Analyzing Internalized Oppression in Cholly Breedlove By Alex, Ella and Charlotte

What is internalized oppression? Our definition: When an individual believes that they are only as much as their stereotypes – as pertains to self-doubt. It is more than just an issue with race, it is apparent in any sort of oppression that happens within one’s own mind. The stereoytype for cholly is an agressive black man

Who is Cholly Breedlove? Father of Pecola Breedlove, wife of Pauline Never known the experience of parental care Both parents abandoned him, leaving him to the care of his Aunt and Blue Jack. Aggressive and filled with anger Burns down family house while drunk Alcoholic Abusive Fights with Pauline in front of kids Rapes Pecola -describes himself as a “free man” -someone who has never known what it is like to have a healthy relationship with one’s parents -chooses social life over his family -rapes daughter (Pecola) leaves her -fights with wife in front of kids -overwhelmed with having to be the “breadwinner” and resorts to alcohol Analysis of 1st & second quote: issues with black women that stem from his mother’s abandonment of him and from his first sexual experience which was interrupted by two white men. After being completely humiliated, he channels all his anger toward black women, whom he has natural power over, because they have less rights (socially and legally)

Quotes: Cholly Breedlove “Never did he once consider directing his hatred toward the hunters. Such an emotion would have destroyed him. They were big, white, armed men. He was small, black, helpless. His subconscious knew what his conscious mind did not guess – that hating them would have consumed him, burned him up like a piece of soft coal” (Autumn). “It had never occurred to either of us that the earth itself might have been unyielding. We had dropped our seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecola's father had dropped his seeds into his own plot of black dirt. Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his lust or despair” (Prologue).

Cholly’s Internalized Oppression “What could he do for her—ever? What give her? What say to her? What could a burned-out black man say to the hunched back of his eleven-year-old daughter? If he looked into her face, he would see those haunted, loving eyes. The hauntedness would irritate him—the love would move him to fury. How dare she love him? Hadn’t she any sense at all? What was he supposed to do about that? Return it? How?” - Spring page 161 “Having no idea of how to raise children, and having never watched any parent raise himself, he could not even comprehend what such a relationship should be.” - Spring page 160 “Cholly Breedlove, then, a renting black, having put his family outdoors, had catapulted himself beyond the reaches of human consideration. He had joined the animals; was, indeed, an old dog, a snake, a ratty nigger.”- Autumn page 18

Overarching Message on Systems of Oppression Internalized Racism & Systematic Racism -The Psychological mechanism of internalized racism hinges on the circle of oppression Cholly internalizes the stereotypes placed upon him and then pushes them onto his children Because black is considered ugly, Cholly exemplifies that ideology by treating Pecola as though she is lesser Ultimately penetrating Pecola with that idea aka continuing the system of oppression through internalized racism --