Alice Walker Outling

Alex Teague Language Arts outline 5-2-07 3rd period Alice Walker Outline I. Alice Walker was not only one of the most superior African American writers over the century, but also an activist in the civil rights movement, growing up in the time period where African Americans were just beginning to experience equality. In addition to her work about race, she wrote about the poor treatment that black women faced, and was often criticized for her portrayal of the black man being the bad guy. The color purple is one of her most profound books, involving racial discrimination and same-sex relationships.

A lot of her novels and stories are based on her childhood experiences. II. Difficulties growing up A. She was the youngest of eight kids to parents that were sharecroppers. (source # 2) B. At the age of eight, he brother scarred and blinded her right eye with a bb gun, in a game of cowboys and Indians. C. She was constantly teased by classmates and no one in her family understood her, so she became shy and reclusive. (source #2) D. She was a southern black girl, growing up in a rural community, during a time when blacks had no rights. source # 3) E. Walker’s state of mind identified in the following quote, shows her perspective on her life thus far; “Black women are called, in the folklore that so aptly identifies one’s status in society, the ‘mule of the world,’ because we have been handed the burdens that everyone else –everyone else- refused to carry. ” (source # 1) F. In the winter of 1965 she wrestled with suicide after deciding to have an abortion, and some of her poems recount the despair and isolation she felt at the time. (source # 1) III. Educational background A. he attended a segregated high school in Eatonton, Georgia, and she had inspiring teachers. ( source # 3) B. She first attended Spelman on a state scholarship. – During these two years she became active in the civil rights movements. (source # 2) C. After Spelman, she transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. – spent her junior year in Africa as an exchange student. (source # 3) D. She has taught African American women studies to college students at Wellesley, the university of Massachusetts at Boston, Yale, Brandeis, and the university of California at Berkeley. source # 2) E. She served as a writer-in-residence for Jackson State College, now called Jackson State University, and Tougaloo College. (source #2) Civil Rights involvement A. She was invited to Martin Luther King’s home in recognition of her attendance at the youth world peace festival in Finland. (source # 2) B. She also registered black voters in Liberty County, Georgia. (source # 2) C. She worked for the New York City department of welfare. (source # 2) D. She married a white civil rights attorney. (source # 2) E.

In Jackson, Mississippi she was a black history consultant for a Head Start Program. (source # 4) F. She is also an advocate for women’s rights. – she performed protest against the oppressive rituals of female circumcision in Africa and the Middle East. (source # 2) G. she participated in various demonstrations started but other civil rights activist. (source # 3) IV. Greatest Accomplishments A. ‘The Color Purple’ was published in 1982, and made into a motion picture in 1994. B. ‘You Can’t keep A Good Woman Down’ was published in march 1981. C. The Temple Of My Familiar’ was published in 1989. D. ‘ We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For’ in 2006. E. ‘Possessing the Secret of Joy’ was published in 1992. F. ‘Now Is The Time to Open Your Hearts’ was published in 2004. G. ‘Meridian’ was published in 1976. ^ fiction novels/books (source # 3) H. ‘The Same River Twice: Honoring The Difficult’ was published in 1996. I. ‘The Way Forward Is With a Broken Heart’ was published in 2000. J. ‘In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose’ was published in 1983. ^ nonfiction (source # 3) K. ‘Once: Poems’ was published in 1968. L. Revolutionary Petunias and Other Poems’ was published in 1973. M. ‘Goodnight, Willie Lee, I’ll See You in the Morning’ was published in 1979. N. ‘Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful’ was published in 1984. O. ‘Her Blue Body Everything We Know: Earthling Poems’ was published in 1991. P. ‘Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth: New Poems’ was published in 2003. ^ poetry (source # 3) V. The Male Character A. She is often criticized for her portrayal of the black man being a violent and abusive figure, because this appearance was how black men were viewed by society, coming from a black women was critical. source # 1) B. After writing the color purple she was considered a black feminist because of how she showed the black male character of society. Some say that when she received the Pulitzer prize and the American Book award for “the color purple”, ‘that the award only proved that black women writers were being awarded for bashing black men. ’ (source # 4) C. She often demonstrates the struggle and constant down fall of Black women in society during the 1950-1990’s , through her novels and poems.

And she makes a spiritual connection with God and her characters in almost all the books. (source # 3) D. Some of her stories such as, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, create controversy because of her recurring theme of the suffering of black women at the hands of men. (source # 3) E. Walker explains that the depiction of these stories is not to bash black males, its to show the strength of black females and how much expected failure they have overcome. (source # 5) VI. Influences and inspirations A.

In her poem, Once (1968), she writes about her experiences in the civil rights movement and her visit to Africa, including love and suicide. – after visiting Africa in 1964 , she struggled with an unwanted pregnancy. Upon deciding to have an abortion she battled with the thought of suicide, but she soon reclaimed her life. (source # 2) B. After the accident at age eight, Alice’s eyes were opened up to the true meaning of life and she noticed relationships and how to be patient, she expresses her learning about life through these stories. source # 1) C. Walker mentions that growing up a southern black girl, in a poor rural community, she possessed the benefit of double vision; her quote…. – “Not only is the [black southern writer] in a position to see his own world, and its close community…but he is capable of knowing, with remarkably silent accuracy, the people who make up the larger world that surrounds and suppresses his own. ” (source # 3) D.

A major theme of Alice Walker is the preservation of black culture, and her woman characters are important aspects in demonstrating hard-earned success. (source # 3) E. Alice recounted in, Our Mothers’ Gardens, that she was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s message that being a southern black meant “I … had claim to the land of my birth. ” (source # 3) F. She was also influenced by black writer Zora Neale Hurston, who’d wrote lively folk accounts of the thriving small, southern black community she grew up in. source # 3) VII. Alice Walker continues to write today and her legacy will live on for generations to come, as possibly the most inspirational black writer of our time. Alice’s books have two effects on people, either inspiring or a waste of time. But despite their opinion, her novels provide insight that most people would never learn in a lifetime. She even appreciates the constructive criticism from her readers, because it makes her a better writer.