Alice Walker: The American Voice

The American voice is composed of all the oppressed people who have translated their emotions into writing. Historical events such as: Civil War, Great Depression, and World War I are events that have shaped the American voice. Robert Frost, Alice Walker, and Emily Dickinson are all authors and poets who have contributed to the American voice. Alice Walker was one of America’s most inspirational writers from her book The Color Purple by explaining the importance of women’s rights, civil rights, and domestic violence.

Alice Walker grew up in a poor and segregated lifestyle making her views on civil rights, domestic violence, and women’s rights so strong. Walker did a lot in her past and present such as her involvement in the civil right movement

Walker’s thinking regarding racial issues at home” (“Overview: The Color Purple” 1). Alice Walker had strong views about civil rights and the demand to make white and black people treat each other fairly; all these views came from her involvement in the civil rights movement in 1960s. Walkers life wasn’t perfect and she was mistreated and by her works such as The Color Purple it “reflects Walker's desire to project a positive outcome in life, even under the harshest conditions”(“Overview: The Color Purple” 1). As Walkers desire is to help women out, especially black women, she “defines the term womanish, suggesting that it maybe particularly useful in helping black women talk about their feminism in culturally specific ways” (“Alice Walker” 2), revealing how Walker feels about women rights; she wants females to stand up for themselves and not to be a pushover. Through Walkers works she illustrations to America how horrific civil rights, women’s rights, and domestic violence was and still is. In the novel The Color Purple, Walker explains how life was for a young poor black female in the 1960s; her name was Celie. Walker is able “to present her message of sexual liberation and self-determination “(“Overview: The Color Purple”4) through the character Celie. Walkers “determination to revise the image of African American

She focuses “on the theme double repression of black women in the American experience”(“Overview: The Color Purple 5”), she displays this in her book The Color Purple by Celie representing how black women and men were treated very unfair. During this time period and even a little bit today women rights and civil rights are a big thing, by Walker making Celie go through harsh times in the book it illustrations to Americans no one should be treated that poorly. Walker made Celie think, “religion and the relation between men and women as well as between the white race and the black race are inseparable (Thyreen 4)”; Walker makes Celie think this way because she wants people to desire a happy outcome in life, even when going through harsh and brutal