The Color Purple V6

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 5

The Color Purple

Introduction

- written in a series of letters

- no-standard dialect: "black folk language"

- Celie is uneducated + writes as she speaks and thinks

Main characters

Celie

- young black Georgia girl 
- raped by her stepfather
-had two babies taken away from her

- forced to marry Mr._
- struggles to find love and self-esteem

Celie

Mr._

- ex-wife ran left him with his 5 kids

- in love with Shug Avery, a blues singer

- marries Celie so she can take care of house + kids

- abusive relationship

Shug Avery

-Albert's mistress

-comes to live with Mr.- and Celie because of illness

-gets close bond with Celie

-teaches her love and self-esteem

Nettie

-Celie's sister

-educated

-left home and went to Africa with Reverend Samuel and his wife

-takes care of Celie's children

Harpo

-Mr._'s oldest son

-not as dominant as his father

-loves Sofia

Sofia

-strong-willed woman

-loves Harpo 

-has a temper which gets her into trouble

Reread the first letter of the book. What does the writer describe here? What do we get to know about the writer, her personal life, and her living circumstances? Be as complete as you can

"You better not never tell nobody but God. It'd kill your mammy."

Who says this to whom and when?

What is the direct result of Celie's father raping her?

Who does Mr. initially want to marry?

Why does Mr. "need" a wife?

What kind of man is Mr.?

Why does Celie marry Mr.?

"It took him the whole spring, from March to June, to make up his mind to take me." She is quite simply taken from her home in which she has strived to survive to serve another man and strive to survive. (letter 8)

Sound like another kind of existence we are familiar with from history?

In what way do Mr. and Harpo, his son, differ from each other?

What does Mr. think about Harpo's girlfriend, Sophia?

Harpo tells Celie that Sofia doesn't listen to him. What advice does Celie give him?

"I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them."

In what other way could this be interpreted?

Who is Albert?

In Letter 14, when it is announced that Shug is coming to town, why are both Mr. _______ and Celie so happy?

Compare the characters of Celie and Sofia and describe the differences. Illustrate your answer by using 2 examples from the book.

Mr.'s dad did not approve of Mr.'s relationship with Shug
Later Mr does not approve of his son Harpo's relationship with Sofia

How is this similar to Celie telling Harpo to beat Sofia while she knows what it is like to be beaten?

How does the relationship between Celie and Shug change throughout the novel?

Alice Walker (the author) is considered by some critics to have a sexist attitude towards men in this novel. Explain how this assumption can be derived from the novel, do you agree? Why or why not?

Setting

1930s Rural Georgia in USA

No such thing as human rights

• lack of education
  
• crimes of men go unpunished 
  
• how are the independent women portrayed in the book? Think of Shug, Sofia

Segregation after slavery

• open racism
• crimes of white people go unpunished 
• even if you stand up for yourself what happens?

Letter 61: Olinka village in Africa

• similar to Georgia in terms of gender roles (letter 62)
• powerlessness against the white man (letter 62-67)
• Africans' role in slavery
• exploitation of locals 

• Sofia's character in the beginning
  
• She's a fighter
  
• She does not accept the idea of being ruled by anyone, not the black man of the house, nor the white man in society. 
• Sofia's struggle and downfall
• Her freedom, dignity, health, as well as her relationship with her husband, boyfriend and children 
• The only way out - first see Sofia’s inner conflict. 
• Sofia’s inner conflict is to learn not to fly off the handle like she is used to but also to remain true to herself
  

You will choose a character and describe the conflicts they face either internally or externally, what do their conflicts say about them?
Present to the class.

Freytag's pyramid

+

EMPOWERMENT

Freytag's pyramid