2 papers need editing and revising.

TR_FA_Example.docx

Running head: FILM ANALYSIS: THE COLOR PURPLE 1

FILM ANALYSIS: THE COLOR PURPLE 6

Film Analysis: The Color Purple

Film Analysis: The Color Purple

The movie at hand, ‘’The Color Purple’’ is a Steven Spielberg directed American period drama of 1985 highlighting the plight of the African American women in the beginning of 1900s through Celie Harris who is a young African American girl. The movie is based on the novel titled ‘’ The Color Purple’’ by Alice Walker. The film primarily covers both diversity among the races and gender issues; specifically the challenges that women, especially of color, faced at the time which included including poverty, racism, and sexism (Walker, 1998). Comment by Author: Film titles are italicized. Comment by Author: This is brief, but I’m familiar with the film. Comment by Author: Book titles, like film titles, are italicized. Comment by Author: Additional spacing between paragraphs incorrect.

In terms of storyline, The Color Purple is set in Celie’s point of view as evident with her speaking in first person in her private letters to God and Nettie (Walker, 1998). In the letters, Celie, who doubles up as the protagonist, writes about her actions; what she hears, sees, and feels. All of this is in a confessional and uninhibited tone (Walker, 1998). The cause of Celie’s writing letters to God is the frequent raping and beatings by her father Alphonso which resulted in the Celie giving birth to a baby girl, whom Celie was told was later killed by her father in the woods. Alphonso’s abuse of Celie continues even after him bringing a second wife into the home, following the death of Celie’s mother (Walker, 1998). Comment by Author: This offers additional summary on the plot. Good.

The story development unfolds in Celie’s sister, Nettie being approached by Mister for marriage, but as it turns out the man has another lover, a traveling singer. Therefore, Alphonso, their father refuses and instead offers Celie to the man (Walker, 1998).The marriage between Celie and Mister turns out to be a joyless and a very difficult one. On the other hand, Nettie runs from home and ends up seeking refuge at Celie’s troubled house where Celie’s abusive husband openly displays a distasteful lust for Nettie. He attempts to make some love advances, but Nettie is not interested. This provokes him to banish her from his home and property (Walker, 1998). Comment by Author: This is all interesting but exceeds what the assignment wants. The idea is to give a brief summary of the film as a whole followed by a focus on a short segment.

Celie’s difficult marriage is showing no signs of improving, even leading to the sister of her husband to call upon her to fight the abusive man. To this level the women are struggling to fight for their rights as evident in Harpo’s wife; Sofia defies any abuse form Harpo and Mister. Celie’s co-wife gets sick and is taken into Celie’s house for care, and it is while she stays here that they discovered written letters from Nettie about her missionary work with Samuel and Corrine who are married couples with adopted children. As fate would have it, Nettie’s would-be lover (Samuel) reveals that the adopted children are actually Celie’s alleged stolen and killed children.

The film’s story gets into a twists at the point where it is discovered that Alphonso was actually a stepfather to Nettie and Celie, and he was only after inheriting Celie’s house after her husband was whisked away by the whites for refusing to yield to their demands; another example of the diversity contained within this film. Later on, Celie becomes financially stable and reconciles with Mister in forgiving him, but she does not go back to him. Sofia rejoins with Harpo in reconciling their marriage, and Nettie and Samuel get married. Upon marrying Tashi, Samuel’s son Adam is forced to undergo the same circumcision pain that her wife underwent during the traditional female genital circumcision in solidarity.

As one goes through the storyline of the film, the main focus that is brought to light is that the womenfolk, especially the African Americans in the 1900’s, faced some critical sexism issues. That entails issues like rape, financial instability due to gender, and undergoing traditional rites; which are barbaric in nature and past with time (Walker, 2011).That is evident with the main characters in the film including Celie, Sofia, Nettie and Tashi. For instance, Celie is forced to call it quits between her and her husband following a difficult relationship due to cheating and financial instability, among other abuses (Walker, 2011). However, after becoming financially stable, they reconcile with the husband as she is now independent. That applies to Sofia and her husband as well. Comment by Author: Correct. Comment by Author: Also correct. Comment by Author: This is not tied specifically to either a cultural or gender issue. Just because it involves a man and a woman does not make it a gender issue.

That is a demonstration that women were at that time viewed as a weaker sex, because they were not financially stable and had to succumb to the man’s or husband’s whim, but for those who were capable in one or another like Sofia with her strength overpowering men’s managed to lead an independent life free from abuses (Dudden, 2011). In other words, womenfolk have always been denied the rightful opportunity in the society to the growing male chauvinism but the conditions is slowly changing upon women leading independent lifestyles due to financial stability and some strength of sort that makes the men recognize them as humans (Dudden, 2011). Comment by Author: This is better because the explanation connects an action to an idea under consideration. Comment by Author: Good.

In terms of diversity, the movie addresses the racial boundaries between blacks and whites at this time; which is reminiscent of the slavery era in America. More fundamentally, the movie depicts the story of migration from the South to the North, back and forth, by the black population who were undergoing a lot of suffering at the hands of their white masters, and as such, they were in search of greener pastures. The film also shows a brief depiction of their return to their homeland after attaining freedom (Abel, 1997). Comment by Author: Well, it was meant to recall that period, but I get your point. Comment by Author: This is highly pertinent, but exactly how does it show a cultural issue? You don’t explain.

The south-North movement depicted in the film in view of Celie’s story is a demonstration of the long standing problems that the black population was undergoing from the slave owners as well as the threat that is presented to the black cultural identity; as evident in the attempt to change Celie’s dialect (Abel, 1997). Celie’s returning to the South in the movie is a demonstration of the black’s reclamation of the lost space and freedom at the hands of their white counterparts (Abel, 1997). This insinuates that the blacks are meant to undergo certain things in life; such as persevering as they seek resources from the white developed land for them to succeed in life having learned about the rich cultures and civilizations that existed within white society that they were initially not privy to (Abel, 1997). Comment by Author: This is better; a little awkward in expression but clear enough in intent.

Reference Comment by Author: References (you have more than one).

Abel, E. (1997). Female subjects in black and white: Race, psychoanalysis, feminism. Berkeley, Calif. [u.a.: Univ. of California Press. Comment by Author: Titles are italicized and something happened with the publication information.

Dudden, F. E. (2011). Fighting chance: The struggle over woman suffrage and Black suffrage in Reconstruction America. New York: Oxford University Press. Comment by Author: Book titles are italicized.

Walker, A. (1998). The color purple. S.l.: Warner. Comment by Author: Please see the announcement posted in the classroom for how to handle electronic sources and/or visit the Purdue OWL.

Walker, A. (2011). The Color Purple.

Week 3, Assignment 1 Instructor Feedback

Thank you, for your work on this assignment. Below is the rubric for this assignment. Following the rubric you will find a summary of my remarks. However, please be sure to also examine my comments on your paper.