African American Essay

Created in 1975, For saturnine Girls Who pick out Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf, focuses on the struggles of faint women non only from that era, only if issues still pertaining to black women 35 long time later. Shanges powerful choreopoem is comprised of seven women trying to sing a black daughters cry. Sing a song of sustenance, shes been dead so long(Shange 18), creating a voice for any woman. None of these women possess a name, only a color, to show that they represent all women of color.Shange includes themes of love, abandonment, sexuality, abortion, and domestic fury to emphasize what women in her community were and still argon subjugated to. Through dance, poetry, and music these women slowly entirely surely find their true personal identity. Ntozake uses her work as a tool to induct all benighted girls by creating these seven strong women that form a bond when they are able to find their identity as black women, and essentially in their journey m ake it to the abolish of their rainbows without committing suicide.When looking into Shanges life theres no question that situations, which she had observed day-to-day or experienced herself, were imposed on her writings. Born as Paulette Williams she was raised in a middle segmentation family, which was non a childhood common for blacks. Her family moved to St. Louis and she attended a non-segregated school where she had to endure blatant racism at the clean age of eight years old. She rebelled against her familys satisfaction with existence a part of the middle class when she still had to deal with the hardships of being black and a woman.Realizing that in the real man there were limitations being set on blacks and women in society, produced her anger the catalyst to her decision to write to not only empower women, but to empower and t individually young girls about social issues as well. Paulette showed that women could be successful when she entered Barnard College, but during this time her happiness that stemmed from her success turned into melancholy when her husband left her and she attempted suicide many times.She overcame this and let her voice come alive through her works. Her experience shows why the theme that runs rampant throughout her writings is for black women to rely on themselves, and to not allow themselves to become dependent on a man, for this is the only way they will become whole and attain their true identity. The girls in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf, like Paulette all overcome their issues when their voice is no longer silenced, and do not commit suicide.Williams later took the African name Ntozake Shange meaning, she who brings her take things, and one who walks with lions. She explained to Allan Wallach in Newsday that it was necessary for her to embrace a new name because she felt she was living a lie I was living in a world that defied reality as most black people, or most whi te people, understood it in opposite words, feeling that there was something that I could do, and then realizing that nobody was expecting me to do anything because I was colored and I was in any case female, which was not very easy to deal with(qttd.in Wainwright). She did this to show that she was no longer Paulette Williams who society believed was a black woman who wasnt suppose to amount to anything, and didnt want other women to believe that black women being successful should be deemed unusual. In her essay, is not gd to be born a girl, she wants all women to understand that we pay for being born girls/ but we owe no one anything / not our labia, not our clitoris, not our lives.we are born girls & live to be women who live our own lives/ to live our lives/ to collapse/ our lives/ to live(Rothenberg 132). Her theme in this essay, that women will gain a self satisfaction only when they are able specify their own dreams without allowing society to hinder their destiny from b e advance reality, is the same philosophy that is at bottom for colored girls, and seems to be what Ntozake Shange followed in her own life. The significance of Shanges act for this choreopoem should not be overlooked.The titles rich meanings gives readers an insight on what the authors views are, and also allows the reader to imagine their own possible meanings. Shange uses the word Colored which calls attention to when it was once utilize as a derogatory confines used by white oppressors. Although Colored was used as a derogatory term, it was also used within the black culture to bring them together. For colored girls, was used in the title to specifically buns young colored girls. In the beginning of the journey of the seven women they all sing, Mamas trivial louse up likes shortnin, shortnin, Mamas little baby likes shortnin bread Mamas little baby likes shortnin, shortnin, Mamas little baby likes shortnin bread (Shange 20). From this childhood song to lady in discolor t alking about her graduation nite where she was the only virgin in the crowd(Shange 21), Shange used these poems to show her readers the journey from girlhood to womanhood.She wanted the dangers that black woman struggle to overcome, learning that most parents will withhold, to be hear by these young girls The reason that For Colored Girls is entitled For Colored Girls is thats who it was forI want a twelve year-old girl to reach out for and get information that isnt just contraceptive information but emotional informationif there is an audience for whom I write, its the little girls who are coming of age. I want them to know that they are not alone and that we adult women thought and continue to retrieve about them (Hamilton 79-80).Even though Shanges work is intended for children it is still considered inspirational for both women and girls. In addition to the word colored within the title, the image of the rainbow also holds important meanings. The rainbow symbolizes the emotion al aspect, which Shange discusses. All these women go through emotional pains caused by either men or themselves, but at the end of their storm or distress they all eventually make it to the end of the rainbow that is enuf for them to go on without committing suicide.The rainbow has a human form, and comes alive through the seven women that give a voice to all women. Even though there are records from different women, Shange writes in such a way where you read each statement as a whole entity putting this rainbow of women together. The rainbow also refers to how unique each colored girl is, each having their own attributes that allow them to amount to something in society no matter what is believed by others.