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Name: Zhuoyao Wen

Teacher: Mr.Janosch

Class:03

Date:2022/4/8

Title

The Color Purple is a novel by author Alice Walker from the perspective of a girl named

Celie. This book explores the wealthy and powerful exploitation of the poor. The story of the

coloor Purple happened in the early 20th century, Celie was raped by her father when she was a

child.finally, she married Mr, but her husband Mr just treated her as a slave, She was subjected

to marital rape and domestic violence, Celie lived in the shadow of oppression.Then celie met 3

women who helped her, one of them was called Sofia,Sofia lets Celie realize that women also

can fight back.During the development of the story, Sofia was sentenced to prison for resisting

being the mayor's maid and pushing the mayor's wife. Here, the story shows how white people

and the gap between rich and poor oppress black people.

The critical race theory focuses on white privilege,Institutionalized

Racism,Microaggressions,Social construction and intersectionality and anti-essentialism.At the

beginning of the story, when sofia first appeared, she was confident and independent“she smooth

the wrinkles over her stomach with the flats of her hands.who the father?he ast.shelook

surprise.Harpo,she say.How he know that?He know.she say.”(Walker 30).In the face of Harpo's

father Mr—’s harsh and unfriendly attitude, Sofia is still calm. “ she stand up,big,strong,healthy

girl,and she say,well,nice visiting,i’m going home.harpo get up to come too.she say,

Nay,Harpo,you stay here.when your free, me and the baby be waiting.”(Walker 31).This is how
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as a black woman living in the early 20th century she had to go through not only racism but

gender norms.

In the early 20th century, after the End of the American Civil War, although slavery had

been abolished, white discrimination against blacks did not disappear, in that time, people

Microaggressions toward blacks had become the norm.Microaggressions refer to the seemingly

minute,often unconscious,quotidian instances of prejudice.During the development of the story,

Sofia met the mayor's wife while out, “she say to Sofia,All your children so clean,she say,would

you like to work for me,be my maid?Sofia say ,hell no.She say,What you say.Sofia say,hell

no.”(Walker 85) The mayor's wife wanted Sofia to be her maid just because her child looked

clean. In her subconscious mind, Sofia was black, but she was white and the mayor's wife. She

took it for granted that Sofia could not refuse her request, so when Sofia decisively rejected her,

she behaved surprised. “Mayor look at Sofia, push his wife out the way.Stick out his

chest.girl,what you say to Miss Millie?Sofia say,I say,Hell no. He slap her”(Walker 85)In the

story, just like the black men rule the black families, the white people also rule the black people,

and they both use brutal and violent methods to rule over whoever they want to rule, When Sofia

say a rude word to the mayor's wife, the mayor directly used violence to make Sofia submit.

"He wants to jump in, she says. Sofia says No, take the children home. Police have they

guns on him anyway. One move, he dead. Six of them, you know.”(Walker 86)During the fight,

prizefighter wants to join in to help Sofia, but Sofia refuses prizefighter's help and asks him to

take the children home,This also shows the disparity in the status of whites and blacks, whites

have guns, and blacks have no chance of winning in front of whites,this fight ends with Sofia

being lose and sent to prison.

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In the story, Sofia let Celie know that women can fight back, and Sofia also learned to be

patient from Celie. After Sofia was sent to prison, Sofia worked intensely in the prison laundry “

they put Sofia to work in the prison laundry.all day long from five to eight she washing

clothes.”(walker 88). “ Every time they ast me to do something.Miss Celie, I act like I’m you.I

jump right up and do just what they say.”(Walker 88) Celie can see Sofia twice a month, half an

hour each time, Sofia has to learn patience and obedience due to the oppressive life in prison. If

she doesn't show obedience, Sofia will not be able to survive in prison.This is her punishment for

speaking rude words to the mayor's wife,which let the strong and confident Sofia have

disappeared.

After Sofia goes to prison, Celie and Mr and others want to save Sofia from prison, but

they find that they can't do it. “ God all white too, looking like some stout white man work at the

bank.Angels strike they cymbals,one of them blow his horn,god blow out a big breath of fire and

suddenly Sofia free.”(Walker 91)In Celie's view, only God can get Sofia out of prison and God is

white people because white people all work in government institutions such as prisons and

banks, which revealed the white privilege and institutionalized racism. white privilege refers to

the various social, political, and economic advantages white individuals experience in contrast to

non-white citizens based on their racial membership.At the beginning of the 20th century, white

people have more rights to work in the government than black people, so when Celie and Mr___

want to get Celie out of prison, they find they can't do it, because the warden is white, and they

are black, so there is no way to intercede with the warden.Finally, Squeak told everyone that she

was related to the white warden, and Squeak dressed up as a white woman to plead with the

warden.
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Later in the story it is revealed that Celie's father is not her real father, celie's real father

was executed.“ The key to all of ‘em is money.the trouble with our people is as soon as they got

out of slavery they didn’t want to give the white man nothing else.But the fact is, you got to

give’em something.either your money,your land, your woman or your ass.so what I did was just

right off offer to give’em money.before I planted a seed. I made sure this one and that one

knowed one seed out of three was planted for him.before I ground a grain of wheat, the same

thing.”(Walker 181),This passage from Celie's stepfather reveals the exploitation and oppression

of blacks by whites, in marxism, people are divided into bourgeoisie and proletariat, the

bourgeoisie refers to the owners with power and money, while the proletariat is the proletariat

Classwork workers. To white people, the proletariat should be black because that has been the

norm for so long,that is why Celie’s stepfather says that he have to made sure knowed one seed

out of three was planted for white.Celie's real father owned a successful grocery store and the

grocery store took away business from many white shops, and those whites were outraged by it

because they think Celie’s real father was a black, he took what was rightfully theirs then, then

they burned down Celie's real father's shop and executed him illegally.

The story continues, Sofia comes out of prison, but she falls into another prison, that is to

be the maid of the mayor's wife. For more than ten years, Sofia took care of the mayor's wife's

daughter, her name is Jane. Jane is very dependent on Sofia, but Sofia can't respond to her

dependence, because Sofia has been abused by the mayor's couple for more than ten years, and

she also can't accept Jane's son. “ I got my own troubles,say Sofia,and when Reynolds stanley

grow up,he’s gon be one of them.”(Walker 264)Sofia firmly believes that Jane's son will grow up

to be as racist as his family. Sofia has experienced all kinds of racism for decades. Sofia tried to

resist, and then she was beaten all over. Finally, she was forced to be the maid of the mayor's
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wife. Although she was beaten all the time, her spirit never gave up. It is this confident and

strong character that makes her a woman who has the courage to always struggle against

difficulties.
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Work Cited

Queer Theory

Purdue Writing Lab. “Gender Studies and Queer Theory.” Purdue Writing Lab,
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/
literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/gender_studies_and_queer_theory.html.

Psychoanalytic/ Marxist/ Feminist

Stacey, Michael. “Teaching Richard Wright's from Multiple Critical Perspectives.”

Prestwick House.

Critical Race Theory

Purdue Writing Lab. “Critical Race Theory.” Purdue Writing Lab,

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/
literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/critical_race_theory.html.
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Standard 0 1 2 3 4

1- Problem No Create a Create a Create an Create a thought-

Formulation: eviden thesis strong thesis interesting and provoking, original
Creating an ce statement statement unique thesis thesis statement
that is only that guides statement and and break it into
interesting and
relevant and the essay in break it down to complex parts to
unique thesis not original. an argument. guide your lead each
statement that guides essay. paragraph.
your essay.

2- Research: Identify No Identify few Identify Identify multiple Identify and use
strong evidence from eviden pieces of several pieces of strong and
the novel and outside ce evidence pieces of evidence from relevant evidence
that vaguely evidence that the novel to from the novel to
sources to support
support your may not be support your support your
your ideas. argument. specific to ideas. ideas.
the claim

3- Interpretation: No Explain the Provide a Provide an Analyze evidence

Analyze data and eviden quote. basic interpretation of through in-depth
evidence throughout ce explanation the quote to analysis of the
of the quote break down the quotes to connect
your essay and
and connect idea and support to larger
provide unique it to your your thesis. meanings.
interpretations of the thesis.
quotes you gathered.

4- Communication: No Organize Organize Organize ideas Organize ideas

Organize ideas eviden ideas ideas roughly thoughtfully into interestingly using
thoughtfully into a ce vaguely so to provide a a clearly advanced writing
the essay structured formatted essay. skills to create a
clearly formatted
stays on essay. college level
essay topic. paper.

5- Precision: Assure No Grammar Assure that Assure your final Assure your final
that your final eviden mistakes your product, product has few product has no
product has no major ce distract from while having noticeable noticeable
the grammar grammar grammar mistakes
grammar mistake
understandi mistakes, is mistakes and and follows MLA
ng of your understanda correctly uses formatting.
work and ble and MLA format and
provides correctly a work cited
basic cites page.
citations. evidence.

6- Professionalism: No Work is Work is Work is Work is completed

Work is turned in on eviden completed a completed 3 completed only on time and fully
time and fully ce week late days late and one day late and complete.
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complete. and mostly fully fully complete.

complete. complete