scholarly world is limitless, and her works proceed to motivate pursuers and
researchers around the world. Morrison passed away in 2019, clearing out behind a wealthy
scholarly bequest that proceeds to reverberate with perusers of all foundations..
Influence of her works on American Literature
We will examine Morrison's influence on the development of African American literature
through an analysis of her books "The Bluest Eye," "Sula," and "Song of Solomon." Through
these works, Toni Morrison explores the black community through the lens of blackness, the
personal problems of the individual, class distinctions, and societal systems within the
community. In light of the fact that modern people are expected to embrace their culture and
legacy, which can only be found in the unity of the collective, it can be said that the black
community plays a significant role in modern society. The recurring theme of the African legacy
is both a core theme of the African-American society and a key component in Toni Morrison's
novels. The author educates her readers about the rich and complicated heritage of African
American culture by using historical facts and details. Through fragmentary images of flight,
ancestral towns, and the African family, she "reminds" her readers of the past. Morrison's
deliberate descriptions frequently transport the reader back to a bygone era of myth, intimacy,
and order—all the while preventing them from forgetting the pain and humiliation of slavery.
She expanded the American imagination in ways that are yet unclear to us. Her impact can be
examined via the aforementioned novels, which have earned her widespread recognition.
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The Bluest Eye
The novel "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison tells the story of a young black girl who dreams of
having blue eyes because she thinks that having them will make her happy and acceptable in
society. The work's unique usage of African American language highlights this sensitive
exploration and demonstrates how Black culture and language have persevered and evolved
within the literary canon. Morrison's skillful narrative, which tackles not just the subtle effects of
internalized prejudices and the ubiquitous influence of Western beauty standards, has had an
enduring impression on both African and American literary traditions. Assistant professor of
anthropology Kaniqua Robinson has poignantly brought attention to Morrison's unwavering
commitment to empower Black voices and perspectives. Morrison's rise to prominence as a
renowned novelist and her role as the first Black fiction editor at Random House are testaments
to her dedication to accurately portraying the Black experience. Her refusal to cater to white
audiences further demonstrates how important she thinks it is to tell stories in one's own
community and according to one's own terms. Morrison's literary influence goes beyond simple
narrative; it has helped generations of Black Americans develop a sense of communal
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consciousness. By her writings, she has given voice to the stories of the enslaved that have been
silenced and given aspiring Black writers a framework for navigating and examining their own
cultural and historical identities. In summary, Morrison's contributions have enhanced the fabric
of American literature while also acting as a symbol of hope and inclusion for underrepresented
groups.
Conclusion
It is fair to say that one of the most well-known African American women novelists of the 20th
century is Toni Morrison. She's tried to illustrate racism and discrimination through her fictional
world and black people. Morrison boldly expresses her feminist ideas with aggression in her
artistic work, demonstrating African American feminist consciousness. Morrison's emphasis on
African American life and her observations on racial and color relations have made her works
influential to writers and artists even after they were first published. The main themes of
Morrison's books are racism and the Black American experience; her characters strive to define
their identities and cultural heritage in an unfair world. Her narratives had tremendous power
because of the fiction she used, the witty poetry she wrote, and the intricate mythology she
weaved. The Black American experience and racism are the main themes of Morrison's books;
her characters strive to define their identities and cultural heritage in an unfair world. Her stories
had a lot of depth and texture because of the way she braided myths into them, used fiction, and
wrote in a sinuous poetic style.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tessa, Roynon. The Cambridge Introduction to Toni Morrison. New York, Cambridge University
Press, 2013.
Anderson, Melanie. Spectrality in the novels of Toni Morrison. Knoxville, University of
Tennessee Press, 2013.
Bump, Jerome. “Racism and Appearance in The Bluest Eye: A Template for an Ethical Emotive
Criticism.” College Literature, vol. 37, no. 2, 2010, pp. 147–70. JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20749587. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.
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