((Tanisha Abbey start))
Tanisha sat in her seat, bobbing a bit in her seat. Today, the class was doing a discussion on The Color Purple, and Tanisha was excited. Mostly, she was excited to pull out the best Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey impressions she had if it came to discuss Celie or Sofia's characters. She loved the movie, and the book was really as good as the movie was, if not better. She was prepared to discuss the goddesshood of the female characters and Alice Walker.
She flipped over ther school-issued copy of the book and looked at the paper she had for talking points. It went without saying, but class discussions often brought out the stupid in people. Tanisha was not going to be one of those people. She knew there would be dumb people who would downplay the racism or the misogyny in the story, but she was ready to clap back if needed. If Miss Celie could draw a knife on Mister and lay a curse on him, Tanisha could do the same to those motherfuckers but with words and argumentative reasoning alone.
Tanisha watched as a few more students walked into class. She was ready to go.
The Curse of Miss Celie
Open
(Reuben Walters continued from V for Vend-etta)
Literature was one of those few classes where Reuben actually gave a bit of his attention. While not one for reading, the books they covered frequently had been adapted into TV shows or films, so he liked to look at them in the context of accuracy and/or the sacrifices that had to be made for the benefit of time and pacing. The Color Purple was particularly fascinating because it was atypical of Steven Spielberg's normal kind of film. Often credited for big movies about adventures or monsters
Literature was one of those few classes where Reuben actually gave a bit of his attention. While not one for reading, the books they covered frequently had been adapted into TV shows or films, so he liked to look at them in the context of accuracy and/or the sacrifices that had to be made for the benefit of time and pacing. The Color Purple was particularly fascinating because it was atypical of Steven Spielberg's normal kind of film. Often credited for big movies about adventures or monsters
After a few more minutes, the class had filed in and the teacher had begun the discussion. Ms. Prescott was known for asking a lot of questions and for asking for a lot of engagement, so Tanisha felt she had to be ready to talk and talk a lot. Not that she had issues with talking a lot, but she knew it had to be the right talking. The worst thing she could be was to talk like a Republican politician: just gab, gab, gab, and gab until she ended her statement with nothing of value stated and the question broadly answered.
Besides, it was The Color Purple. She could handle this.
The first question: What is the significance of Celie's relationship to other female characters in the novel, such as Nettie, Shug, and Sofia?
Tanisha raised her hand, and spoke.
"Well," she began, "each of those ladies represent something Celie desired and something Celie needed. Miss Celie had an awful life from being abused by her dad to marrying Mister, and to her, these were some of the few positive relationships she had. Nettie offered her the familial security their dad couldn't give, Sofia was a foil who Celie could look to for the differences in their attitudes towards their husbands and their places in society, and Shug was the chance to make a real friend and to have someone who could inspire strength in her to stand up to Mister and his foolishness."
Tanisha leaned back in her seat. "Celie didn't know it, but she could have been any of them, and that's why she needed to be around them so she could finally leave Mister and truly be happy."
Besides, it was The Color Purple. She could handle this.
The first question: What is the significance of Celie's relationship to other female characters in the novel, such as Nettie, Shug, and Sofia?
Tanisha raised her hand, and spoke.
"Well," she began, "each of those ladies represent something Celie desired and something Celie needed. Miss Celie had an awful life from being abused by her dad to marrying Mister, and to her, these were some of the few positive relationships she had. Nettie offered her the familial security their dad couldn't give, Sofia was a foil who Celie could look to for the differences in their attitudes towards their husbands and their places in society, and Shug was the chance to make a real friend and to have someone who could inspire strength in her to stand up to Mister and his foolishness."
Tanisha leaned back in her seat. "Celie didn't know it, but she could have been any of them, and that's why she needed to be around them so she could finally leave Mister and truly be happy."
The significance of the female characters...Interesting question, and Reuben was about to raise his hand when he was interrupted. He never considered himself very quick on the draw, but it was nonetheless surprising to have his own dissertation co-opted by someone else. Not precisely word-for-word, but close enough that he felt uncomfortable chiming in to say what amounted to essentially the exact same thing.
His elbow on his desk, holding his arm at half-mast, he glanced to the side. Sure enough, it was Tanisha. Apparently she'd had a good read on this topic. Nonetheless, he was determined to contribute as well. All he would need would be to rejigger his hypothesis. What else was significant about these characters...
"Another thing?" he droned in his usual timid manner, raising his arm practically out of its socket. "They're also, umm...Well, the only people who remind Celie that she's human. Mister and Pa, they treat her like...a tool, I guess. They never ask what she wants..what she thinks about anything. Nettie and Shug...she can actually talk to them, tell them what she's thinking. Her frustrations, her anxieties, the things she just keeps to herself, talking to 'God'.
"It's umm..." Okay, he needed some kind of bow to tie it all together, put a nice clean knot on his argument. "They're a reminder that there's goodness in the world, that it's not just Misters or Pa's. Without Nettie, Sofia, and Shug, the world of The Color Purple would be hopeless and uh..." He didn't want to say dark. Bad implications. Could be taken the wrong way. He finally settled on, "really bleak."
As he drew his thesis to a close, he flashed a smile over in Tanisha's direction. In his own reckoning, this was a pretty weak argument, but the intent was merely to throw his hat into the ring, to show that there was more than one literary critic in this room. Now that he knew what he was dealing with, he'd be able to forge a more convincing assault in the next round.
Game on, Tanisha. The Color Purple was now a battleground of wits and insight, and he was determined to win.
His elbow on his desk, holding his arm at half-mast, he glanced to the side. Sure enough, it was Tanisha. Apparently she'd had a good read on this topic. Nonetheless, he was determined to contribute as well. All he would need would be to rejigger his hypothesis. What else was significant about these characters...
"Another thing?" he droned in his usual timid manner, raising his arm practically out of its socket. "They're also, umm...Well, the only people who remind Celie that she's human. Mister and Pa, they treat her like...a tool, I guess. They never ask what she wants..what she thinks about anything. Nettie and Shug...she can actually talk to them, tell them what she's thinking. Her frustrations, her anxieties, the things she just keeps to herself, talking to 'God'.
"It's umm..." Okay, he needed some kind of bow to tie it all together, put a nice clean knot on his argument. "They're a reminder that there's goodness in the world, that it's not just Misters or Pa's. Without Nettie, Sofia, and Shug, the world of The Color Purple would be hopeless and uh..." He didn't want to say dark. Bad implications. Could be taken the wrong way. He finally settled on, "really bleak."
As he drew his thesis to a close, he flashed a smile over in Tanisha's direction. In his own reckoning, this was a pretty weak argument, but the intent was merely to throw his hat into the ring, to show that there was more than one literary critic in this room. Now that he knew what he was dealing with, he'd be able to forge a more convincing assault in the next round.
Game on, Tanisha. The Color Purple was now a battleground of wits and insight, and he was determined to win.
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Super Weegee
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(Matthew Hunt start)
Matthew looked at Tanisha and Reuben as they discussed the significance of Celie's relationships between the female characters. While english is one of Matthew's favorite subjects, he found The Color Purple to be one of his least favorite books. He couldn't really think of a good reason why, but he found himself bored reading through it and never really cared about the characters. It just didn't strike him as interesting. He looked down at his book and compared his post-its to Reuben's pieces of paper between the pages, in which Matthew has far less than him. He never really talked to Reuben outside of class, but at least from what Matthew heard, Reuben seemed like a nice guy to get along with. If the paper strips in his book are any indication, he also seems more smart than others.
Tanisha was one of the more average girls here in Matthew's eyes. He wouldn't really ask her for help in certain classes like math, but as he sees her casually leaning back on her chair while discussing the book, she was one of the more out-spoken girls. He saw her Facebook and Twitter posts, but he never really bothered to look at them often due to her tendency to use filters and him finding her more humorous posts to be not really all that funny. In person, however, she seemed like a confident person.
Just as Reuben finished up, Matthew accidentally made eye contact with Ms. Prescott, which resulted in her asking him about Celie's relationships.
Ah, shit. The only relationship he had the most knowledge in was between her and Nettie.
He thought about it for a few seconds before speaking.
"Well, uh, out of all of the people Celie had interacted with, her relationship with Nettie was probably the most significant." he began, "It can be best described as a, uh, sisterly love. Celie cared very deeply for Nettie, as Celie was willing to send her off to marry another man so she could escape the constant sexual abuse that Celie experiences. "
"Uh..." he continued, "This can also be seen in the letters that Nettie sends her as, while they are...uh...separated from one another physically, they are connected to each other emotionally and in spirit. Overall, their relationship was what drove Celie to become...uh... an independent thinker and smarter person. Like Reuben said, without Nettie, the world of The Color Purple would be hopeless and bleak."
Matthew leaned back in his chair, relieved that he managed to not look stupid in front of everyone. Well, not that stupid anyways. He looked towards Tanisha and Reuben's direction, seeing if they would add on to the discussion.
Matthew looked at Tanisha and Reuben as they discussed the significance of Celie's relationships between the female characters. While english is one of Matthew's favorite subjects, he found The Color Purple to be one of his least favorite books. He couldn't really think of a good reason why, but he found himself bored reading through it and never really cared about the characters. It just didn't strike him as interesting. He looked down at his book and compared his post-its to Reuben's pieces of paper between the pages, in which Matthew has far less than him. He never really talked to Reuben outside of class, but at least from what Matthew heard, Reuben seemed like a nice guy to get along with. If the paper strips in his book are any indication, he also seems more smart than others.
Tanisha was one of the more average girls here in Matthew's eyes. He wouldn't really ask her for help in certain classes like math, but as he sees her casually leaning back on her chair while discussing the book, she was one of the more out-spoken girls. He saw her Facebook and Twitter posts, but he never really bothered to look at them often due to her tendency to use filters and him finding her more humorous posts to be not really all that funny. In person, however, she seemed like a confident person.
Just as Reuben finished up, Matthew accidentally made eye contact with Ms. Prescott, which resulted in her asking him about Celie's relationships.
Ah, shit. The only relationship he had the most knowledge in was between her and Nettie.
He thought about it for a few seconds before speaking.
"Well, uh, out of all of the people Celie had interacted with, her relationship with Nettie was probably the most significant." he began, "It can be best described as a, uh, sisterly love. Celie cared very deeply for Nettie, as Celie was willing to send her off to marry another man so she could escape the constant sexual abuse that Celie experiences. "
"Uh..." he continued, "This can also be seen in the letters that Nettie sends her as, while they are...uh...separated from one another physically, they are connected to each other emotionally and in spirit. Overall, their relationship was what drove Celie to become...uh... an independent thinker and smarter person. Like Reuben said, without Nettie, the world of The Color Purple would be hopeless and bleak."
Matthew leaned back in his chair, relieved that he managed to not look stupid in front of everyone. Well, not that stupid anyways. He looked towards Tanisha and Reuben's direction, seeing if they would add on to the discussion.
V8 Relationships Thread
Brook Peterson
Lula Gray Any thoughts or criticisms on my writing are welcome and appreciated! Feel free to message me on Discord.
Brook Peterson
Lula Gray Any thoughts or criticisms on my writing are welcome and appreciated! Feel free to message me on Discord.
(Yuki Hayashibara continued from Five Crooked Lines)
Yuki had arrived to class after spending lunch in the library. Today's subject: The Color Purple and it's female characters. The Color Purple was a good read from what Yuki had experienced. The main character Celie was compelling in her struggle with abuse. Plus, the relationships she had with the other female characters helped define her as a person.
Reuben Walters, a fellow table top game enthusiast, was in the class with her. He seemed to have come to a similar analysis on Celie. What he had said about Mister and PA treating Celie like a tool was a good similarity. Nettie and Shut were the best people Celie could call friends.
"I-I," Yuki piped up, "I'd also like to bring up that Celie and Shug's relationship evolves as the story progresses. They share a very intimate relationship and it leads to Celie's first positive romantic experience."
She sat back down, slightly embarrassed. She was sure she wasn't wrong, but she was trying to bring up the romance between Celie and Shut as delicately as possible. Outside of sexual education, was the discussion of sexual relations appropriate in class?
Yuki had arrived to class after spending lunch in the library. Today's subject: The Color Purple and it's female characters. The Color Purple was a good read from what Yuki had experienced. The main character Celie was compelling in her struggle with abuse. Plus, the relationships she had with the other female characters helped define her as a person.
Reuben Walters, a fellow table top game enthusiast, was in the class with her. He seemed to have come to a similar analysis on Celie. What he had said about Mister and PA treating Celie like a tool was a good similarity. Nettie and Shut were the best people Celie could call friends.
"I-I," Yuki piped up, "I'd also like to bring up that Celie and Shug's relationship evolves as the story progresses. They share a very intimate relationship and it leads to Celie's first positive romantic experience."
She sat back down, slightly embarrassed. She was sure she wasn't wrong, but she was trying to bring up the romance between Celie and Shut as delicately as possible. Outside of sexual education, was the discussion of sexual relations appropriate in class?
B018: Ned Jackson- 
G039: Yuki Hayashibara- 
B034: Zachary Beck- 
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Super Weegee
- Posts: 224
- Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 6:14 pm
Mrs. Prescott must've been satisfied with the answers she got, as she moved on the second question:
"What is the significance of the color purple?"
And it's the hardest one too. Looking at the teacher to make sure that she was paying attention to someone else, Matthew opened up his book and tried to find if he marked down the page where that color was mentioned. Unfortunately, he found no such thing. There was no way that he was going to answer that without looking like an idiot in front of everyone. He had to avoid being picked to answer the question. Yes, he answered the first question somewhat competently, but what's there to say that she won't pick him again?
After waiting around for a bit, he raised his hand and spoke as the teacher asked for his input.
"Uh, actually, I wanted to ask if I can go to the bathroom. Can I?"
After Mrs. Prescott said that he could, he walked out. As he walked further in the hallway, he decided to delay going back for a bit by not going to the bathroom closest to the english class and instead going to a further one. If anybody asked he didn't take that particular bathroom, then he would say that it was completely occupied.
He just hoped that the questions would get easier when he gets back.
(Matthew Hunt continued elsewhere)
"What is the significance of the color purple?"
And it's the hardest one too. Looking at the teacher to make sure that she was paying attention to someone else, Matthew opened up his book and tried to find if he marked down the page where that color was mentioned. Unfortunately, he found no such thing. There was no way that he was going to answer that without looking like an idiot in front of everyone. He had to avoid being picked to answer the question. Yes, he answered the first question somewhat competently, but what's there to say that she won't pick him again?
After waiting around for a bit, he raised his hand and spoke as the teacher asked for his input.
"Uh, actually, I wanted to ask if I can go to the bathroom. Can I?"
After Mrs. Prescott said that he could, he walked out. As he walked further in the hallway, he decided to delay going back for a bit by not going to the bathroom closest to the english class and instead going to a further one. If anybody asked he didn't take that particular bathroom, then he would say that it was completely occupied.
He just hoped that the questions would get easier when he gets back.
(Matthew Hunt continued elsewhere)
V8 Relationships Thread
Brook Peterson
Lula Gray Any thoughts or criticisms on my writing are welcome and appreciated! Feel free to message me on Discord.
Brook Peterson
Lula Gray Any thoughts or criticisms on my writing are welcome and appreciated! Feel free to message me on Discord.
"Ooh, I know why purple!" Tanisha said before raising her hand. "Cause of the line about walking through a field and not noticing purple, it's about how wrong it is to avoid beauty. Celie had a natural beauty and strength to her, and like most black women in the time, it was ignored because people wouldn't look close enough. She and the other ladies were so much more than just their appearances and only the right people could see it. Anyone who missed it was missing out."
Tanisha cleared her throat a bit.
"But yeah, it'd be hard to ignore that unless you were willingly ignoring it, whether it was because of prejudice or a lack of awareness."
Tanisha leaned back in her seat. Hell yeah, she had this. She was sure the rest of the discussion would be a breeze. She was about to beat this like she was Sofia and the class was Harpo.
((Tanisha Abbey continued in We're Still Waiting for You to Show Your Chartreuself))
Tanisha cleared her throat a bit.
"But yeah, it'd be hard to ignore that unless you were willingly ignoring it, whether it was because of prejudice or a lack of awareness."
Tanisha leaned back in her seat. Hell yeah, she had this. She was sure the rest of the discussion would be a breeze. She was about to beat this like she was Sofia and the class was Harpo.
((Tanisha Abbey continued in We're Still Waiting for You to Show Your Chartreuself))
Class ended with Mrs. Prescott satisfied with the discussion of the topic. Yuki was a little relieved that she hadn't participated all that much. She was always embarrassed when would speak to the class. Luckily, no one seemed to think much of her speaking her thoughts on Celie and Shug. Now, Yuki could go and read The Color Purple and her other books in peace.
(Yuki Hayashibara continued elsewhere...)
(Yuki Hayashibara continued elsewhere...)