Toni Morrison Essay Research Paper Toni MorrisonToni

(Morrison 112).

This sort of behavior is part human nature. Society likes to find people in

situations worse than their own, but as Morrison said, ?One person cannot raise a child?

(?World? Essence). Sula was a product of Medallion. They created her. Morrison?s

cultural influences constantly impact her writing.

Morrison?s writing is greatly influenced by her family. Her grandparents shared

their ?jokes, lore, music, language, and myths of African American culture? with

Morrison when she was a young girl (Showalter 320). Her mother, a homemaker,

believed strongly in equal rights for her four children (MacDonald 4). Her father, George,

was very racist. Commenting on her father?s perception of white people, Morrison said,

?He simply felt that he was better, superior to all white people…You know he didn?t let

white people in the house? (Draper 1422). George ?felt there was probably no chance for

racial harmony to prevail…? and ?He preferred his children to have nothing to do with

whites? (MacDonald 4). In Sula, when Shadrack finds himself in a ?small bed? after his

injury and analyzes the meal before him. He notices ?…the lumpy whiteness of rice, the

quivering blood tomatoes, the grayish-brown meat… Thus reassured him that the white,

the red and the brown would stay where they were-would not explode or burst forth from

their restricted zones…? (Morrison 8). This represents the general opinion of society most

African Americans possessed in 1919. It also reflects the opinions George Wofford

instilled in his children during the Great Depression. Morrison is weary of white people,

though she is not a racist person. She once said, ?I feel that white people will betray me;

that in the final analysis, they?ll give me up? (?Nobel? Jet). Family impacts Morrison?s

reading as well as her personal beliefs.

Morrison possesses an incredible passion for education. She graduated from

Lorain High School with honors (Gray b). She goes through tons of research before

writing her books. As an English teacher at Princeton she maintains her love of education

and inspires her students (Caldwell). Morrison enjoys reading books. In fact she rarely

turns on the television. She told Time Magazine, ?I think of (television) as one of those

fake fireplaces, always moving and always looking just the same? (Gray a). Morrison?s

life is built on education and as a result so is her writing.

Cultural heritage, family, and passion for education have become recurring

themes in Morrison?s novels as well as her life. Toni Morrison?s Sula represents a

culture of people not all that long ago. Morrison?s beliefs and the beliefs of her family

have influenced her greatly. Toni Morrison is an example of how every child is a product

of their culture, family, and education.

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