For colored girls (FCG) is Tyler Perry’s adaption to Shange’s first and most acclaimed, theater piece. Shange’s original work was not so much of a play with an ongoing plot; rather, it consist of a series of emotional poetic monologues accompanied with dance movements and music. Shange called her work a “choreopoem.” The original work by Shange and Perry’s adaption deal with black feminism and what it means to be a black women living in America. The poems deal with love, abandonment, domestic violence, rape, and abortion, embodied by each woman's story. The end of the play brings together all of the women for "a laying on of hands," in which Shange evokes the power of womanhood. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Colored_Girls_Who_Have_Considered_Suicide_When_the_Rainbow_Is_Enuf). While the film, for the most part, stays true to the original work in the sense of depicting the struggles of everyday women of color, it also depicts how far black actresses have come in having leading roles in film. Stick to the Script: How Shange Felt about the Film As stated, the film is heavily based on the original work by Shange. In a brief interview, Shange talked about how she felt about Perry wanting to make the film. Shange states that in the beginning, she has never been a fan of his (Perry’s) work. (For Harriet, 2010). She also made it clear that Perry’s iconic character Madea, could not be in the film at all. (For Harriet, 2010) In the end, Shange wasn’t disappointed with Perry’s approach, however, she did feel that he could have done more with what he was given. According to an article written by Brooks Barnes (2010), Shange did have qualms about Perry’s adaption to the choreopoem. "I (Shange) had a lot of qualms. I worried about his char... ... middle of paper ... ...ith Harriete Cole of The Root [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.forharriet.com/2010/10/ntozake-shange-sits-down-with-harriete.html Perry, T. (2010). For colored girls [screen play]. USA Retrieved from http://moviecultists.com/wp-content/uploads/screenplays/for-colored-girls.pdf Perry, T. (Director). (2010). For colored girls [Motion picture]. USA: Lionsgate. Reid, M. (2005). Black lenses, Black voices: African American film now. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Shange, N. (1977). For colored girls who have considered suicide, when the rainbow is enuf: a choreopoem. New York: MacMillan. Williams, J. (2014, January 31). Subservient women [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from https://utsa.blackboard.com/webapps/discussionboard/do/message?action=list_messages&forum_id=_44887_1&nav=discussion_board_entry&conf_id=_45068_1&course_id=_33905_1&message_id=_334298_1
Danielle Evans’ second story “Snakes” from the collection of short stories, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self depict a biracial girl who has been pressured due to her grandmother’s urge to dominate her. The story pictures her suffering with remarkable plot twist in the end of the story. Evans utilize a profound approach on how to bring readers to closely examine racism implicitly, to make readers recognize the actions may lead to social discrimination and its consequences that are often encountered in our daily life.
Have you realized how much the world plays a lot in racial background? Not everyone is the same, but isn 't that what makes all of us special? There are several movies that helped me to realize how important race is but the Imitation of Life spoke to me the most. Lora is a single white Broadway mother who met Annie and her daughter at a festival. Annie becomes the maid and a care taker of Lora’s daughter Suzie. Both mothers deal with motherhood and different ways. Lora wants to be famous and ruins her relationship with her daughter. Sarah Jane struggle with being black. Overall the purpose of Imitation of Life is to inform the differences between being black and white in America. When I think of motherhood the first thing that comes to my
African American representation in the film industry has always been a topic for discussion. Whether talking about character types and roles, the actors being cast or not cast, and the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. ‘The contemporary status of race in mainstream American culture is intimately bound to the process of representation within and through the mass media.’ (Rocchio, 2000, p. 4). Any role that was to be played by an African American kept in with the dominant stereotypes of the time of production; incompetent, child like, hyper-sexualised or criminal.
Toni Morrison's novel "The Bluest Eye", is a very important novel in literature, because of the many boundaries that were crosses and the painful, serious topics that were brought into light, including racism, gender issues, Black female Subjectivity, and child abuse of many forms. This set of annotated bibliographies are scholarly works of literature that centre around the hot topic of racism in the novel, "The Bluest Eye", and the low self-esteem faced by young African American women, due to white culture. My research was guided by these ideas of racism and loss of self, suffered in the novel, by the main character Pecola Breedlove. This text generates many racial and social-cultural problems, dealing with the lost identity of a young African American women, due to her obsession with the white way of life, and her wish to have blue eyes, leading to her complete transgression into insanity.
I used “How it Feels to be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston as my mentor text for this essay.
For Colored Girls is a 2010 film adapted from Ntozake Shange’s 1975 stage play for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf. The play is Ntozake Shange’s first work and renowned theater piece. The release date For Colored Girls was November 5, 2010. The director of the movie is Tyler Perry and storyteller is Ntozake Shange. For Colored Girls centers on nine women who each confrontation form some form of abuse, neglect, or harassment whether it’s physical, sexually, or emotional. The characters being in the film as associate but as the story progresses they become unexpected allies during some of the most terrifying moment of their lives.
In the essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” Zora Neale Hurston explores the concept of her racial identity and self-pride. Hurston begins her essay
...ent from the silent era of film, overt racism of ethnic minorities was blatantly apparent within the film medium. However, presently this overt racism however has shifted into a more subtle segregation of casting and racial politics within the film medium. It seems that both the problem and the solution lies in the Eurocentric domination within the Hollywood film industry – and it seems that it still remains challenged to this day.
On Being Young-A Woman-and Colored an essay by Marita Bonner addresses what it means to be black women in a world of white privilege. Bonner reflects about a time when she was younger, how simple her life was, but as she grows older she is forced to work hard to live a life better than those around her. Ultimately, she is a woman living with the roles that women of all colors have been constrained to. Critics, within the last 20 years, believe that Marita Bonners’ essay primarily focuses on the double consciousness ; while others believe that she is focusing on gender , class , “economic hardships, and discrimination” . I argue that Bonner is writing her essay about the historical context of oppression forcing women into intersectional oppression by explaining the naturality of racial discrimination between black and white, how time and money equate to the American Dream, and lastly how gender discrimination silences women, specifically black women.
Aiming to gratify others has a tendency of making people act in ways other than their usual self. As one begins to act the way others want them to they begin to lose distinctiveness and individuality. For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange is about a specific set of women, who aim to please a certain man or different men. Each woman is hurt in some way by a man and as they progress throughout the series of “choreopoems”, they alter themselves in different ways to cause an effect upon the various men they associate themselves with. As the women describe their experiences, it is obvious that they make drastic changes in themselves. These women lose purpose and become confused, bitter, scared, and frustrated about their lives. Consequently, the ladies have negative outward reactions that are similar to each other, making the women easy to stereotype. The women in For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf have the opportunity to narrate their own stories; however, they choose to emphasize the influence of men in their lives, thus illustrating how susceptible they are to stereotyping and making them weakened as individuals.
Jones, G W. Black Cinema Treasures Lost and Found. Denton: University of North Texas asdfffP, 1991. 129.
Thomas, Deborah A. "Modern Blackness: "What We Are and What We Hope to Be"." Small
Experiences such as racism, along with our values, and attitudes affect our perception of belonging. Jane Harrison’s play Rainbow’s End highlights the importance of all these things. Through the notion of time, the characters in Rainbows End undergo a transformation in their choices and attitudes to others which leads to conflict and also acceptance in society. Challenges to the basis of belonging occur with the choices and attitudes of others. The choices of an individual and the attitude of others cause an individual’s sense of belonging to change and evolve. In this response I will discuss how Jane Harrison’s play Rainbow’s End highlights the importance of belonging and discuss the attitudes and values privileged in this text.
“Colorism” is a conventional motif in The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake. Flake writes about a young black thirteen year old girl named, Maleeka Madison. Throughout the story Maleeka has an internal battle with herself about gaining self-confidence and to be more secure about herself.
She creates an ideology about how black girls face barriers that undermine their well-being. They are completely ignored by national initiatives, unlike white females who have an upper hand because of power and privilege, simply because of their whiteness. In America, people of power should help young girls of color, overcome discrimination and sexism against them through the use of national initiatives. They need to focus more or equally on initiatives for girls of color rather than just for boys or global programs like ‘Let Girls