Seeds in Hard Ground Essay Example for Free

Seeds in Hard Ground Essay Ruth Rosenberg’s article, â€Å"Seeds in Hard Ground: Black Girlhood in The Bluest Eye,† offers a paradigm with which to view the growing-up process portrayed by Toni Morrison in her novel, The Bluest Eye. According to Rosenberg, Morrison’s novel is a landmark in literature because she has succeeded in portraying young, black American girls on their road to womanhood. Before her, no documented case in literature has been recorded that featured these girls in the center stage. Always, Rosenberg quotes Morrison, these girls were the props, set as part of the background, the moving scenery (436). More interestingly, however, it is Rosenberg’s treatment and reading of â€Å"colorism† in the novel that calls for attention (439). Colorism is akin to racism, where division and segregation is based on the color of one’s skin. Color, in fact, plays a crucial and central role in the novel, stealthily moving beyond the question of one’s skin. The most important transition of colorism is in Pecola’s wish to have blue eyes. She absurdly believes that possessing such would render her lovable, thereby eliminating pain from her world: If those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different†¦Maybe they’d say, â€Å"Why look at pretty-eyed Pecola. We mustn’t do bad things in front of those pretty eyes. † †¦ Each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes. Fervently, for a year she had prayed. Although somewhat discouraged, she was not without hope. (Morrison 40) The longing for blue eyes were eventually destructive for Pecola as her desire for possessing the bluest eyes symbolize her own blindness – and it is this blindness, rather than her skin color, that eventually brings about her insanity and downfall. Pecola’s case is not isolated. The characters that people the novel, themselves perpetrators and victims of colorism, also exhibit their own â€Å"blindness. † Eyes, looking, and gazing all become important symbols in the novel. Despite being able to see, the characters are oftentimes blinded by colorism. As such, the novel underscores a very important theme: the great divide between superficial looking and deeper seeing. For Morrison, the more important way of seeing is painfully missing in the novel, leading to drastic and disastrous consequences. Inside Pecola’s shoe she hides her treasure: three pennies to get her nine Mary Janes. Inside the store, she encounters Mr. Yacobowski, who â€Å"urges his eyes out of his thoughts to encounter her (Morrison 41). † He has blue eyes that are blear-dropped, which he focuses on Pecola as he â€Å"looms up over the counter (Morrison 41). † But Somewhere between retina and object, between vision and view, his eyes draw back, hesitate, and hover. At some fixed point in time and space he senses that he need not waste the effort of a glance. He does not see her, because for him there is nothing to see. How can a fifty-two-year-old white immigrant†¦see a little black girl? (Morrison 42) Pecola immediately recognizes the storekeeper’s stare as â€Å"the total absence of human recognition the glazed separateness. this vacuum is not new to her. She has seen it lurking in the eyes of all white people†¦ (Morrison 42). With the stare Pecola is shamed and angered. Yet, it is not only Pecola’s desire for blue eyes or the white people’s vacant stares that stand for the blindness plaguing the characters caught in the grips of colorism. Consider the case of Maureen Peal, â€Å"the high yellow dream child with long brown hair braided into two lynch ropes that hung down her back (Morrison 52). † Such a description juxtaposes the vicious power that comes with her pretty face. Claudia is at the receiving end, as Maureen often gazes at her with â€Å"unearned haughtiness in her eyes (Morrison 54). † In knowing that she is prettier because she is whiter than the rest, Maureen condescends to them, seeing only their darker skin and eliminating them immediately as people lower than her. In the end, it is only Soaphead Church who listens with sympathy to Pecola’s pleas. He is the only one who sees through the curse of blindness by realizing that Pecola’s wish was â€Å"the most poignant and the one [wish] most deserving of fulfillment. A little black girl who wanted to rise up out of pit of her blackness and see the world with blue eyes (137). † But the price for this was heavy – for only she could see her eyes. Her frustration and disillusion sends her into a downward spiral, from which her friends cannot pull her out of. At the cost of her life, she gained the eyes she wanted. Works Cited Rosenberg, Ruth. â€Å"Seeds in Hard Ground: Black Girlhood in The Bluest Eye. † Black American Literature Forum 21. 4 (1987). 435-445. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Washington Square Press, 1970.

Hiroshima Essay -- Essays Papers

Hiroshima The stories and events that unfold in John Hersey’s, Hiroshima, have certainly been eye-openers for me. As a child in middle school and high school I, we have all heard of the atomic bomb and of course of Hiroshima, but never in as much detail or on such a personal level as these stories. Not even in chemistry or physics class, where I learned some of the specifics as to how the bomb works, had I known of the destructive force of the bomb or it’s gruesome effects on human beings. As I mentioned before, this book was quite an eye-opener for me because it has taught me just how deadly nuclear weapons can be not only on material properties, but on human beings, and why nuclear weapons must never again be used is such a way. The effects that the bomb had on buildings and other...

Patriots vs. Loyalists: Impacts on the outcome of the American Revolution

The American Revolutionary War, from 1775 to 1783, was predominantly fought between two groups of people – the Patriots and the Loyalists. In general, both the Patriots and Loyalists were culturally identical, such as speaking the same language, wearing the same clothes, and going to the New World with the same goal – to seek a better life. Then why did the two groups fight against each other during the war? Initially, when the First Continental Congress met and protested against Great Britain’s rule, the colonists had no intention to become independent from the crown but only wanted their rights to be recognized.After the French and Indian War, British enforcement gradually became stricter through acts that were placed on the colonies, which eventually led to the recognition and division between the Patriots and Loyalists. Those who favored the idea of independence and wanted to be free from British rule were known as the Patriots, whereas those who supported th e British and remained loyal to the crown were known as the Loyalists.Overall, the different characteristics that made up the Patriots and Loyalists, the individual support towards their respective sides of the war, and each of their motivations and beliefs greatly impacted the ultimate outcome of the Revolution. Although the Patriots and Loyalists were culturally similar within the colonies, there were many additional characteristics that defined the differences between the two. The Patriots were generally wealthy, better educated, and merchants who didn’t rely on trade with England.They were capable of financially supporting themselves by having the â€Å"plantation owners trade [their produce] within the colonies and the merchants using smuggling among other countries besides Great Britain† (Beverly). Though the Patriots didn’t have to depend on the English to maintain their economy, they suffered greatly because Parliament enacted many indirect taxes, and th en later on creating direct taxes such as the Stamp Act, which were paid by the colonists. The colonists reacted with great fury and annoyance to this British action.In contrast, the Loyalists population usually consisted of government officials, those who had family residing in England, and were wealthier than the Patriots. Since they generally had more money, they were not highly affected by the British taxes imposed on them throughout the years, which the Patriots evidently suffered significantly. Likewise, the Loyalists didn’t have the same hatred towards the British than the Patriots had. This, in response, boosted the Patriots’ motive to fight which eventually helped them win the war.In addition to the different characteristics that made up the population of the Patriots and the Loyalists, each of their contributions to the war impacted the outcomes in a tremendous way. Without the support of the common patriotic â€Å"†¦ men and women in the colonies, such as farmers, lawyers, merchants, ministers, and shopkeepers, their struggle for independence would have failed† (Beverly). These people were the ones that supported the economy, kept it running, and provided supplies to the soldiers fighting in the war.The Loyalists also provided supplies such as armory, gunpowder, and food to the British soldiers and fought alongside with them. Though colonial Loyalists were able to fight alongside with British soldiers, they were only able to assist alongside the soldiers because the British often looked down upon the colonists. Moreover, in order to win the war, the Patriots were willing to â€Å"experience suffering, endurance and perseverance necessary for both the military and supporting civilians† (Dillon). If they were short of this â€Å"will†, it would have been extremely difficult for them to achieve victory.Even though the features of each group and their support in the war effort were significant, the motivations and beliefs of the Patriots and Loyalists made the utmost impact on the outcome of the war. The Patriots were furious because they were forced to pay high taxes to support a government abroad that they had no part or say in, and paying higher taxes than some of the other British colonies to finance England’s wars with France (Allen). They believed the monarch was systematically unjust because they were being treated unfairly and were forced upon many things without their own consent.However, the Loyalists also had their own beliefs because they thought cutting all ties with their â€Å"mother country† will lead to a democratic society led by the Patriots, who were –in their eyes- violent, immoral, and not suitable to make political decisions. The Loyalists believed that without England’s protection, the colonies might not be able to militarily defend themselves and other nations will eventually invade them and take over, if they don’t prevent the Patr iots from losing. Nevertheless, the Patriots had something the Loyalists did not, determination and the drive to keep on fighting until they had reached their goal – freedom.On top of the resentment the Patriots felt, they had a strong ambition to fight until the last soldier standing died, unlike the Loyalists, who were primarily set out to collect money for the king and only determined by greed. It can be argued that the only reason why the Patriots had won the war was because they had aid from the French towards the end of the war. However, this is false because the Patriots had great morale as a whole and unlimited determination to fight till the very end, and strong leaderships such as George Washington and John Adams to keep every individual motivated as they fought against the Loyalists.Therefore, it was not only the French’s help that led to the demise of British rule in the colonies. Ultimately, the Patriot’s victory in the American Revolution was great ly impacted by the Loyalist’s decision to maintain their loyalty and the Patriots’ desire for independence. The two groups differed in separate areas such as general characteristics as a whole, strategies in supporting the war effort, and beliefs to follow that subsequently led to the British’s failure.

The Testing Stage Is The Path Toward Finding Process And...

Testing Imtroduction The testing stage is a basic bit of programming progression .It is the path toward finding process and missing operations moreover a whole affirmation to make sense of if the objectives are met and the customer need are satisfied. (Referenced from Software Engineering - A Practitioner s Approach by - Roger S. Pressman). Programming testing is done in three phases The primary consolidates unit testing, where in each module is attempted to give its exactness, authenticity moreover choose any missing operations and to affirm whether the goals have been met. Bumbles are noted down and corrected in a split second. Unit testing is the vital and critical part of the wander, so errors are changed successfully particularly module and program clarity is extended. In this wander entire structure is disengaged into a couple of modules and is made solely, so unit testing is coordinated to individual modules. The second step consolidates Integration testing .It ought to be case, the item whose modules when run autonomously and showing flawless results, will in like manner demonstrate romanticize comes to fruition when continue running as a rule. The individual modules are cut under this noteworthy module and attempted again and checked the results. This is a result of poor interfacing, which realizes data being lost over the interface .A module may have th e ability to have incidental, unfavorable effect on whatever other or on the overall data structures, makingShow MoreRelatedRailway Route Optimizer10483 Words   |  42 PagesRequirements 5. System Testing 6. Software Tools Used 7 Technical Notes 1. Introduction To Real-time programming 2. Introduction to OOPS and Windows 3. Introduction to Java 8. Conclusion 9. Bibliography 1. Abstract Railway Route Optimization System is a product to serve to users who are tourists. 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