Themes
Love
Doubt
Intelligence
Motifs
Horizon
Trees
God
Sun
Birds
Guitar
Theme Statements
1. Intelligence is not limited to how well you can speak a language or how many facts you can regurgitate.
2. Love can mean completely different things to a person at different times in their lives.
3. Doubtful thoughts can be catalysts or obstructions in one's life.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal # 6
Outline
I. By not revealing the exact 'thing' that brought about Annie Taylor's death, Hurston is able to build upon the concept of a death brought about by waiting.
II. Janie is confident that even without Tea Cake, she is able to financially support herself and essentially continue to make the decisions that govern the direction of her life.
III. In the latter half of the second paragraph, Janie's prayer reveals that even though she is capable of forging yet another life by herself, she would very much rather keep the one she had at that moment.
IV. In the third paragraph Tea Cake embodies the sun making him the beginning, the end and the light that brightens Janie's life.
Purpose Statement:
This selection emphasizes Janie's ability to command her life. She was fully aware that starting yet another 'life' was an option she had, compared to other women in her time period who had no such luck, while at the same time was doubtful of whether or not it would be worth the effort.
"But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back" (Hurston 120)
This is probably one of the most critical lines in the passage. Janie doesn't see anything in her future without Tea Cake at her side. If that isn't character development then I don't know what is.
Comments:
To Kevin:
I like your third topic sentence, mainly because mine was relatively similar. Tea Cake does seem to be the bright and relaxed one of the two.
I do have a question about your second topic sentence though, how did you come to the conclusion that Janie dismissed her fears? I would have expected the third paragraph to not have ended with her on the floor. Perhaps you meant that it was an attempt? The relation you made between Janie and Annie's lives was nicely worded though.
Nicely done!
To Carmella:
I agree with your thesis entirely. I can relate with it after all.
I really like your fourth topic sentence, as Janie did progress through several stages before finally ending up on the floor with her head on the rocking chair. Broken down I'd say.
To Corinne:
Wow. I have to say that all of your analysis' are very well written!
The way you linked Janie's physical body to what she was thinking was an excellent connection I didn't think much of. Your second topic sentence was interesting as well. Hope and loss being experienced at the same time... strange concept but it works the way you describe it.
I. By not revealing the exact 'thing' that brought about Annie Taylor's death, Hurston is able to build upon the concept of a death brought about by waiting.
II. Janie is confident that even without Tea Cake, she is able to financially support herself and essentially continue to make the decisions that govern the direction of her life.
III. In the latter half of the second paragraph, Janie's prayer reveals that even though she is capable of forging yet another life by herself, she would very much rather keep the one she had at that moment.
IV. In the third paragraph Tea Cake embodies the sun making him the beginning, the end and the light that brightens Janie's life.
Purpose Statement:
This selection emphasizes Janie's ability to command her life. She was fully aware that starting yet another 'life' was an option she had, compared to other women in her time period who had no such luck, while at the same time was doubtful of whether or not it would be worth the effort.
"But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back" (Hurston 120)
This is probably one of the most critical lines in the passage. Janie doesn't see anything in her future without Tea Cake at her side. If that isn't character development then I don't know what is.
Comments:
To Kevin:
I like your third topic sentence, mainly because mine was relatively similar. Tea Cake does seem to be the bright and relaxed one of the two.
I do have a question about your second topic sentence though, how did you come to the conclusion that Janie dismissed her fears? I would have expected the third paragraph to not have ended with her on the floor. Perhaps you meant that it was an attempt? The relation you made between Janie and Annie's lives was nicely worded though.
Nicely done!
To Carmella:
I agree with your thesis entirely. I can relate with it after all.
I really like your fourth topic sentence, as Janie did progress through several stages before finally ending up on the floor with her head on the rocking chair. Broken down I'd say.
To Corinne:
Wow. I have to say that all of your analysis' are very well written!
The way you linked Janie's physical body to what she was thinking was an excellent connection I didn't think much of. Your second topic sentence was interesting as well. Hope and loss being experienced at the same time... strange concept but it works the way you describe it.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal # 5
Notes:
1. First sentence has assonance of the letter 'e'
2. Narrator seems a little informal. "She had waited all her life or something" even a little unsure.
3. Janie has money and controls that money herself. Interesting
4. Sudden switch from 3rd person to 1st person.
5. Mentions 'waiting' a few times
6. Personification of the sun
7. Tea Cake is Janie's motivation
Point of View:
3rd and 1st Mix
Characters:
Janie: worrying about Tea Cake
Tea Cake: not there
Annie Tyler: dead person
Passage:
Janie's begging of God makes me thing: Oh man is she worried. After all, she was thinking about someone who died due to the bad outcome of the situation Janie finds herself in. Scary almost. Tone wise, narrator seems a little bit unsure. The word 'something' implying a lack of or withholding of knowledge.
Analysis:
When I read about Janie beggin' the Lawd to have mersay, I can't help but imagine her actually speaking those words out loud, arms raised to the sky. Like a preacher of sorts. Dialect is key in letting me develop that scene in my head.
I think the switch from formal-informal-formal says something about what Janie is feeling too. One minute, she's just thinking things through. Then she goes all 'help me!', I'm broken down, then she goes formal again. Done begging, now I'm going to silently worry.
Reason for Passage:
Janie cares about Tea Cake. Genuinely. I don't think she grieved this hard when Jody died! I think the fact that she works up just because he might be in trouble is proof of her devotion to him.
1. First sentence has assonance of the letter 'e'
2. Narrator seems a little informal. "She had waited all her life or something" even a little unsure.
3. Janie has money and controls that money herself. Interesting
4. Sudden switch from 3rd person to 1st person.
5. Mentions 'waiting' a few times
6. Personification of the sun
7. Tea Cake is Janie's motivation
Point of View:
3rd and 1st Mix
Characters:
Janie: worrying about Tea Cake
Tea Cake: not there
Annie Tyler: dead person
Passage:
Janie's begging of God makes me thing: Oh man is she worried. After all, she was thinking about someone who died due to the bad outcome of the situation Janie finds herself in. Scary almost. Tone wise, narrator seems a little bit unsure. The word 'something' implying a lack of or withholding of knowledge.
Analysis:
When I read about Janie beggin' the Lawd to have mersay, I can't help but imagine her actually speaking those words out loud, arms raised to the sky. Like a preacher of sorts. Dialect is key in letting me develop that scene in my head.
I think the switch from formal-informal-formal says something about what Janie is feeling too. One minute, she's just thinking things through. Then she goes all 'help me!', I'm broken down, then she goes formal again. Done begging, now I'm going to silently worry.
Reason for Passage:
Janie cares about Tea Cake. Genuinely. I don't think she grieved this hard when Jody died! I think the fact that she works up just because he might be in trouble is proof of her devotion to him.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal #4
So the Parson began to ruminate upon Hunger. Hunger, that insatiable beast with the deafening roars who nested in the stomach. The obnoxious one who resided at the very core of every being like the pit of a peach. What reason has Hunger to torment us, and what choice do we have but to submit? He sleeps silently in his open-ended chamber. Sleeping peacefully and passively all day with an ear raised, waiting for the mind to awaken him. Continually sleeping there from the very moment a new life begins. It could expect the tosses and turns of the awakening beast at any moment. Pitiful scavengers! They shouldn't have indulged the will of their monsters so rapidly. He commanded his right-wing avian to advise otherwise, but those scavengers disagreed. These birds perched patiently if they saw their meal was alive, but the fools didn't figure much more dangers past that. They'd be probably just fine right after they shut up the screams for attention within. They weren't gonna get sick. That was what he concluded. But his messenger saw it differently, so he understood. If they hadn't, the next dawn he was sure to know, because more of their kin would begin to flock in the trees above the world of those bound to the land. Kin who would not dare fly by in the past swooped down and stayed a distance away. Just perched on the trees and observed. Fear, that unmistakable cold, had penetrated their feathers.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal #3
The first thing I did when looking at Joe Starks was look up the meaning of his name.
Joe: He will enlarge
Starks: Strong
Right off the bat I can tell Hurston did not choose this name by mistake. Joe was responsible for the expansion of Eatonville. I will mention that the word 'stark' also means bare, but I chose the German name meaning since the funny thing is that he has very little to be strong with! Bare handed success.
At first, Joe was Janie's ticket out of the ruins of her dreams. A chance to start over with better circumstances. As time went on, he became a ball and chain that weighed her down and suppressed her personality. On a side note, in Asian countries the practice of binding trees from a young age as to force them to grow in abnormal, artistic forms is quite popular. If Janie was a tree, then Joe was forcing her to grow in what he felt was appropriate instead of letting her grow strong and tall.
I also looked into the point where the narrator began to refer to Joe as 'Jody'. It was very close to the final pages where he was alive. Apparently Jody is the feminine nickname for Joe, which comes from the name Joseph. Oh look, Joseph was in the Bible! You know what he became? The most powerful man in Egypt other than the Pharaoh himself. How convenient, a mayor is a position of power too is it not?
Hurston definitely chose each name in this story with care. The amount of connections that can be made has passed the level of 'coincidence'.
Joe: He will enlarge
Starks: Strong
Right off the bat I can tell Hurston did not choose this name by mistake. Joe was responsible for the expansion of Eatonville. I will mention that the word 'stark' also means bare, but I chose the German name meaning since the funny thing is that he has very little to be strong with! Bare handed success.
At first, Joe was Janie's ticket out of the ruins of her dreams. A chance to start over with better circumstances. As time went on, he became a ball and chain that weighed her down and suppressed her personality. On a side note, in Asian countries the practice of binding trees from a young age as to force them to grow in abnormal, artistic forms is quite popular. If Janie was a tree, then Joe was forcing her to grow in what he felt was appropriate instead of letting her grow strong and tall.
I also looked into the point where the narrator began to refer to Joe as 'Jody'. It was very close to the final pages where he was alive. Apparently Jody is the feminine nickname for Joe, which comes from the name Joseph. Oh look, Joseph was in the Bible! You know what he became? The most powerful man in Egypt other than the Pharaoh himself. How convenient, a mayor is a position of power too is it not?
Hurston definitely chose each name in this story with care. The amount of connections that can be made has passed the level of 'coincidence'.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal #2
This journal is based on the last and first paragraph of page 46-47
Alliteration: "She slept with authority and so she was part of the town mind." Repetition of 's'.
Analysis: I relate the word 'authority' to almost 'royalty'. And then I think of kings and queens sitting in their thrones all rigid and blank faced. The repetitive 's' sound makes me think about how repetitive Janie's life is, being forced to sit or stand quietly.
Motif: "They murmured hotly about slavery being over, but every man filled his assignment."
Analysis: Like I mentioned in my last journal, nameless people pop up all over the book. I think it's quite interesting workers specifically popped up again. Also the word 'slavery' really makes me wonder. I thought about that relationship between the bossman and sitters earlier as possibly being slavery, but dismissed it at the time.
Foil: Joe Starks
Analysis: The second paragraph in my selection describes Joe as not being "imposing" or "a fist fighter". Although I think one of the most important things Hurston included was "Neither was it because he was more literate than the rest." When it comes to dialect, Joe sounds like just about every single other african american in the book. Yet why was it mentioned that he was more literate? While Jody is pretty much just the same as everyone else, he isn't part of that unnamed mass of people. He stands out and commands that mass.
Mood: Inspiring
Tone: Reflective
Purpose:
I think this section was a little bit of time for Janie to organize her thoughts and the difference between her and Joe. While she is not quite as involved in the community of Eatonville, Joe is. More importantly though, is what Hurston chose to say about Jody. Going back to our discussion about dialect and literacy, I think the point Hurston was attempting to drive followed along the lines of: "You don't need to speak perfect English to use it effectively."
Look at Jody! Not intimidating, not violent, speaks just like everyone else and ends up being the Mayor! Perhaps Hurston was also trying to show that personality is just as important as brains.
Alliteration: "She slept with authority and so she was part of the town mind." Repetition of 's'.
Analysis: I relate the word 'authority' to almost 'royalty'. And then I think of kings and queens sitting in their thrones all rigid and blank faced. The repetitive 's' sound makes me think about how repetitive Janie's life is, being forced to sit or stand quietly.
Motif: "They murmured hotly about slavery being over, but every man filled his assignment."
Analysis: Like I mentioned in my last journal, nameless people pop up all over the book. I think it's quite interesting workers specifically popped up again. Also the word 'slavery' really makes me wonder. I thought about that relationship between the bossman and sitters earlier as possibly being slavery, but dismissed it at the time.
Foil: Joe Starks
Analysis: The second paragraph in my selection describes Joe as not being "imposing" or "a fist fighter". Although I think one of the most important things Hurston included was "Neither was it because he was more literate than the rest." When it comes to dialect, Joe sounds like just about every single other african american in the book. Yet why was it mentioned that he was more literate? While Jody is pretty much just the same as everyone else, he isn't part of that unnamed mass of people. He stands out and commands that mass.
Mood: Inspiring
Tone: Reflective
Purpose:
I think this section was a little bit of time for Janie to organize her thoughts and the difference between her and Joe. While she is not quite as involved in the community of Eatonville, Joe is. More importantly though, is what Hurston chose to say about Jody. Going back to our discussion about dialect and literacy, I think the point Hurston was attempting to drive followed along the lines of: "You don't need to speak perfect English to use it effectively."
Look at Jody! Not intimidating, not violent, speaks just like everyone else and ends up being the Mayor! Perhaps Hurston was also trying to show that personality is just as important as brains.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal #1
I have to say, I really like this book. The dialect is fun to work with and the topic of this entry, figurative language, is really nice to think about.
First "Point"
I think the sitters were workers, my reasoning stemming from "Mules and brutes had occupied their skins" (Hurston 1) relating the sitters to beasts of burden. Further reinforcing my belief that those individuals were workers, is the meaning I can derive from the sentence directly proceeding the one I just mentioned. Being "tongueless, earless, eyeless" (1) can be seen as meaning that laborers do not need to say, hear or see anything unrelated to their tasks. Now that they are off work, evidenced by "the sun and the bossman were gone" (1), they become "lords of sounds and lesser things" (1) and free to speak their mind. I think this is an excellent way to categorize the many unnamed people who make judgments about Janie throughout the novel.
I wonder why Hurston chose to make these sitters/workers only 'masters' of "sounds and lesser things". Lesser things being the more peculiar of the two. Why can't they be masters of more than that? Does this have to do with a sense of low social status? Also, why use such gruesome imagery when the words 'mute, deaf and blind' would work?
Second "Point"
One of my favorite instances of figurative language is used to describe the thought process of the sitters directly before they begin chattering about Janie. Thoughts in the back of one's mind are generally there to be ignored right? You probably wouldn't want to go around telling the world about what's back there either. But at that moment in the story, those people "chewed up the back parts of their minds and swallowed with relish" (2) Well for one, thank goodness this wasn't literal. I'd puke. I see the concept of "chewing" in this context to possibly mean 'enjoy' or 'think about'. It was mentioned that "envy they stored up from other times" was the thing in the far recess of their minds. Probably should have mentioned that first, but it evokes a 'evil' sort of personality for those sitters.
Now then, why write an entire paragraph when it would be simple enough to say that those people were harboring ill thoughts and made voice of them? This is quite similar to what I ask myself when confronted with figurative language anytime in this story: "Why go the the trouble?". My belief is that perhaps Hurston is trying to turn us (readers) against those people in the background right from the start. They're apparently 'evil' after all. Also worth mentioning, is why does the author use "from other times" when we haven't actually seen those "other times" yet? That's a question about the story chronology though, and I won't go too much into that crazy deep topic. Finally, why does Hurston have a fascination with using grisly imagery to describe things? Style? Or are all those 'gross' moments supposed to be a motif of sorts?
Third "Point"
"Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman." (Hurston 25)
I thought this single sentence was powerful enough to deserve a line of its own, and italics for that matter! The death of Janie's dream (nice personification) refers to the way she saw love. The sentence directly preceding this even says "She knew now that marriage did not make love." (25). On to the second half of the sentence, "so she became a woman" obviously cannot be taken literally. Unless for some reason the author decided Janie was actually a man and... forget it, let's not go there because I think I've made my point. This takes some serious thought. Culturally, the transition between childhood and manhood/womanhood is an incredibly important ritual: also known as 'coming of age' (which happens to be used quite often in stories). I think this is what Hurston was going for. However, the only way to fully appreciate this line is by referring back to the second paragraph of the first chapter. "Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." Oh the connections I could make with this... In a nutshell, Hurston is a genius. On a more serious note, Hurston marked a momentous change in Janie. What that is? It's up for interpretation beyond the 'oh she grew up' idea.
Why did Hurston add 'first' to the sentence? It would come across as being much more despairing without that one word, giving the idea of it being her only dream. At the same time, the word 'first' is ominous. Does this mean she will have more dreams and that those will be destroyed as well? Now that I think about it, maybe the inclusion of 'first' was a good call. The idea of being crushed over and over is rather depressing. Finally, since Janie's dream is gone, does that mean that her "truth" is gone and therefore she has lost her ability to "act and do things accordingly" e.g she is without a path in life?
Yikes, this book is amazing.
First "Point"
I think the sitters were workers, my reasoning stemming from "Mules and brutes had occupied their skins" (Hurston 1) relating the sitters to beasts of burden. Further reinforcing my belief that those individuals were workers, is the meaning I can derive from the sentence directly proceeding the one I just mentioned. Being "tongueless, earless, eyeless" (1) can be seen as meaning that laborers do not need to say, hear or see anything unrelated to their tasks. Now that they are off work, evidenced by "the sun and the bossman were gone" (1), they become "lords of sounds and lesser things" (1) and free to speak their mind. I think this is an excellent way to categorize the many unnamed people who make judgments about Janie throughout the novel.
I wonder why Hurston chose to make these sitters/workers only 'masters' of "sounds and lesser things". Lesser things being the more peculiar of the two. Why can't they be masters of more than that? Does this have to do with a sense of low social status? Also, why use such gruesome imagery when the words 'mute, deaf and blind' would work?
Second "Point"
One of my favorite instances of figurative language is used to describe the thought process of the sitters directly before they begin chattering about Janie. Thoughts in the back of one's mind are generally there to be ignored right? You probably wouldn't want to go around telling the world about what's back there either. But at that moment in the story, those people "chewed up the back parts of their minds and swallowed with relish" (2) Well for one, thank goodness this wasn't literal. I'd puke. I see the concept of "chewing" in this context to possibly mean 'enjoy' or 'think about'. It was mentioned that "envy they stored up from other times" was the thing in the far recess of their minds. Probably should have mentioned that first, but it evokes a 'evil' sort of personality for those sitters.
Now then, why write an entire paragraph when it would be simple enough to say that those people were harboring ill thoughts and made voice of them? This is quite similar to what I ask myself when confronted with figurative language anytime in this story: "Why go the the trouble?". My belief is that perhaps Hurston is trying to turn us (readers) against those people in the background right from the start. They're apparently 'evil' after all. Also worth mentioning, is why does the author use "from other times" when we haven't actually seen those "other times" yet? That's a question about the story chronology though, and I won't go too much into that crazy deep topic. Finally, why does Hurston have a fascination with using grisly imagery to describe things? Style? Or are all those 'gross' moments supposed to be a motif of sorts?
Third "Point"
"Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman." (Hurston 25)
I thought this single sentence was powerful enough to deserve a line of its own, and italics for that matter! The death of Janie's dream (nice personification) refers to the way she saw love. The sentence directly preceding this even says "She knew now that marriage did not make love." (25). On to the second half of the sentence, "so she became a woman" obviously cannot be taken literally. Unless for some reason the author decided Janie was actually a man and... forget it, let's not go there because I think I've made my point. This takes some serious thought. Culturally, the transition between childhood and manhood/womanhood is an incredibly important ritual: also known as 'coming of age' (which happens to be used quite often in stories). I think this is what Hurston was going for. However, the only way to fully appreciate this line is by referring back to the second paragraph of the first chapter. "Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." Oh the connections I could make with this... In a nutshell, Hurston is a genius. On a more serious note, Hurston marked a momentous change in Janie. What that is? It's up for interpretation beyond the 'oh she grew up' idea.
Why did Hurston add 'first' to the sentence? It would come across as being much more despairing without that one word, giving the idea of it being her only dream. At the same time, the word 'first' is ominous. Does this mean she will have more dreams and that those will be destroyed as well? Now that I think about it, maybe the inclusion of 'first' was a good call. The idea of being crushed over and over is rather depressing. Finally, since Janie's dream is gone, does that mean that her "truth" is gone and therefore she has lost her ability to "act and do things accordingly" e.g she is without a path in life?
Yikes, this book is amazing.
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