Suhaylah Purcell Period 1 Mr.

Shapiro February 19th, 2014 Multi Genre Project: Alice Walker

http://alice---walker.tumblr.com/

(This is a fake promotion of Alice Walker as Prom Queen that her and her friends couldve passed out to their peers. Alice Walker was the Valedictorian and Prom Queen of her school, and here is a fake speech of what she mightve said when her title was announced at Prom.) I am Alice Walker, and I am passionate about my school. I have worked hard everyday, and it has shown through my grades and becoming the valedictorian. As a child, I often felt shy, disgusting. The childhood incident I experienced involving my eye took away more than just half my sight, it took away my confidence and my will. I turned to my studies and became a recluse, sure I wouldnt be accepted ever again because of my difference. My parents were storytellers, when they found me in my room crying because of the pain I felt, theyd tell me grand tales of lands Ive never seen, adventures Ive only dreamed of. I found my place within stories like these. I hid within books, and joined a fantasy land to escape from the rejection I felt in my life. There wasnt much that could be done about my sight, however when I was 14 my eyesight was partially restored. Even then, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. Timid, awkward, afraid, I spent my days avoiding social activities and reading. It wasnt all negative though, turning to my studies I have been able to achieve the title of valedictorian. Spending great amounts of time and effort in my schoolwork and with my teachers. But even then, I often felt convinced that I would never be accepted, that I was too ugly for anyone but my parents to love. But tonight, looking at all of you, standing up here as Prom Queen, I realize it has all been in my head. I realize that all the work Ive done, will be appreciated by those I am kind to. There are a lot of things that separate all of us from what is conventionally considered beautiful, but Ive realized that it all doesnt matter. I look out to all of you and see majestic souls, ideas, changes in the world, people to be recognized. I hope you all see that in yourselves as well, and I hope I can live up to what you all seem to see in me, and I challenge you to do the same. It is going to be hard to part with this school, a place Ive grown and developed into a young woman in, but I hope to continue to make you proud as I enter college! Thank you Butler-Baker highschool class of 1961! Our lives are just beginning!

Oh God Oh God It cant be.. It is Im pregnant Im pregnant

Ill figure this out, Ill be fine. Everything is okay Ill sleep with a razor under my pillow. Im better off dead. Ill just focus on my education at Sarah Lawrence Sarah Lawrence will kick me out. They already wanted to for my involvement in Civil Rights, this is just one more excuse to get rid of me I can always go back home to Georgia I have no home to go to. Ill be alone as a single mother. My friend is taking me to have an abortion, this problem will be gone everything will be back to normal Im killing my own child, how can I live with myself? This is the only way I can continue, this is the safest way I can continue I dont deserve this choice, I shouldnt have done this. I had no other choice. How could I have been so reckless? This wouldnt have happened if I had been more careful. No, Im not living like this, Ill write What good will writing do? The words flow quicker than my pen, these voices in my head to be heard by everyone else No one wants to hear this Muriel Ruykeyser wants to hear it. Shes sending it to the publishers, they want to hear it too Is there really hope for me after all of this? Im taking my life back. I cant take my life back, I want to die. To Hell with dying, I cant remember a night I havent cried myself to sleep. This is too much. Its all too much. To Hell with dying, Please, God, let this end before I end it myself. TO HELL WITH DYING. Humanity is too interested in ending itself, Im not going to be part of this anymore. I am progress, this is progress. I will live and write another day. To Hell with dying.

Alice Walker, born February 9th, 1944, passed away peacefully in Mendocino, California on her ranch. She was a prominent figure in black feminism, creating the term womanist used by many black feminists today, and pioneering several ideas within the community. She is in the ranks of women like Audre Lorde and Zora Neale Hurston, helping many black woman suffering abuse whether it is at the hands of white society or the hands of their own, even their own hands. She has changed the world with her poetry and books like The Third Life of Grange Copeland, Meridan, The Color Purple, Possessing the Secret of Joy, and more. She has been a passionate activist not only for black women, but for all creatures. Her demonstrations against the apartheid previously in South Africa and the apartheid in Israel have shown her unity with any people being marginalized and oppressed, and she has even extended her helping hand to the animals of the world who are often neglected by us. She never stopped advocating for those in need, while still letting them steer their own movements rather than trying to become their saviors. She spoke with the people, not for them, and truly understood what unity and intersectionalism is. Her works have been shared all across the world, and have shaped them as well as iconic works of the west. She is survived by her daughter, Rebecca Walker, her grandson, Tenzin, and the ideas she spread. She will be greatly missed as a womanist pioneer, a woman unafraid of raising controversy, a patron of the people, an inspiration, a mother, a writer, a friend. Alice is no longer with us, but we are all grateful for the time she was. A great mind has left us today, may she rest in peace. Please join us at the service this Thursday at 5pm.

End Notes Poster: I chose each genre according to what I felt I could use to convey certain aspects of Alice Walkers life and career in creative ways. The poster involved tabloids involving controversy her work and her takes on controversial issues have caused, specifically; banning a hebrew translation of the Color Purple to protest Israeli apartheid, censorship of her books in Florida and other places, trouble in her career/love life, the hate received for the portrayal of black men in the Color Purple, etc. Through the controversy she has caused, she has raised awareness of these issues and has proven herself a prominent figure in the media whose words should/will be listened to. This poster highlights her activist work and how her words/methods are feared by those who dont understand it. Blog: Tumblr is a social media website that allows people to stay updated on things of interest as well as just find visuals and texts of interest. Tumblrs showcase a persons interests and what they care about, as well as what they find aesthetically pleasing. I chose 30 posts from 3 of my favorite blogs that I feel Alice Walker would connect to. If Alice Walker had a tumblr, the things I have reblogged on this URL are things I believe she would take interest in and reblog as well. This involves worldwide freedom struggles, racial activism and womanism in the West, current womanist icons, quotes and information about people she is associated with, and many images just appreciating the beauty of black women. Some of the singular images can be clicked for captions, etc. offering more information. These posts would help someone easily see what type of person she is and what she finds important. Sticker (visual) and acceptance speech: I chose the Prom Queen vote sticker and the Prom Queen acceptance speech because I found it very surprising as well as conflicting that she was elected such a high social title while it was said that the childhood incident she had made her an introvert with her head in her books. I couldnt think of how she wouldve been elected or if she even wouldve wanted to be. Im not sure whether or not she found being elected surprising, or if even she continued to be a shy person in her last years of highschool, but focusing on that part of her life allowed me to understand her personality as a child as well as how she mightve developed into the person she is today a bit more. Double Voice: I focused on her abortion and suicidal thoughts in the 60s for the double voice because of what a big turning point in her life it was. She was young and had no where to go to

to raise a child on her own, she felt caged by this pregnancy. I read that she often felt trapped by her pregnancy and also paranoid that her college would kick her out for several reasons (civil rights mostly, but Im sure she saw this as an obstacle to her education as well). She slept with a razor under her pillow thinking about suicide until her friend took her to a doctor to help her get a safe abortion. Afterwards, however, Alice was still traumatized and experienced severe depression and anxiety. I have no idea what going through an unplanned pregnancy and abortion is like, but I have an idea of the conflicting thoughts with depression and anxiety. Without making it too long and making up her emotions, I tried to summarize what her thoughts mightve been and how she took her life back with her writing. One of the books she wrote inspired by this period was To Hell With Dying, hence the last few lines. Obituary: Finally, I did her obituary to combine all Ive found on her impact on the world as well as include a few details about her personal life. Her activism in things like the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and animal rights was unexpected as well as the other things I learned about her, and Im sure many other people were unaware of the things shes done besides racial activism and womanism. I wanted to show what her legacy is on the world and what she might be remembered for if she died. I used the obituary to convey what important changes she made to the world and what a loss it would be without her. In short, Alice Walker is a unique, game-changer with an eventful life and is a very interesting woman to learn about.