Overview

Welcome to the online extension of our classroom. This forum is designed to serve as a forum for all English classes to continue those discussions begun during the school day. You will be able to share your observations, ask questions, and respond to classmates' comments in a way that is not confined to a single, 45-minute period. Enjoy!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Periods 1 & 2, Post 10: Symbols in "The Bluest Eye"

Despite the fact that Thanksgiving is fast approaching, we're still deep in the middle of the semester; don't stop working now!!

This week, we talked about how, in The Bluest Eye, Pecola sees herself in the dandelions, and transfers her negative feelings about herself onto the weeds. The Bluest Eye is rife with symbolism; the dandelions are only one example. Choose from one of the following symbols:

* marigold seeds
* baby dolls
* blue eyes
* Mary Jane candies
* Fun with Dick and Jane storybook

In your comment, explain where this symbol appears in the text (including page number and quotation), what this symbol represents, and why it's important to the story.

Your comment for this week's post will count as a homework assignment for the second marking period.

9 comments:

  1. In the text page 19 and 20 says "It had begun Christmas and the gift of dolls.The big,the specail, the loving gift was always a big,blue-eyed Baby Doll."This symbols represents racism in the story . Pecola doesnt like the Baby doll Because it has blue eyes and she wished she did to.

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  2. Stephanie Nazaire) I think it refers to Mary Jane candies cause as she bought her candy she walked past the dandelions. Also at looking at the fact that the Mary Jane candy is beautiful and she isn't she represents herself as the dandelions.

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  3. Megan Rampersad,

    The baby doll was one of my favorite symbol that appeared in the book. Pecola feels like thats how she is supposed to look, like a blue eyes white baby doll. She also hated having to take care of the doll as if she was its mother. In pages 19 and 20 it explains how Pecola recieves a baby doll and how she hates getting that as a present. Pecola feels like it makes you pretty when your white and you have blue eyes and blonde hair, and she feels this way because her dolls are always given to her like that. Pecola wants to look like the baby doll so she took her anger out on the doll and destroyed it.

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  4. Symbolism is very important in this story because it expresses the way pecola feels about her self and other without directly phrasing it. She use the term blue eyes a lot in the book because she feel if having blue eye her life will be better,she will be more prettier, and she will have more opportunities in life. All of those things are true back then. She says how she hates sherly temples of the world. The main reason for hating sherly is because she wants what Sherly has and she wants to be like her but she cant because of her skin color.

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  5. In the Bluest Eyes on page 49 and 50, Pecola went to her corner store that was owned by "a fifty-two year old white immigrant" and got three Mary Janes canies. When Pecola was purchasing the candies, the man didnt even waste a glance down at her because she's black. Pecola was similng at the little white girl with blue eyes on the wrapper, and wished that she looked like that. She wants people to notice her just like that Mary Jane.
    Jasmin (:

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  6. On pages 19 & 20 , Pecola had recieved a White baby doll . She despised and envied this doll . She wanted to be the one with the blue eyes , fair skin and blonde hair . This represent and shows why she distroyed the doll . This is important to the story because it shows why Pecola has such low self - esteem and why she acts the way she does sometimes .

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  7. My favorite symbol from the book was the doll, because it expressed alot of Pecolas feeling. Since then dolls has blue eyes and is pretty thats the way she wants to look.

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  8. The baby doll and blue eyes symbolize everything pecola wants to be, and she doesnt see her self pretty as the doll.

    AKIRA HAMILTON

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  9. The baby dolls show how much Pecola wants blue eyes. In pages 19 and 20 it shows that Pecola recieved a baby doll and she wanted to have blue eyes. Pecola took care of that baby doll because she wanted to be like it. TO be blonde and have blue eyes was her dream.
    Johann Apreza

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