Meridian, by Alice Walker

Being a mother in this dystopian world is seen as a shameful act and something to be ridiculed because of. As being John the Savage’s

Not being able to control their bodies was devastating, but the fact that these enslaved women had no say over their own creation made things even worse. This is exemplified in Harriot Jacobs’s Narrative and Frances E.W Harper’s poem the “The Slave Mother”, for both reveal the pain of either having your child taken away from you and sold to another plantation far away; or in Jacobs ' case, not being able to touch your children despite them being so close. In the poem, Harper states “He is not hers, although she bore/for him a mother’s pains; /He is not hers, although her blood? /is coursing through his veins!” (17-20). Enslaved women were deprived of the ability to raise their own

Motherhood is an integral theme in the work of Toni Morrison. She uses the experiences and perspectives of black women to develop a view of black motherhood, that is, in terms of both maternal identity and role, very different from how motherhood is practised in the dominant culture. Whilst the African view of motherhood claims that all mothers are a symbol of creativity on Earth, American slavery forced many black women to repress their natural instinct to nurture their offspring. In Morrison's view, motherhood is an act of resistance essential to black women's fight against racism and sexism. O'Reilly suggests that Morrsion's maternal

Looking at the female slave as a mother, we find that she fetishizes her relationship with her child. Fueling her state of distortion further, we suggest that the mother believes her infant son’s existence is another mistakes. Boldly, the mother takes on the unprecedented role of God and makes a multitude of distasteful decisions about her infant son. Like deeming his fair skin unbearable, predicting that as an adult he will claim a “master-right” over black slaves, and finally ending his life. By all accounts, the mother is unable to make sensible decisions about anything.

Sanchez employs detailed methods and poetic forms so as to demonstrate the requisite for a diversity of obligations to be attributed to black women as independent and equal to others in the society. The depiction of black womanhood as a mother is an aspect that Sonia Sanchez actively examines in her poems titled ‘Present’, ‘Woman’, ‘Rebirth’ and ‘Earth Mother’,. In these poems, Sanchez shows how she is a self-conscious woman who values the women's

In this historical and realistic novel, Meridian, written by Alice Walker, portraying the brutalities of life which most African Americans, especially women in the deep South, were forced to endure during the civil rights movement in the 1960s was a both a universal hardship and triumph for all of society. As the main character, Meridian Hill, repeatedly questions the value of her life through death and rebirth, she also seeks to discover the idealized woman, whom certain people repeatedly try to see inside of her while she repeatedly tries to bury that notion in the ground. Recurrently throughout this novel, Meridian tries to discover past memories of her inner self once again as time goes by. Through the uses of characterization,

The most under appreciated job that ever existed is being a mother. In Linda Pastans poem Marks fungibility, denial of subjectivity, and rejection of patriarchy roles are used to show the mother being pushed so far she finally breaks and decides to give up on her family. By leaving her family she is finally able to become her own person and not be subjected to criticism for every little thing she does.

In Alice Walker’s work called “In Search of Our Mothers Gardens” all of the women that Alice talk about are all oppressed, because of their gender. These women all find a way to work around their oppressors, furthermore finding ways to create something out of themselves no matter what their oppressor does to keep them down. Alice shows us that her story her mother is oppressed. This woman that still finds time to create through all the chaos.

Alice Walker's In Love and Trouble Stories from In Love and Trouble, like other Alice Walker’s works, are the portrayal of black women. I would interpret the term “black women” as women who have gone through all sorts of hardship and struggles, but not all women in the world or only those with black skin. I strongly argue that Walker’s characters are better represented as women who suffer the way African American women do, than as women with black skin. I will justify my argument by referring to specific examples from two short stories in the book, namely Roselily and Everyday Use.

Motherhood is an extremely complicated process that every mother goes through when taking on the choice to acquire a child. Based on the individual, this process can be one that is natural or extremely difficult to execute. Within this process, there are new issues and mindsets that emerge in the threshold of motherhood that creates intense struggles. In the texts Waste Land (Walker, 2010) by Lucy Walker and “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath the poet and director display these issues and mindsets within these two different mediums that arise in the never-ending process. These texts connect to one another by demonstrating and including struggles of urges to provide, emotions of detachment, and improving mindsets through the process of motherhood.

“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.” Straight from the mouth of Alice Walker this quote was spoken in order to point out that fact that none of God’s creatures were put on this Earth to be someone else’s property. Alice Walker is an African-American novelist and poet who took part in the 1960’s civil rights movement in Mississippi. Walker's creative vision was sparked by the financial suffering and racial horror of African American life and culture in the rural South. Her writing explores different relationships among women and embraces the compensating power of social and political revolution. Walker was a catalyst for change during her lifetime.

Motherhood in America is something that takes a lot of work and dedication and can be considered a full time job. Sex and the City, black-ish, and Jane the Virgin are three examples that present motherhood in different lights. In the movie Sex and the City portrays motherhood as something no women can do alone. In black-ish it shows a dream world where a mother can work a full time job and still be able to be around for her kids. Compared to these unrealistic forms of media, Jane The Virgin shows the true struggles of raising a baby. It shows how it takes a village to raise a baby and how motherhood is not always sunshine and rainbows. Using Radical Cultural Feminism and Materialist Feminism, displays ways in which motherhood is depicted in these three films in order to reveal the struggles and overall rewarding experience of being a mother.

The main character of the novel, “The Street”, by Ann Petry, is a woman who exemplifies many aspects of what it was to be a black single mother in the 40s. Lutie is a hardworking woman who must do what she can to take care of both her and her son. Throughout the book, she shows immense strength, independence and will. It also shows the way a black mother was treated during this time and this is even shown today. Black women are so often hyper sexualized and used, this is shown in the way that her character treated. Many men lust after her and try to take advantage of her. She must fight to stake claim to her body, showing the strength and resilience she must have as a black woman who is also a mother. She is treated terribly by, Jones, Junto,

     Alice Walker is an African American essayist, novelist and poet. She is described as a “black feminist.”(Ten on Ten) Alice Walker tries to incorporate the concepts of her heritage that are absent into her essays; such things as how women should be independent and find their special talent or art to make their life better. Throughout Walker’s essay entitled “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” I determined there were three factors that aided Walker gain the concepts of her heritage which are through artistic ability, her foremothers and artistic models.

Alice Walker is a female advocate who creates arguments, and reflects a concern for racism and sexism through her consistent writing style. Alice Walker develops her ideas through personal experience, and acknowledgements of many esteemed writers. Walker’s collection of essays, In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens, illuminates female gender roles, and the ongoing oppression of the talents of black women and black women writers. Alice Walker begins the essay with a quote from Jean Toomer’s “Cane”, which is a novel written in the Harlem Renaissance. The novel is composed of multiple vignettes of the experiences of African Americans living in the United States.