Alice Walker’s The Color Purple Essay

Alice walkers The Color Purple constitutes place in the 1920s-1930s during the multiplication of segregation and wo handss suffrage. In this race Celies step-son confides in her angiotensin-converting enzyme night sitting on her front porch steps.Read the following passage from Alice foot nones The Color Purple. Then, in a well-organized essay crush how the authors style exposes the tone towards the unequal treatment of women by the use of literary elements much(prenominal) as cost to emotion, syntax, and irony.Harpo sitting come forward on the steps, crying alike his heart gon break. Oh, boo-hoo, and boo-hoo. He got his head in his hands, tears and snot running down his chin. I give him a hansker. He blow his nose, visualise up at me out of 2 look close like fists. What happen to your eyes? I ast. He clam round in his encephalon for a story to tell, whence fall back on the truth. Sofia, he say. You still bothering Sofia? I ast. She my wife, he say. That go int mean y ou got to keep on bothering her, I say. Sofia cognize you, she a estimable wife. Good to the children and good tone. Hardworking. Godfearing and clean. I come int know what more you want. Harpo sniffle. I want her to do what I say, like you do for Pa. Oh, Lord, I say. When Pa tell you to do something, you do it, he say. When he say not to, you dont. You dont do what he say, he beat you. Sometime beat me anyhow, I say, whether I do what he say or not.Thats right, say Harpo. that not Sofia. She do what she want, dont pay me no mind at all. I try to beat her, she black my eyes. Oh, boo-hoo, he cry. Boo-hoo-hoo. I start to take back my hansker. Maybe push him and his black eyes off the step. I think bout Sofia. She tickle me. I employ to hunt game with a bow and arrow, she say. Some womens cant be beat, I say. Sofia one of them. Besides, Sofia love you. She probably be adroit to do most of what you say if you ast her right. She not mean, she not spiteful. She dont hold a grudge. He sit there hanging his head, looking retard. Harpo, I say, giving him a shake, Sofia love you. You love Sofia. He look up at me best he can out his fill in little eyes. Yes maam? he say. Mr.___ marry me to take forethought of his children. I marry him cause my daddy made me. I dont love Mr.___ and he dont love me.In this passage from The Color Purple, the authors imprint of the waymen treat women is clearly displayed through the tone of the text and style of her writing. Alice footnote exposes her strong disapproval of the mistreatment of women through literary elements such as syntax, appeal to emotion and irony.Walker uses specific syntax in order to underscore the importance of the points that Harpos companion makes. The word Hardworking. is treated as a sentence in itself, and the neighboring phrases such as Good to the children and good looking., Godfearing and clean., and Sofia love you, she a good wife. argon short and punctuated like sentences in the same way. The aut hor does this to point out that amongst all the dialogue written, these phrases be the most significant text in the scene because they demonstrate her opinion that men, including Harpo, should not mistreat women, and especially women who take care of themselves, behave gibe to religious teachings, and are good to their families and husbands. She also uses this same sentence construction to emphasize the ways Sofia doesnt act for example, She not mean, she not spiteful. and She dont hold a grudge. This shows that Sofias behavior does not de lot punishment, and therefore she and other women of similar character should not be harmed.The passage contains emotional appeal which serves the purpose of pointing out the authors opinion of the mistreatment of women. Sofias redeeming qualities are plainly stated characteristics such as hardworking, loving, religious, and loyal to family. When the proofreader learns that Sofias husband tries to beat her disrespect her mannerisms, sympathy is evoked. The appeal to emotion continues when a briefing on the dame companions past is supplied. The reader learns of the womans misfortunes including beatings that take place regardless of her actions, and a forced marriage that leads to her upbringing of another(prenominal) womans children.Imbedded deeper in the text, is situational irony. Walker uses imagery like He got his head in his hands, tears and snot running down his chin. and counterfeit words such as sniffle and boo-hoo to point out Harpos exaggerated reaction. Harpo feels that his inability to beat his wife puts him in an unfair situation. These examples are used to point out the realityof the situation women such as his companion Celie are the unlucky ones because they are forced into unjust relationships in which they are beaten and mistreated. The imagery and onomatopoeia making fun of Harpos actions, serve the purpose of pointing out his hypo censorious ridiculous behavior.Throughout the passage provided, Walke r uses stylistic techniques such as syntax, emotional appeal, and situational irony to illuminate her critical opinion of the mistreatment of women. Her particular methods provoke reflection and contemplation in the reader once the passage has been comprehended. As a result, this increases the value of her work as a whole.