THE BLUEST EYE:

Studies in racially related

social problems

in Depression-era America

S. Maloney

English Department

Truman High School

Introduction

Set in 1941 in Lorain, Ohio, Toni Morrison's novel centers on a particularly difficult year in the life of eleven year old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola comes from a poor and poorly adjusted black family. She feels ugly and unaccepted by the world around her, and longs for blue eyes—Shirley Temple eyes—which she believes will make her beautiful, happy and finally accepted.

But Pecola's story encompasses much more:

the effects of poverty felt by so many families,

especially poor black families during the

Depression; the effects of racism and segregation;

distortion of self-image encouraged by media

depictions of beauty and happiness; the struggles

of rural families who moved north to find work in

industrial areas.

Many of these problems still exist, of course, but changes in social and government policies have helped to change the nature and severity of the problems.

Task

Working in pairs you will investigate a social problem suggested by your reading of The Bluest Eye. You may use one of the suggested topics below or develop your own topic, subject to approval:

-The effects of the media on black self-image or in promoting racist attitudes (Hollywood, newspapers, magazines, radio).

-The effects of institutional racism (i.e., the segregated army, limitations on voting rights, court decisions).

-The effects of Depression-era poverty on racism.

-The effects of the black migration out of the South.

You will use the TIPS WEBSITE and the PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST to investigate the causes and effects of the problem you choose, and to explore how social or public policies at the time contributed to or attempted to alleviate the problem.

You will produce a three to five page paper detailing your investigation, and you will demonstrate your results in a PowerPoint presentation of ten to twelve slides.

Process

You will follow the steps in the PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST, using the worksheets and resources provided below.

You will use the internet sites listed in the RESOURCE section. However, because your topics may be highly individualized, you will also need to find additional internet or printed sources of your own.

Define the problem:

Which of the social problems suggested by Toni Morrison's book do you intend to investigate? Starting with the book itself, how do you know this is really a problem?

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html

Complete Worksheet #1

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html

Gather the evidence:

Using the sources listed below and other sources that you might find, what evidence do you find that this social problem existed in Depression-era America?

Use Worksheet # 2

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/gather.html

Identify the causes:

What events or situations of the time led to the social problem you are investigating?

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/identify.html

Use Worksheet #3

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet3.html

Evaluate contemporary public policy:

What were the social or institutional policies in effect at the time? How did they attempt to address the social problem? How did they make it better or worse?

Use Worksheet #4

http://www. maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existing.html

Consider resulting public policies:

What social or institutional policies came into effect after the period in which The Bluest Eye takes place? To what extent did they address the social problem you are investigating, and how successful have they been?

Again, use Worksheet #4

Resources

The following Internet sources will get you started, but remember that you may well need to find some sources on your own, depending on the subject you are investigating.

Search Engines:

https://www.google.com

http://www.yahoo.com

http://www.altavista.com

Data bases and Websites:

The Great Depression

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/usppares10.html

A Photo History of the Great Depression

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/photoessay.htm

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow (PBS)

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/

The History of Jim Crow

http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/home.htm

History Matters

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/

The World in Uncertain Times: 1950-Present

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/ghl17.html

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/ghl18.html

Our Documents

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/index.php?flash=true&

Evaluation

Rubric for Written Report

Grading: Your paper will be evaluated according to the following rubric:

A=14-16 POINTS B=11-13 POINTS C= 8-10 POINTS D=BELOW 8 POINTS

Quality	4	3	2	1
Meaning/ Controlling Idea	Strong controlling idea Policy choice clearly articulated	Controlling idea Policy choice articulated	Controlling idea Policy choice suggested or implied	No controlling idea Policy choice unclear
Development/ Explanation of ideas Specific evidence	Clear and full development of ideas Need for policy fully supported by research	Most ideas developed fully Need for policy supported by research	Brief development of ideas Some support from research	Incomplete or undeveloped ideas Little or no support from research
Organization	Focus maintained on controlling idea Logical and coherent structure	Focus maintained on controlling idea Some internal consistency	Basic structure related to controlling idea Some inconsistencies or irrelevancies	Little or no structure or organization
Conventions/ Language Documentation	Strong control of conventions of grammar/spelling Research properly documented	Good control of research conventions Occasional errors do not hinder meaning Most properly documented	Fairly good control of conventions Occasional errors that hinder meaning Research not fully documented	Lack of control Frequent errors that make understanding difficult No documentation of research

Rubric for PowerPoint Presentation

Grading: Your presentation will be evaluated according to the following rubric:

A=14-16 POINTS B=11-13 POINTS C= 8-10 POINTS D=BELOW 8 POINTS

Quality	4	3	2	1
Content	Subject appropriate to assignment; topic and conclusions clear	Subject appropriate to assignment; topic and/or conclusions mainly clear	Subject appropriate to assignment, but topic and/or conclusions unclear	Subject inappropriate to assignment; topic and/or conclusions unclear
Appearance/ Creativity	Slides include a variety of images and text; very good use of color and arrangement; may include sounds or special effects	Slides include a variety of images and text; good use of color and arrangement	Slides primarily either images or text; basic use of color and/or arrangement	Slides all image or text; little or no attempt to use color or arrange content
Delivery	Presentation well organized and clear; easy to hear and follow	Presentation organized and clear; easy to hear and follow most of the time	Presentation mostly organized; some parts difficult to hear or follow	Presentation disorganized; difficult to hear and follow
Assignment Specifications	Project completed on time; all requirements met	Project completed on time; most requirements met	Project partially completed	Project never attempted

ELA Standards

E1a Read and comprehend informational materials

E2a Produce a report of information

E3c Prepare and deliver an individual presentation

E4a Demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work

Social Studies Standards

Standard 1 History of the United States and New York

Standard 5 Civics, Citizenship and Government

Conclusion:

Literature means more when we understand the culture that produced it. The Great Depression was a long time ago, but the problems that our society faced then helped to shape our contemporary world—and some of these problems still persist to some degree. When you have completed the steps in this WebQuest, you will have a clearer sense of some of the social problems underlying The Bluest Eye—and you will have helped the rest of us to understand them as well.

Congratulations!