The Bluest Eye
Students explore thematic topics, symbols and motifs in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, and discuss the impact of racial stereotypes on the identity development of young black women and men.
Unit Summary
Important Note: This novel is both on the Common Core suggested text list and has been banned in a number of school districts around the country. The novel contains explicit descriptions of sexual encounters and sexual violence including rape and incest. Due to the mature nature of the topics and themes of the book (race, class, identity, exploitation, sex) the teacher should prepare, along with his/her instructional leader, how s/he will address these topics with sensitivity in an academic setting prior to beginning the unit.
In this second unit of the year students will continue to investigate the thematic topic of identity, focusing specifically on how societal influences such as racism impact the development of an individual’s sense of self. In her novel, The Bluest Eye, author Toni Morrison explores what she describes in her own words as “how something as grotesque as the demonization of an entire race could take root inside the most delicate member of society: a child; the most vulnerable member: a female.” (Morrison, p. 210) The impact of racial stereotypes on the identity development of young black women and men plays a central role in both the novel and the paired texts.
In addition to racism and its impact on the individual and society, students will also explore the additional thematic topics, symbols, and motifs that Morrison employs in the novel to convey her powerful message.
- Thematic topics: racism, love, community, power, beauty
- Motifs: seasons and nature, Dick and Jane story, color/whiteness, vision and seeing, cleanliness and dirtiness
- Symbols: the house, blue (est) eye, marigolds/flowers/seeds
The role of authors as change agents in our society is a question that students will address towards the end of the unit, and by the time they complete the novel, students should be able to express in some way that through her novel, Morrison is commenting on the impact of notions of beauty and love (as defined by the culture of power) on black Americans. Specifically, through juxtaposing Claudia and Pecola’s lives, we see how a loving and supportive home can strengthen a child’s response to these pressures, while for the most vulnerable (Pecola) they can be devastating. In their eighth grade year, students read Fences by August Wilson and were introduced to the idea of authors as social commentators. Additionally, in the first unit of this year, students explored the theme of identity and the many factors that contribute to individual identity. Both of these connections should be made by the teacher during this unit.
At Match, students have a Composition class 4 days per week in addition to English class. Below, we have included Supplementary Composition Projects to reflect the material covered in our Composition course. For teachers who are interested in including these Composition Projects but do not have a separate Composition course, we have included a “Suggested Placement” to note where these projects would most logically fit into the English unit. While the Composition Projects may occasionally include content unrelated to English 9, most have both a skill and content connection to the work students are doing in their English 9 class.
While there are many thematic topics woven throughout this English 9 unit and novels, the supplemental Composition Projects will focus on the themes of beauty and racism, particularly on how our society’s ideas about race and beauty impact the individual. Students will write one literary analysis essay based on the novel, and two narrative pieces that are thematically connected. In all three cases, students will focus on the same writing focus areas. These areas are mostly repeating from the first unit, with the addition of the skills of summarizing and sentence variety. For the final essay, students will be asked to integrate evidence from at least two sources.
Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Book: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Supporting Materials
Poem: “What Do We Do with a Variation?” by James Berry
Article: “Toni Morrison Biography” (Encyclopedia of World Biography)
Website: The Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence
Article: “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehesi Coates
Article: “How an Experiment with Dolls Helped Lead to School Integration”
Article: “On Beauty: Banning Toni Morrison’s the Bluest Eye from PEN” by Banning Toni Morrion's ...
Song: “Flawless”
Song: “Pretty Hurts”
Article: “What it Means to Be a Man”
Poem: “Harlem” by Langston Hughes (the Poetry Foundation)
Assessment
This assessment accompanies Unit 2 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
Key Knowledge
Intellectual Prep
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- Read and annotate the novel with the thematic questions in mind.
- How would do you expect students might answer these questions on day one of the unit? How should their answers grow and develop over the course of the unit?
- Read and annotate the articles about the novel:
- "Dick-and-Jane and the Shirley Temple Sensibility in The Bluest Eye" (This entire article is available for purchase, but teachers should only need the first page which is available for free.)
- “Literary Analysis of The Bluest Eye”
- “Racialized Beauty: Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye"
- Take the exam and write your mastery response to the essay portion of the exam.
Essential Questions
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- Beauty: What is beauty? Who determines what is beautiful? How are the answers similar/different for men and women?
- Racism: What are the effects of racism on the individual? The community? What is Morrison saying about “racial self-hatred”?
- Love: What is love? What impact can love and conversely, lack of love, have on individuals? Particularly children?
- Power: How do feelings of power/powerlessness impact the actions of individuals? What are the consequences for those individuals? For others?
- Community: How do we create environments of inclusion rather than exclusion? How do we build each other up rather than tear each other down?
- Authors as Social Commentators: What is the author’s message about our society? What choices does she make that add particular power to her message? What techniques does an author use to create theme and convey his/her message?
Writing Focus Areas
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English Lessons Writing Focus Areas
It is the beginning of the year and we are introducing 9th grade levels of rigor for the three standards listed below, all of which are spiraled from 8th grade. Below are the three rows of the rubric that are the focus areas for this unit. Assess students relative to the "proficient" column on our Composition Writing Rubric.
- Thesis: Clear and relevant
- Evidence: Draws relevant evidence to support topic
- Diction: Uses some advanced vocabulary
- Syntax: Uses some sentence variety
Composition Projects Writing Focus Areas
Students will begin the Composition projects by completing an on-demand writing piece about beauty in which they will apply their practice with the writing focus from Unit 1. The second project is a process writing piece in which students will show their progress on the first three Writing Focus Areas and will also focus on varying syntax. Because the supplementary Composition projects for Unit 1 were more plentiful than the English unit lessons, there are fewer projects for Unit 2. The writing from Unit 1 will likely spill over into the beginning of Unit 2. Assess students relative to the "proficient" column on our Composition Writing Rubric.
- Thesis: Includes a clear and relevant thesis statement. (The specific focus for this unit is writing a thesis that fully addresses the prompt and previews what is to come.)
- Analysis: Demonstrates clear and logical reasoning. (The specific focus for this project is on defining/summarizing key terms and tying the analysis to these definitions and summaries.
- Evidence: Draws relevant evidence to support position. (The specific focus areas for these projects is on providing context that clarifies why the evidence chosen is the most appropriate evidence given the definition and/or summary, etc.)
- Syntax: Adequate use of sentence variety. (The specific focus for this project is on integrating sentences that utilize appositives to vary sentence structure.)
- Professionally Revised: Complete and follows guidelines. Adequate revisions.
Related Teacher Tools:
Vocabulary
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Literary Terms
theme, symbol, motif, narration, diction, non-linear plot, structure, characterization, juxtaposition, epigraph, text features
Roots and Affixes
in- (indirect, interminable, inviolable, infallibility), un- (unabashed, unblinking, uncomprehending, unsullied), peri- (peripheral), ab- (abhorrent), epi- (epigraph, epithet), fall (infallible)
Text-based
video: monolithic
poem: variation, stealthily
novel: melancholy (introduction, 33 and 170), lust (9), addled (13), irrevocable (17), consolidate (17), peripheral (17), furtive (18 and 138), unsullied (19), dismember (20), disinterested (23), repulsive (23), indirect (24), interminable (24), endurable (26), recede (33), pervading (36), abhorrent (42), redemption (42), fervently (46), conviction (46), flux (49), static (49), petulant (50), wrath (56), equilibrium (63), deluded (64), reluctant (66), epithet (67), blunted (83), inviolable (84), idle (88 and 129), unabashed (92), pretentious (118), cunning (106), disillusion (122), infinite (127), reveling (128), infallibility (137), nostalgia (137), serenity (139), deity (143), restraint (145), sullen (151), coherent (159), revulsion (164), annihilate (164), misanthropy (164), scruples (165), former and latter (167), insurgent (168), corrupt (168), lascivious (168), eccentricity (168), predilection (169), dread (172), vexed (180), imbibed (182)
Idioms and Cultural References
Shirley Temple, Dick and Jane, the Bible and Christianity (throughout), Vicks (11), Greta Garbo and Ginger Rogers (16), Shirley Temple (17), Bojangles (19), CCC (25), Henry Ford, Roosevelt (25), Imitation of Life film (67), land grant colleges (83), normal schools (83), Liberty Magazine (85), Maginot Line (99), underground railroad (116), Anglican Church (165), Victorian England (167), “’married up’” (168), Shakespeare: Hamlet, Othello, Ophelia, Iago (169), Christ and Mary Magdalene (169), Dante and Dostoyevsky (169), Popeye (182), Moirai (188)
Content Knowledge and Connections
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- Impact of racism and segregation on communities and individuals of color
- Creating inclusive (rather than exclusive) communities
- The Great Migration
Previous Fishtank ELA Connections
- Systems and routines of high school ELA class established in Grade 9 English Language Arts Unit 1: Short Stories
- Thematic topic of identity explored in Grade 9 English Language Arts Unit 1: Short Stories. Students will continue to explore this topic of identity throughout this unit.
- Connections with Grade 8 English Language Arts Unit 6: Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird and racism.
Future Fishtank ELA Connections
- The idea of community and treatment of “outsiders” within a community will be revisited in Grade 9 English Language Arts Unit 3: Of Mice and Men.
Lesson Map
Composition Projects
1
2 days
Narrative
(ON DEMAND)
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a proverb that first appeared in ancient Greek writings from third century BCE and is still commonly in use today. Summarize the meaning of the proverb and the explain whether you agree or disagree with its premise. Use evidence from the video “Eye of the Beholder,” the novel The Bluest Eye, and/or your own experiences to support your answer.
An effective essay:
- Includes a clear, relevant, and complete thesis statement;
- Demonstrates clear and logical reasoning; and
- Draws relevant evidence to support position and provide context.
2
4 days
Analysis
(PROCESS)
Toni Morrison has said that she wrote The Bluest Eye to answer a large question she was thinking about at the time: “How does a child learn self-loathing (self-hatred) for racial purposes…and then what might be the consequences?” In the novel, Pecola Breedlove is the vehicle for exploring this question. In one of the book’s most heartbreaking and relevant scenes in answering the question, Pecola enters Yacobowski’s Fresh Veg. Meat and Sundries Store to purchase candy only to end up having a most disturbing experience. In 250 to 300 words, summarize Pecola’s experience in the candy store (pp. 46–50) and then describe how the experience affects her.
An effective essay:
- includes a clear, relevant, and complete thesis statement;
- demonstrates clear and logical reasoning;
- draws relevant evidence to support position and provide context;
- uses at least one sentence containing an appositive to create sentence variety; and
- is professionally revised.
3
2 days
Analysis
(ON DEMAND)
Visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, poets, and authors can be some of the most important voices in encouraging societies to investigate themselves and pay attention to the issues that may plague them. Use two works from this unit (one must be the novel) and explain how in each case the artist uses his or her craft to offer a critique of our society. In your essay, you must summarize each author’s work and then explain how the author uses the work to communicate a message about American society.
An effective essay:
- includes a clear, relevant, and complete thesis statement;
- demonstrates clear and logical reasoning;
- draws relevant evidence to support position and provide context; and
- uses at least one sentence containing an appositive to create sentence variety.
Common Core Standards
Core Standards
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