Movies and books are a very important part of conveying powerful
messages of loss, hope, faith and enlightenment and transformation.
Through these stories you can relate to the main character and live
through each hardship they have had. The movie and book that
helped transform my view of the world is "The Color Purple" by
Steven Spielberg. The book was more of a series of letters from Celie
to her sister Nettie and was done in such a way that you felt it was
written either by you or to you. It told the importance of sisterhood
and having someone who loved you unconditionally and always
reminded you to see the importance of your self-worth. The movie
took you further into the story by visually sharing the times in which
these sisters lived and the abuse they lived through with their
families and husbands, including domestic abuse, verbal abuse,
mental abuse, as well as racism experienced at the time. The book
shaped my view and created more compassion in me to think that
somewhere in the world there are people who still live this way in
some cultures. Like the character Sophia stated at one of the
climaxes of the movie "A women child aint safe in a world of men. I
had to fight my brothers, I had to fight my uncles, but I never thought
I had to fight in my own house" (Walker,A) which was one scene that
began with the inner strength of transformation of these women
finding their inner strength and self-worth. The final climax of the
movie is one that still moves me today and is always uplifting, is
when Celie, after a life of being told she's worthless, that no one
loves and is ugly, stands up to her husband and exclaims proudly "I
may be poor, black, I may even be ugly but dear god I'm here, I'm
here" meaning that the only one who can tell her that she is not
worth anything is God and not anyone else." (Walker A)
The message is that regardless of your life circumstances only you
can find the inner streangth and self-esteem to change those
circumstances to improve your life and when you find it you can go
out into the world and make of it what you want it to be. As one of
the last lines in the movie saying, "I think it pisses God off when you
walk past the color purple and ignore it's beauty" (Walker A) again
relating to everyone is beautiful and worth of god's love. These are
quotes that I remind myself when I feel down and start believing
what others say about me or my work. I reply that last phrase and
remember, while I may not be the best, I am here, and I am good
enough.
