Celie and Sofia are two women from the book The Color Purple, who have similar attributes by using strength and love as a means to make it through the hardships life as bestowed upon them.

I will start my comparison of these women with the one that uses her strength physically because of her build, and mentally due to her strong will to fight for her respect and independence. Sophia is a strong and confident spirted woman who refuses to be tied only to housework, child rearing, and working in the fields. She is ahead of her time with her expectations that men should also share in the chores of the house, and stands firm on expressing her opinions of how things should be done in their marriage to her husband. She never lets anyone silence her voice no matter the circumstance, until her strong will eventually shapes the outcome of her future and humbles her to the point her voice is somewhat diluted.

Celie represents the woman whose voice is silent but her strength is measured by her dominant endurance. She lives in silence due to her fear of not wanting to be heard, and although seen she is still not appreciated. She endures life as an adult still being physically and mentally abused by her husband and step-children.

The women are similar because of their strength, yet different from the way the choose to deal with adversity and abuse. The factors that contribute to their traits come from the courage they both find at different stages in their lives as women to find their strength to stand up to abusive husbands, who define having a wife as not an equal but someone to control.

OUTLINE

Thesis Statement: Esther a smart driven young woman with a bright future, whose unstable mental health begins to consume her life.

1. Who is Esther?
2. An aspiring writer
3. Very opinionated
4. Educated

1. Mental Health Issues
2. Has a dark side
3. Struggles with suicide
4. Overwhelmed by society’s expectations

• Acceptable Gender Roles in the 1950’s for women

1. Housewife
2. Shorthand/Typist

1. Defying The Expectations of What Women Should Pursue in her era
2. Higher Education
3. Journalism
4. Setting Goals Other than Marriage

My interpretation of how I think Esther feels regarding African American’s is conflicted. My feelings regarding this matter go as follows: Esther is heavily sedated, and under the influence of psych medication, in which is distorting her rational mindset and has her acting irrationally. Secondly, there is know mention of people of color in this book, with the exception of this interaction with this black man in the asylum.

Now with that being said, I can translate her behavior as her not knowing how to interact with African American’s due to fact their presence is non-existing her daily routines of life, or I can see if from another perspective, and come to the conclusion this behavior is inherited and been instilled in her upbringing. She may have been taught that the black race does not deserve her respect, and that is why mistreated the man. Regardless, to the fact all he was trying to do was help her, all she saw was that he was a Negro.

The period these events take place where a dark time for black people even though it was the late 50’s. African American’s endured server and demoralizing practices of systematic racism.  The passage is so short in reference to her dealing with someone outside of her race, that it is somewhat premature to make an assumption on what she was actually thinking. Esther is dealing with so many of her demons that I believe at that time in her life anyone could have been subjected to unstable behavior from her. I would really have to read about her engaging with another African American to come to a valid assessment of how she feels about race.

The female character I will describe is (Doreen). The opinion I have formed so far from my reading regarding her characteristics go as follows: she is a very sexy sultry woman. I also view her as socialite since initially her background being educated as a society girl. Doreen’s values aren’t traditional because she doesn’t seem to be focusing on a husband and children, like women of that era were.

For example, her interests at the time reflect on her appearance, partying, drinking, and looking for attractive men. Esther’s prospective on Doreen can be viewed as envious and admiring all at the same time. Because Doreen is viewed as a worldly woman the kind that most men find intriguing , and Esther is more of plain jane who finds more solace in reading then concentrating on her appearance.

I don’t consider Doreen as negative or positive role model for women at this time because she hasn’t found her course for her future endeavors, such as, goals and aspirations. She is very self absorbed according to Esther: “I’d never known a girl like Doreen before. Doreen came from a society girls college down South and had white hair standing out like cotton candy fluff. She is fashion conscious. It suggested a whole life of marvelous, elaborate decadence that attracted me like a magnet.”

Doreen values are different from the other girls, she comes across as promiscuous and eager to explore her sexuality.  Where the other girls are more concerned with their virtue and how they’re perceived by society.

Good Morning All,

My name is Sabrina Manuel-Folk, my preferred pronouns are he and him. I was born and raised in Far Rock away, Queens and now reside in Yonkers, NY. I have two children Darrick and Rashari, and a wonderful supportive husband by the name of Darryl Folk. I love music and dancing. My goal for my future is advancement in a prominent career in Computer Systems. What I hope to attain from the college is assortment of knowledge that I can absorb and relate it to my future endeavor’s. I feel already I’m surrounded by a group of extraordinary people and I hope to learn a lot from you’ll.