Journal #10

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses heavily symbolic language and invokes images of slavery to put forward the idea that mankind possesses the natural tendency to assert themselves over those they perceive as inferior.

Quotes:

“Long before the year was up, Janie noticed that her husband had stopped talking in rhymes to her. He had ceased to wonder at her long black hair and finger it. Six months back he had told her, “If ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh toke it inside…” (pg 26)

1.      1. Metaphor
            2. Dialect

        

“If dat wuz mah wife,” said Walter Thomas “Ah’d kill her cemetery dead.”

“More special l after Ah done bought her everything mah wages kin stand, lak Tony do,” Coer said. “In de fust place Ah never would spend on no woman whut Tony spend on her.” (pg. 74-75)

1.       Dialect

“Sometimes God gets familiar with us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised He was ‘bout y’all turning out so smart after Him makin’ yuh different; and how half as much ‘bout us as you think you do. It’s so easy to make yo’-self out God Almighty when you ain’t got nothin’ tuh strain against but women and chickens.”

“You getting’ too moufy, Janie,” Starks told her. “Go fetch me a checker-board and de checkers. Sam Watson, you’se mah fish.” (pg. 75)

1. Dialect

“Uh woman by herself is uh pitiful thing,” she was told over and over again. “Dey needs aid and assistance. God never mean’t ‘em tuh try tuh stand by theirselves. You ain’t used tuh knockin’ round and doin’ fuh yo’self, Mis’ Starks. You been well taken keer of, you needs a man.” (pg. 90)

1. Dialect

“Naw, Jody, it wasn’t because Ah didn’t have no sympathy. Ah had uh lavish uh dat. Ah just didn’t never git no chance tuh use none of it. You wouldn’t let me!” (pg. 85)

1.       Dialect

Journal #9

                An intense fear suddenly passed through Billy’s mind. It twisted and grew, quickly becoming something that even he could not ignore. Suddenly the boat became like a teetering toothpick, and the water around him like two black jaws ready to swallow him up at a moment’s notice. The coldness that Billy had felt before began to creep up on him once more. Billy tried not to look at the freezing water, colder than ice, but could not pull his gaze away from the specter of death. Now, death had been following his boat for quite a while now. It had skimmed along the surface, never out of sight but always ready to peek its head when Billy was at his weakest. He did not fear death, he realized, but the troubles it brought were more than he could bear.

I used Hurston’s views on death to create my pastiche, as well as a protagonist, antagonist and an intense atmosphere, which Hurston does well in creating.

Journal #8: In before 4:00!

There is an example of an hyperbole on page 79, near the bottom. Lige Moss says "Ah rather be shot with tacks than tuh hear dat 'bout mahslef,". Hurston uses this to highlight the situation and how others feel about it.

While heavily styalized dialogue appears throughout the whole book, a great sample of it appears on page 111. Hurston uses this to emphasize location and its impact on how the story plays out.

On page 112, we see Janie's confidant, Pheoby, once more. Hurston uses a confidant in this story to provide the reader with events through a relatively flat character who serves as a medium between them and the character.

Journal #7: Pastiche

Finally Billy began to wonder about Fear.  Fear, that terrifying deity with bony, claw-like fingers and a terrifying beaked face that lived somewhere in the dark recesses of man’s mind. The scary and yet fascinating one who was always about, gnawing at any pre-established notions of security. What need had Fear to hide itself, when no man could stand against its chilling power? It floats above the world, bringing worry and guilt to all that walk under it. It was there all the time, in its might, waiting for more to fall once again under its influence. It had been waiting for them for a while, even before they had known that it was completely there. Billy and his friends were likely to find themselves lost to its icy grip one of these days. He was worried about it too. Pity them all! They shouldn’t have wandered off by themselves. He had contacted them, pleaded with them to reconsider, but they had denied his offer to meet up again and again. Their maps were fairly accurate, even if they weren’t perfect. They would find the way back home as long their instructions pointed them in the general direction of civilization. They definitely weren’t going to die. That was what they thought. But Billy’s gut told him differently, and he knew that they had no chance at all. He would know if he was correct soon enough, he figured, for the signs had already started to appear above him. The buzzards, now circling hungrily overhead, had dared to approach him. Circling over him, again and again, waiting. Hopelessness, that vanquishing sword, had finally overshadowed Billy.

I tried to mimic Hurston's style and format while changing the content of the passage.

Symbolism

Power – The power death has can be related to the kind of power man has over woman. The way death has his sword drawn back, waiting to strike, could be symbolic of how Janie perceives marriage – as ticking time bombs that will eventually go off and turn abusive. This image also brings the reader back to the previous chapter, when Joe Starks hits Janie for the first time.

Feathers (and birds) – While the feathers in this passage are hinting at the swift arrival of Joe Stark’s death, they also shed some light on the fears possessed by Janie. Relating the arrival of death to the worsening condition of her marriage, this line could be referencing Janie’s inevitable destruction should their relationship continue on.

The Wind – This is probably referencing Janie, and her inability to act out what she really thinks.

Motifs

-The motif of trees is shown again, most likely symbolic of Janie’s life. In other words, the people are gathering around here life to pick it apart when Joe Starks dies. Furthermore, Hurston’s previous mention of birds and feathers helps the reader stir up thoughts of vultures later in the passage.

-The motif of watching is seen once again in this passage, which brings the reader’s thoughts back to the title.

edit: I commented on three blogs, but I can't quite remember whos they were.

Journal #5 - Thesis Statement

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston uses heavily symbolic language to highlight the imbalance of power that exists between men and women. In doing this, she reminds the reader of the similarities between Janie’s story and the historic plight of the African American people, as well as their suppression by whites and the inequality and injustice that followed them well into the 20^th century.

A Motif

Zora Neale Hurston brings up the motif of love several times in her writing. Specifically, the reader is made to think about the complications that Janie’s attempts at love bring. The reader quickly realizes that she never truly loved her husbands. At this point of the novel, we can clearly see that Janie has had a loveless marriage with the two she has been with thus far. The motif has been seen several times up to this point, and will be used a few more by the end of the book.

Exchange: Extreme Harlem and Wallace Thurman

Wallace Thurman: Hello sir, I was wondering if I could get any work here as a ghost writer.

Person #2: Hehlluh, weh just mihght beh ahbleh tuh hehlp yuh uht. Hahveh yuh wuhked ahs ah ghuhst wrihtehr behfu?

Thurman: Yeah, I’ve actually done several jobs as one before. I’ve written a novel under my own name, as well.

Person #2: Greht! Yuh areh juhst theh typeh uhf pehrson weh’reh luhkihn fuh!

Thurman: That’s great news. When can I start working?

Person #2: Ihn tihm, ihn tihm. Fuhrst weh hahveh tuh geht duhwn yuhu pehrsuhnahl infuhrmahtiuhn.

Thurman: Okay, simple enough.

Person #2: Heh, Ih thihnk knuhw yuhu! Arehn’t yuh the guy whuh wruhte that “Blahckehr Behrriehs” buhk?

Thurman: It’s actually called The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life, and yes I am.

Person #2:  Ahw, snahp! Thah ihs mah muhthehs fahvuhrite buhk!

Thurman: Well, I’m glad she liked it. Sign here?

Person #2: Yehs, yehs. Ih lihked yuh buhk, ahs wehll. Tahnks, wehll cuhntahct yuh ahs suhn ahs weh cehn geht yuh ahn ahsihnmehnt.

Thurman: Thanks, I look forward to it.

Person #2: Guhd dahy tuh yuh, sih.

Imaginary Dialect: Extreme Harlem

“Extreme Harlem”

Example: “Moh nahehm ehs Jahmehs, seh? Hahnd meh dat Bahsebull baht.”

Rules:

1.         "A” to “AH”

2.       “E” to “EH”

3.       “I” to “IH”

4.       “O” to “UH”

5.       Spoken in a deep tone

6.       Spoken slowly

7.       Slurs complicated words together

8.       Drop the letter “R” when it comes at the end of a word.

9.       If a “U” is at the end of a word, it is silent.

Harlem Renaissance Figure: Wallace Thurman

Wallace Thurman was born on August 16^th, 1902 and lived through the influential cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. After moving to Harlem, he found work as a writer and became well known for his novel The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life. His novel, which dealt with themes of discrimination against African Americans, added to the massive literary movement that was taking place at the time. Wallace Thurman later died in New York at the age of 32 from complications with tuberculosis.

Post #2: (Page 2)

The second page of Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, provides some strong insight into future events in the story. Connecting details from later in the book to the beginning, Hurston once again brings a feeling of circularity to her writing. The method she used to accomplish this, through the comments and observations made bt the Watchers, proves to be brilliant, succeeding in hiding much of its meaning until the reader has completed reading that part of the book themselves.

The intense gossip about the passing woman that the Watchers exchange between each other reveals much about the direction of the plot. Using a heavily stylized representation of the African American dialect in the earlier part of the 20^th century, Hurston foreshadows a great deal of things that happen in the novel.  The technique could have proved invaluable when hooking the first-time readers, as the comments made by the Watchers keep just enough information away to keep them interested.

The imagery used to describe the passing women also give us a clue about her state among the community. Comparing certain parts of her body to fruit, Hurston creates a sense of desire from the Watchers. Not necessarily in a sexual manner, but in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, the once dignified lady have finally sunken down to the level of the common person.

The fact the they pass judgment on her as she walks through town continues the motif og watching and judging first started on the first page. Once again, this clues the reader in and helps point them in the right direction when the same motif pops up again later in the story. 

Post #1

                If I had to share my life story with someone, I would definitely share it with someone I know. Sharing personal details with a complete stranger can sometimes be hard, strained even. With close friends, however, your recounting of past events is likely to come to you at a faster pace. And so, I would share it with a close friend or family, perhaps.

                As for deciding where to start in describing my story, I would have to start it from the end before pulling it back to the beginning. Zora Neale Hurston did a great job with this in her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. By stating where the character was and describing briefly how she had gotten there, she gave the readers a definite sense of direction in the plot and even gave a few hints on how the story would play out. In setting up my story, I would seek to do the same.