Different, Yet The Same

     Even though the short stories, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” “Good Country People,” and “Everyday Use” have drastic differences, they are more alike than we may initially think.  Irony is ever-present in all three stories, which unites them in a way.  

     In “Where Are You Going…” the irony is found in the names of the protagonist and the antagonist.  The name of the main girl (aka damsel in distress) is Connie, which is short for Constance.  Now, symbolically that means that she should be steadfast in all of her ways and basically consistent in life.  BUT au contraire, she is quite the opposite:  “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home …” (Oates 673).  At home, Connie plays the innocent card (you know, acting “childlike”), but when she’s out on the town with her friend, she tries to be sexy and mature.  This burning desire to appear older and attractive is what eventually leads Connie to her antagonist, Arnold Friend.  The irony here is that Arnold is no friend at all, but really a...wait for it…fiend (an evil spirit; devil…gasp!)!  He appeals to her by dressing “the way all of them dressed,” and making himself appear to be a friend at first, but then he reveals his true colors...which leads to her destruction.

     Sticking with the theme of ironic names, this literary technique is also utilized in “Good Country People.”  In this case, the main character’s given name is Joy.  The irony here is that she isn't a very joyful person.  This is no surprise considering the fact that her mother, Mrs. Hopewell, still considers her to be a child “though she was thirty-two years old and highly educated” (O’Connor 188).  Yeah, this would make me upset too.  The epitome of angry child outbursts:  “If you want me, here I am—LIKE I AM” (190).  That sure doesn't scream happiness. Also, Joy is also unsatisfied with her name, which leads her to her act of defiance:  getting her name legally changed to Hulga, which, not to be rude, is more befitting for a grotesque character whose wooden leg gets stolen (that was just bizarre).

     Yeah, you guessed it…there is also name irony in “Everyday Use.”  Dee is the oldest daughter in this story, and after converting to Islam, she changes her name to Wangero, which is an African name.  Dee claims that she changes her name because she “couldn't bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress [her]” (Walker 746).  This is ironic because the name Dee was passed down the generations from women who loved her and did not oppress her, beginning with her great-grandmother. (On another note, her own mother can’t pronounce the name, so I guess Dee couldn't pick an easier name…how rude.)

     In essence, these stories are one and the same...well kind of.  You get the idea. :-)

TCP. . .The End

Well, here it is...the end of my blogs about TCP. Letters 61-90:

I'd like to start off with a little irony.  According to Nettie, the Africans have "the strongest, cleanest, whitest teeth" while the white people teeth is "crooked, usually, and blackish with decay."  Yuck.  This is ironic because a lot of people think that Africans don't live in the cleanest conditions, yet they are healthier than the Europeans.

Furthermore, in letter 61 Nettie writes that the African man's "Christian" name is Joseph.  I believe that this means that the whites gave the Africans new names because the traditional African names weren't "civilized" enough, or the whites just couldn't pronounce them and didn't care to try...yeah, that's probably it.

I also found the similarities between the Olinka and whites to be interesting.  For example, the Olinka only allow males to get a  school education.  Nettie says, "They're like white people at home who don't want colored people to learn" (156).  Also, when Nettie describes the Olinkas' reaction to the building of the new road she says that they welcome it because "like the white people back home. . .they think they are the center of the universe, and that everything that is done is done for them" (168).  This is so amazing because oftentimes people are so quick to notice the differences between different groups before we notice how we're alike.

The color purple is finally mentioned in letter 73 when Shug and Celie talk about how they each envision God.  Celie is stuck in the idea that God is a white man with a beard, while Shug declares, "I believe God is everything" (195).  Shug believes that God places little things around us to make us happy, and that "it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it" (196).  My interpretation of this is that knowing God is all about taking the time to enjoy the little things in life like nature--purple flowers to be exact.  This is also one of the themes of the novel.

One of the most powerful quotes of the book is in letter 74.  After telling Mr. __ how she really feels, Celie says, "I'm pore, I'm black, I may be ugly and can't cook. . .But I'm here" (207).  Another great quote is in letter 89 when Celie finally realizes that she can be happy without Shug:  "If she come, I be happy.  If she don't, I be content. And then I figure this the lesson I was suppose to learn" (283).

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I am glad that I finally read it.

My only critique is that the letters should be dated because it is difficult to notice the passage of time throughout the book.  The only way to know how much time has passed is when a phrase like "it's been five years since we talked" is stated in a letter or when Nettie describes how long they have been on the missionary trip.  Other than that, the quality of the story is not really lowered due to this.

Walker's use of imagery was very vivid (and graphic), which made it easier to picture what was happening in the story.  In addition, I do think that seeing the movie version of the book first worked out in my favor because I could picture the characters and even the action more clearly.

Even though the story is about an abused black woman in the South, The Color Purple should be added to everyone's "Have Read" list.

The Color Purple...The Middle

Well, I've already given you some of my ideas about the first 30 letters. Now for 31-60. . .


In this section we learn more about the relationship between Shug and Albert (Mr. ___).   In letter 50 Shug tells Celie about how much fun she and Albert used to have, and how that all changed when he married Annie Julia (now deceased) instead of her.  Shug explains that he didn't marry her because "his daddy told him I'm trash, my mama trash before me.  His brother say the same" (122).  Albert tried to defend her, but he just wasn't strong enough.  However, Shug claims that she "never really wanted Albert for a husband;" she just wanted to be the only woman he desired.  

Additionally, Albert's family advised him not to marry her because she already had children and they questioned if they were even Albert's.  Hmmm...sound familiar?  This is similar to how Albert treats Sofia when Harpo first brings her over to meet him.  Albert refers to her pregnancy as her getting herself into "trouble" and asks how Harpo knows undoubtedly that he is the father.  How rude.  Also, neither of them—father nor son—really stood up for his woman or himself.  Well, you know what they say:  like father, like son.  I believe this can also be an archetype because sons who follow in the steps of their fathers is found often in literature and in life.  For instance, in abusive households where the father abuses the mother, it is common for the son to treat women the same way because the example set before him causes him to think that's what he's supposed to do.  Or I'm sure you've heard the comment, "You're just like your father," directed towards someone.  Even when Harpo was a teenager he asked Celie why his father beats her (letter 13), and then later in letter 19 he decides to hit his wife Sofia (which was a big mistake).

On another note, Celie really begins to open up even more to Shug in this section.  In letter 34 Celie tells her that Mr. ___ beats her, which is isn't something that Celie would be quick to tell anyone.  She also tells Shug about how she doesn't enjoy having sex with Mr. ___ because it really just feels like he's "doing his business" on top of her. (Aww, that's sad.)  Her growing trust for her new friend is emphasized even more when Shug encourages Celie to explore her own body and Celie listens to her.  Then, suddenly Celie's trust and dishonesty concerning Shug are juxtaposed in the same letter!  She has just told Shug an intimate secret and really looked at her own body, but then she lies and tells Shug that she doesn't care that Shug sleeps with Mr. ___ even though when she hears them together that night she says that "all [she] can do is pull the quilt over [her] head" and be alone with herself (79).  Celie's discontentment, I believe, is due to her desire to be with Shug instead of Mr. ___.

One of my favorite letters so far is the 56th one because in this letter Nettie writes to Celie about the lives of the Black people she sees on her journey to Africa.  In New York, she is fascinated by all of the Blacks owning fancy cars and living in houses "finer than any white person's house down home" (135).  She also tells Celie about how she learns that "All the Ethiopians in the bible were colored" (134).  This is evidence that Black people were not taught about the history of their own people, which is just saddening to me.

In letter 57 Nettie expresses how the English are so swift to say that Africa has fallen on "hard times," yet they are so ignorant (or at least act like they're ignorant) to the fact that they helped make the times "harder" via slavery.  Prior to that, African civilizations were considered to be more magnificent and superior to the English civilizations.  Does the word "Egypt" ring a bell???

The Color Purple...The Beginning

Well, here is my first post about my awesome group's independent novel.  "Which novel?," you ask?  Why, it's The Color Purple written by Alice Walker, of course!  Here's a portion of my analysis/observations from the first 30 letters.  (There are 90 in total.)

One of the main aspects of the book is that it's written entirely  in letters.  The main character and narrator, Celie, writes each letter to God, which indicates that He is the only person that she feels comfortable enough with to vent to.

     Also, there is a lot of foreshadowing of Celie's sexuality in the first few letters and it is emphasized even more in letters 14-30.  In letter 5 she says that she doesn't look at men because she's scared of them, but she looks at women because they're not scary.  So of course this can just show that her negative experiences with men cause her to fear them, but it can also foreshadow that she will find women more attractive.  Then in letter 10, when another lady tells Celie that her husband (Mr. ___) is handsome, Celie thinks, "Most times mens look pretty much alike to me" exemplifying that she doesn't really find men attractive (Walker 15).  Her lesbian tendencies begin to emerge even more in the second half of the first 30 letters.  When Celie finds out that Shug Avery (Mr. ___'s mistress who sings in clubs and has a reputation for gettin' around, if you know what I mean...) is going to be performing in town, she says, "I just be thankful to lay eyes on her" (25).  Now usually most women don't feel so desperate to see another woman.  Another moment that reveals Celie's sexuality is in letter 24 when she is giving Shug a bath while she's ill and Celie gets aroused when she sees Shug's "long black body" and thinks, "I thought I had turned into a man" (49).  The pinnacle moment (in this section) that shows Celie's attraction toward women is in letter 30 when Celie is talking to her daughter-in-law Sofia (who I always visualize as Oprah...ha ha).  The women are talking about how they don't enjoy being intimate with their husbands anymore and Celie says, "Only time I feel something stirring down there is when I think bout Shug" (65).  Nuff said.

      While I believe that all of these moments are evidence of Celie's lesbianism, I know that part of the reason why I think this is because I saw the movie already; however, books and movies are never really identical in every element so I am excited to see how everything turns out.

Introducing Me

Tamar [tuh-mar] - daughter of Derick Sr. and Tomika, and ONLY sister of Derick Jr. and Derell.  Possessor of strong faith in the one and only true God.  A young lady who has many dreams to accomplish before she gets too old.  A lover of traveling who desires to visit every continent (I'm still on the fence about Antarctica) and every single state.  A diligent student who gets her work done so that she can do what she wants in the future, not just what she has to do.  An optimist who definitely prefers to see the glass as half-full.  A pink enthusiast.

Fun Fact:  My name means "palm tree," so that means that I am strong.  I may bend and sway during a storm, but I never break.

I know that a lot of people say this, and it may be considered a cliche, but I truly am a lover of life.  I'm just so excited about everything that life has to offer, especially all of the different cultures and places to experience! I'm anticipating so many fabulous things in my future!!!

So, that is a basic definition of who Tamar is. . . not Tamar-uh, not Tay-mar, and absolutely not Tomorrow.  I still don't understand how people add an "a" to the end of my name.  I guess my parents got it wrong when they named me. . .nah, that's not it.  :-)


Oh, and another thing. .  .this self-definition blog reminds me of Nick Jonas' song, "Introducing Me."  Doo doo, doo do doo do doo...
#CampRock2  #NickJonasIsCute