Article Evaluation of And Tango Makes Three:
"Scientists also claim that, typically, animals in the animal kingdom are very unusually fully homosexual" Reword: "animals tend to exhibit homosexual behavior"
Take out: "As sociologist Eric Anderson of the University of Bath in England says, “Animals don’t do sexual identity. They just do sex”." This quotation does not offer scientific knowledge.
The Massachusetts case under "Cases Resulting in Censorship" seems unnecessary because it does not offer much insight on the topic.
A blog post was used as a source which is an unreliable source under Wikipedia's policy. <http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/a-baby-for-the-gay-authors-behind-the-daddy-penguins/?_r=0
Article Evaluation of The Bluest Eye:
The article seems thoroughly balanced in coverage over the book but I believe it lacks in current information of the book. I think there could be expansion on some of the topics. The article does a good job of using non-bias terms and keeping a neutral tone throughout the article. The citations seemed reliable but in the article lacks references to these citations.
THE BLUEST EYE WIKI EDITS:
Small Edits:
Change paragraph to... Claudia MacTeer: The narrator of the majority of the novel. She is the child of Pecola's foster parents and is Frieda's sister. She is not only Pecola's fostering sister but she is also her friend. She can be seen to be an extremely independent and passionate 9 year old. Although she is unaware of all the major social issues, she is one of few, if any, characters that feel sympathy for Pecola.
Add Character... Samson Fuller: Cholly Breedlove’s father who abandoned Cholly before he was born. After Aunt Jimmy dies, Cholly runs off in search of Samson in Macon, Georgia where he is left distraught and disappointed.
Add to Author's Credibility ("About Author")
Toni Morrison has been one of the most important African American novelists of the 20th century. Morrison earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Howard University in 1953, later she went for her master’s in English from Cornell University in 1955. Morrison has a lot of experience as an English professor and has taught creative writing at institutes including Princeton University. While Morrison's work has been deemed controversial, it has received a variety of prestigious awards, including the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize. making Morrison the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for literature. What makes Morrison's writing "authentic" is that it draws upon her experience growing up in a black, working class family in the Midwest during the 1930s. She has been described as being “a gifted, popular storyteller whose troubled characters and their struggles expose the fault lines of a society built on racial prejudice.” The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature points to the fact that Morrison's work "blends the realistic detail of black families and neighborhoods in an Ohio town that resembles her birthplace "as a way to convey her encounters with racism, white oppression”, "violence within the black community" and "exploitation of blacks by other blacks".
Add to Characters:
Soaphead Church: Born by the name Elihue Micah Whitcomb who received his nickname, "Soaphead Church" for his hair and profession has proclaimed himself to be “Reader, Adviser, and Interpreter of Dreams." He is a “light-skinned” West Indian failed preacher that hates all kinds of human touch. He considers himself to be a “misanthrope". He refuses to confront his own homosexuality and therefore, the touch of little girls whom he views as innocent and “seductive” are the cleanest form of human touch that he pursues. He is also a religious hypocrite as a past preacher. Although as someone who hates humans, he as a “Reader, Adviser, and Interpreter of Dreams,” takes on the trouble of others and works closely with them to help solve their problems. When Pecola approaches him asking for blue eyes, he tells her to give meat to his landlord's dog, and that her wish will be granted if the dog has a reaction. However, he secretly poisons the meat, and the dog dies, leading Pecola to be insane and immersing in her illusion that she has blue eyes.
Added 2017 case to "Controversy":
In September 2017, The Bluest Eye was challenged at North Buncombe High School in Buncombe County, North Carolina, by a concerned parent, Tim Coley. Tim Coley, a “Christian single dad,” takes notice of the book for its sexual content and forms a committee concerning the removal of the book in the English honors academics. He says, “It’s astounding really that somebody thinks it’s OK for kids to be reading this in school.” Eric Grant, the English coordinator, defends the book by making the committee aware that the school offered an alternative assignment for those who were not comfortable with the book. Also, he mentions that the book was in the syllabus that was handed out at the beginning of the year. The committee was given time to read the book and determine if there was academic value offered from the book.
Added to "Baker City" case:
In March 1999, The Bluest Eye was successfully banned from Baker High School language arts program in Baker City, Oregon after multiple complaints from parents about the content of the book. The original source of contention for this novel was the rape scene between Cholly and Pecola. Later, the book was banned for being “sexually explicit”, “unsuited for age group,” and containing “controversial issues.” The decision was made by Baker City schools superintendent Arnold Coe, and was supported by the school board.
Change order of characters, Added to Pecola's Character:
Pecola Breedlove: One of the main characters of the novel, Pecola is a young African American girl who comes from a financially unstable family. She is 11 years old. Between a combination of facing domestic violence, bullying, sexual assault, and living in a community that associates beauty with whiteness, she suffers from low self-esteem and views herself to be ugly. Pecola is tormented and taken advantage of by her whole community. The title, The Bluest Eye refers to Pecola's fervent wishes for beautiful blue eyes. Her insanity at the end of the novel is her only way to escape the world where she cannot be beautiful and to get the blue eyes she desires from the beginning of the novel.
Claudia MacTeer: The narrator of the majority of the novel. She is the child of Pecola's foster parents and is Frieda's sister. She is not only Pecola's fostering sister but she is also considered to be her friend. She is an independent, mature and passionate 9 year old girl in a world where there are many social issues. However, even though she is unaware of all of these major social issues, she is one of few, if any, characters that feel sympathy for Pecola.
Frieda MacTeer: Is Claudia's 10 year old sister. She is seen to defend both Claudia and Pecola within the novel. Frieda can be classified as determined, independent and stubborn at times.