Journal #10

There will always be an imbalance in the power between men and women, because  human beings are always looking for something better, and this will require you to attempt to become better socially and economically than the people around you.
This theme will require reworking. I think it is supported by the text, but maybe a clarification of power is needed.

• "So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don't tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world..."(pg 14)
• " If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me 'bout choppin' no wood nohow." (pg 26)
• "He had always wanted to be a big voice, but de white folks had all de sayso where he come from and everywhere else, exceptin' dis place dat colored folks was buildin' theirselves...He meant to buy in big." (pg 28)
• "You ain't got no particular place. It's wherever Ah need yuh. Git uh move on yuh, and dat quick." (pg 31)
• "That irritated Hicks and he didn't know why. He was the average mortal." pg (39)
• "Everybody was coming sort of fixed up, and he didn't mean for nobody else's wife to rank with her." (pg 41)
• "There was something about Joe Starks that cowed the town" (pg 47)
• "But now, Sam, you know dat all he do is big-belly round and tell other folks what tuh do. He loves obedience out of everybody under de sound of his voice." (pg 49)
• "He gits on her ever now and then when she make little mistakes round de store. 
• Ah can't stand black niggers..."Nother thing, Ah hates tuh see folks lak me and you mixed up wid 'em. Us oughta class off" (pg 141)
• "Being able to whip her reassured him in  possession...He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss. " (pg 147)

Journal #9

It was the day before the concert, the day when she always practiced the most. Mother would complain all day, waiting and praying that she would start to play her violin, but she wouldn't. She would wait, complaining, playing, toying with the idea of beginning to practice, but she never would. Mother began to plead, "you have a concert tomorrow, and I swear, if you don't practice, I will stop your lessons immediately, and tell Martha that you don't want to play anymore." My sister would start to protest and stall, promising "mom, you know I'll do it! Just give me a chance to relax for a little while." In her mind, she had been working all day, which I supposed she had. It is hard work avoiding something that you feel is inevitable. In her mind, the hardest part of the whole play was that she had to keep coming up with new lines. Sure, some could be reused, like her insistence that a friend needed help with a project. I especially loved how the project always seemed to require instant gratification. There were other lines, some better than others. She had to read. She had to relax. She had to prepare for volleyball. And always, my mother would relent, aware that there would be another act.
The second part of this comedy relied primarily on threats. I heard mother's opening broadside: "If you do not start playing right now, you will not be able to go to your friend's house tomorrow. " My sister would begin to sob, knowing her part as the artful dodger was coming to a close. She would respond hesitantly, "mom, please let me go! I swear I'll start!" She didn't know why she didn't start. It was always a mystery to me, I recalled, and then again it wasn't. She was 12, and she was in middle school, and her friends told her things and wishes that mystified the rest of us. She was always changing her mind, and I recall thinking that she was indecisive.

The theme of my story is that you have to be able to understand your goals in life in order to make decisions, otherwise you risk allowing others' judgments and wishes to dictate how you live your life. (theme was from in class)
I used diction to indicate the theme, similar to how Hurston uses it. In the last sentence, I use the word indecisive, which is almost too blatant a clue as to the theme. I'm sure Hurston would have been a little more obscure in her use of diction, but I felt it necessary.

I also used dialogue to highlight the conflict between the two characters in the story. It brings the conflict into the open, out of the internal conflict growing within each of the characters. Hurston uses this strategy frequently, in order for the reader to be able to see that some of her internal conflicts are becoming external conflicts.

I also used connotation to emphasize the theme. I used the word "play" as a theater performance, or a facade, as well as the actual meaning in the story, to play the violin. I felt that the use would highlight how the whole situation is just acting, with one character knowing her goals, and one character not aware of her goals. Both, however, continue on with their lines, despite this critical part of the play.

Journal #8

In the beginning of chapter 12, when Tea Cake and Janie have been seeing each other for a while and the town begins to notice what is going on, Hurston uses striking diction when she says, "All those signs of possession." (pg 110) This is in reference to all the things Tea Cake has been doing for Janie, like chores around the house and taking Janie to social events.  Instead of using words like love, or commitment, or caring, she uses the word possession, which gives the sentence a very negative feeling to it. It's meaning has become judgmental, as if someone jealous of Tea Cake's position is offering a personal opinion. We know that Janie has just come out of a marriage where she was viewed as a possession, and we hope that this does not foreshadow later events in the novel.

Hurston uses dialogue to emphasize the new direction Janie's life is taking when she says, "Ah done lived Grandma's way, now Ah means tuh live mine."(pg 114) During this scene, Janie is explaining to Phoebe how she wants to live with Tea Cake because she loves him, not because she feels like she must gather material wealth and become higher in the social hierarchy. For the first time, we see Janie's complete rejection of the ideals of her grandmother, and it all comes out through the dialogue. This is a perfect example of an internal conflict somewhat forgotten by the reader coming out and being heard. Janie later brings up points about how her grandmother only wanted to be like her white owners, but could not think what to do once she had arrived there. We are reminded of the white/black power struggle, which had been dormant for many previous chapters. All of this comes out through meaningful dialogue.

When Tea Cake returns after his four-day absence he returns with an object of power, of wealth, or at least an attempt at wealth, "But the fourth day after he came in the afternoon driving a battered car." (pg 108) There is connotation and denotation both working together when talking about a car. This passage occurs after Tea Cake have been together for a while, and Tea Cake proposes that they go shopping so that they can go to a picnic. In reality, the car is probably old, beat up, and less than perfect. However, there is a strong connotation to the image of a car, especially in American society. A car has often been included as a part in the American Dream, and also that it is a symbol of power, social standing, and wealth. Hurston chooses to use this connotation to her advantage, showing that Tea Cake cares enough about Janie that he wants to both impress her and show her that he is capable of providing a good life for her.

Journal #7

And Ben commenced contemplating Hate. Hate, the unconquerable being with many heads who lived in the presence of all. The diabolical creature who survived within the confines of every soul, with or without cause. Why must Hate have rules, since nobody can withstand His awful presence? He crawls stealthily, watching and waiting for the opportunity to strike. Crawls purposefully, ready to arise in full glory when the target is most vulnerable. Has crawled forever, knowing it will come, will see and will conquer. He would probably chance across his scales sometime soon. He was distraught and wearied as well. Sad Daniel! He shouldn't have to deal with his problems on his own. Ben sent Steve in to see if they could see each other, and Daniel refused. The people understood problems of the body, but of the mind, they were clueless. He maintained that he would get better, if everyone would just trust in his ability to change his fate. He was not sick very much. That was his thinking process. Though Steve described the illness, and contradicted him, so he understood. But then again, it wouldn't matter, what with everyone around him closing in on the story. Folks who would not have cared if he had been given a Nobel were flocking to hear the news. Simply watched and listened, aware for any news. Jealousy, the scaleless snake, was slithering and crawling around his life.

I decided to use hate and jealousy because I believe they have strong feelings behind them, like death and rumor in Their Eyes Were Watching God. I used the snake to represent them because I felt like it was representative of how hate and jealousy can often move stealthily until someone if filled with them, and then becomes much more powerful, similar to many snakes who attack. I also found a sentence that included parallelism, and so chose a different form of parallelism to use instead. (I came, I saw, I conquered)

Journal #6

• Hurston capitalizes Death- this could be simply to emphasize death, or to perhaps make it "larger than life" something that mortals will not understand. 

• Personification of Death- used to mean that death takes away life, and dying is not simply the losing of life.

• Death is given a home in the sky- this is also where God, and the Sun, reside. It could have implications of death being near God. 

• Death is called a "he"- another example of how Hurston speaks poorly of men throughout the novel. 
• Joe refuses the doctor- his refusal is just another implication of how he does not want to believe that he is dying, and he wants to have faith in his ability to control his fate. 

• Recurring motif of the trees- the people under the trees could be under the protection of them, the feebleness of Joe.
• Metaphor of death as a bird/rumor as a wingless bird- There is a comparison of death and rumor, seeming to say that as death comes and leaves feathers, it will lose its wings and become rumor. 
• Comparison between Janie's truth and Joe's truth- this could be an implication of the more knowledgeable woman, who obviously listened to reason, not what she wanted to hear.

Journal #5

Zora Neale Hurston manipulates her plot by using brief scenes of conflict between Janie and men of wealth, in order to show the challenges Janie has with these domineering men. Hurston uses these conflicts to eventually illustrate how Janie's dream will ultimately not revolve around material wealth.

Journal #4

3 Patterns

Hair- this could be an indication of the feelings Janie has at the time, or the power she has.
In chapter 5, the man declares that Janie is only pretty due to her long hair. (pg38) This could insinuate that her hair has some power over others, especially men, and is therefore important.
At the end of chapter 5, they mention that Janie keeps her hair tied up in the store. (pg 49) During this portion of the book, it seems like she keeps her hair down while enjoying herself, and then ties it up when she is working.
On page 55, Joe commands Janie to tie up her hair around the store. Joe's reluctance to have other men feel or see the hair means that it is important to him.
Daisy has long, almost Caucasian hair, and it gives her a beauty that the men all gravitate to. (pg 68)


Speech and power
Hicks complains that Joe speaks to uneducated people with "books in his mouth." (pg 49) This seems to mean that Joe does not fit in with the others, and uses his sophisticated and "powerful" language to persuade or manipulate others.
Joe says he wants to be a "big voice" and that Janie will be powerful too. (pg 46) The reference to voice could have some impact in that Joe is a very confident speaker, and will be powerful.
On page 54, Joe "didn't want her talking after such trashy people," showing that he believes that speech and power go hand in hand.
Janie make an eloquent speech about the mule to the people on the porch, and the others declare that she is a born orator. (pg 58)
Janie eventually learns to "hush" when around Joe. (pg 71) The silence could represent her finally accepting her lower status.

Land
Captain Eaton has all the land necessary to make the town, and he is white. (pg 37) The power held by this man transfers over to Joe when he buys the land.
Later in the novel, in the muck, Tea Cake doesn't own the land, which still makes Janie just as happy as when she had lots of land with Joe.
In chapter 2, Janie is told to go live with Logan, who has 60 acres of land. (pg 21) Janie's grandma thinks this land and wealth will help Janie live a better life, when in fact it doesn't.
At the beginning of her tale, Janie says that she lived on the white people's land, and she was perfectly happy there. All the evidence points to the fact that when Janie owns the land, she is unhappy.

Journal #3

Langston Hughes contributed greatly to the Harlem renaissance, through his writings, poetry, and other arts. He was a major proponent of the idea that being black was not something to be ashamed of, and was just as beautiful as being white, or any race. He helped create jazz poetry, another new form of art being developed during this time period. Hughes also believed, unlike many of his contemporaries, that the black culture was a source of inspiration for the arts, and that it had many things to offer and insights into the black perspective of the world. He was also known for being a communist, although he never declared himself one.
Dialect-Boston (with some creative liberties taken)
Pronunciation
ar-ah
at the end of a word, "a"-er
o-aw (sox becomes sawx)

Grammar
Heavy use of contractions
use of double negatives
often a use of the "he" form of a verb (I says)

Vocabulary
aya-yes, or yeah
wicked-very
jimmies-sprinkles (sometimes rainbow jimmies for multi colored sprinkles)


During the 1930's, Langston Hughes approached a gentleman while walking the streets of Boston. He inquired, "what do you think of the recent Harlem Renaissance occurring among the black citizens of the nation?" The man replied, "Ah thinks it's a great thing, and it's doing wicked good for the black folks in this ahrea." Hughes remarked, "you know, I have the same opinion. I believe that being black is not something to be ashamed of. " The other man, whose name was Webster, began questioning him more in depth about his particular beliefs. "Ah thinks thaht the renaissance is helping bring more ahrts to yaw culture he queried, what's yaw opinion?" he queried. Hughes began a long explanation of his beliefs saying that "the world will begin to enjoy the art that is created as a result of our experiences and sufferings, and will be the better for it." Webster gave his wholehearted approval, exclaiming, "aya, yaw wicked smaht, and ah thinks yaw ideers ah very intelligent. " The conversation was momentarily stopped when Hughes stopped to ponder a recent issue over communism, and then he began a new line, "what are your beliefs about the social classes and the issues over work and management?" Webster paused for a second and then replied, "mah feelings about that issue ahren't made up yet. but you, don't never stop believing whaht you wahnt." Relieved, Hughes offered to buy Webster an ice cream with "jimmies" a term he had recently picked up for sprinkles. He then stated, "You know, I created a new type of art, called jazz poetry, and I also do other types of writing." Webster responded with, "Ah knew you were smaht, but this is amazing. " Hughes also gave another example of his career in the writing profession, "I also went to the USSR to create a film about communism and other things like that." Webster immediately looked concerned, knowing that the USSR was not the friendliest of countries towards Americans. "Ah Mah Gawd, you ah a wicked brave soul, sir, having brave that cruel country." Hughes responded by saying that, "it was all in the pursuit of more knowledge and the pursuit of a better life."

Journal #2

"Come to yo' Grandma, honey. Set in her lap lak yo' use tuh. Yo' Nanny wouldn't harm a hair uh yo' head. She don't want nobody else to do it neither if she kin help it. Honey, de white man is de ruler of everything as fur as Ah been able tuh find out. Maybe it's some place way off in de ocean where de black man is in power, but we don't know nothin' but what we see. So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don't tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see. Ah been praying' fuh it tuh be different wid you. Lawd, Lawd, Lawd!"

1. When Grandma tells Janie to sit in her lap, it is as if she wants to tell this life lesson to a child going out into the world, someone just being awoken to the truth.
2. Grandma's experiences have told her that white men rule the world, and she feels the need to set Janie straight as to the social hierarchy of the world.
3. "we don't know nothin' but what we see" this could be have the meaning that blacks in that time period relied on their experiences, and have no hope for a better life because they cannot know what that is like.
4. Grandma tries to assure Janie that hopefully nothing bad will happen to her, but then at the end, she says she prayed for this, possibly meaning that she feels like it is all in God's hands, and she is powerless.
5. The reference to Africa as a place where black men rule is referred to as a place in the ocean, meaning showing that Grandma has very little education, and cannot see beyond what her experiences have taught her.
6 Her little knowledge of her heritage, and Africa, shows that she has been conditioned to be basically focused on work, and trying to stay alive, not worried about a better future.
7. The social heirarchy presented her goes back to the first page, in which the sun represented male dominance, and when it wasn't there, blacks became the rulers. This passage continues with black women as the last rung.
8. the metaphor of the black woman as a mule also goes back to the first page, in which humans were described as work animals. Possibly used to show the low social standing.
9. In this passage there is a repetition of Grandma saying that the lesson she is imparting is based on what she has experienced. This could foreshadow the later events in the novel somewhat, but it also shows how her life was very different from Janie's.
10. Grandma's praying for a better life for Genie could show her utter belief in fate, and that very little can be done to change it, except by staying alive and safe.
11. At the end of the passage, Grandma exclaims "Lawd" three times, showing the distress she feels that Janie might have a similar life to her own, or like Janie's mother. This could foreshadow some of the sad events in the book later on, and the difficulties.
12. It is interesting that Grandma feels that she must pick up the things thrown down first by the white men, and then by her husband. It is almost as if her life has taught her that men are generally bad, without regards to race. She almost puts black men on par with white men, in terms of their relations towards black women.
13. There is definitely a connection between the three groups-white men are rulers- black men might have a place where they rule across the see- but black women are the mules of the world, the workers.
14. Given Grandma's history with her white slave owner, it is interesting why she does not include them in her list of the social hierarchy. This is possibly because she feels they are similar to black women, but racially superior and without hard work. They are simply things.




 

Journal #1

I would tell my life story to a close friend, because I believe that they could see it from my perspective, as well as from an outsider's perspective. It would help that he could sympathize and have some input based on his own experiences around me, whereas a complete stranger would either not care or would not be able to comment on shared experiences. However, there might be problems in that he would not be completely analytical about my life, and instead simply gloss over events that were not so happy or well thought out. I think in terms of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie felt much more relaxed about sharing her life with a close friend, and that would probably hold true in my case as well.

I think I would start my story last summer during my six week stay in Honduras in a developing community. That trip really opened my eyes to some of the problems in the world, both in Honduras and in the US. It also gave me an opportunity to see the different values of another culture. For instance, in their culture they take things much more slowly and have much more tightly-knit families, simply due to the necessity of working together and sharing a very small living space without a shower or a toilet. That trip changed my outlook significantly, and from that point on I would go back and describe the rest of my life