Friday 30 August 2013

Book Review: The Colour Purple

Many readers will presumably start the book with a hint of optimism, derived from the name of the novel being The Colour Purple. Purple, a colour known for its traditional association with royalty, and a prestigious Pulitzer Prize to its name- there must be something to look forward too.

Set in the rural lands of America in the 1900s, the novel recites and rectifies the life of Celie, a submissive and silenced African-American woman, bearing the brunt of a segregated society. Written by Alice Walker, the novel exposes the ultimate reality of abuse and a struggle to triumph over adversity from a feminine perspective – all the characters in the spotlight being women. Key questions are raised from the outset of the epistolary: whether the novel is entirely based on feminist principles, the strength of sisterhood, or most importantly, are men really as obnoxious as they are depicted to be?

From the start, the reader is revealed to one of the most shocking episodes of the novel; Celie being subjected to indecent assault by her own stepfather. Consequently, the dominant theme of male subjugation is presented early on, allowing the reader to foreshadow future occurrences. This particular event is one of prime significance- mainly through the use of controlled sentence structure. The short sentences provide a rhythm on account of the rape with some rather explicit descriptions attached. 

Further, when “Fonso” (the stepfather) has concluded, the words “You better shut up and git used to it” pour out of his mouth, an additional implication that oppression particularly will be witnessed further down the plot. However, Fonso isn’t the only ‘male subjugator’ in the novel. Oh no, there’s also “Mr” who becomes Celie’s husband. Rather than being a relationship filled with love and compassion; abuse, oppression are on agenda. Here’s a typical example, albeit a prominent one, “He beat me like he beat the children” and extra references with Celie stating that she “make myself wood”.  The only way Celie can find relief is by writing to God, with most of the letters in this epistolary starting off with “Dear God”.


After this shocking ordeal, the reader may question why the novel was named The Colour Purple. There is nothing majestic about oppression or abuse, or indeed women being objects for sexual gratification. Although there is a complete LACK of feminine identity as Celie clearly illustrates, there are some signs of women ‘rising’ slowly. Firstly, Sofia is introduced to the reader as a robust resilient woman, those qualities being a product of her past experience, herself stating that “a girl aint safe in a family of men”. Also, the collective ventures of quilt-making is a symbol of breaking down the barriers the women endured.

It is the entrance of Shug that is the pivotal moment in Celie’s path to integrity. It is through Shug that Celie finally takes a stance against male oppression and surprisingly, speaks up for herself. Some would argue that it is precisely this point where Celie triumphs over adversity. Relations between herself and Shug start to gain momentum, and before you know it, they leave for Tennessee to embark on a business venture. The Celie the reader had viewed at first was one seen as an unearthly possession, virtually a voiceless mammal. Towards the end, we see an emancipated Celie one who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. A self-actualised determined woman one may put it.

Though this may be positive, some have criticised the novel as portraying men as animals hunting for their prey. One such example is Tony Brown, a columnist expressing that the novel is “the most racist depiction of Black men since THE BIRTH OF A NATION.” However, one may counter argue and lament that the depiction of men in the novel is realistic and fully justified. Another cloud which surrounds the novel is whether it is appropriate to place it under the category ‘feminist’. As Walker once herself stated “Womanist is to feminist, as purple is to lavender”. Considering the core principles feminism entails, this novel may be considered womanist by the majority.

On the whole, The Colour Purple is a phenomenal novel which explores the very sensitive questions engraved in American society during the era of segregation. Definitely worth a Pulitzer Prize. The reader at the end may agree that Celie indeed achieves the colour purple, through the help of various other women, all combining their attributes to produce an autonomous Celie. It resembles the reader having been taken on a journey to witness the transformation of Celie’s character; from agony to autonomy. And in that process, I must say that I saw a bit of Sofia in myself.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars. Definitely won't disappoint!

Disclaimer: This novel is appropriate to those aged 15+ due to explicit scenes and language.



Thursday 29 August 2013

The A* Grade Challenge

Results day has come and gone. Doomsday of this year is now history.

So what did you get I hear you say? Well, allow me to provide some background information.

Since the first day of sixth form, my primary aim was to achieve AAAA. I took History, Biology, English Lit and Religious Studies. I did great at GCSE, and I was pretty determined to replicate that success in my AS year – well I was partially successful let’s say. During Easter, realism started to dawn on me so I lowered my expectations to AAAB, the B being in Biology. No matter how hard I worked, getting an A in Biology was seriously delusional; it’s like asking God to give you wings?! To sum up in a word; impossible. Literally. There was absolutely NO WAY in the world I would get an A in Biology; zero, zilch, nada, nil. So what did I get?

 Religious Studies – A
• History – A
• Biology – B
• English – for the love of literature, I’ll let you imagine what I got.


With the first three subjects, I WAS GOD-DAMN DELIGHTED. I literally leapt for joy when I saw them. Woohoo! And then I saw English…well ya’. Imagine my facial expression when I saw my English grade. Now there could be two possible problems: either a marking error or I got the exam technique wrong, now trust me, getting the exam technique wrong is a fatal MISTAKE. Either ways, my coursework mark brought my grade up surprisingly. I didn’t react stupidly. If I didn’t get an A in History, I would have went to the Home Office, get my death certificate issued and bury myself alive in a cemetery (obviously, where else?). Ahh the irony is so evident.

So what’s my plan for Year 13?

I’m embarking on the A* grade challenge! This is a project started by a fellow blogger Sanam (check out her UH-MAZE-ING blog at thechiclifestyle.com) so I thought I'd join along side her- after all doing things as a pair or a group will guarantee that you don't run out of fuel). For my A2 year, I’ve dropped Biology and in its place I’m going to take the EPQ (never mind the calculator opposite by the way- I don't study maths). So now I’m setting my sights on achieving an A* in all my other subjects and apply to my dream university (yes Oxford, I’m talking about you!). I've always dream't about going to Oxford- a childhood dream if I'm honest. Oxbridge is in the dream of every idealist, wanting to reach the academic heights of their discipline. Looking at the architecture just makes your heart melt. Simply stunning. *continues to daydream*.

New College, Oxford.
Seriously. I’m more than determined to achieve them. There is nothing more I hate than getting an average grade at something I know I can do amazingly well at.

So since my hard work paid off last year, I plan on working just as hard. Although having said this, I’m going to have to work extra harder. A2 level content is a lot tougher than AS so practising the exam technique is going to be unavoidable- DO YOU HEAR ME FUTURE RAHMA? No such thing as “I’m going to write this essay tomorrow cos I’m too tired now.” If you catch me doing this, you are entitled to giving me a cyber-slap. I deserve it.

Yes. And alongside study, I will be taking part in the Young Reporters Scheme. It’s a competition aimed at young people who are considering a career in journalism. It lasts 8 months long and I will be writing an article every month. Also, after my exams are completed, I will take part in the Julia Wood prize, a history essay writing competition for sixth formers at Oxford University. I plan to apply to university post A-Level, so after I have my full A-Level grades.

This will be a monthly update to let you all know how I’m getting along; what has worked and failed, some tips and the miracles that have occurred along the way.

So, are you willing to take part in the A* grade challenge?


Howdy!

Providing information about myself is probably the only element I refrain from; but in order to provide a fraction of justice to the moonstruck province of Internet blogging, I'm willing to succumb. 

To kick things off, I'm a spontaneous perfectionist.

I’m Rahma. Just Rahma…not Rahman (why do people think this, it’s a guys name!). And also, the ‘h’ in my name is pronounced, never silent. It’s situated there with a purpose, so it would make sense to fulfill this. I have undergone some years of grief with people mispronouncing my name, so to clear any confusions, that’s how you pronounce it. I’m 17 so technically still a teenager, but I must say I still do get choked up with tears after watching an episode of Tracy Beaker, and endless laughter with what I think are great jokes from Horrible Histories (they are amazing and you know it).
Yep thats me! As you may guess, I'm a British Somalian which is fairly obvious. Born and bred a North Londoner, I'm also Muslim. I do have some strong opinions about religion in general but I'd rather not start a whirl winding debate about it. I'm currently in my last EVER year at school (Year 13, studying A2 Levels) and I'm embarking on a gap year before I apply to university to read History.

Apart from all that, I LOVE TENNIS! It’s by far the best sport on the planet and my favourite tennis 
player?Nadal. He’s remarkable. Great great tennis player. Amongst the greats of tennis history, I mean c’mon he won the French Open 8 times?! Who can beat that? Now my love of tennis is rooted back from my childhood days, it used to be a daddy and daughter sort of thing, watching it together, allowing the rivalry to gain momentum. So I started watching tennis when I was 6 and started playing when I was 8. I still remember Sharapova winning Wimbledon when she was just 17!

Other things I enjoy are languages (I'm trilingual atm and I aim to learn 10 languages- crazy right?), reading- mainly war poetry or anything relating to conflict. I despise feminist literature; I mean I'd rather learn how to execute a top-notch sandwich rather than reading anything feminist. It's incredibly depressing. Unlike any other 'average' teen, I'm a lover of ballet and opera. I relish the sounds of an orchestra and I'd LOVE to learn how to play the piano, cello, violin, double bass, harp and the clarinet. An unashamed superfan of Coldplay and Bon Jovi (there really isn't anything to be ashamed about lovin' these two), life without music would be rather dull and fruitless.

Amongst my idols are Martin Luther King and Eglantyne Jebb. Both devoted to a cause they were so passionate about, the one lesson derived from their tiresome dedication is never to give up on something you truly believe, however long it takes you to actually achieve that dream. I find that particularly inspirational, knowing that there's always a bright light right at the end of a dark tunnel and never to give into the obstacles you may face. Everyone has dreams; but there's a difference between those who lie in their beds all night thinking about all that they could do, and those who wake up, get up and start doing things so that they can actually LIVE that dream.

I didn't really start this blog with some sort of 'goal' or 'target'. I enjoy writing so after ahhing and thinking about it, I thought 'why not'? So I'll be writing anything from politics, book reviews to tips on organisation and revision etc. I'm also going to be writing about how amazing Horrible Histories is. If there is anything you want me to write about in particular, feel free to leave me a comment below! A reply is pretty much guaranteed.

Adios xx