The Colour Purple Context

When was AW born?

1944

Where was AW born?

Earonton, Georgia - deep south of US

What was AW father's job?

Sharecropper - tenant farmer, supplied a share of crops he grew to his landlord

What was AW mother's job?

Maid

Why did AW mum have a job?

help support her 8 kids

what happened to AW when she was 8?

accidently shot in eye by BB gun when playing with brothers

What effect did her injury have on her personality?

self-concious, withdrawn, shy

Positive effect of injury?

shy etc led her to reading/writing poetry - made her more thoughtful and studious

What 2 things did AW graduate as?

valedictorian and prom queen

where did she study with a state scholarship after high school?

All black women's college

What did AW become active in whilst in college?

civil rights movement

Where did AW transfer to and what did she study?

college in NY, studied literature

What happened to AW on a study trip to Africa?

became pregnant, had an illegal abortion on her return

What period of her life was her first published story published?

depression and anxiety after illegal abortion

What happened to her first published story?

caught poet Hughes attention, included it in his anthology entitled Short Stories by Negro Writers

Whos biography did AW write?

poet Hughes

Who did she marry after her degree?

white Jewish civil rights lawyer

why was her marriage considered illegal?

under southern law - inter-racial

negative effects of her marriage on her daily life?

racial harassment

what did AW and her husband do in the civil rights movement?

fought to end segregation, guarantee voting rights for African Americans

did she have any children?

Yes, a daughter Rebecca

How long did the marriage last?

9 years

What happened when she relocated to San Fran after her divorce?

began a relationship with Robert Allen - editor of academic journal

what did she do with Allen?

co-founded feminist publishing company

what was the feminist publishing company called?

wild tree press

when was TCP published?

1982

What did the novel quickly become? (positive)

a best seller

what did the novel quickly generate? (negative)

controversy and criticism - portrayed black men in negative ways, lesbianism

what prizes did it get a year after being published?

national book award for fiction and pulitzer prize

when did the film come out? directed by? starring?

1985, directed by Spielberg, starred Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey

what was the book adapted to in 2005?

musical on broadway - season on west end and repeat production on broadway (2015)

what did she introduce her concept of womanism in?

essay - womanist prose

what is womanism?

alternative definition of feminism for african americans

whats her work focused on?

struggles of black people, particularly women, lives in racist/sexist/violent society

how many languages has TCP been translated in?

25+

how many copies of her books have been sold?

15m+ worldwide

what does her website currently do?

provide interesting/provocative blog posts & details of projects and campaigns

Some African American influencers?

Hansberry - first woman to write a play performed on Broadway, Du Bois - male civil rights activist, historian, sociologist

Some white/European influencers?

that female oppression, spirituality, social/political issues. e.g Bronte sisters and Graves - dedicated one of her books to him because he celebrated the idea of the white goddess - creative spirit of the female

African influencers?

Head - how God is perceived in African, opposition to perception of missionaries

What was the 1800 US struggling to do?

define itself, new nation

What had the US become by 1900?

world's leading industrial nation, largest economy in world

why had the US become the world's largest leading industrial nation?

1. lots of fertile land - food, tobacco, cotton

2. lots of natural resources

3. vast country even before westward expansion

What was the religion of the majority of the Europeans?

Protestent, Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Church

Why did the number of immigrants to the US rise to 40 mill in 1870?

Explore opportunities, freedom from persucution - many were skilled and entrepreneurial

How did immigrants feel about their new lives in America?

Better than previous, despite poor living conditions and low wages

What happened to the population at the beginning of the 19th Century?

high birth rate, population grew - supplied labour for industry and large pool of customers

Why was there a constant shortage of workers in 19th cent?

industrial and agricultural expansion grew faster than the population

What were the 2 effects on business and commercial growth due to labour shortage?

1. Wages rose - attracted native workers and talented immigrants

2. Developed new technologies to increase productivity

Was immigrant life better compared to AA in rural south? Why?

Yes, millions were previously slaves, after slavery was abolished black americans struggled to achieve equality

When was slavery abolished?

1865

What were slaves regarded as if they could read or write?

Highly regarded as in slave community, mistrusted by slave owners

Why were slave owners fearful of literate slaves? What happened as a result?

Thought they were going to rebel, became illegal to teach a slave to read/write/attend school

How did slaves find alternative ways to learn?

family

Who were the educated slaves hired by? What were they motivated by?

Plantation owners, motivated by Christian beliefs that the Bible should be accessible to them or valued slaves who could perform useful tasks

What movement played an important part in providing education?

Quaker

Why did black schools struggle to survive?

financial hardship and lack of white support

What did educated slaves write?

Slave narratives

What did slave narratives help support to abolish?

Slavery

What did free slaves establish during the reconstruction period? What did they experience? (negative)

schools and colleges, experienced segregation and violence

What is colonialism?

political control over another country, occupying it with settlers and exploiting it economically

What is post-colonialism?

what happens to colonised countries and their inhabitants after independence from colonial authorities. In the United States, especially in the rural South, the issue of slavery had a dramatic effect on both black and white inhabitants for several centuries. In Africa, colonisation is an ongoing issue.

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