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Toni Morrison’s essay, “Recitatif” is about two girls, Twyla and Roberta, who grow up in an orphanage because their mothers could not properly care for them. The underlying theme in “Recitatif” deals with racism. An interesting twist is the mystery of the girls’ race. Leaving clues, but never stating whether Twyla or Roberta was black or white, Morrison makes it clear that the girls come from different ethnic backgrounds. At one point in the essay Twyla comments, “that we looked like salt and pepper.” Due to the fact that the story is told in the first person, it seems natural for the reader to associate Twyla with himself/herself. “Recitatif” proves to be a noteworthy experiment, “toying” with the reader’s emotions and effectively noting stereotypical races and their c