The focus of this paper is the narrative mechanism of employing a paragraph of "Dick and Jane" Reader, which was popular in children schools in 1940s in the American United States. It educates children how to read and they hear it from the very beginning of their lives. Through such an educational system, the white dominant culture exerts its authority in oppressing black people. In her novel "The Bluest Eye", the African-American writer Toni Morrison cuts an expert of "Dick and Jane" narrative and uses it as a prologue. She repeats the paragraph three times which are highly different from each other, then dismembers it into pieces that appear as headings to some chapters of the novel. The study reveals the aesthetic purpose beyond such reproducing and dismembering of "Dick and Jane" narrative. Morrison sends a message of moral content to blacks as well as whites: On the one hand, blacks, particularly those who immersed in the white ideology, have to wake up and realize the value of their culture, heritage and language in protecting their black identity. On the other hand, whites should respect and admit the cultural and humane existence of the other and realize the merit of the black culture.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Biographical and Literary Background
2. The Primer
2.1. Facet One: Representations of "Dick and Jane" Narrative: Ideals, Mimics and Cast offs
I - Ideals (Stereotypes)
II - Mimics or Mixed Race
III - Cast offs
2.2 Facet Two: The Third pastiche: an Urge of Unity (Collectivity)
2.3 Facet Three: Equal Function: Dismembering of Dick & Jane Primer & that of the White Doll as an aesthetic Function
2.4 Facet Four: Musicality of "Dick and Jane" Primer
3. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines the narrative mechanism and aesthetic function of Toni Morrison's integration of the "Dick and Jane" reader into her novel "The Bluest Eye." By analyzing how Morrison repeatedly cites, modifies, and eventually dismantles the primer text, the study investigates how she subverts white dominant ideologies and reclaims African American identity, culture, and linguistic heritage.
- The role of the "Dick and Jane" primer as an instrument of cultural oppression and white hegemony.
- Morrison's structural and linguistic subversion of the primer through repetition and fragmentation.
- The impact of internalized white beauty standards on the African American community and individual psyche.
- The application of "jazz" aesthetics, improvisation, and "call and response" techniques in Morrison's narrative.
- The restorative power of community, heritage, and "village literature" in reclaiming black identity.
Excerpt from the Book
III - Cast offs
Now the quoted text is re-produced very differently for the third time. This time, it is a distorted version. There are no punctuation and capitalization; letters run together and there is no space between the words:
Hereisthehouseitisgreenandwhiteithasareddooritisverypretty hereisthefamilymotherfatherdickandjaneliveinthegreenandw hitehousetheyareveryhappyseejaneshehasareddressshewants toplaywhowillplaywithjaneseethecatitgoesmeowmeowcomea ndplaycomeplaywithjanethekittenwillnotplayseemothermoth erisverynicemotherwillyouplaywithjanemotherlaughlaughm otherlaughseefatherheisbigandstrongfatherwillyouplaywithja nefatherissmilingsmilefathersmileseethedogbowwowgoesthe dogyouwanttoplaydoyouwanttoplaywithjaneseethedogrunrun dogrunlooklookherecomeafriendwillplaywithjanetheywillplaya goodgameplayjaneplay(Morrison,2007:4).
This version symbolizes the darker-skinned black people who are under segregation and suffering of oppression practiced by the white ideology of beauty and prosperity. Within the novel, such circumstances correspond to the life of black families like the MacTeers and Breedlove. For example, the MacTeers are aware of the danger of submission to the white ideology. They can challenge the oppression but the victims of such oppression lack this challenge and awareness (Grewal, 1998:21).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Biographical and Literary Background: This chapter provides context on Morrison's upbringing and her literary commitment to portraying African American life outside the influence of white ideological norms.
2. The Primer: This section establishes the "Dick and Jane" reader as a primary tool for disseminating white cultural values and acting as an interpretative key to the novel.
2.1. Facet One: Representations of "Dick and Jane" Narrative: Ideals, Mimics and Cast offs: This chapter explores how the primer is utilized to categorize and critique different social positions within the black community regarding their relationship to white standards.
2.2 Facet Two: The Third pastiche: an Urge of Unity (Collectivity): This chapter discusses how the fragmented text mirrors the migration and fusion of black communities in the North and the importance of collective identity.
2.3 Facet Three: Equal Function: Dismembering of Dick & Jane Primer & that of the White Doll as an aesthetic Function: This chapter analyzes the act of dismantling the primer and the white doll as a form of textual violence and subversion of white cultural icons.
2.4 Facet Four: Musicality of "Dick and Jane" Primer: This chapter explains how Morrison employs jazz-like improvisation and call-and-response patterns to structure her narrative as a counter-expression to Western forms.
3. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes Morrison's achievement in reclaiming black identity through experimental techniques and asserts her role as an aesthetic healer for her community.
Keywords
Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, Dick and Jane, African American literature, white hegemony, black identity, aesthetic subversion, jazz improvisation, call and response, post-colonialism, cultural heritage, textual violence, narrative structure, race relations, identity reclamation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores how Toni Morrison uses the "Dick and Jane" reader as an aesthetic and narrative device within her novel "The Bluest Eye" to critique and subvert white dominant culture.
What are the primary themes analyzed in the work?
The work focuses on cultural oppression, the subversion of Western literary forms, the psychological impact of internalized white beauty standards, and the importance of community and heritage for African Americans.
What is the main objective of the author's analysis?
The primary goal is to reveal how Morrison dismembers and repurposes the primer to reclaim African American identity and assert the value of black culture against the "white gaze."
Which scientific methodology is applied in this study?
The paper utilizes a literary analysis approach, drawing on cultural studies, post-colonial theory, and black aesthetics to interpret the narrative techniques employed by Morrison.
What topics are covered in the main body of the text?
The main body examines the primer's function, classifies social responses to white ideology (ideals, mimics, cast-offs), discusses the role of collectivity, and analyzes the musical qualities—specifically jazz—found in Morrison's writing.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, black identity, aesthetic subversion, jazz improvisation, and cultural resistance.
How does the author define the "dismembering" of the primer?
The author describes it as an aesthetic and textual subversion, where Morrison breaks down the "ideal" white text into fragments to strip it of its power and symbolic authority.
In what way does the "jazz" style manifest in the novel?
The author argues that Morrison uses "jazz" as a stylistic framework characterized by improvisation, disordering of structured norms, and the "call and response" interaction between the writer and the reader.
What does the "cast-off" version of the text represent?
It represents the distorted and fragmented experience of darker-skinned black people living under the pressure of segregation and white-centric beauty standards.
- Quote paper
- Shaimaa Radhi (Author), 2017, "Dick-and-Jane Primer" in Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" as an Aesthetic Device, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/370192
