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The Society And The Girl Child In The Bluest Eye By Toni Morrisonand Kaine Agarys Yellow Yellow
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
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The setting of Yellow Yellow is the oil
region of Nigeria, Port Harcourt to be precise. In the early 19th
century, Nigeria was invaded by the British under the guise of religion.
They took over the traditional governing system, discarded and eclipsed
our tradition, and referred to Nigerians as barbaric. They exploited
both human and natural resources –men and women were captured as slaves
and transported to their home to cultivate and till their land, while
the resources were used in developing their society. By 1937, oil
exploration started in Nigeria and was pioneered by the shell
development company of Nigeria limited which was based in Warri. In the
course of exploration, the first well was drilled in 1951 at the North
east of Warri where oil was discovered by shell in commercial quantities
at Oloibiri, in the then Rivers State. Pipeline connection was
constructed between Oloibiri and Port Harcourt which saw the first cargo
of crude oil leave Niger Delta in 1958. Production was at 6,000 barrels
per day and this implies that the oil industry was solely responsible
for 95% of the nation‟s foreign exchange earnings and shell was the
major contributor.
Based on the review of the biography and
historical background of both authors, it will be appropriate to state
that the struggles, and the experiences, of the girl child is as a
result of the encounter with the whites which has degraded and under
developed the African society. Slavery is regarded as the worst human
experience, followed by colonialism, due to the high rate of
maltreatment, oppression and human right violation which was prevalent.
There was also high rate of exploitation –human beings were traded for
western products such as guns, mirrors, pots etc and resources were
transported to their home for development of the western world. These
pernicious activities according to economic historians played a major
role in the development of capitalism. Despite having gained freedom and
independence, the presence of the western world is still very much felt
in the contemporary African society. The whites continue segregation,
racism, setting standards and imposing ideologies upon the blacks. They
also monopolize economic activities, thus preventing and restricting
development within the white urban settlement. They impose standard for
measuring and qualifying beauty: whiteness, thereby displacing the black
identity at the bottom of the social hierarchy. This makes blacks
develop disdain for themselves. All these means by the white to remain
imperial over blacks, was what has exiled the girl child into an endless
struggle as she encounters oppression within her society. This is what
Morrison tries to depict and fight using her book The Bluest Eye.
Also
in the African continent, the western grip is still very much felt. Neo
colonialism is the continuation of colonialism, but without the use of
force or weapons as is the case in classic colonialism. Neocolonized
states are politically independent, but economically dependent. The
whites still continue to control the economic activities of Africa by
placing African bourgeoisies in key positions to ensure their dominance
over their colonies. By so doing, African continent remain dependent on
the West. This is what Agary depicts and communicates in Yellow Yellow,
with particular emphasis on the predicament of the girl-child.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The research work reviews the historical encounter between the whites and Africans and argues that the challenges or problems evident in the black society at present are as a result of the white man‟s racism, exploitation and imperialism. It also looks into the social values and system of meaning that promotes male dominance and demeans the woman ... Continue reading---
