Author Analysis - Toni Morrison

Training:

Toni Morrison went to an HBCU Howard University and Studied English
Got her Master in English from Cornell University
Throughout her years she’s taught English at University of Texas and Howard University.
She published her first novel at the age of 39 called Bluest Eye.

Background:

Toni worked full-time while making her first novels and only had time writing during her free time.
Toni is the FIRST BLACK WOMAN to win a Nobel prize in literature.
She focused her work on Black life and race relations in the U.S.

Rhetorical Practices:

Toni doesn’t write for the White Gaze.
An example for that would come from NBC News article explaining, “In Morrison’s work and in the work she edited, what you see are stories that shifted the gaze,” Williams said. “What those books did was create real intercultural conversation where everyone gets to eavesdrop on the actual conversation nonwhite people were having, the lives nonwhite people were living and the things some of us sometimes do to one another. In doing so, it allows readers to recognize that black experiences include universal components.”
White gaze means the observer or reader is coming from a perspective of someone who identifies as white.

Personality:

Toni is honest, vulnerable; who shares stories from personal life and is not afraid to call out anything in interviews.
She’s willing to challenge and confront racism directly.

My Thoughts on Author Analysis:

I think Author analysis can be really effective when you're focused on the author (communicator) understanding he or she's background, training and Rhetorical practices. As a listener it's important to understand these topics before going into he or she's speech. Having an idea of what topics will be covered and how much these topics mean to the author.

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