Pride in Blackness

      In the short story “Sweetness” by Toni Morrison, the tenth paragraph within the text examines Sweetness’s perspective of the last two times she saw her daughter, Lula Ann. Throughout this paragraph, we can see that the expression of blackness is hampered and oppressed not by what exists on the inside or where someone originates, but what and how people view the physical appearance on the outside. Only pride and being one’s self can move blackness forward in the future, and many imperfections on how people perceive blackness still exist even with this pride. In the tenth paragraph, Sweetness describes her daughter’s striking beauty, confidence, and white clothing. All of these have a connection with how poorly Sweetness treated Lula Ann, show Lula Ann’s resilience, and help the reader understand the importance of having pride in yourself.