Eng107-Ntozake Shange
With close reference to the text, discuss how Shange uses music and dance in for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, and why this is so important in her writing.
Ntozake Shange portrays multiple themes in her choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf in her use of music and dance-like movements. Her representation through music, dance and the language of her seven actresses represented by the use of seven colors of the rainbow is representative of the colors of her characters and her multiple themes. The actresses/dancers are depicted in her use of language, music and movements. Shange has, for many things, portrays her strength and identity even as her use of the rainbow colors to represent her actresses/characters. The colors of the rainbow have taken the unconventional form, as brown and purple have now resonated with the rainbow colors and replaced indigo and violet. It is notable to consider the significance of the title of the choreopoem in relation to the seven actresses, colors and the use of music and movements to bring out what Shange intends to achieve and her multiple themes. ("for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf." Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series, Supplement. Ed. Frank Northen Magill. Salem Press, Inc., 1997.eNotes.com. 23 May, 2013 http://www.enotes.com/for-colored-girls-who-have-considered-suicide-when-salem/) Shange relates the multiplicity of colour to suggest the fullness of black identity. Consider her own words when she said: The rainbow is a fabulous symbol for me. If you see only one color, it’s not beautiful. If you see them all, it is. A coloured girl, by my definition, is a girl of many colours. But she can only see her overall beauty if she can see all the colors of herself. To do that she has to look deep inside herself, she will find...love and beauty” (Lecture notes: 107 13 Shange).
Ntozake Shange portrays multiple themes in her choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf in her use of music and dance-like movements. Her representation through music, dance and the language of her seven actresses represented by the use of seven colors of the rainbow is representative of the colors of her characters and her multiple themes. The actresses/dancers are depicted in her use of language, music and movements. Shange has, for many things, portrays her strength and identity even as her use of the rainbow colors to represent her actresses/characters. The colors of the rainbow have taken the unconventional form, as brown and purple have now resonated with the rainbow colors and replaced indigo and violet. It is notable to consider the significance of the title of the choreopoem in relation to the seven actresses, colors and the use of music and movements to bring out what Shange intends to achieve and her multiple themes. ("for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf." Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series, Supplement. Ed. Frank Northen Magill. Salem Press, Inc., 1997.eNotes.com. 23 May, 2013 http://www.enotes.com/for-colored-girls-who-have-considered-suicide-when-salem/) Shange relates the multiplicity of colour to suggest the fullness of black identity. Consider her own words when she said: The rainbow is a fabulous symbol for me. If you see only one color, it’s not beautiful. If you see them all, it is. A coloured girl, by my definition, is a girl of many colours. But she can only see her overall beauty if she can see all the colors of herself. To do that she has to look deep inside herself, she will find...love and beauty” (Lecture notes: 107 13 Shange).
References: Lecture notes. Eng107 13 Shange. Power Point Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series, Supplement. Ed. Frank Northen Magill. Salem Press, Inc., 1997.eNotes.com. 23 May, 2013 http://www.enotes.com/for-colored-girls-who-have-considered-suicide-when-salem/) Shange, Ntozake. For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf. Enotes.http://lion.chadwyck.co.uk.ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/searchFulltext.do?id=Z001180962&divLevel=0&queryId=../session/1369225161_4306&trailId=13E31AF21CB&area=Drama&forward=textsFT&warn=Yes&size=95Kb