# data[].attributes.headline
Lucia Olaverry- "FOREVER YOUNG:  AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH NEVER GROWING OLD"

# data[].attributes.subject
Lucia Olaverry- "FOREVER YOUNG:  AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH NEVER GROWING OLD"

# data[].attributes.body
The connection between "the Bluest Eye" and "FOREVER YOUNG: AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH NEVER GROWING OLD" is the ideas of beauty. Both revolve around harmful beauty standards and they show how it can damage our society. In the article, it talks about how for a few years now, there's and obsession with wanting to remain young or at least remain looking young. How people even get plastic surgery to achieve the youthful look. While in the novel, the bluest eye, it displays the negative effects the eurosentric beauty standards have on people and shows that it brew into a form of inner hatred. Both surrounding how an unrealistic form of beauty could be destructive.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sabiana Lamour - “ FOREVER YOUNG : AMERICA’S OBSESSION WITH NEVER GROWING OLD”

# data[].attributes.subject
Sabiana Lamour - “ FOREVER YOUNG : AMERICA’S OBSESSION WITH NEVER GROWING OLD”

# data[].attributes.body
The connection between the theme of “The Bluest Eye” and the article “FOREVER YOUNG: AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH NEVER GROWING OLD” is that they both talk about beauty standards in society. In the novel their beauty standards were white skin and blue eyes. Everyone viewed that as beautiful. One of the characters in the book Pecola who also believed those standards, hated how she looked. She wanted to fit what people believed was perfect and had no self love. In the article it talked about how their society youth was thought to be beautiful. In the article it states, “Ads and social media portray youth as sexy, attractive, cool, and oh-so-connected.” This shows that the media was trying to engrave into people’s minds that youth was everything, just like how they made everyone believe white skin and blue eyes was the most beautiful thing in “The Bluest Eye.”

# data[].attributes.headline
Kamille Lewis - "FOREVER YOUNG: AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH NEVER GROWING OLD"

# data[].attributes.subject
Kamille Lewis - "FOREVER YOUNG: AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH NEVER GROWING OLD"

# data[].attributes.body
The connection between themes in "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison and "Forever Young: America's Obsession with Never Growing Old" by Dale Archer are that both themes relate to societal standards on beauty. Both texts express the theme that society can change a way a person perceives them self. In the novel "The Bluest Eye", society made the family feel ugly and not preferred because of their looks, and their race. For instance, the narrator in the novel explains how "all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured" (20). Here, the narrator explained that society only wanted children to have a certain kind of toy that looked a certain way. This same standard applied in real life with real people, and because the narrator and her family had 'undesirable' features that were consistent with black people; society had deemed them as ugly and not treasured. In addition to this, the article "Forever Young: America's Obsession with Never Growing Old", the author explained how society had also deemed what was preferred by the public, which made people in real life think differently about themselves. The author described how "Ads and social media portray youth as sexy, attractive, cool, and oh-so-connected" (8). Here, the author described how beauty was defined by what the world said it was; society said that beauty was youth. Because of this, people began to alter their own appearances to fit into society's standards. This all shows the connection between themes in "The Bluest Eye" and "Forever Young: America's Obsession with Never Growing Old" - the texts describe how society can change the way a person sees them self in terms of their beauty.

# data[].attributes.body
Both the book and the article “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafaka connect in several ways as they continuously demonstrate through each piece how the true reality of each character differs dramatically from their wants or dreams in life. For example Pecola, who compares herself to society's views of beauty, starts to gain a self hatred for herself and wants things in life that seem very unrealistic such as blue eyes, and pink flesh tone skin. Morrison explains how “A high yellow dream child with long brown hair...that hung down her back.She was rich...the quality of her clothes threatened to derange Freida and me...When teachers called on her, they smiled encouragingly. Black boys didn't trip her in the halls; white boys didn’t stop her..”(pg 62). This shows how Pecola dreams of wanting to live like this differ from her life because in reality she had to face society's ignorance and their strong dislike for people of color, which puts her at a disadvantage during that time. Which relates to the article because the main character Gregor Samsa, as well as with Pecola uses depicted images of beauty that is displayed in different outlets as an aspiration and is constantly having a self hatred for their current situation instead of making light of their current situation. In the article “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafaka , he constantly explains how “above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur hat covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer.” (para 2). This shows how Gregor used society's views of beauty to become his aspirations in life and how it differs dramatically from his life because in reality he was very sad and disliked his job and way of living. In conclusion this explains how both sources connect because each character dreams for a better living state based on society views on beauty and with this they both have a similar self hatred for their reality.

# data[].attributes.body
The connection of the themes between the novel "The Bluest Eye" and the poem " An Obstacle" is that they both deal with self progression.  In the Novel one of the characters Pecola is faced with the obstacle of beauty. Pecola believes that she is not pretty. She thinks this because she is a black girl with brown eyes and not a white girl with blue eyes. The novel states"if those eyes of hers were different that is to say beautiful, she herself would be different". The text explains that if Pecola was to have a different eye color she would think about herself in a different way. Just like in the novel the lady in the poem experienced something similar. In the poem it was as if the lady was being held back by a man that was not even close to her. she would later focus on want she wanted and not what the man did which would let her be free. The poem states"So I spoke to him politely...Then I flew into a passion...And then I begged him on my knees... I approached that awful incubus with an absent-minded air —

and I walked directly through him, as if he wasn't there!”. This explains that once the women started focusing on herself she was able to bypass her obstacles.

# data[].attributes.body
The connection between the themes in the novel, “ The Bluest Eye” and the poem, “The Obstacle” is that both themes have to deal with the main characters helping themselves. In the poem, the theme conveyed is resilience in the face of adversity. This goes to show that in order to overcome adversity, YOU have to take action and make the necessary moves to get over your hardships. In the poem it states, “So I spoke to him politely...Then I flew into a passion...And then I begged him on my knees... I approached that awful incubus with an absent-minded air —

and I walked directly through him, as if he wasn't there!” This demonstrates how after trying time and time again,  the main character helped get over her own adversity through resilience and by making the decision to ignore the Prejudice and go on about her business. Similarly, the characters in the novel also helped themselves as well. In “The Bluest Eye” one of the themes conveyed was beauty standards. Where being white and having blue eyes was the ideal appearance, Claudia and Frieda had a thought of their own. In the novel it states, “We felt comfortable in our skins.... “ This illustrates how the two girls helped themselves and ultimately their self esteem by loving their brown skin and features despite what was deemed acceptable in terms of looks. In summation, these were the similarities that each differing theme possessed.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ronaldo Emanuel-"“Forever Young: America’s Obsession With Never Growing Old” 

# data[].attributes.subject
Ronaldo Emanuel-"“Forever Young: America’s Obsession With Never Growing Old” 

# data[].attributes.body
The connection between the article "Forever Young: America’s Obsession With Never Growing Old” by by Dale Archer and the novel "The bluest eye" by Toni Morison is that society is putting a standard on beauty and people trying their best to be up to those standard. Dale Archer's article "Forever Young: America's Obsession With Not Growing Old" uses the term "Ads and social media depict young people as sexy, youthful, cool, ... there's no bigger compliment we can tell than, 'Wow! You look so much younger!' This slogan displays the younger people everywhere you see and it's seen as the latest trend and you need to look amazing. While the novel "The Bluest eye" expresses how back in the 1900s the standards that were "“It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes…were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different”.

# data[].attributes.headline
Zahni Sylvester-Stewart - THE METAMORPHOSIS

# data[].attributes.subject
Zahni Sylvester-Stewart - THE METAMORPHOSIS

# data[].attributes.body
The connection between the article "The Metamorphosis" and "The Bluest Eye" is that both stories take place with the main character and the main character's family living in a time of low circumstances and values. In The Bluest Eye, a family known as the Breedloves are not living in the best of conditions. Their house is full of castoffs and damaged furniture that they can't afford to replace. The house is ugly and dilapidated and holds no fond memories connected to its physical parts. In the text it states, "There were no memories among those pieces. Certainly no memories to be cherished... (pg. 36)." In The Metamorphosis, a salesman named Gregor Samsa works a job that he hates dearly but continues to work in order to pay off his father's debt. Gregor works hard night and day in a job which he despises because he needs to earn money to support his poor, impoverished, dependent family. In the text it states, "once I’ve got the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him—another five or six years I suppose—that’s definitely what I’ll do... (para. 5)." This demonstrates how both stories include a family living in poor circumstances and are commoners.

# data[].attributes.headline
Mercedes Robinson- "“Forever Young: America’s Obsession With Never Growing Old”

# data[].attributes.subject
Mercedes Robinson- "“Forever Young: America’s Obsession With Never Growing Old”

# data[].attributes.body
The connection between the themes of the article "“Forever Young: America’s Obsession With Never Growing Old” by Dale Archer and the novel "The Bluest Eye"by Toni Morison is that both show that one shouldn't let society dictate the way you behave or feel towards yourself. In "“Forever Young: America’s Obsession With Never Growing Old” it shows how Americans have been forced to believe in a false standard of beauty because it is all that has been shown. For instance, in the article it states, " Virtually every public figure from politicians to actors to TV talking heads have had “work” done to their face or body, "illustrating, how we're all given a naturally, unattainable standard of beauty. Similarly, in the novel "The Bluest Eye", Pecola believes that she is ugly because "Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs—all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured." (pg.20). Again, one can see that the "perfect" image society decides to put out can negatively impact people, due to it's unattainability, for some people. In conclusion, a connection between the themes of the article "“Forever Young: America’s Obsession With Never Growing Old” and "The Bluest Eye" are the impossible expectations of beauty that society puts on its people.

# data[].attributes.body
A connection between the themes in the book "The Bluest Eye" and the and the poem "An Obstacle" is that both the main character and the speaker let an issue affect their feelings and decisions and it interfered with their happiness. In "The Bluest Eye" to Pecola blue eyes represent beauty and happiness which is why she has a strong desire for those eyes and keeps wishing for them. Pecola has always felt like she was ugly and blames that for the way her father acted. She believed that “If she looked different, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different"(3), in other words if she had blue eyes then Cholly wouldn't want to do anything bad in front of them. This is a problem that Pecola has and it is blocking her path to see the beauty in herself, she will never be happy in her own body because she is so fixated on having blue eyes which is only bringing her confidence down each time. In the poem "An Obstacle" the speaker let prejudice get in her way of continuing to move forward. She asks politely for prejudice to move and he didn't. It came to the point where she had to walk "directly through him"(47) which was her way of defeating her obstacles. However the speaker still let prejudice affect her decisions by making her stop and deal with his stubbornness which caused her to raise her temper and voice. To conclude, both these situations relate to each other because both the speaker and Pecola let something totally out of their control affect their life which will always get in the way of their happiness.