Varied

In many African American high schools these words echo throughout the halls, “Girl did you see her? Look how Black she is!” This sentiment is a form of Colorism between the people of the same race.Often times this can also be done with the social or economic class of two people in the same race as well. Both of the examples are forms of colorism. The term colorism directly correlates with thenovel The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. The main character Claudia tells a very powerful story in which the ideology of colorism is present. While some may argue that Claudia is a realist and sheunderstands all that is around her, she also links into the ideology of colorism because she practices it as well.
When Claudia is in school she experiences colorism at its best. The young black boystaunt Pecola about being dark however; they too are a part of this race. The words that the boys speak are directly targeted at this fact, “Black e mo, Black e mo….” (65). This is a form of colorismbecause while the young boys are African-American they discriminate against Pecola who is of the same race. Claudia recognizes this ideology by saying, “They seemed to have taken all of theirsmoothly cultivated ignorance their exquisitely learned self- hatred…. And sucked it all up into a fiery cone of scorn… and spilled over lips of outrage” (65). This statement is very profound becauseClaudia sums up colorism between her own race so eloquently. She sees at a young age that it is indeed possible for someone to hate their own people because of their disdain for themselves. This can beseen on any typical day in the African- American community and it goes back to the days where if a person was light they worked in the house while the “darkies” worked outside. This ideology transcendstime and Claudia is able to point it out and not be okay with that fact. Claudia has seen colorism between her own race, but she experiences it first- hand as well.
Claudia experiences colorism...