Toni Morrison's 'Jazz' vs. Nella Larsen's 'Quicksand' / Two Places One Heart
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A 5 page essay that examines the struggle African Americans have as they move from an rural culture to an urban one in Toni Morrison's 'Jazz' and Nella Larsen's 'Quicksand' and 'Passing.' No additional sources cited.
Filename: Quikjazz.wps

Alice Walker's 'Meridian' vs. T. Morrison's 'Sula' / Life in White World
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A 6 page paper discussing black/white relationships in these two novels of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, respectively. The paper argues that sharply pitting the two worlds together may make good newspaper copy, but it does not neecessarily make good fiction. No sources other than books.
Filename: Sula.wps

Character of Shadrack in Toni Morrison's 'Sula'
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A 5 page paper which examines how racial and patriarchal issues affect the character of Shadrack in Toni Morrison's 1973 novel, Sula. No additional sources cited.
Filename: Shadrack.wps

Degrees of Separation in Morrison’s “Beloved”
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An eight page paper looking at the issue of separation in Toni Morrison’s modern classic. The paper points out that there are really two separation issues in this story: the unreasonable separation of mothers and children under slavery, and the inability of Sethe, the protagonist, to separate her oldest daughter from herself. Bibliography lists five sources.
Filename: KBbelov4.wps

Feminism in Walker and Morrison
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A 10 page paper contrasting the two very different views on feminism contained in Toni Morrison's 'Sula' and Alice Walker's 'The Color Purple.' The paper shows how Walker's celebration of one's female aspect through a community of women contrasts with Morrison's celebration of the independent female mind. Bibliography lists four sources.
Filename: KBsula.wps

Milk and Motherhood in Morrison’s “Beloved”
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An eight page paper analyzing the thematic importance of the theme of breastfeeding and motherhood in Toni Morrison’s 1987 novel. The paper argues that the freedom to nurse one’s children up to the normal age of weaning, and then use the maternal bond thus created to nurture one’s children to adulthood, is denied to women under slavery, and this causes tremendous stress on mothers and children alike. Bibliography lists 6 sources, which follow paper.
Filename: KBbelove.wps

Morale And Fortitude In 'Beloved' And 'All But My Life'
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A 7 page paper looking at these two depictions of a woman under crisis: Toni Morrison's novel about the legacy of slavery, and Gerda Weissmann Klein's memoirs about her Holocaust experience. The paper asserts that the reason Klein was able to survive as a whole person while Morrison's Sethe was not is due to the strength of their self-concept during their formative years. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Filename: Akkbutm.wps

Morrison & Alvarez/Use of Language
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A 7 page comparison of Julia Alvarez' How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Toni Morrison's Sula. The writer addresses how these two authors use language within these works. No additional sources cited.
Filename: 99almo.rtf

Social Issues in “Othello” and “The Bluest Eye”
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A five page paper looking at these two works by William Shakespeare and Toni Morrison respectively, dealing with their treatment of social issues such as racism, both in the Elizabethan era and today. The paper shows that what the two protagonists have in common is the degree to which they have internalized their society’s racist impressions of them, and allowed it to corrode their own self-image.
Filename: KBothel3.wps

The Significance of Breasts in Morrison’s “Beloved”
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An eight page paper looking at Toni Morrison’s modern classic in terms of its motif of breasts. The paper argues that for Sethe, breasts -- both in their nursing and erogenous capacities -- reflect both enslavement and liberation. No additional sources.
Filename: KBbelov3.wps

The Southern Ties of Northern Characters in (3) Toni Morrison Novels
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A 6 page paper which discusses the relationship between the characters in the Toni Morrison novels, Jazz, Beloved and The Bluest Eye with their southern backgrounds. Specifically considered are whether the nature of these ties differ with each novel or if there are recurring themes, whether or not the south represents 'heaven' or 'hell,' Morrison's insistence that her characters maintain contact with their southern roots, the difference in offerings and the differences between dangers and disappointments of the north and south. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Filename: Southtie.wps

The Theme of the Quest in Morrison’s “Song of Solomon”
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A six page paper looking at the way Toni Morrison’s novel fulfills the requirements of a “quest” novel. The paper shows that through the protagonist’s rediscovery of his past, he is able to start on the path of becoming a black man in a white world. No additional sources.
Filename: KBsolom.wps