Juniors embark on epic quest to Marcus for unique viewing of ‘Color Purple’

With the second semester underway, juniors are settling into their classes and buckling up for a busy spring season. To supplement their English units and bring a little light to the dreary winter months, English teachers Trent Scott and William Brydon took their English 3 Honors students to the movie theater for a viewing of The Color Purple (2023).

The movie follows Celie’s life journey as she bears the burdens from her abusive father, followed by an abusive husband. Perhaps the greatest agony for the young woman was being forcefully separated from her two infants, as well as her younger sister. For much of the movie, she didn’t know whether the three she loved so dearly were dead or alive. 

The storyline is a familiar one, as Alice Walker’s original novel and later Steven Spielbeg’s 1985 cinematic adaptation have been woven into the country’s artistic DNA for decades. The course has paired the film with Their Eyes Were Watching God by  Zora Neale Hurston for over a decade. While the original solely relied on dialogue to portray emotion and carry the story, the new musical includes jazz, gospel, and blues to shed light on new perspectives. Additionally, the music invokes deeper connection with viewers, as it tugs melodic heartstrings. 

While the old film remains relevant and impactful, Brydon found great value in introducing the new addition to students, as the unit includes natural focus points on signification and revision of the narratives of the past.

“It’s a great supplement to the unit on Their Eyes Were Watching God because Hurston is revising the authors that came before her and adding onto it in her own unique way; Alice Walker does the same with The Color Purple, and what’s cool about the movie is that it’s a revision of the original Broadway musical, which is a revision of the text, so you get to see all this massive revision,” he said. “This shows how art is never created in a singular vacuum, it all speaks to one another. When you can hear all the voices speaking, it just adds another layer to the experience.”

Junior Lyla Wesenberg agrees and felt the characters were able to emphasize emotion through songs in times words couldn’t suffice.

“I think it gave an extra voice to a lot of the characters. Most of the music was very important to what they were saying,” she said.

In addition, junior Allison Borgmann felt the music took her on a journey in the depths of the character's minds.

“The music can definitely be captivating for certain audiences, and serves as a pull factor,” she said. “It also helped show an inner monologue that they wouldn’t ever say straight out to other characters.”

While a brief bus ride and theater experience accounted for an additional cost to view the film, Brydon felt stepping out of the classroom was an enriching opportunity they couldn’t refuse. 

“If you can do something that’s more experiential, I think the learning sticks a lot more,” he said. “Music in the new rendition adds an emotional depth that you sometimes can’t get straight up with literature, or even a film version absent of music.”

Borgmann argues that the remake embodies modern values through the tiny tweaks, while still taking audiences on an accurate journey through time.

“It shows the development of culture,” she said. “While it’s still important to see the old one, I think it’s equally important to see how society has changed and how there have been a few modern twists in the new one. I also think that the theater viewing experience was really powerful.”

Racial and feminist issues still prevail in current society. Bringing these themes back to the big screen with a story that has held influence for over 30 years reminds the world that equity continues to fall short.

“The modern one implies the idea that those issues concerning race and gender are still very present,” Wesenberg said. 

Brydon emphasizes the importance of providing students with a variety of diverse voices in literature.

“The Color Purple provides an authentic voice to the African American community in a way that usually isn’t accessible,” he said. 

Brydon especially appreciates The Color Purple for defying expectations in terms of representation.

“What The Color Purple specifically does is entirely engage with the community in terms of their vernacular, and it’s reflected in their language, in the clothing, in the dance, and in the music. It’s all very authentic, which we need more of these days,” he said.

Brydon emphasizes the importance of giving voice to the voiceless. In teaching both level one and three of Global Academy, he recognizes the importance of breaking boundaries and familiarizing oneself outside of their culture and comfort zone.

“Learning about diverse cultures is increasingly important these days, because it’s so tempting to get stuck in one’s own myopic world in which one seeks out echo chambers that reverberate what they already think,” he said. “We need to actively seek out other voices, even when we don’t necessarily agree with them. Not engaging with one another and seeking isolation rather than empathy is a real problem that I’m concerned with, which is why I love these kinds of movies and texts.” 

making minorities feel seen, English 3 Honors is a vigorous course that prepares students for future academic adventure. Semester two summative assignments are very free form, as students must complete one speech, essay, and project per semester. However, they have lots of room to roam when it comes to generating an argument. 

“I’m going to focus on how men push women down to maintain power,” junior Sofia Crowley said. “My summative is going to focus on how the patriarchy damns everybody.” 

Crowley will use both the unit text and The Color Purple to execute the assignment, by examining the relationship between fear versus respect.

“I loved the song ‘Hell No!’ and was interested in the idea of having to physically hurt someone to have power,” she said.

As a whole, students left the film with a newfound empowerment and motivation to use the summative assignment to generate captivating ideals worthy of discussion. Allison Augustine was appreciative of the moving experience. 

“It was very powerful, as Celie constantly persevered throughout the movie. She got out of bad situations and bettered herself,” she said. “It connects to society today and encourages others to find their voice.”

by Jazmine Blustin and Ciera Striley

Published Febuary 26 2024

Oshkosh West Index volume 120 issue V