Post-colonialism deals with the effects of colonization on the colonized. Indeed, Richard Schur argues “that there can be no simple escape from the effects of race, racism, gender, and sexism without some sort of decolonization” (277). One effect involves how language is used to form racial categories. Contemporary ideas about race include the belief that everyone falls into their rightful category. A person of color has to look and act a certain way because that is the Western assumption. This applies to any race. By refusing to racially identify any of its characters, Toni Morrison's “Recitatif” makes this Western way of thinking difficult. Readers find themselves concerned with racializing each character, relying on mannerisms, appearance, experiences, language, etc. of the characters. Readers look for anything that signals “blackness” or “whiteness” to them to correctly categorize Twyla and Roberta. In fact, the racial ambiguity of “Recitatif” confronts readers with their own stereotypical ways of thinking, demonstrating how racial categories are Western constructs. Furthermore, Morrison is careful to go against the structure of racial categories to confuse readers even more, demonstrating the power that writers hold in correct representation. The Western obsession with being able to racially classify people excludes people who do not easily fit into this category; people like Maggie. Maggie embodies racial hybridity, demonstrating that racial categories are not accurate representations of race. Toni Morrison's “Recitatif” complicates Western ideas about race in order to expose the stereotypes and restrictiveness inherent in racial categories. In this way, “Recitatif” demonstrates how respect for racial categories leads to misrepresentations of races. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Through maintaining racial ambiguity, “Recitatif” challenges the role of the reader. By not explicitly stating which character is black and which character is white, readers attempt to determine where Twyla and Roberta fall into the two categories. Readers rely on their own perceptions of what it means to be “black” and what it means to be “white.” Stanley argues that “[w]omemen and people of color have long struggled against a dominant culture that places them in subordinate positions, defined by being outside of white, masculinist forms” (73). “Recitatif” confronts readers with their dependence on this type of representation. Without being told the characters' race, readers scan the text, looking for clues that might put one of the girls in this “out-of-white” position, reinforcing that oppressive way of thinking. Elizabeth Abel writes that, as a white woman, she imagines Twyla to be white while a “black feminist critic, Lula Fragd…[is] certain that Twyla [is] black” (471). The difference in these interpretations comes from the difference in each woman's readership. While Abel focuses on “racial iconography,” he notes that Fragd emphasizes “more historically nuanced cultural practices” (474). In this case, each reader has its own set of characteristics that mean "darkness" and a set of characteristics that mean "darkness". whiteness" for both Fragd and Abel. For Fragd, Roberta falls into the "white" category; for Abel, Roberta falls into the "black" category, according to the signifiers. These signifiers work to help readers racialize both girls based on their position “outside thewhite". I argue that these signifiers are the stereotypes that “Recitatif” challenges. Abel imagines Roberta as different from herself, especially during the Howard Johnson scene. In this sense, Abel is 'othering' Roberta and placing her in that “out-of-white” position. .” Roberta is described as having hair "so big and wild" that it covers her face, and "earrings the size of bracelets" (6). In this moment, "Twyla's sense of inadequacy towards Roberta, as well as her portrayal of her mother's inferiority to Roberta's, signal Twyla's whiteness to [her] articulating a white woman's fantasy…about the power of black women" (474) . This is a reading by Roberta and, in my opinion, is representative of the challenges of the readers' "Recitatif". Abel relies on her own ideas about what it means for her to be “black” and to be “white,” projecting her racial categories onto Twyla and Roberta. Abel cannot see himself in Roberta and therefore concludes that she must be different, racially speaking. What this story highlights, however, is that relying on stereotypes as Abel and Fragd do is dangerous in the sense that it affects "other" people. Abel decides that Roberta is black simply because her looks make her stand out. Roberta's hair is wild, unlike how she imagines white women's hair to be. Due to the fact that Roberta does not appear to be recognizably white, Abel concludes that Roberta must be black because a white girl cannot have "wild hair" or "big hoop earrings." Abel argues that Roberta's characteristics do not signify whiteness, they signify otherness and therefore blackness. In this sense, Abel is creating racial categories based on stereotypes and what she believes is not white. This is important because it puts white in a superior position to black. If Roberta shows no signs of “whiteness” – or rather, what the racial category entails – then by default she is black. She is not said to show signs of "blackness", but instead is described as showing signs of what white is not. This way of thinking makes “otherness” synonymous with “blackness,” a view that “Recitatif” rightly challenges in its racial ambiguity. Relying on these signifiers is dangerous because they reinforce oppressive stereotypes. Although what makes Abel see Roberta as black are signifiers, I argue that these signifiers resemble stereotypes, in the sense that readers like Abel hold images and ideas of what “black” is like. and what "white" looks like. Shanna Greene Benjamin explains that “the impulse to 'solve' the racial conundrum that permeates 'Recitatif' reveals an underlying theme central to Morrison's tale. Readers want to be able to categorize characters one way or another, to 'know' race, and will go to great lengths to assign racial categories if the writer fails to do so for them” (88). The story, then, focuses on racial tropes: who fits into which trope, and what constitutes these tropes? “Recitatif” wants to challenge the second question. The story forces readers to question their own readings of Twyla and Roberta; causing readers to wonder why they choose to categorize Twyla as white and Roberta as black or vice versa. The answer is: your own stereotypes. Racial categories enable stereotypes, therefore, readers are forced to question their own stereotypes when reading “Recitatif.” When Abel says that Roberta is black because she has “wild hair,” he is reinforcing the stereotype that all black people have “wild hair,” even though wild hair is not inherent to any race. What happens to the black girl who doesn't have this type of hair? The categoriesracial groups – and the stereotypes they enable – create a space in which people who do not fit the clichés of either category are left. These stereotypes are oppressive as are “other” people. Stereotypes reinforce the idea that being black depends on being different from white. Racial categories create a disconnect between people, allowing for no hybridity – no deviation from the accepted norm. By reading Twyla and Roberta as characters who fall into both racial categories, readers expose their own dependence on these oppressive clichés. Although critics like Abel attempt to assign a race to Roberta and Twyla, it is clear that any attempt is futile as each girl resides in that space between races. Morrison understands the power she has as a writer; the way people, the way racial people are portrayed, is ultimately up to the author. Morrison emphasizes in her book on literary criticism that she is “a black writer who struggles with and through language that can evoke and forcefully reinforce hidden signs of racial superiority, cultural hegemony, and contemptuous “othering” of people and language” (x ). When colonization occurs, marginalized populations are forced to adopt the language of their oppressors, a language that is often used as a tool to further oppress marginalized people. Morrison clearly understands that he must be wary of correct representation in his writing. In his book The Negro Character in American Literature, Nelson is concerned with how the African American presence in America during slavery and abolition is presented as a comical and inferior character. Although I argue that the specific tropes illustrated by Nelson are not as evident in more recent works, racial tropes still exist. “Recitatif” challenges the clichés that writers rely on to represent race. As Stanley writes, “race studies, in [its] attempt… to challenge physical and cognitive stereotypes and the material boundaries associated with these stereotypes, often identifies accusations that… people of color are disabled as a sign of disempowerment, a sign they must transcend” (73). Stanley illustrates the importance of language in correct representation, placing emphasis on stereotypes. As I have argued, readers are concerned with looking for stereotypes to signal Twyla and Roberta's race; however, by not conforming to these stereotypes, Morrison makes it impossible for a character to be seen as fully empowered or disempowered and thus makes it difficult for readers to racialize the two girls. The clichés Morrison uses continually contradict each other, confusing readers and further demonstrating the limited way of thinking allowed by racial categories. Morrison is aware of the racial categories as well as the signifiers that readers rely on. I advocate that you use your knowledge to expose how exclusive and limiting this way of thinking is. Morrison writes that, historically, the purpose of the presence of "American Africanism" is to "[establish] hierarchical difference" (63) which, in my opinion, "Recitatif" indicates when Twyla explains that Roberta cannot read (2) . “Recitatif” transcends these hierarchical differences by focusing on the similarities between Twyla and Roberta. Due to racism and discrimination, Black people are often not afforded fair and equitable access to quality education. Slavery prevents education, abolition makes it inaccessible, and although education appears to be equally accessible to both Roberta and Twyla, I argue that Morrison incorporates the element of illiteracy to illustrate how, even with improved access to Education for all, writersthey tend to rely on the trope of an ignorant African American. In this sense, Stanley's argument that people of color are usually associated with a disability is evident within "Recitatif." Readers will expect to associate darkness with the disempowered character; an uneducated character would perfectly reflect this helplessness. This trope of an uneducated black character allows for the formation of a hierarchy where the educated white character is above the illiterate black character. This cliché is clearly a misrepresentation and yet it is still widely accepted. Morrison challenges many literary clichés – and with them racial categories – within the “Recitatif,” including this one. Twyla also admits that she herself doesn't excel in school because she doesn't remember anything (2). Instead of making one girl smarter than the other, Morrison creates similarities between the two. There is no smarter character; there is no superior character. Roberta and Twyla are too similar for readers to classify them racially. This is important because Morrison presents both a white character and a black character in a similar way instead of writing them to fit into completely separate categories. Readers expect Morrison to use education to represent both girls' race; however, in this case Morrison denounces the clichés that the writers have relied on by not conforming to them. By not conforming to racial categories, “Recitatif” confuses its readers. In his book, Middleton writes that “[t]he task before us… is to lift the black self out of [language] and to assert these meanings in a medium that can truly be called a black text, a text whose margins are governed by black logos” (47). While this argument seeks to separate whites and blacks in literature, I argue that “Recitatif” undermines it. Middleton is reinforcing the idea that a “black text” must incorporate elements of “black logos,” which in my opinion still relies on the use of racial categories. “Recitatif” does not attempt to claim that blacks and whites are the same – any American history book shows that kind of claim to be incorrect – but rather articulates the constructs of race. I use education as an example of tropes in the previous paragraph; however, there are many other instances where the clichés in the “Recitatif” contribute to further confusing readers. Readers are bound to be confused. “Recitatif” makes the act of racializing the two girls very difficult by making them appear similar. Morrison does not keep Twyla in one racial category and Roberta in the other. Instead, any girl can easily fall into both categories. “Recitatif” does not conform to traditional ways of writing about race. Neither Twyla nor Roberta can fit perfectly into either racial category, demonstrating that these categories are not accurate representations; they are constructed in the same way that feminist theory argues that femininity and masculinity are social constructs. These categories are meaningless when analyzed and contribute to further oppressing marginalized populations. Racial categories are restrictive because racial identity is not a fixed concept. Racial identity is different for everyone, including Roberta and Twyla, as evidenced by Maggie's confusing racialization. Every girl has a connection to Maggie. Maggie not only works at St. Bonny's, but she also reminds Roberta and Twyla of their mothers. When Roberta explains why she thinks Maggie is black, Roberta tells Twyla that “[she] just remembers her as old, so old. And since [Maggie can't speak]… [Roberta thinks Maggie] is crazy. Maggie [has] grown up in an institution like [Roberta's] mother [has].”(19). As Abel argues, "[t]he two girls' readings of Maggie in turn become clues to our readings of them" (472). If Roberta thinks that Maggie is black because of the similarities between her and Roberta's mother, then it is logical to conclude that Roberta is black. I argue that we need to pay more attention to the "why"; why does Roberta imagine that Maggie is a black woman? If Roberta is black, then she has her own idea of ​​what it means to be black. In forming her own racial category, Roberta decides that Maggie is black simply because she sees her mother—and herself—in Maggie. On the other hand, if Roberta is white then perhaps her fear of being similar to Maggie – a woman who becomes a representation of her absent and sick mother – leads her to separate from Maggie. Roberta maintains this separation by classifying her as black, something Roberta can never be. If this is true, then Roberta is singling out Maggie, calling her black because she wants Maggie to be different from her white self. Whether Roberta considers Maggie black because she herself is black or because she is another Maggie, Roberta is still creating her own racial category and determining Maggie's race based on how well she fits into both categories. It is important, however, that Roberta creates these racial categories – they are not fixed – and therefore Roberta's categorization of Maggie is questionable. Twyla, similar to Roberta, also sees her mother in Maggie, referring to Maggie as her "dancing mother" (17). Unlike Roberta, however, Twyla is not convinced that Maggie is black. Indeed, Twyla is “perplexed that [Roberta] tells her that Maggie [is] black” (17). Once again, Twyla may see Maggie as white because Twyla's mother is white, similar to how Roberta concludes that Maggie is black. What is important is that Twyla has different racial categories than Roberta, further demonstrating that racial tropes, stereotypes, and categories are not fixed; they are undefined constructs that misrepresent the presence of black and white within literature. Both Roberta and Twyla display contrasting ideas about race, demonstrating that racial categories are not fixed, but constructs. Conversely, Twyla's negative feelings associated with her mother may motivate her to distance herself from her mother. Twyla identifies her mother when she draws attention to her clothes during the church scene, similar to when Abel identifies Roberta by her hair and earrings (4). In this sense, Twyla's othering of her mother could result in Maggie's othering, similar to how Roberta might othering Maggie to distance herself from Maggie. It can be argued that Twyla sees Maggie as white because Twyla doesn't want to see more of herself in Maggie. Twyla and Roberta are both confused by their respective racial categories, leaving them and the readers confused. There is no answer at the end of the “Recitatif” regarding Maggie's race. Instead, Maggie appears to fit both racial categories, according to Twyla and Roberta. The debate whether Maggie is black or white is extremely important. Like the readers of “Recitatif,” Twyla and Roberta are consumed with categorizing Maggie as black or white. This deliberation illustrates the fact that literature and language itself do not allow for any discrepancy. There is no middle ground for both the reader's racialization of Twyla and Roberta and the girls' racialization of Maggie. Racial categories reflect the idea of ​​monoculturalism; however, by not maintaining racial ambiguity, Recitatif rejects the idea of ​​monoculturalism. Since Homi Bhabha introduces the idea of ​​hybridity, this text reflects the same principle: it is not always simply black or white but rather black and white. The difference is that monoculturalism creates a/23035281.