Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Essay Clarification
In case there are questions about the essay, here's a quick clarification (or directions for the directions!). The essay will explore one topic within both novels, Their Eyes Were Watching God and A Farewell to Arms. Select a topic from the topic list at this time. Next, record quotes addressing this topic in your quote log as you read (also in packet). You are required to have three quotes from each novel in your quote log and in your essay. The other four quotes on the quote log may be from either novel, but should still address the topic. After reading both novels and completing the quote log, develop your thesis using your topic and at least one literary device. See packet for essay guidelines. The quote log should be quite useful when writing the essay- use these quotes to support your thesis in your essay. Make sure you use MLA format (again-see packet), size 12, double-spaced, 3-5 pages. Please email me or respond to this post if you have any questions. Feel free to start commenting on Their Eyes Were Watching God when you've started reading it. Someone has to go first- why not you? I will be happy to give fake extra credit to anyone brave enough to get our blog blogging. Reminder: you need to have 5 blog posts (1 paragraph minimum each) by July 8th for your first deadline. Start as soon as possible. The comments don't necessarily have to reinvent Hurston scholarship; just start out by posting your responses, questions, and interpretations as you read. However, brilliant insights are always welcome, of course. Post something soon- make an English teacher's day. Have a wonderful summer!
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The language is Hurston's book is very colorful. The first chapter seems like the present and the chapters following are like a flashback.Janie is the main character and her hair is mentioned quite often. The story reflects slavery and life during those times.The book is interesting so far.I'm only on chapter five but I'm a little confused.I wonder what will happen to Janie becasuse of the decisions that she makes.Why does Janie's hair get mentioned several times? Does her hair mean something?I can't wait to find out more about her.Is Janie having a hard life? She seems like a smart girl.
ReplyDeleteThe format in which this book appears to be written is in a strong southern dialect. It makes the book a little bit more difficult to comprehend but also gives it individuality and flair. I agree with Katie that the Hurston does reflect back to Janie's hair multiple times, which i find to be an unusual symbol. Hopefully as I continue reading it will become more evident of what this symbol means.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading the first page of the novel, the strong southern language immediately grasped my attention. At first, I had difficulty adapting to the dialect but it became easier as I read along. I can tell that speech will provide a crucial role throughout the duration of the book. The colorful words of the narrator strongly oppose the words of Janie and her friends. I think the use of speech might help Janie find out who she truly is, on the inside, and what type of person she will become in the future. I believe that the pear tree will become symbolic of love and Janie’s sexuality. Janie seems to struggle with relationships and love. Will she end up with someone she deeply resents or truly loves? Will Logan Killicks try to find Janie after she ran off with Joe Starks? I can’t wait to read more of Janie’s adventurous life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of you about the southern dialect of which the book is mostly written and how it's interesting and somewhat hard to understand. Im still trying to get used to it. I see the pear tree as a very important symbol in the novel. The narrator says something about the way the tree looks and how the branches start barren to leaf buds to snowy blooms (which im assuming are flowers), and i think that this will be comparable to Janie's life. Im hoping throught the book, like the pear tree, her life will become more and more exciting and beautiful.
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ReplyDeleteWhat does Janie's hair mean?It is a wierd symbol but it has to be important. Yes I agree that the bookis in southern dialect. It seems like janie has a lot going for her. Will she find another husband after Joe Starks?Will she end up with Tea Cake/ I think that the pear tree does resemvle something. Maybe it resembles Janie's inner feeings.I agree with everyone's thoughts. The book has a lot of symbolism.
ReplyDeleteI think that maybe the author is relating to Janie. Maybe she has been through some of the things that Janie has.I see really strong language in this novel so far.I don't think that Janie is sure of herself. She has a lot of decisions to make. What will the outcomes be? Janie seems to be stressed out by her husband Joe.
ReplyDeleteI also can't find a certain meaning to her hair. When ever its talked about it is described in one way or another as being pretty, maybe its partially talked about so much to just show how desirable she is? I know its not the deepest of observations, but i cant think of much else it could represent at the moment. Maybe it will be talked about more in-depth as I read. It is almost hard to read about Janie and Joe drifting apart because he was so good to her and Hurston made him seem so great! He's completley changed, and not for the better. I feel that he has become very cold and stand-offish. I can't believe Joe made her tie up her hair either!
ReplyDeleteSo far in Hurston's book, I noticed the southern dialect right away. Janie is young and seems unaware of who is she is. The pear tree is symbolic of Janie's interaction with nature. This compares to Janie's life. I'm only on chapter 4. I noticed the mentioning of slavery and how it was for her Nanny during those times.
ReplyDeleteI have read quite a bit and am close to finishing the book. However, I am still not completely aware of the symbolism hidin in both the pear tree and Janie's hair. Hopefully the last couple chapters will clear things up. Janie is currently with Tea Cake and finally seems happy. I think it is because Tea Cake makes her feel more independent then Joe Starks did.
ReplyDeleteTea Cake seems like the perfect husband for Janie. She now has a say in the things she does, and is allowed to actually communicate with her neighbors. She's a lot happier also. I think the pear tree and her hair have something to do with the husbands she chooses.
ReplyDeleteI think Janie's hair represents her womanhood. It's her distinctive feature that kind of makes guys like her more than others. I agree with Jenny about the pear tree. It might symbolize her life, kind of like the tree in Speak symbolized Malinda's life.
ReplyDeleteJanie seemed to have a bad start on life! She was only like 14 when she had to get married, and she got stuck with a guy who treated her like a mule, and then she was like the mayor's trophy...I didn't get that far in the book but I hope that Tea Cake is a better husband...Janie is more independent than it seems a lot of women were at the time, so I think that she needed a little more freedom than a lot of other women would have needed.
ReplyDeleteI think that Janie's hair is tied to her life. When she was married to Joe she was restricted and he forced her to keep her hair tied up so no one could admire it except him. Then when Janie married Tea Cake, he let her wear her hair down and be her own person. He didn't keep her as a trophy like Joe. Janie's hair I beleive symbolizes her freedom and the way she is treated in her marriages.
ReplyDeleteYou really begin to see Jody’s dominance in chapters 5 through 8. He uses his words to downgrade Janie while asking her to remain silent. He seems to control her and tries to morph Janie into his “ideal” wife. Jody seems to only care about his dream which is contrary to the Joe that Janie ran off with down the street. Jody asserts his supremacy over not only Janie but the entire town. I believe Jody’s entire life symbolizes domination and when Janie finally speaks out for herself, it demeans Jody of his life. As Jody grows weaker, Janie grows stronger. After Jody dies, I think Janie lets down her hair and realizes her life and dreams are not yet completed.
ReplyDeleteI've only read the first two chapters, but already I've notice that Hurstion definately has no shortage of adjectives. She uses very flavorful language to describe the scenes. I can picture everything very clearly in my mind. I agree that the Southern accent in the dialogue is interesting, but i think it'll take some getting used to. I also agree that the pear tree will be used throughout the book as a symbol of Janie's life. Like I said, I've only read the first couple hcapters, but I definatley see that the book has alot of symbolism.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chelsea's interpretation of Jody. The more and more he down-graded her, the more power she built inside to run away and do what is best for her. I also think this is true with Janie's relationship with Joe. After Joe began to push his ideals of wife more and more onto Janie, she began to not respect him more and more. I think that these relationships have showed Janie what she really wants out of life and made her into a stronger person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Robin and Chelsea. Janie's relationship with Joe seemed like a parallel to what it was with Tea Cake. Joe tried to control Janie and her actions, such as not letting her give a speech and forcing her to keep her hair tied up. With Joe's attempt at dominating the relationship it only caused Janie to mount up anger for his actions. This anger continued to mount up until she snapped and decided not to take his lead anymore. However, with Janie and Tea Cakes relationship the power was equally divided between them. Tea Cake let Janie help make decisions such as where they were moving and also taught Janie how to fire a gun and play chess, which illustrated Tea Cake allowing them to be equal.
ReplyDeleteI think that Janie is a very strong women. Throughout the novel she has shown strength, first in dealing with her first two marriages and then again at the end when she shot Tea Cake to save herself and him. I also beleive that the hurricane is a symbol, however I am not sure of what. It was a dramatic twist in the novel. It forced the characters to show the kind of person they are in a life or death situation. Some ran and did what they could to get away while others let nature take its course. I did enjoy this novel and would recommend it to other people.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the hurricane was a strong symbol in the novel. It seemed like it symbolized how must destruction nature could cause, unlike the pear tree earlier in the novel that illustrated positive and pretty aspects of nature. The hurricane also brought the question of religion and God to the characters it seemed. The characters thought God may be testing their power against his. Throughout the hurricane Janie constantly questioned if they all were being tested with the hurricane.
ReplyDeleteThe book's title Their Eyes were Watching God took me awhile to figure out it's meaning. After rereading the chapters with the hurricane I found it on page 160. Janie was questioning the hurricane, and wondering why God chose to unleash it on the Glades. Hurston then wrote "They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God." My interpretation of that was the characters stranded in the house were silently questioning and trying to figure out God's motives for the hurricane. The title also relates many different parts of the novel, such as Janie questioning about her own life and how it was laying out.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading the first couple of chapters and it sounds like Janie and her family have a hard life. In the first two paragraphs of the novel, there is a quote about how men dream and wish for things that they do not or never can have. The next paragraph then states that women on the other hand, remember everything they want to and forget everything that they do not want to remember. It is a bit of a generalization about men, but it also shows right away that Hurston is a strong, independent woman, much like Janie. Did anyone else read the foreword? I think is sort of ruined some of the plot. Also, is Tea Cake his real name, or is it a nickname?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if I agree with Nanny’s decision about having Janie marry so early, but I guess it is with good reason considering what happened to Janie’s mom. However, the problem with the early marriages to both Logan Killicks and Joe Starks is that it seems as if Janie really does not know what she wants. She really did not want to marry Logan but then she sees Joe and believes that marrying him will be great, which she finds out later is not the case. Something that I do not get is how Janie could meet Joe without Logan knowing. I thought that Logan was only going to be gone for a day. I agree that the pear tree is the main symbol in the novel right now and that it signifies Janie’s growth. You can tell without finishing the book that she grows a lot through the story, from being sad all of the time in her youth, to becoming a strong, independent woman that is shown in the first chapter. Also, at the beginning of the chapter two, Janie compares her life to a great tree in leaf, with things enjoyed and things suffered. This might also be a symbol about her youth where, like her marriages, they start off good, but then become bad.
ReplyDeleteAfter Jody’s funeral Janie’s attitude is much more liberated. However, she conceals her freedom with a mask of sadness to please the people of her town. As the chapters read on, you can tell that Janie cares less and less about the thoughts of other people towards her. Tea Cake is an absolute contrary character than that of Jody. He embodies women as equivalents and partners rather than just property. They maintain a flirty relationship even after they are married. I think Janie finally realizes that she has found the person she needs to travel to the horizon with and follow her much longed for dreams. I also realized that Janie seems to be a tad more articulate when she speaks about things. I believe that her developing nature with Tea Cake is growing along with her nature and language. I think Janie’s quest for self-discovery is still evident in the chapters and will remain apart of the novel.
ReplyDeleteJody's attitude and demeanor toward Janie dramatically changed once he became mayor of Eatonville. He started out maintaining a polite and flirty attitude while talking to Janie. This intrigued her, as she wanted the possibility of somthing more than her marriage to Logan Hillicks. After she ran off with Jody, he still remained pleasant and she liked all what he had to offer. However, this changed after he bought the acres of land and started gaining power and status around the community. As Jody begins to have a dominating position around the town he forms an attitude of superiority to Janie. He begins talking down to her and making her feel worse about herself for the mere reason of he feels he can.
ReplyDeleteI just started the book and so far I really enjoy it. The first paragraph really caught my attention. Like Jesse said, it's a generalization of men, but I think that it's a really great metaphor. There are those who realize their dreams and then those who never get the chance. Seeing as how it's the first paragraph of the novel, it will probably serve as a sort of guide or overview for the characters; the passage describing women in contrast to men certainly is since Janie and Phoebe are both being made out as strong, independent types. I really love that Hurston wrote her book in a southern dialect. I'm not really having any problems understanding it, and I believe that it only adds to the story. With this being an important novel in African American Literature, the dialect is a part of the culture. For me, it helps to get into the setting and the characters more, making everything seem more authentic.
ReplyDeleteThe novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, exudes a mood in which self-pity is very prevalent. Janie retells her life story to Phoeby in such a somber manner that it seems as if she is asking Phoeby to "side with her" or to feel sorry for Janie after hearing everything she has gone through. The mood of self-pity that Janie exudes however, is produced by the fact that the reality of the events that happened did not live up to Janie's dreams and fantasies. For example, when Janie runs away from her first husband, Logan Killicks, to marry Joe Sparks, she expects to be treated like a lady, rather than just a worker under her husband. Janie soon comes to realize that the reality of being the wife of a politician in a growing community is not what she had ever dreamed of. Being forced to work in the town store and forbidden to carry out conversations with the townspeople in the store Janie begins to feel a strong self-pity for herself. Because of the duties and orders that Joe gives her, Janie refuses to see the best in her time in Eatonville and that many of the other townspeople would do anything to be in the situation that she is in. Therefore, Janie's dreams are so overbearing that they seem to cover up the good things that she does have in her life.
ReplyDeleteJanie's dreams and fantasies aren't realized because she doesn't seem to know what she wants out of love, or at least what to expect. She marries Logan mainly because of her grandmother, who wants her to be taken care of. She leaves because she didn't want to work or be anyone's servant, something that her grandmother had worked against throughout her life, and wanted to take on the standard role of a woman. She goes to Joe because he promises her that she wouldn't do any dirty work. Janie also likes that he is respected and has an air about him that she is familiar with, after having lived with whites when she was younger. However, she finds that the housewife role isn't quite what she wants, since she can't do what she wants and Joe makes decisions for her. She is also disenchanted with how busy Joe is with his work, leaving her feeling lonely. Being with Joe also gives Janie respect in the town, although their position is more similar to plantation owners; this rakes up discontent and critisim from the townspeople, who feel stepped on. Even though it is a high position and a position of security that her grandmother would probably approve of, Janie herself is not happy.
ReplyDeleteJanie seems very unhappy with her marriage to Joe Starks. In chapter 7 she looks inside herself and realizes that there are alot of things she hasn't told Jody about. She keeps all of her thoughts and feelings to herself. I think this is one of the reasons she is so unhappy. Joe makes her tie up her hair so that nobody can see it but him. I agree that Joe is very controlling. He doesn't let Janie do the things she wants, like participating in the conversations. He makes her work in the store. The idea of being the mayors wife is not like Janie thought it would be. She is clearly not happy and I am curious to find out what she will do about this. I wonder if she will stand up to Joe and tell him her true thoughts and feelings that she has been keeping inside. Janie seems like a strong person and I am interested to see what will happen as she continues to grow into a woman.
ReplyDeleteI have finished the book today. I believe that Janie's hair may be powerful. She has had a hard life. Hurston is practically Janie because they both went thorugh three marriages. It must have been hard for Janie to lose her third husband but she seems to make it through. Janie knows that she hasn't really lost TeaCake, he'll always be there for her.It is unfare that Joe makes Janie hide her beautiful hair. He doesn't really give Janie any right to be herself.
ReplyDeleteI read the foreword. TeaCake's real name is Vergible Woods.I think that the stormy weather,like the hurricane, brings sadness and death. Janie lost TeaCake after the hurricane.teaCake was so much better than Joe. Janie's friends aren't sure about TeaCake but janie knows what she wants.
ReplyDeleteA few people have talked about the peach tree symbol, saying that it represents Janie's life or her sexuality. I agree that the peach tree, or trees in general, represent Janie's love life. The tree motif, with specifics relating back to the peach tree, surface at times when Janie's emotions over love are talked about or when the men in her life are mentioned. For instance, right after the scene when the peach tree is introduced and Janie's grandmother catches her kissing a boy, Nanny is described in the context of a withering tree, the band of leaves that she wore mentioned numerous times. This sort of foil effect showed that what Janie's grandmother was telling her greatly upset Janie and the high that she had been experiencing since being under the peach tree. I've also seen a few passages referring back to the first few paragraphs of the novel. When Janie realizes that her marriage to Logan would not make her love him, the narration reads, "Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman."
ReplyDeleteJoe has completely changed. Earlier in the book i realized he had become very cold towards Janie, but i thought this was just due to his job and position in the community but I think its just because he knows Janie and him are getting older, but he only sees him aging. When Janie discovers Joe is dying i thought his death would be a sad moment and that he would open up to Janie but he did the exact opposite. I almost felt relieved when Joe died! I think Janie did too, and i thought it was a great testimony she made by making the first thing she does after his death taking her down . I really think I would be a little disappointed in Janie if she remarries, especially if it is one of the men that has been following her around! I love her independence and I hope she realizes that she is very capable of taking care of herself without the help of a man.
ReplyDeleteHaving read only the first five chapters, I thought I would touch on the subject of the strong southern dialect, as others have done. Although it is hard to get used to, I believe the language is a key point in the novel. The narrator's voice and the southern dialect are quite a contrast- the narrator's voice is well spoken, intellectual, and filled with figurative language, whereas the southern side of the story is full of personality and rich, southern culture. Some symbols I have noticed so far have included the pear tree and Janie's hair. I have only a vague idea of what these symbols may mean so far, however I am hoping to continue and develop my thoughts about these symbols in another blog.
ReplyDeleteTeacake and Janie seem truly devoted to one another. I see a passion that sparks into fire when they are together. This type of romanticism, which was lacking in both Jody and Logan, seems to pull Janie even closer to Teacake. Even though they seem tremendously satisfied with one another, I see something in Teacake that I think is dreadful. Things in their relationship seem almost too good to be true so far. Some of Teacakes unintelligent decisions, like taking Janie’s two hundred dollars, seem to lead me astray from the “good guy” he portrays. I hope that my thoughts towards Teacake are a mistake because Janie seems so fulfilled with her current love life.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Tea Cake and Janie fit together well. Up until she met him, Janie had lived by her grandmother's ways and had been with men who could provide for her, but also, in her eyes, suppress her. Tea Cake is the first man that Janie could act like her true self around. He likes how she is and promotes such behavior, to a certain extent. This is where the romanticism between the two comes from. Janie had a romantic fling with Joe at the beginning of their relationship, but with Tea Cake, she feels like she can be more free since her husband isn't a fancy, important figure that she has to live up to. I find it strange that when Janie is with men she doesn't want to be with, people are happy for her; but when she's finally with a man she truely loves, people try to take that happiness away from her, even if some of it is just out of concern. Tea Cake seems to be pretty genuine in his love for Janie, he just makes a few slip ups every now and then. Like Chelsea, I was a bit suspicious of him after he disappeared, took Janie's money, and made excuses that seemed a bit stretched in truth. I'm also wondering what is going to happen to Tea Cake. At the beginning of the novel, we find out that Janie had lost Tea Cake. A thought I had at one point was that he would leave her (sort of as a parallel to her past, moving on to someone new because she was unhappy) or that he would die (seeing as how he puts himself into some shady and risky situations.
ReplyDeleteNearing the end of the novel, I saw that my accusations about Teacake were mistaken. He really and deeply cared for Janie more than any of her previous husbands had. Unfortunately, Janie is pressured with a tough decision and has no alternative except to shoot Teacake after his rampant behavior. During the extant of the book, you see Janie grow and develop as a person. It is almost like the Janie in the beginning is an alter-ego to the Janie at the end of the story. She was first taught with principles that her Nanny installed in her from birth. In the end however, Janie is a free-standing, independent woman, with idealistic values in life and love. I loved watching Janie’s speech develop throughout the book as well. She learned how to speak up for herself while also knowing that silence can be just as sanctioning. I believe that some of the symbols in the book, such as the pear tree and the hurricane, prove to be contrary to one another. While the pear tree stands for Janie’s dream and ultimate goals in life, the hurricane stands for destruction and disfigurement. Overall I enjoyed the novel even though I thought there were a few dry spots.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of the book was not favorable. I immediately was put off by the use of southern slang, I generally prefer reading well-written English without the southern drawl. When reading books written this way, I find myself having to concentrate on translating. However, I certainly understand that the author's goal is to put the reader in the setting, and lifestyle, which it does, but I prefer other ways of description. Also, Hurston could have been more descriptive on character roles, the time, and place, to put the reader in a position of firmer understanding right from the start
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston uses the symbol of Matt Bonner and his mule to compare Janie with her experiences with Logan Killicks and Joe Starks. Matt Bonner was accused of mistreating his mule by overworking the mule without proper rations of food. In a way I believe Hurston uses this event to symbolize how Janie feels about the ways Logan and Joe have made her work without the love that she expected from them. I believe Janie knows what she wants and that is to be treated well while finding the love she has expected. Personally I believe that since Janie is telling the story to Phoeby, she is trying to gain Phoeby’s sympathy, although Janie does not in my opinion have that harsh of life. As Janie tells her story though, Matt Bonner and his mule in many ways apply to how Janie feels overworked by her husbands. I believe that just like the mule was relieved from his work without proper reward, that Janie will soon find what she expected all along; being treated to her standards with true love.
ReplyDeleteI was really happy to see that Janie finally stood up to Jody. He was always putting her down. After all those years of her unhappiness, Janie finally told him how she really felt. As Joe is getting older, him and Janie seem to drift farther apart. I agree with Jenny about Joe's death in that I was relieved to see him gone. Now that he is out of the picture, Janie can have the freedom she has longed for. At the end of chapter 8 Janie finally lets down her hair. I think this is symbolic to her marriage with Joe. She can finally be herself. I feel like this was a huge weight lifted off Janie's shoulders. She now has the chance to be the independent woman that she is.
ReplyDeleteThe southern dialect in Their Eyes Were Watching God threw me off a little bit when I first started reading the novel. As I continue to read, the dialect becomes a lot easier to comprehend. At times I find myself reading a sentence out loud in order to better understand what is being said. I am not very far in the book yet, but I agree with the others who think that the tree may possibly symbolize Janie’s life. I think it is sad how Janie did not completely realize that she was a colored child until she was around six years old. The first few chapters in the novel describe Janie’s childhood and how Nanny tried to do the best she could for Janie.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I wanted to see Janie become an independent woman and stay away from men for a while, I must say that I really like Tea Cake. Yes, he's way younger than Janie, but he is a breath of fresh air compared to the other men in the book like Logan and Joe who were very dominant and controlling. The book talks about how Tea Cake wasn't well off and that he worked a lot of random jobs, and when he found Janie's money that she had hidden from him and spent it all, it really showed that he was a good person because he knew it would be dangerous to try and gamble and win it all back, but he did it anyway. Im so glad to see Janie in a healthy relationship finally!
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Zora Neale Hurston uses many different situations to allude to Janie’s sorrow and unhappiness when she is married to Joe Starks. In my previous post I mentioned how the mule situation was much like Janie’s situation. To me, Their Eyes Were Watching God seems to display the recurring events that show readers that the women are being treated as a minority. That statement becomes more evident when Tony’s wife and children enter the town store asking Joe Starks for a ration of meat so they do not starve. The reluctance of Joe Starks to give Tony’s wife and children the meat helps show Joe Stark’s disrespect toward women. The men seem to think that the women are not capable of nearly the capacity as they themselves can withhold. When Janie cuts the tobacco wrong, Joe feels that she is not capable of thinking for herself. Joe also shows disrespect towards Janie by always telling her how old she is, to get away from the fact that he himself is actually getting old. At the end of chapter 6, Janie finally speaks up and tells Joe that God is watching out for her and that women should not be treated as minorities, in such ways that chickens are treated. I feel as if Janie has now reached her breaking point and is going to fight for the treatment and true love she has been looking for from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteTea Cake and Jeanie seem to have great chemistry together. She made a point when she said that she didn't want to live her Grandma's life anymore. I didn't really think about it but I guess it was only her grandma's dream to give her a high position through marriage where she could just sit and do nothing as opposed to getting to live a little. Tea Cake seems to be her perfect match since she seems so independent
ReplyDeleteJody's death kind of came as a surprise in the novel. He kind of was the typical man that Janie's grandma would've wanted her to have. When he wanted her to stay kind of dependent on him, he made her hide her hair. But when she was freer with Tea Cake, she let it free. I wonder if that means anything?
ReplyDeleteI believe the dialect used in this novel is a very important part to telling the story about Janie. It gives the reader a picture and reality of how the people talked in the South. Even though it can be hard to understand sometimes, the story would not give off true meaning if it was not there. Zora Neale Hurston also uses colorful language and metaphors to explain the life of Janie. It is sad when Janie finds out that she is different from the other children just because of her skin color. However, the major hardships of Janie's life begin when Nanny is telling her that all she wants is the best for her. I believe in the future, the life situations that will come upon Janie will help her grow into a developed woman.
ReplyDeleteI have just finished up chapter four, so I'm basically still in the beginning of the novel. I'm slowly comprehending the deep South dialect; it's challenging at first, but it's what makes the novel unique. I have also noted the several symbols Zora Neale Hurston uses throughout the chapters. It's pretty evident that her hair and the pear tree stand for something. I have yet to figure it out though. Does her hair symbolize her youth?
ReplyDeleteI just finished chapter 7. I can't believe what Joe is doing! He is completley going back on his word. When he married Janie he told her he wouldn't beat her and he would treat her like a lady. Now, years later, he hits her and treats her like a slave in my oppinion. All she does is work in the store for him and make meals for him. There is no longer love between them and for him, Janie is just for show. I think that Janie would be smart to leave him, but where would she go? He is all she has, which is not saying much at all. I agree that Joe has absolutley no respect for women. Back then, not many men did, but I think Joe is an extreme case. I hope Janie finds true love soon with a man who aprreciates her more than for just her beauty and her hair!
ReplyDeleteWhen Janie leaves Logan for Joe she believes that she is making a decision that will allow her to be in a better marriage. However, things eventually turn themselves around and Janie realizes that Joe is no longer the person that she left Logan for. After having Joe constantly treat her with disrespect, Janie realizes that she has to draw the line somewhere. She finally speaks up for herself when Joe yells at her for cutting the plug of tobacco wrong. I think that when Janie does this it marks a point in her life where she decides that she is determined to be respected as an independent woman.
ReplyDeleteI got to chapter 5 so far, after an afternoon of reading. So far, the language is very unique and otherworldly, albeit hard to understand sometimes. But the story thus far is that I think it was wrong for Janie to leave her husband like that, but at the same time it wasn't her. Joe's aspirations and ambitions I think will destroy him in the end. Kind of foreshadowed by Hicks and his friend.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are that Hurston mentions Janie's hair a lot because she wants the reader to
ReplyDeleterealize how she stands out among other women of color. It was more common to see a black woman with short hair. Janie stood out from many other women because of her long hair. I think she had long hair because she was part black and white.
As I got further into the book, pieces started coming together. It was clearer that this book is Janie’s reflection of the past. The author did a good job of describing Janie’s past - three husbands, looking for love, and not really knowing what love is. This grasped my attention because I wanted to know where these events would lead Janie. I also like the use of the tree metaphor – both for how Janie saw her life and how she viewed love.
ReplyDeleteI hated seeing Tea Cake in the state he was in after the hurricane. When he finally snapped and pulled the gun on Janie, I really didn't know what was going to happen. The trial also deeply saddened me, because all of her friends from the muck wanted to see her be charged as guilty because they all loved Tea Cake immensely. I believe they all knew she was innocent. I wish Janie wouldn't have moved back to Eatonville. The people don't respect for everything she has been through, and they make hasty generalizations so quickly! Now that I am finished with the book I must say that I really didn't care for it as I was reading, but the ending was suitable for the story and it brought everything together very nicely.
ReplyDeleteI have just finished reading chapter eleven and I really like Tea Cake. There is obviously something about him that Janie can not resist. When she is not with Tea Cake, Janie questions herself about the type of person that he is. I think that when Tea Cake taught Janie how to play checkers it automatically showed that he did not look at her the same way in which her previous husbands had. Another important thing that Tea Cake did was mention to Janie the beauty of her eyes, mouth, and hair. Unlike Joe, Tea Cake was able to remind Janie of how beautiful she really is. It seems to me that Hurston uses Janie’s hair to symbolize her freedom and beauty. The first thing that Janie does after Joe dies is let her hair down. I think that this shows Janie’s freedom from Joe and gives the reader a new look at her independence.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading further in the book I have concluded that Janie really doesn't know what she wants. She didn't want to marry Logan, which was understandable. However now that she has run away from Logan with Jody, its evident that she still is not content. Joe has large ambitions with him as Mayor and Janie as mrs. Mayor. After reading the context of which it was written she finds "Mrs.Mayor" futile. I really hope with reading more Janie finds what she really wants in life. I also found something that really bothered me in the book. On page 54 during a town gathering of some sort, Janie is asked to make a speech by the townspeople. In response Jody says "Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home." Yet on the same page Jody asks Janie to take care of the store for him because he "got too much else on mah hands as Mayor." I thought that was extremely hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter eleven, I also agree with Jordan that Tea Cake brings a certain liveliness to Janie. Tea Cake mentions her beauty but it is brought into a more sincere perspective compared to other men, like Ike Green, who embraced her looks in hopes to take advantage of her condition as Mayor's widow. I also find it interesting that after Joe has died Janie is more outspoken. In previous chapters, Janie would not confront her feelings in order to survive with Jody.
ReplyDeleteAs I'm reading it is very evident that Janie is definitely more outspoken and shows a new kind of freedom. I found it shocking when Janie said she hated her grandmother, but i then understood her reason behind it. Janie disliked how her grandmother raised her to value things as social status and possessions. I did like how Zora Neale Hurston uses the symbol of the horizon to show Janie's perspective on life, and how it's a journey in search of people. Hurston also used the horizon to symbolize Janie's grandmothers perspective on life, which is opposite of Janie's. Her grandma took a small portion of what the world had to offer and gave what she could to Janie in means of love.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 9, it was easy to see that Janie didn't care for Jody at all. When he died, she felt joyous and only looked sad for the community. It seemed like she was representing her freedom from Jody when she burnt all of her head rags and put her hair down.
ReplyDeleteAfter Jody died, Janie only seemed to want independence. Even after the six months that women were allowed to have another husband, she ignored many requests. Janie said that she doesn't worry over Joe's death, she just loves the freedom. Janie didn't care about what the town thought either.
ReplyDeleteI just finished the book and thought it was so sad! When Tea Cake was bitten by the dog, I had a feeling that he would wind up with rabies since Hurston put so much emphasis on how mad it looked. My thoughts were confirmed when he couldn't drink water. I felt terrible that the man Janie loved and was meant to be with was taken from her when she wasn't ready for it. There was also the sad irony that Janie had to shoot the man who taught her how to use a gun in the first place. I think that the title Their Eyes Were Watching God comes from not only it being used during the hurricane, but also during the bit in the beginning of the novel when Phoeby told of what her husband had said about the gossiping women and Judgement, wanting to find out everyones' secrets. Throughout the novel Janie had wondered why things were the way they were, especially after Tea Cake died. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and became much more attached to the characters than I thought I would.
ReplyDeleteDo the men who sit at the store and talk have a deeper meaning? It feels like Hurston brings them up a lot, I guess it could be a comparing the men to the women at the beginning of the story who gossip on Pheoby’s porch, I’m not sure. The book moves very quickly, and in a few chapters Janie becomes Mrs. Major Starks. I also feel that Janie really matures in her marriage with Joe in that I think she has discovered what really makes her happy and that is being free and spontaneous. Another great testament to Janie’s strength is at the end of chapter 7 when she gets into an argument with Joe. She becomes sick and tired of Joe bossing her around, and she finally speaks her mind.
ReplyDeleteFor all of the years that she lost with Joe, I think that Janie definitely gets some of those years back with Tea Cake. It seems that she becomes younger with Tea Cake, she is free and sort of is able to live the childhood that was taken from her. Joe Starks death was a bit sad. He went from a prosperous man to basically a old hag who depends on witch doctors just to stay alive. One thing that I thought was interesting is the conversation between Janie and Mrs. Turner in chapter 16. Mrs. Turner tells Janie that she believes herself and Janie better than the African-American class, just because they are “fairer skinned”. It is racism within racism. In Mrs. Turner’s mind, it is Whites, then fair-skinned African-Americans, then darker-skinned African-Americans.
ReplyDeleteI think the tree represents Janie's innocence and her youth. It could be far as her dreams and aspirations and she is looking at it like a crystal ball if you will. I really like how the author placed this symbol in the beginning. The more and more I read the book (So far chpt. 6 and going) I realize that Janie is in a way trapped in her shell. She screams for freedom and to live differently then the average woman. It's a tragedy in itself, since she so far failed one marriage, and it looks shaky for her second one.
ReplyDeleteIn my earlier blog I wrote about how it was frustrating to me that Janie really had trouble finding what she wanted in life. I think that through ther marriage with Jody, and really towards the end of it she finally found what she wanted. I think she just wants freedom and the innocence that she had when she was younger and not married.
ReplyDeleteI have just finished the book, however, I am still a little unsure about what her hair is supposed to mean. It was not mentioned much in the later chapters, however, I do agree that it is a big symbol in the novel. I think it might have something to do with Janie’s growth throughout the story. The last couple chapters move very quickly, especially Janie and Tea Cake’s trip to Palm Beach, away from the hurricane. When they are warned to leave the Everglades, Janie wants to go, but Tea Cake is stubborn and refuses to go. Stubbornness, a common stereotypical characteristic of men, is a characteristic that all of the Janie’s husbands possess. Also, when Tea Cake is forced to bury the people who had been killed from the hurricane, all of the whites were separated from the blacks so that they could be buried in a casket, again the racism is prevalent.
ReplyDeleteThere are some amazing things about this book. I can't believe how Nanny just arranged a marriage for Janie! I mean, I understand how Nanny provided protection for Janie and tried to give her the best things in life but still, arranging a marriage? I am amazed at how Nanny didn't even try to consider the way that her grandaughter might feel about it. I suppose that this was part of Nanny's mission in life. She had failed to provide security to her own daughter, and I feel certain that she doesn't want to fail again. She does her best to shield Janie from abuse and ridicule. Although, she cannot stop the abuse and name calling that goes on at school. I think that Nanny chose Logan Hillicks because of the safety that he could provide her.However, she failed to consider the emotional needs of Janie.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 12, it seems Janie is starting to reach the "horizon" because of Tea Cake. In my opinion, Tea Cake brings out the best in Janie and helps her find her voice that has been absent in the past. It also seems that through Tea Cake, Janie discovers and understands what she desires in life. In chapter 13 when Tea Cake left to gamble, I find it interesting how Janie seems to feel more in love with him. Whenever he goes off on his own it leaves an impact on Janie which makes her realize how much she cares for him.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance to me the character Janie seemed to be a unique, individual woman. However, upon further reading I began to feel that she was more defined by others. When Janie was married to Logan Killicks she inwardly despised her life with him, but until Joe Starks came through her way she would never had considered leaving Logan. The same way it went with Tea Cake after Joe's death. How Janie responded to other's she also let be determined by others. Though she wanted to join in the store front conversations she did not because of Joe. Later on during her marriage to Tea Cake she was a woman who played checkers and spoke freely to anyone. The bottom line is Janie Woods' personality was created by the man in her life at the current time.
ReplyDeleteThis book shows the web weaved between both races. When Joe Starks came to Eatonville and began to speak about ways to get the town moving the people were convinced it couldn't be done because it hadn't been done. Later on in the novel when Mrs. Turner discusses with Janie how she feels a separate class should be made for mixed folks she does not say that they are the same level as the white people. These instances in the book show how during that time period the African Amreicans were kept down not only by white people but by their own doings, or not doings. Whether or not Zora Hurston meant to show this part of the culture I do not know, but to me it is evident that the mindset had been made by the majority of the African American society that no progress can be made so why bother. It is only by the few who sought to change that the other's were motivated one small step at a time.
ReplyDeleteIn the first chapter of the book, Janie came back from burying Tea Cake. This creates suspense throughout the book to find out when Tea Cake comes into the picture. When Tea Cake finally enters the story, I knew that he was going to die, but I didn’t know how. He is faced with many dangers such as gamboling, almost getting shot by the grave workers, and the hurricane, which built even more suspense wondering when he is going to die. I was very surprised with the twist of events with rabies and his tragic death.
ReplyDeleteI finished the book! I think that the moral of the story is not to search for love, but to have love find you. Janie had big dreams of what she thought love was. The man that her nanny picked out for her did not fulfill Janie’s dreams. Janie searched further. She then went after Joe Starks, who was described as a handsome man. Joe did not fulfill her reach either. It wasn’t until later in Janie’s life when love found her and she learned what love was with Tea Cake.
ReplyDeleteOne theme in this book relates to the benefits and disadvantages of love, security, marriage and human needs. On one hand, marriage can provide security, but on the other hand it can also be demeaning when marital mismatches occur.Janie's grandmother had Janie marry Logan for the security that arrangement would bring. Since Janie's marriage was an arranged one,I was not at all suprised how it turned out. I kind of figured that Logan Hillicks would not be a good match for Janie. I thought that Joe Starks was going to be a better fit for her. He had many ambitions and wanted to be successful in life.He also seemed to care about the people around him because he worked to improve the lives of the townspeople. As soon as Janie got to the town of Eatonville, Joe Starks built a house for them and gave the town more land, along with a new general store.This all seemed to be for the good of the people and for his wife. Then I later read about some of the other things that he made Janie do. He made her work at the store and he made her tie a headrag around her head to hide her hair. I think that Joe was a very domineering man. He wanted the town to be a monument to himself. He sees Janie as his most prised possession intead of a person in her own right. Ironically, he does not treat her with the respect owed a wife. All through the time that she is in charge of the general store, Joe ridicules her and tries to make her look bad. He even goes so far as to slap her! Overall, I learned that Joe does not see Janie as a person, but as a trophy to be kept and monitored.
ReplyDeleteOne theme that we see in this book is the fact that the character of each of Janie's husbands is relatively consistent while she is married to them. Logan is a hard-working man who expects Janie to work at whatever needs to be done on the farm. Joe expects Janie to act as he thinks a wife should, doing as he says and complting every task that is dictated to her. Teacake acts as a fun-loving, and yet hard-working man who looks at Janie for the person she is. Still, I was a little suprised with what Joe was like on his death-bed.Even after all of the things that he made Janie go through,he still wouldn't let her speak to him about their marriage from her point of view. I think that mabye this is because he knows, deep down, that their marriage was a failure. It might be possible that Joe married her for her good looks, not for the woman that she is. It again goes back to the fact that he depersonalizes her because he sees Janie as a thing, not a person. I wasn't suprised that Janie had no grief at her husband's death.She had no love for Joe when he was alive and no grief for him in his death. She only had pity on him that she didn't tell him her feelings sooner. I find it slightly ironic about what the townfolk do at Joe's funeral. They praise him and make it seem like he was one of the greatest men who ever lived. Janie, on the other hand, knows that he was a selfish man who only cared about being mayor of a town, not a good husband to his wife. I guess it goes to show you that no matter how good a politician like Joe is to the outside world,it will always be the people who are close to the person that see them for who they really are.
ReplyDeleteI've read through chapter 10 and I think that Janie finally found a man who will treat her with respect. They are still just friends and they just met but already I can see that Tea Cake doesn't approve of the things that Janie told him about Joe. He thinks that Janie can think for herself so he teaches her how to play checkers. I think that's a good hint to the reader that something is different about Tea Cake. Janie's last two husbands didn't care about her specifically. I think they only cared about having a wife, and what that wife could give them in service. That's all Janie was to them- a servant. I hope that Tea Cake and Janie's relationship grows and is healthier that her past relationships. She deserves to have a man who loves her and respects her. She hasn't really had a chance to see what real love is. With Logan, her marriage was arranged in haste purely for the protection of Janie, and ended the same way it started- quickly and with no feeling. I agree with some of you in the respect that I too thought that Joe would be better for Janie. However I don't think he ever really loved her. He just wanted her as his property because he thought she was the best- the prettiest, the most worthy etc. Hopefully Tea Cake will see Janie for who she really is.
ReplyDeleteWhen Tea Cake was first introduced in the novel, I had a bad feeling about him. However as the novel progressed it turned out that my feelings towards him were just bad judgement. I think maybe the age differences between the two, even though they weren't that great, created a feeling of badness. The relationship between Janie and Tea Cake is probally a relationship that every girls dreams of. Minus all of the negative things that happened, like the razor cuts he recieved while gambaling. It's the relationship that brings the best out of both people, with unconditional love.
ReplyDeleteAs I read furthur, Janie's dream of living a satisfying life like the relationship between the bees and the pear tree seems to be coming true. She described the bees as they were in perfect nature with the flowers on the pear tree. In comparison, Tea Cake brings out the best of Janie through his relationship with her. When Tea Cake taught Janie how to shoot a gun, it showed the difference between Jody and him for Tea Cake encourges Janie to show her strength. Although Tea Cake and Janie come across rough patches in their relationship, the outcome is greater for they both realize how much they need and love one another.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the book during Janie's childhood the issue of race/racism appeared frequently in the novel. Janie lives and plays with white children, and for this is mocked by the black children in school. She thinks of herself as white until it is revealed to her in a picture she is black. Then years later during her marriage with Tea Cake the issue of race comes up again with Mrs. Turner. Mrs. Turner is a black woman who advises Janie to leave Tea Cake in favor of a lighter black man. She refuses to let her racial views against blacks go even after Tea Cake stood up for her. After Tea Cakes death and Janie is on trial, she doesn't seem to fit in with either black or whites. Although the white women sympathize with her, her and Tea Cake's black friends ignore and refuse contact with Janie. She doesn't seem to fit in with either group and without Tea Cake she moves back to Eatonville alone.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading the book and was pleasantly surprised with it. In the beginning I didn't think that I would enjoy the book, simply because I was having a difficult time understanding the language and what exactly was going on, but after taking the time and getting used to the dialect, the language used helped give the book more life and character. As the book went on and Janie began to explain her life to Pheoby everything that had been confusing me in the beginning started to make sense. I love the format of the book, and how you have to stick with it in order to figure out what was going on in the beginning. I did get a bit frustrated in the chapters about Janie beginning "forced" by Nanny to get married though. However, it does give insight into the lives of people back in that time frame and how sacrifices were made to try to please those you loved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Olivia said about Tea Cake. In the beginning of the novel while everyone is sitting on the porches, talking about Janie and her relationship with Tea Cake I began to think very little of both Janie and Tea Cake. Though as I read the book, and began to see how out of all of Janie's husbands, Tea Cake was the best man for her. He showed Janie how to do things that she never thought that she would do fishing, hunting, and being able to shoot a gun better than Tea Cake. It showed how some people back then had the idealism of having women be delicate things that were there simply to be showed off like Nanny and Jody viewed Janie. As well it showed how Tea Cake saw Janie as a person, and how she should be able to experience the same things as him.
ReplyDeleteI'm just going to go back to one of Elisa's posts from a while ago and give my opinion on her question. She wondered if that when Janie met Tea Cake if her letting her hair down meant something, and I think that it does represent Janie's new found freedom that she experiences with Tea Cake. Jody no longer is in control of Janie, and therefore, she lets her hair down to symbolize her new found freedom and breaking away from Jody's controlling nature. I guess I didn't really pay too much attention to that part of Janie letting her hair down while reading the book, but now that you mention it Elisa, I can see how it actually holds some importance. It is sort of like the representation of the change that was occurring in Janie's life and was foreshadowing how her new life with Tea Cake was going to be.
ReplyDeleteWhile Just beggining to read the book I also noticed the strong southern dialouge and Janie. Janie seems kind of young with quite a bit on her plate. The many references to her hair must mean that it has some symbolic significance that will be discovered later on in the book.
ReplyDeleteI have just gotten the first novel so I am only on chapter six but so far it seems like an ok book. At first, it was hard to understand the southern dialect but after awhile I got more used to that style of writing. The book has not mentioned anything more about Logan, but I wonder if he will ever appear again. Jody seems like he can be just as bossy as Logan, but it doesn’t seem like Janie minds him acting like that as much yet.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad ending! This novel seemed kind of like a coming-of-age novel for adults. Janie didn't really know anything about love when she started her first two marriages, but by the end of the book it seemed like she felt her life was complete now because she knew love because of Tea Cake. It was ironic how she dressed up for Jody's death but didn't for Tea Cake's, because the grieving for Jody was just a show for everyone else to see but her grieving for Tea Cake was real. Her life experiences with love seemed to make her grow into a more mature character, kind of like you'd see a kid do in a coming-of-age novel.
ReplyDeleteThe writing in this book seems to trick you. The dialect and the simple way that it is written fools you into thinking it is a plain story until you come across one of Hurston's beautiful descriptions. Her descriptions remind me of how Janie describes the stories and thoughts of the people who sit around on the porch. She calls them "crayon enlargements of life", which, to me, is similar to what Hurston does. Her descriptions always seem to be a stretched, more colorful, version of things we already know used to describe ideas and objects such as life, death, settings, characters, and many other things in her book.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the book, I found some foreshadowing.On page 102, Janie and hezekiah are talking about TeaCake. Hezekiah doesn't like TeaCake and janie doesn't know why. Janie says,"Is he bad 'bout totin' pistols and knives tuh hurt people wid?" The a nswer to Janie's question appears on page 182. Janie thinks,"She could outrun his knife if it came to that." On page 181 Janie thinks," Never had TeaCake slept with a pistol under his head before."
ReplyDeleteSo I have just finished the book, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I was a little apprehensive about the ending. The ending truly was sad to me, but I guess sort of happy. To me, Janie finally found what made her happy. I'm very happy that her and Tea Cake had time together, even though the relationship met an untimely end. :( Janie was a such a strong independent female role model.
ReplyDeleteRight when I opened this book and began to read, the way the dialect was written caught my attention and surprised me. It was very hard for me to understand it at first, and I actually had to go back and read sentences through a couple of times. But, as I read on, I realized that it was necessary for the storyline and I was able to grow accustomed to it and read through it quickly. Also, I honestly had no idea what was going on until Janie and Phoeby began to talk and it was explained that the story of Hurston's main character, Janie, was going to be told from the beginning. Unfortunately, the beginning of the story is not my favorite part, especially the fact that Janie is being practically forced to choose security over love. A quote I liked seeing is a declaration of realization on where Hurston writes of Janie, "She knew now that marriage did not make love" (pg 25). But the one right after that contradicts the hope that she will take action by explaining "Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman," and made me unhappy because she was giving up on finding love, which is what I was looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteJanie seems very unhappy with her marriage to Logan and I'm not suprised when she left him to be with Joe Sparks. At first I thought this was a good thing because Janie finally found someone she wanted to be with. Then he was too good to be true and went power hungry as being a mayor. I just hope Janie finds who she really is and can be independent throughout all of this. Suprisingly, I'm curious to find out what happens next in her life with Jody and how Tea Cakes comes into play. Small quotes about Janie's hair are starting to show up throughout the novel. I believe her hair represents Janie's strength and power as a woman. With her hair covered she is viewed as weak and a ordinary wife.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the introduction to the story gave insight to the fact that Janie ends up with a man named Tea Cake, I was still excited when she left Logan Killicks for Joe Starks. I was interested knowing that she might actually be finding love and forgetting her grandma's wishes. As everyone has pointed out though, Joe turns out to be an ugly man on the inside, too proud to admit any weakness, and spends his time treating Janie like a little girl, while everyone else in town receives the respect SHE deserves. But all of this is allowing her to realize what she really wants, and how strong she can and will be, so I guess it's a good thing. Learn from your mistakes right? One thing that makes me curious though, why does everyone have an obsession with her hair? It's a good thing, it's a bad thing, but some women are jealous. Joe tells her to keep it hidden so no one can admire it and become envious, but the townsfolk talk to each other and say they wouldn't do it like that. Wouldn't Joe want people to see how lovely his wife is?
ReplyDeleteAt first when Janie married Joe Starks, I thought it was a good change for her and that the marriage would hopefully be much better that the one with Logan. After reading more though, I realized Jody was getting worse every chapter. I think that Jody was just as much or even more unbearable than Logan, especially when he would try to humiliate Janie in front of all the townspeople. Now that Jody has died, hopefully Janie can do what she wants without someone trying to run her life anymore.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone else on here has been saying about when Janie married Joe Starks and how I was mislead to think that because of the way they had been talking to each other before Janie left Logan that the marriage between Joe and Janie would be great. Then as I read, and I was seeing how badly Jody was treating Janie, I was really frustrated. It seemed like Janie had just fallen into another trap of an over controlling man who thought little of a woman's importance. It just irritated me when Jody would totally undermine the way Janie looked or pretty much call her an uneducated buffoon, embarrassing her in front of other people. Her treatment was so unfair, but she just chose to stay and deal with it. Though, I did like it when she finally decided to stand up for herself and tell Jody off about how his appearance wasn't so high and mighty as he seemed to think it was and how she was able to get a bit of power from that. As well, when Jody died and Janie wore black clothing to "mourn" I got frustrated again, because it seemed like even after death, Jody was still holding some control over Janie's life. From that I can see the obvious difference between the way Janie saw Jody and the way she saw Tea Cake. How when Jody died, it was Janie’s obligation to wear black for other people to see, where as with Tea Cake’s funeral Janie wore overalls and was just being who she was. It was just that obvious difference that really represented the kind of relationship Janie had with Tea Cake and the kind of relationship Janie had with Jody. One was a restricted, overbearing relationship, while the other was that of a partnership that actually was based on love.
ReplyDeleteTea Cake seems really cool. I think he is much better for Janie than Logan and Joe. Logan and Joe both seem to only like her as a wife, not as a person. They don't see all of her potential. What Joe and Logan see is Janie's potential to be a pretty, obediant wife. They never really know her as a person at all. With Tea Cake, I can see that he loves her for who she is and that she loves him. When she is married to Logan and Joe, I feel like I have to be constantly reminded that they are husband and wife, but when she is married to Tea Cake I don't have to be reminded that they are bound together by marraige. The reader knows that they were bound together because they really love each other. When Janie is married to Logan or Joe I don't see them like a couple, I see them as two different people with conflicting viewpoints. I am able to picture Janie and Tea Cake as one couple.
ReplyDeleteThinking about the ending of the book, I definitely was able to guess the way that things were going to turn out. Based on the way that Hurston was talking about the dog that was on the back of the cow during the hurricane, and how she deeply described how vicious the dog was and how "mad" it was acting, it was obvious that the dog had rabies. Then when Tea Cake was bit by the "mad" dog, I knew right there that it was a sign that something bad was going to happen and that most likely Tea Cake was going to go crazy. Though for a while, I was thinking that maybe he wasn't going to get rabies because he was going on for a month and he wasn't having any health problems. Then once he started to go downhill health wise, I knew that the bite from the dog was the reason. On top of that, when Tea Cake was getting more and more volatile, and Janie found the gun under his pillow, I was shocked. I just didn't want to think that Tea Cake would use that gun against Janie, and when he did, it was a bit of a relief to know that Tea Cake has taken the time to teach Janie to use a gun and she was able to defend herself against him. It sort of shows that because of the relationship that Tea Cake and Janie had, and the way Tea Cake taught Janie to do things she never thought she would, in a way; Tea Cake saved her life because he taught her to use a gun.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that Jody would die like that..What was once a strong and charismatic man with authority, now shriveled up with disease and age. It's quite sad how he become like that. It's like all the bad ways he treated other people came back to haunt him in his last few years. At least Janie's finding what love actually is. A free-spirited guy who dosen't have everything but works extremely hard just for Janie.
ReplyDeleteI understand why Nanny would want Janie to marry a man like Logan Killicks. Since Nanny grew up in slavery, she sees Logan as security. She sees him as an honest, financially stable man who can support Janie as his wife. I don't think Nanny can understand the idea of love because of her history. In her days, marrying a man like Logan Killicks would almost be impossible, so she sees this as a chance for Janie that Nanny herself never had. Janie doesn't want just a husband who can give her a big house with land, she wants to feel an emotional kinship and someone she can relate to and actually love.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that it made me happy that Joe died, but I wouldn't say it disappointed me either. Obviously Janie is a really great woman with a lot to offer, and Joe was doing nothing but holding her back. When Tea Cake is introduced, it's apparent that Janie is happy and comfortable right away, and from the hints in the introduction, I know it is finally time for Janie to take on the course of true love. I don't agree with the town's objecting opinion of the blooming relationship. Age difference does not really matter, and I thought that the people realized how bad Mayor Joe treated his wife. Tea Cake will be a good change for Janie, and she will be able to bring forth her strength and proud personality.
ReplyDeleteWhen Janie meets Jody, she finds an aspect in him that she couldn't find in Logan. Jody tells her he can treat her like a lady, which Logan never did. But I don't think Jody understands what women are really like. On page 71, Jody quotes, "Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don't think none theirselves." This shows how he doesn't really respect women as people. He classifies Janie as this, and never really knows who the true Janie is. He doesn't understand why she isn't happy when any other women would be happy to be in the position that she is in as the mayor's wife. Janie isn't a generic woman, which Jody assumes. She is emotional and has her own opinions, thoughts, and feelings, which Jody doesn't understand.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie. Janie is a strong independent woman and Jody is only holding her back. Jody is cruel, conceited, and uninterested in Janie as a person. He married Janie not out of love but because she was the ideal vision of a mayor's wife. Janie is unsatisfied with the relationship because she becomes a static object that is preventing her from growing as a person. Jody is not only tying back Janie's hair, but her individuality and strength.
ReplyDeleteI read the last paragraph of the book, and it is so poetic and full of metaphors that I had to read it a few times to fully grasp the meaning. When Hurston talks about Janie pulling in her horizon like a great fish-net, it kind of takes you back to the very first paragraph of the book. The ships represent the dreams of men, so Janie pulling in her horizon shows how she in her life wanted to know the world, to have new experiences like what Tea Cake was able to show her. Does anyone else have a different take on this?
ReplyDeleteLooks like Janie is finally found her love and what she saw in the tree. Even though there was suffering, much like how she saw in the tree, there was good things also. Tea cake is treating her like a good friend but also someone who loves her and has what it takes to take care of her. As well as her trying other things like hunting, fishing, trolley cars, and wearing what Tea cake likes.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I did not like the first chapter of the book. To know what is going to happen makes many of the parts that should be exciting dull and boring. If from the begining you know Tea Cake will come along, the the first two husbands are not much to worry about. You know already that Logan and Jody will not be the true loves that Janie hopes for, and already you know that Tea Cake will meet an untimely end. I feel that the book would have been more interesting had Hurston not revealed that Tea Cake was gone, it was a huge spoiler for me just waitig for Tea Cake to die.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that some of the blogs here have mentioned how Jody an Logan treated Janie. They said that they were demeaning to her and hit her and insulted her. I am not so sure that all of these things are horrible abd make Jody or Logan bad men. During that time period women were not treated equally and in some cases, especially among the lower classes beating your wife or making her work alongside you was accepted. In fact to not treat women in a lesser way was uncommon. For example '"Tony won't never hit her. He says beatin' women is just like steppin' on baby chickens."' The men discussing this topic say that they would just about kill her if she was their wife.
ReplyDeleteMany many people have talked about Janie's hair. In the first chapter, many town people criticized her about wearing her hair down at her age. Since the first chapter is the end of Janie's story, it shows how she changed, being a rebel. I noticed that after Jody died, she let her hair down, symbolizing her newfound freedom and independence. What caught my attention was how she tied it back up and put on a sad face that everyone else expected when she informed the town that Jody was dead. I think this shows how Janie changed from the point of when Jody died to the end of the novel, when she finds her newfound peace and freedom.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the book is interesting at times, but dull at others. The southern dialect became frustrating to me, for it takes longer to read, and I had to stop several times to figure out what exactly was being said. Since I didn't read the description of the book except for later, I wasn't sure of the time period where the story took place; but it was not a problem in any way, for first chapters were filled with clues referring to the early 1900s (reference to slavery and racial tensions, belittlement of women, etc...). During the first portion of the book, I was quite distracted by the name, for I didn't understand the author's choice. Fortunately, as I advanced through the book, I began to forget about the title and focus more upon the story and its detail and wording.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning half of the book (prior to her meeting Tea Cake), Janie seemed more accepting of the culture’s status quo. Her mindset of what she wished to do did not necessarily change, but her willingness to follow it did. She has always wanted the freedom, but it was still never granted to her. The reason why she gained this freedom is because she was able to overcome a struggle that not only women in that time period went through, but everyone in every time period—A struggle of cultural standards and community’s perspectives of a person. For example, it is evident that today’s day and age is materialistic, and beauty is indirectly engrained to be the number one priority. It is not by nature that outside appearances tromp inside character, yet it becomes such a habit/mentality formed by the cultural surroundings that it is can easily be passed for nature. The high majority of the population work, dress, actions, food, and words are chosen by a “need” to impress and meet the standards placed, no matter how impossible they may be. If Janie’s rebellion is compared in today’s issues, it is as if she did not spend an hour fixing her hair along with another hour of merely picking an outfit, and began worrying about things in life that she may WANT to accomplish or dedicate time to. The two struggles may be different, but both derive from the same issue.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jessica on the issue that many may be a bit too harsh on Jody. Today, we look down upon the treatments and views of Jody, but at the time they were the norm. In addition to what Jessica has mentioned, I noticed something that Grace mentioned that I would like to comment on. She wrote, “Jody is cruel, conceited, and uninterested in Janie as a person. He married Janie not out of love but because she was the ideal vision of a mayor's wife.” As we analyze the story, we must also analyze the culture and customs of the area and time period as well. The interpretation of love and marriage is continuously changing throughout time. Today, in the United States, most would agree that a couple must love one another before marriage. This thought pattern only developed during in the last few decades. In fact, arranged marriages were very common in all areas of the world. And if it was not arranged, then it was only based upon both families’ reputations and statuses. In the rare cases that love was a factor in the marriage, the marriage was usually considered a rebellion. In addition, the needed interest between the spouses is increasing. Back then, one did not necessarily need to be interested in their spouse as much as needed to support him/her. Actually, just as Janie mentioned in the book, she lived with Jody for over two decades, but he did not necessarily know who she was or what she thought about (which was common and acceptable). Not only has the interpretation of marriage changed, but also love. The standard and definition of love has dramatically changed over time. Today, for one to say he/she loves another and wishes to marry him/her, much is learned and experienced first. Back then, love was not always based upon how much one knew about another, but mostly based upon respect for the other. Respect can be gained from different areas, such as personality characteristics, but usually from occupation and status.
ReplyDeleteWhen Janie first contact Logan and mentions the idea of her running away, Logan responds desperately by insulting and belittling Janie, i believe that this shows how much Logan really cares, which obviously is not enough. When Joe Starks comes along it is only natural for Janie to fall in love. She never had a man who treated her well, even in the beginning of the marriage between Logan and Janie you felt the resistance between both parties. The first man who would appear to Janie and showed her a little compassion was obviosuly going to get her heart. Logan did not seem like a dull minded character so my question is, Why did Hurtson make it so easy for Janie to fall apart from Logan when she knew it was her Nanny's dying wish for them to be together?
ReplyDeleteOne thing that bothered me the most in this book was the situation that occurred between Janie and Jody right before he died. Jody seemed to have been slowly beating Janie into submission, But Janie still had emotions of anger and regret throughout their stay in Eatonville. How come it took Janie over seven years to confront Jody about the obvious problems of their marriage. Yes, i understand that in this time period woman were degraded by men, but Hurtson created Janie as a strong character you can tell by just reading her thoughts throughout. Confronting Jody about all her emotions that she kept dormant while he was about to die was a little extreme. I saw it as a spineless move. does anyone disagree. I know she wanted to face Jody and be brave, but to do so in such a time and matter was pure disrespect for human life.
ReplyDeleteKelcey, in answer to your question, I believe that Hurston had the relationship end so quickly, because in reality, that’s probably how things would have occurred. In order for Janie to have maintained her marriage with Logan, she must have felt satisfied. Satisfaction comes from appreciation and realization of value. Logan might have been a great suitor and husband, but from the very beginning Janie felt as if she was settling. Therefore, no matter how much Logan proved himself, it would never be satisfactory to Janie. Hurston might have ended the relationship, not only to develop the story, but also to ask yet another interesting question—who gets to make the determination of when a person is “good enough?” People? Oneself? Both? No one? Who’s determination actually matters? Logan might have been good enough, but Janie did not believe so, leaving Logan with the short end of the stick. Is it fair that good worthy people get treated unfairly? Maybe not, but that is, in fact, life.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your other question Kelcey, the matter, in my eyes, refers to what I said earlier about her willingness to rebel or go against culture. She has always wanted to confront Jody, but it was not acceptable for her to do so, as a woman, for it would suggest that she is attempting to steer the relationship herself. We may look at the act as “spineless,” because it is not rare and unacceptable to stand up to anyone as women. So I understand why it took her so long. But, I do agree with you on the fact that it was horrible timing. It was to a certain extent even heartless.
ReplyDeleteSo... I know that it is almost the due date and I am just posting my first blog, but I was on a missions trip with my youth group and did not have access to a computer, so I wrote my entries down so that I could enter them later. I know that everyone on here has probably mentioned the language and dialect on here, but I feel like it is such an important part of the book and I have to comment on it too. I think that the way the book is written, in southern dialect, makes the book more interesting and gives it a personality. Even though it is difficult to understand at first, once you get used to the language, it makes you feel like you are in on the conversations instead of just reading it. It makes the book fun to read because you dont hear southern dialect everyday and it gives you a taste of the culture expressed in the book. I also think that because the book is written in southern dialect, you have to read more carefully because you are not used to that way of writing and often have to read things a second time to understand what is being said. Eventhough I feel that the language is hard to understand, it is such an essential part of the book, and it would not be the same if it was written without the dialect.
ReplyDeleteI was really confused in chapter 17 when Tea Cake beat Janie. I thought it wasn't really like his character at all. It is understood that Tea Cake beat Janie because he wanted to feel that he was in control, and he was insecure about Mrs. Turner bringing her brother over to meet Janie. I think that since Janie really loves Tea Cake, and he has been so good to her and showing her new things, she lets Tea Cake beat her and not protest to let him get the security he needs. I think this really shows the strength of their relationship and how dedicated Janie is to Tea Cake. I think this also shows how Tea Cake feels for Janie in the same way that she feels for him.
ReplyDeleteI think that the pear tree in the novel can be a symbol for many things. Im not completely sure what the main symbolism is, but I think that when Janie thinks of a pear tree, she thinks of what she wants with love, life, and her hopes. "Oh to be a pear tree- any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world! She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her." (pg 11) When thinking of a pear tree, Janie has a perfect fairytale in mind, but as the quote says, life seems to elude her. I think this is forshadowing because she wants this perfect fairytale life but its going to be tough. " 'Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think. Ah...' " (pg 24) I think that Janie views the pear tree as something wonderful and lovely, and she compares everything to the tree. She wants everything to be wonderful in her life, but things dont always turn out like you want them to, and because of what I have read in the book so far, I know that Janie figures out that life is tough.
ReplyDeleteI was also confused when Tea cake beat Janie. It seemed like ever since Janie met Tea Cake, she finally had the right to speak out and then she just let it go. But then I realized that Janie knew she was Tea Cake's possesion and Janie liked that. Janie knew that Tea Cake loved her because he felt threatened by Mrs. Turner's brother.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the book the meaning of the title of the book has caught my attention. The book is about one woman's quest to find spiritual enlightenment and a strong sense of her own identity. Yet, the first word of the title is plural. Therefore, the story must equally be about how Janie's quest is achieved both through and against community and partnership. Janie is content toward the end of the book because through the experiences she shared with others, she found herself.
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ReplyDeleteEven though the personalities of Janie's first two husbands, Logan and Jody, are very different, they also have some similarities. Logan is a hard working farm man, which Janie marries because of financial security and also because Nanny pushed her to get married at a young age. Jody is also hard working and driven, but he is more of a businessman and politician who is driven by money and power. Both of the men pamper Janie at first, but as time goes on they expect more out of Janie and are very controlling of her. Logan is controlling by making Janie work on the farm and do laborious chores. Logan expects Janie to do the same amount of work as he does around the farm, instead of focusing on the cooking and cleaning of the house. He treats Janie very poorly and this eventually leads Janie to run off with Jody. Her second husband Jody is also very controlling but in a different way. Jody only wants Janie to work in the store and act like "Mrs. Mayor" should. He makes her tie her hair up because he is the only one who should be allowed to see her hair. He controls where she goes, such as not allowing Janie to go to the dragging out ceremony for the donkey and making Janie go inside the store when the towns-people are on the porch talking. He is almost over controlling which makes Janie hate him. When Jody dies, it seems like Janie is relieved because the person who was controlling her was gone and she could live her life the way she wants to. I think that Logan and Jody act like this because it is the way men acted during that time period. They saw men acting that way as they grew up and it was the norm. I think that Janie was expecting love when she got married, but arranged marriages and marriages because of social status happened so often in that era, Janie could not avoid that type of marriage. Because Janie was such a strong and opinionated woman, she could not deal with someone controlling her, and she had a hard time in her marriages. I love the fact that as soon as Jody died Janie let her hair down because it shows that she is an independent woman who is going to be herself, and it shows her personality. I feel like maybe Janies hair stands for her freedom because when she is married to Jody, she had to have her hair tied up and that was a sign of his control, but when she is free to live her life as she pleases, she lets her hair down.
ReplyDeleteHurston is appraised for the unique technique she used for the narration in her novel. She narrates the story to prove that not only is speech important but silence is also. Janie remains silence during some of the most significant times during the novel. An example of this is after Tea Cake had beaten Janie. Hurston does not explain why Janie was not upset with Tea Cake for doing so. Another example is during the trial. Hurston does not reveal Janie's argument. Hurston also uses language to express the difference between Janie's relationship with Jody, to her relationship with Tea Cake. When Janie first meets Jody you do not hear her speak to him. The narrator only tells her audience that they spoke instead of using actual dialogue. In this way Hurston is telling us that Jody silences Janie and that her words have little importance to him. On the other hand, Tea Cake and Janie's meeting uses a lot of dialogue. This proves that Tea Cake has respect for what Janie has to say. Through Tea Cake Janie finds her voice.
ReplyDeleteThere are many symbols in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Janie's hair symbolizes her independence. In Chapter 1 the porch sitters discuss how immodest it is for a woman Janie's age to wear her hair like that. By flaunting her greatest asset Janie is also refusing to bow down to the norm. Another symbol in the novel is the pear tree. The pear tree symbolizes Janie's ideal love life. Janie is only a young girl and begins to become interested in love. She seeks an everlasting love that will enlighten her to her many questions about the world. The opposite of the pear tree is the hurricane. The hurricane symbolizes the dangers in the world.
ReplyDeleteIt is always sad when a loving relationship comes to an abrupt and violent end. This is the case when I found that Teacake died from rabies and was accidentially killed by Janie. I am glad that Teacake was there for Janie when she needed someone like him. I think that Teacake was the most likeable of Janie's three husbands. I admired how he was able to work hard at any job and he helped Janie experience new things. I am glad the Janie was able to enjoy some years of her life. This was a very good thing for her mental and her emotional state of being. I wonder what her life would have been like had she never met Teacake. She would most likely have run the general store until she died or got sick of it.It appears as if Teacake really cared for Janie. He gave her a home and he got himself a job. He even went as far as to sneak off from the fields just so that he could see Janie. It is always sad when a relationship like the one between Teacake a nd Janie breaks apart.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jordan about the Southern dialect used in the book. The way the book was written was very interesting. While it might have been challenging to understand at first, I think that it makes the book unique and makes for an interesting read. It also provides some character to the book as we know that the story takes place in the South. I also agree with Lauren. Why did Teacake beat Janie? I suppose that it was the way that things were run way back then. If a husband slaped his wife today it is abuse, but back then it was seen as the husband asserting his dominance over his wife as the man of the house. Women were regularly victimized back then. However, Teacake may have beaten Janie because of the insanity brought on by his case of the rabies.
ReplyDeleteOverall I loved the book! Hurston created a character who is relatable and a role model. Janie is a beautiful independent woman. She was continually faced with difficulties but overcame each one. She stood up for herself after a long painful marriage. When Jody insults her appearance (page 78) Janie does not let it bring her down. She immediately realizes that it is coming from his own insecurity. Another example that shows Janie's strength is when she shoots Tea Cake. Janie was defending herself and saving him. After Tea Cake was bitten and received rabies it became apparent to Janie that he was already dead inside. Lastly, after all the gossip and rumors being spread in the town Janie still walked into the town with her head held high. This proves that Janie does not care what others think about her. Janie is a character who knows exactly who she is and is not willing to let others judgment bring her down.
ReplyDeleteWhen Janie talks to Joe before he dies, I believe Janie is trying to express to Joe that she is a good person with good intentions, but his ego was the reason for the bitterness between them. As Janie was trying to explain that to Joe, Joe refuses to listen. I believe that shows that Joe only cares about himself and making himself look good. From the beginning of their relations, Joe had only intended to make himself look better with such a pretty girl like Janie. After Joe's death, I immeadiatly noticed the change in Janie's mood. She seemed much more independant even if all the men were ridiculing and flirting with her. Even more of a change in mood comes when Janie meets TeaCake. Through Hurston's words you can tell that Janie is finally feeling the unconditional love she has wanted from her past two husband. Janie lets her hair down and even compares TeaCake to the flowering pear tree.
ReplyDeletePhoeby seems to be a good friend to Janie. She is concerned for Janie as Janie draws closer to Tea Cake. I feel as if Phoeby is concermed that Janie is going to be taken advantage of once again. Because Janie has money Phoeby thinks that Teacake is just putting on a show to get the money. Phoeby also sees a potential problem in the large gap between Janie and Teacake in age, thinking that hes marrying an older woman to obtain the money sooner. I believe that Phoeby has a valid point and Hurston gets readers believing it when TeaCake takes Janies twohundred dollars. But soon after readers find out it was for a good cause. Then when TeaCake takes a risk and wins it all back and more, it shows that TeaCake cares very much for Janie.
ReplyDeleteAs Janie and Tea Cake are looking over the havoc after the hurricane Janie states, "Once upon uh time, Ah never 'spected nothin', Tea Cake, but bein' dead from the standin' still and tryin' yuh laugh. But you come 'long and made somethin' outa me. So Ah'm thankful fuh anything we come through together (P. 167)." This quote shows that Janie is truly in love and very thankful for TeaCake in her life. She alludes to her previous experiences with her other husbands and how they treated her with the same tasks over and over. She says it was like being dead with the other two, and that being with TeaCake changed that and livened her up. I believe that Teacake was the kind of man Janie was looking for all along and that if she would have had Teacake from the get go that she would have been very happy all through her life. At the end of the book when Janie shoots TeaCake it is not out of hate but out of love for his sanity and to keep herself as well as TeaCake from suffering much longer. I believe that Janie's protective decision to shoot Teacake was out of her ongoing and unconditional love for him.
ReplyDeleteThe hurricane part of the book was very well written, and an extremely important part of the book. I did not understand the title of the book until I got to the hurricane and then it all made sense because of a couple quotes used. The quote "Six eyes were questioning God." (pg 159) is used while Tea cake, Janie and Motor Boat are sitting in the house looking out at the storm. On the next page is the quote "but their eyes were watching God." I think that it is a good choice for the title, especially because these quotes are in the book. I also feel like parts of the hurricanes aftermath were shocking. When the people made such a big deal about putting white people in caskets and just burying the black, I was kind of shocked. I know that the racial discrimination was very strong during that time period, but you would think that after a major disaster like a hurricane, they would be more focused on getting all the bodies buried because there were so many, instead of separating them and making a big deal out of it. It just shows how they way someone is raised and the things that people grow up around truly affect their personality and opinions when they get older. Most white people of that time were taught that whites were superior and African-Americans were inferior as they were growing up and this thought pattern stayed with them for their whole llife. I thought the quote by TeaCake that said "look lak dey think God don't know nothin' 'bout de Jim Crow Law" was an excellent quote to have in the book. First it shows the time period because of the reference to the Jim Crow Law, and also shows how prevalant racial discrimination and separation was then.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston uses a great amount of irony when Tea Cake teaches Janie how to hunt with rifles and pistols. At first Tea Cake seems surprised and almost a little bit jealous that Janie has a better shot than he does and that she kills more game than he does. However, Hurston uses a great deal of irony because Tea Cake taught Janie how to shoot and he was so proud of her because of it, Janie ends up killing Tea Cake by a single shot in the heart out of self-defense. After realizing that Tea Cake would probably not get better from the mad dog disease, Janie began to carry around a pistol in her overalls because she knew inside that she would probably have to kill him just like Tea Cake killed the mad dog to save her. Though Janie had no intentions of killing her loving husband she had to kill him not only out of self-defense but also to put him out of his suffering. All in all Janie's skill in hunting and shooting guns proved to be an important example of irony in Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.
ReplyDelete“Their Eyes Were Watching God” was such a great book! I think that Janie was a very strong woman who only wanted someone to love her, and because she didn’t really know what unconditional love was, she didn’t know what she was looking for. She had no parents growing up to show her what unconditional love was all about and the person who raised her, which was Nanny, pushed her to get married for money and security instead of looking for love. Even though most people married for security in that time period, Janie wanted more than money and things, she wanted someone to care for and unconditionally love her. Her first marriage failed because there was no love in the relationship, and that was something she was not able to deal with. Janie had a hard time in her second marriage because Jody loved her as “Mrs. Mayor” and not as Janie. She knew the right way to act and the right things to do, but it was not in her personality to be controlled, so she resented Jody. Even though she stayed with Jody until he died, I think that it was not the relationship Janie wanted and always hoped for. TeaCake was the perfect husband for Janie. He would do anything for Janie and she would do the same. They truly loved each other and wanted to be together. The relationship between TeaCake and Janie had its problems such as jealousy, but all relationships do. The thing that made their relationship successful was that even though they went through hard times and difficulties, they were willing to work it out and overcome them because they unconditionally loved each other. I think that when TeaCake got sick with rabies and Janie had to shoot him was a very emotional part of the book because she loved him so much, but she didn’t have any other choice because he was pointing a gun at her and it was between his life and her own.
ReplyDeleteThe symbol of Janie's hair in Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, has a very important meaning that enriches the novel. Janie's hair symbolizes her independence, which like her hair, is what makes her stand out from other women in the towns that she lives in throughout her life. When Joe Starks makes Janie tie her hair back with a bandana because the people of Eatonville are noticing it's beauty and commenting about it, it shows that he is taking away her independence. After this event, Janie's life with Joe seems to get progressively worse. Joe begins to verbally and physically abuse Janie and makes her work full time in the store while he goes and has fun. After Joe dies, however, janie gains back her independence and symbolically burns her bandanas that Joe had made her wear. At this time in the novel Janie seems to be relieved and more full of life since she doesn't have to be ruled by Joe anymore. Therefore, Janie's hair is a symbol of her independence that is used to enrich Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.
ReplyDeleteOverall, comparing the three marriages that Janie had to Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake, the marriage she had to Tea Cake was the most demanding and hard yet it was the only one that she was truly in love. In her first marriage to Logan Killicks, Janie only married him because her grandmother wanted her to be successful and protected so that she would not have to go through what Janie's mother did. Logan did not really require Janie to do very much work except cook and carry in the fire wood. Janie did not like this work and she knew she was not in love or never would be in love with Logan Killicks so she decided to run away and marry Joe Starks. In her marriage with Joe Starks, Janie was required to run the town store, cook, and had to tie her long, beautiful hair back. After several months of being married to Joe, Janie realized that she was not in love with Joe either. Janie almost seemed relieved when Joe died and she eventually went off and married Tea Cake, who stole her money, gambled, made her work in the bean fields, and beat her. Although Janie had to deal with all of these chores, she remained patient and calm with Tea Cake because he was the one person that Janie loved unconditionally.
ReplyDeleteWhen Janie had to kill Tea Cake, I thought that she would have lost all of her strength and eventually go downhill. At first all her friends from the muck were against her during the trial and the only reason the whites found her innoncent was only because Tea Cake was black. But Janie really showed her strength by leaving the Everglades and coming back to Eatonville and not caring what anyone else thought of her.
ReplyDeleteMany people have wrote about Janie's hair as a tie to her freedom and husbands amount of control. I agree with this, it is obvious that Janie's hair being hidden during Jody's "rule" is as if Janie herself were hidden, well her feelings and personality at least. When she lets her hair down and Tea Cake comes along it shows a man that allows her to be more free and express herself. Another topic that many have discussed is the use of the southern diologue. I find that it was quick and easy to become used to, and that it created a deeper setting. However, I do not feel that diologue brings the reader closer to the characters. This is because each one has the same exact speech, I found this difficult to read at times when two different characters words begin to merge and I must reread it to differentiate between the two. After finishing this novel I found that I very much enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteJanie seems to be much happier with Tea Cake. When she first met him, she was especially happy that he let her do things that Joe Starks would have never let her do, such as play checkers. I didn't like how everyone in town was so judgmental of Janie towards her sudden interest in Tea Cake. It was mentioned that her husband had only been dead nine months and that she wasn't paying enough respect to him by going off with Tea Cake. Even though there is a twelve year age difference, it is clear that they both love each other and that is all that matters. They have so much fun together and I think this relationship is just what Janie needs. I think that her friend Pheoby is concerned for Janie. She doesn't want Janie to end up like Annie Tyler.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the time period of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie was let free in her trial for murder of her husband due to the extreme racism during the time period. If the novel took place at a different period of time that did not rely so much on racism, Janie may have went to jail for murder depending on the morals of the jury. However, since the racist time period and the Jim Crow laws the white jury would have rather had a black man dead than a black man alive. If thew jury would have been made of twelve black people, then Janie would have been charged with the highest and worst case of murder. This is true because the black people that were packed into the back of the courtroom would not even look at Janie as she left the courtroom happy and smiling. As a result, Janie got free and went back to Eatonville to live an independent life. Therefore, racism is very prevalent in Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.
ReplyDeleteThe Hirizon that is talked about in the end of the book is one of the major symbols in the story, when i first read it i didnt quite get what she meant. but now looking at i think the horizon is Janie's way of saying she is being "shown the light." Tea Cake showed her a different way to veiw the world and her position in it. Up until her realtionship with Tea Cake, Janie viewed her position in the world as what society viewed suitable for women, which was being of a class lower then men. Janie got this viewpoint in the begginning of the story from her Nanny, and it stuck with Janie up until Tea Cakes arrival. When their relationship was in full-swing, Janie came to the realization that women can have an equal role as men. She worked along side of him, she had a relationship that was stronger then most. This structure changed her way of life, giving her a meaning of life that she never axpected to obtain. She was shown "The Horizon"
ReplyDeleteSalma, In return to your answer about why Hurtson ended the relationship quickly between Logan and Janie. In my view point Logan treated Janie better then Jody treated Janie. But yet Janie stayed with Jody for seven years! If Janie was so willing to just end it with Logan what took her so long to end it with Jody when it was obvious that she wasn't getting satisfaction from that relationship either? If you are stating that she ended it with Logan because that's what probably would really happen in life then i can agree, but then when it comes to her relationship with Jody this statement can be hypocritical. Yes Janie loved Jody in the beginning of the relationship but when things started to get bumpy any rebellious women would had confronted him. To show society what she really is made up of.
ReplyDeleteI have a question. In the beginning of the book it states that the townspeople speculate that Tea Cake left her for a younger woman and took her money, which is the tale of a previous woman named Mrs. Tyler. If Janie is so rebellious why doesn't she confront all of the townspeople instead of just Phoeby to prove to them that their are people out there that can love a wealthier women without taking advantage of them. Why did she let the townspeople believe their gossip? maybe she believes that she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. She knows the truth and that is all that she needs. But then again the gossip puts Tea Cakes name in vain. Its contradictory, i don't see what way Hurtson wanted to go with it. Does anyone?
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for Janie! She is finally learning how it feels to really be loved and to truly love. With all she has been through, she definately deserves to be loved and to have a healthy relationship. Although, I was surprised when Tea Cake took Jani's money without asking. I know I would be angry if someone did that to me. I thought it was sweet that Janie didn't really get angry with Tea Cake, but I don't understand how she wasn't upset with him. Tea Cake scared her, took her money and left her alone in a town she didn't know for over a day. Also, I'm in chapter 14 and I still haven't figured out why the book is called Their Eyes Were Watching God. Maybe it doesn't become clear until the end of the book, but I'm a little confused, so I hope Hurston makes that clear soon. I also hope this relationship works out for Janie, although I recall at the begining of the book that Janie was talking about how Tea Cake died. I hope they get to spend a few good years together before that happens! I'm excited to find out how the book ends!
ReplyDeleteAt the beging of the I was confused about what was going on because there was no introductions at all. I thought that the way the author used the ladies sitting on the porch to show that people never change even after a couple of years was nice though. I don't get why Janie wouldn't make her own food though. She always seemed to take pride in the food she made for Tea Cake and Jody.
ReplyDeleteKelcy, I think that Hurston figgured that Janie would have been so emotionally drained that she just wouldn't worry about it.Plus she didn't really care what the town thought of her when she left so why would now be any different. As long as she had someone who was on her side who she could talk to that would be enough for her. Also Hurston could have been trying to sho that you should'nt let gossip get to you.
ReplyDeletePersonally I found the southern accent a bit annoying as I read the book. It didn't add anything to the book in my opinion.Also it just made the people sound ignant. It was toatly unnecessary and really bothered me.
ReplyDeleteOverall I enjoyed readying Their Eyes Were Watching God. It wasn't favorite book but the ending was really good. I couldn't put it down. In chapter 17, I couldn't believe that Tea Cake whipped Janie. She didn't even do anything to deserve it. He only beat her out of his own jealousy. The hurricane really affected the ending of the book. I agree with Jordan that it was a little ridiculous that the people made such a big deal about sorting the dead by color. They were strictly told to put the whites in caskets and bury the blacks. As Tea Cake was trying to save Janie from the strong waters of the hurricane, he was bit by a mad dog. This led to Tea Cakes death at the end of the book. I was shocked and sad at the same time when I found out that Janie had shot her own husband. I was sad for her because I know she really loved him and it must have been so hard to be put in that situation. I liked reading this book and i enjoyed seeing Janie's growth throughout her life. She is a strong woman and with each relationship she was in, i saw the strength in her with each one. It was the strongest in her relationship with Tea Cake because he showed her how it felt to feel unconditional love. And that is the strongest kind of love there is.
ReplyDeleteI had fun reading it. I was surprised I read it quicker than I thought I would because at first I thought it wouldn't be interesting or draw me in. Personally It was a really good book but besides the story I don't think I gained much from it. The beginning was my favorite part, especially the very first page because it summed up what the story was going to amount to in the end, theme wise, and it showed that Janie had really thought about what occurred in her life.
ReplyDeleteI am glad the story was told by a rather large flashback, it made it have more depth to me.
I'm suprised how much i ended up liking the book. Throughout the story i was most intrested in the relationship between Janie and Tea Cake. The fact that their love is so powerful that it transforms Janie in what she is made out to be is truely amazing. I loved how through tough situations, like the hurricane, Janie and Tea Cakes relationship only grew stronger. When he attacked the dog to save Janie's life, knowing he was risking his own life, shows a remarkable kind of love.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about the style in which the story is written it seems kinda neat. The author tells the story more like the character (Janie)is sitting on her porch recounting her life to someone because it is told lacking descriptions of minor details and some parts are more summarized. Not that she lacked underlying things but that the story wasn't told in that much detail. The author really thought about how she was going to present the story and did it more realistically. I always thought that when writing a book it required much detail to make things interesting but this book disproved that. It was very interesting to learn that. I think just the fact that that is a possibility made the story fun to read.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I don't completely understand is why this book is called Their Eyes Were Watching God. I know it is a qoute from the book, but I don't understand why that quote was chosen. It is a very climactic part in the book where Janie and Tea Cake's lives are changed, but I feel so much more happens in the book other than that part. Most titles seem to sum up what the book is going to be about. I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but the significance of the title still seems unclear to me.
ReplyDeleteI think Janie's transformation in this novel is spectacular. When the book starts out she seems to have a little spark to her, but her grandmother kind of squashes out that spark and teaches her to be submissive, and to follow logic over feelings. As Janie goes on, though, she learns what little following her grandmother's advice gets her, and that spark starts to shine through again. As the novel progresses you can see she follows what she feels is right more and more, rather than what the rest of the world finds right, and seems more happy. By the end of the book she has completely cast aside the views of the world and become a completely independant person, instead of the needing, submissive girl she once was.
ReplyDeleteA very simplistic element that I enjoyed while reading was Hurston's personification of death. It really intrigued me and showed me Hurston's great literary prowess. Throughout reading this book, I began to discover Hurston's writing style. Her style includes immense description that sends the mind on a whirlwind of sensory images that results in a vivid picture in my mind of what is happening. This made the book very interesting and never got boring.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I liked about the book was the way it kept me skeptical of Tea Cake. I was never truly convinced that Tea Cake was actually with Janie for love and not her money. This skepticism spanned the novel and was sparked by the story of Miss Tyler. I was then skeptical again when Miss Turner started having her talks with Janie regarding Tea Cake. I was then worried again for Janie's relationship with Tea Cake when he whipped her. I believe that this skepticism was due to Hurston's writing and development of the plot and storyline.
ReplyDeleteWhen Joe Sparks died I was kind of happy because this meant that Janie could be free to do with her life as she pleased. She seemed so locked up when she was in that relationship. Then Tea Cake comes into the picture and she begins to feel happy again. At first, I also didn't know if Tea Cake was just using her to get to her money not, but as the novel went on I found out he truly loved her. Janie also loved him dearly because her thoughts referred back to the tree at the beginning of the novel. The tree represented what love and a true relationship meant to her and now she finally got to experience it.
ReplyDeleteNature has a deep meaning in this novel. I believe nature represents life. One day things can be sunny and happy and the next a huge hurricane comes and brings you down. One of the parts in the novel that intrigues me the most is when the two men are fighting between caution and nature. That part and the whole novel showed me that nature is a bigger part of this world than people may think. The title, Their Eyes Were Watching God, I think refers to the characters watching and feeling the nature around them that God created. God was apart of the Pear Tree and Hurricane that Janie saw throughout her life.
ReplyDeleteAs I finished the novel, I realized how much I really liked it. It was cute when her and Tea Cake got together and truly loved each other. However, it was sad when he got sick from the mad dog and Janie had to shoot him to save herself. To shoot the person you love the most must be the hardest thing in the world. It just shows how strong of a woman Janie is and how she did not break down into depression after killing the man she loved. Janie truly grew stronger and more independent as the novel went on. The life situations that could have broke her down built her up instead.
ReplyDeleteThis book is written in a strong southern background with a heavy tie to slavery. Not only do the characters speak in a Southern dialect, there are other things that point to a southern heritage. One of these examples is the biscuit making that Janie goes to after she marries Mr.Killicks. Based on my own knowledge of southern customs, from taking AP US History last year, biscuit making was very traditional in the live of many slaves because of its cost effectivness and its simplicity in making.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the novel, I thought it was just an “ok” book, but after getting about halfway through, I am beginning to like the book more. Tea Cake makes improves the novel because Janie has a better outlook on things. Her life seems to be more happy and refreshing now, which sets a better attitude throughout the book. Tea Cake appears as a genuine man that is actually going to treat Janie with the respect she needs and wants. When he first disappeared to go gambling, it worried me; however, after he came back and reassured Janie to keep her money and never use it again, it made me like him as a character that much more. At the beginning of the book it mentioned Janie coming back from burying him, but hopefully it won’t be because he started acting like Logan and Jody.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Turner seems like a very annoying person. I don’t get why she has to think that she is so much better than the other black people because technically she is one of them too. Janie should tell her that she isn’t better than the others because it seems like Janie has more white in her that Mrs. Turner does. I think that if Janie said something Mrs. Turner might respect Janie’s wishes. Also, I understand that Mrs. Turner wanted Janie to marry her brother, but I don’t get why Tea Cake would beat her. I think that there could be another way to show his authority to everyone besides hitting Janie even though she was ok with it. I’m anxious to see if this does anything to change Mrs. Turner’ mind about Janie marrying her brother.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the novel, Janie seemed like a strong woman, not truly dependent on any other person, as shown by her distance from the townspeople. Although she knows they all gossip about her, she holds her head high, giving you an early hint to her personality. Janie's story she told Pheoby begins by showing that she wasn't always a strong person, but her life's occurrences brought her to be that way.
ReplyDeleteNanny's high expectations of Janie's success started Janie's life off with an unhappy marriage. I didn't like how Nanny married Janie off to Logan Killicks that early in Janie's life, but I did notice that Nanny only did it to make sure Janie was in good hands before Nanny died. Janie's marriage with Logan lacked love, and I was relieved when Janie met Joe Starks. His dreams were big, but he seemed like the type of character who could actually love Janie, unlike Logan Killicks. I was relieved when Janie walked out of Logan's house and met Joe to run off and get married.
ReplyDeleteSlavery, having just ended, appears to have shaped what the African Americans in this book look for in life. Instead of looking for someone they are compatible with, they choose their spouses by how much they own and how much security they can provide. The ways that Joe Starks, and especially Mrs. Turner act gives me the impression that if they can't be white, they want to be as close to white as they can get. Of course Mrs. Turner's always discriminating against darker African Americans and holds herself and Janie above them because the two of them have lighter skin. Joe always seems in search for power and ownership of everything, which is what the white people have. Throughout the novel, there are hints that the African Americans are always looking for security and ways to be safe from white discrimination.
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ReplyDeleteI thought that it was very sad that Janie's parents decided to leave her when she was young. However, atleast she had her Grandma to raise her and look after her because it could have been worse. I didn't think that it was best for Janie to be married at such an early age but I can see where Nanny was coming from. I too could see that Janie and Logan didn't actually love each other. Then Joe Starks came along and I was happy that Janie decided to run off with him.
ReplyDeleteJoe had very big dreams from the getgo. You could tell that he was determined to make those dreams come true. First he marries Janie, like he said he would. As soon as they arrived in the town, Joe got started on his dreams. He purchased more land, set up meetings, started out to build a store and a post office. Then he was also unanimously elected Mayor. Janie was there along with Joe, almost as if his prize wife. I kind of got the notion of "prize wife" when Joe metion how Janie was just to take care of the house when he interupted someone asking Janie to make a speech.
ReplyDeleteIn agreement with Annie, I think Hurston made nature an important part of the book. This is shown when all the animals are fleeing from the hurricane. I believe that Hurston showed that the humans would have to rely on so called inferior animals to save themselves. Those who followed the animals to safety were being cautious and those who stayed were risking their lives, maybe facing the wrath of God and nature in the form of a hurricane. The nature aspect of the book made a great impact on the overall atmosphere of the story.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this comment may be a little off the beaten path, it is something that I liked about the novel. This element was the contrast between the spoken dialogue, written in dialect, and the narration of the story, not written in dialect. This provided me with great insight into characters thought at a very deep level. Some of my favorite narrations were at the beginning of the chapters. These quotations really showed the emotions and life of Janie.
ReplyDeleteThe experience of reading "Their Eyes were watching God" was one that went beyond the story of the book itself for me.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was drawn into Janie's quest for self identity throughout the novel, i often found myself distracted by the dialect used to tell the story. When I focussed on and processed the dialect, it came together to help tell a universal story that people from any culture can learn and grow from. I have never read a book with such strong dialect, and I believe the expereince helped me develop a stronger respect for other cultures.
I would like to comment on Ashley's thoughts about Joe or "Jody" and throw in some of my own.
ReplyDeleteI agree the Janie was in fact seen as a prize wife to Jody, but i think his obsession of maintaining control led to a level of utmost disrespect towards Janie.
Jody silenced Jaine's inner self and left no room for her individuality. Everything had to be done his way; he treated her as a mere incompetent women to do his bidding rather than her own person.
I found a parellel in Jody with Tea Cake. Tea Cake brought out the best in Janie, encouraging her to be herself and try new things. I think with Tea Cake's help Janie reached her long sought after self liberation.
Myranda I agree with your thoughts about Jody, his actions did turn very disrespectful. Reading further on I was glad that Janie finally plucked up enough courage to talk back to Jody. Then after his death I liked how Janie burnt all of her head rags and wore her hair down from then on. Then when Janie met Tea Cake she showed a differnt side of her. She clicked immediately with Tea Cake, even more so when she first met Jody. Tea Cake and her could laugh and joke with each other, have fun. Right from the start you could see that Tea Cake saw something more in Janie than Joe had. Tea Cake assured Janie that she could play checkers when Joe said she couldn't, or wouldn't let her.
ReplyDeleteI think that when Pheoby was talking to Janie about her relationship with Tea Cake she was just trying to look out for Janie the best that she could. By mentioning Annie Tyler and Who Flung, Pheoby was able to show Janie that she would be taking a big chance when it came to Tea Cake. I was surprised to find out that Tea Cake had taken Janie’s money the day that she woke up and found it missing. I was glad that he ended up paying the money back to Janie soon after he had taken it though. I was also surprised at the fact that Tea Cake had beat Janie in order to show the Turner’s that he is in control of her.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with Myranda and Ashley, Joe Starks was obsessed with his position as mayor and in turn, did become disrespectful toward Janie. I think that Joe's reaction to Janie finally speaking up for herself was much too dramatic. He had been embarassed in front of all, and he thought that his respect would be earned back if he treated his wife poorly. As Joe got sick though, I noticed that Janie truly was sad at facing death, although their marriage was far from perfect. Her marriage to Joe Starks had shaped her, and helped her become the strong woman she is at the beginning of the novel. I was almost relieved though, when Joe died, because it finally freed Janie of his views of her being the perfect trophy wife.
ReplyDeleteI loved the novel once Tea Cake was introduced to Janie. He was so different from her former husbands, yet he seemed to be the type to give Janie unconditional love, and to put her first. He also allowed her to display her individuality, which Logan nor Joe would do. I was skeptical of Tea Cake once it was revealed that he had no money though, as well as him being a younger man. When the two hundred dollars was missing, I thought he had taken her money and run, but then he redeemed himself through gambling.
ReplyDeleteWhen Tea Cake was saving Janie from the dog during the hurricane, I thought nothing of his bite, other than they both made it out alive. Once he got sick, I was shocked, and even more distraught that the doctor said Tea Cake most likely wouldn't make it. Janie's decision to shoot Tea Cake was a difficult one, and she made it based on self preservation. Her decision proved that her life had made her a strong woman, and she further proved that by not breaking down by Tea Cake's death. She chose to remember how remarkable their love was, and chose to dismiss the depression following his death and her part in it. At the closing of the novel, I was in awe of Janie's strength and of her and Tea Cake's short-lived but powerful love.
ReplyDeleteI like Janie and Tea Cake's relationship, they care for each other and they both show each other respect. However when Tea Cake took that two hundred from Janie I became a little bit skeptical, Tea Cake sure didn't seem like that type of guy. I guess I could see where he was coming from for taking the money, he just wanted to see was it was like to have money. Then I was relieved when Tea Cake won the money back gave it back to Janie. You could see the depth of Janie's love for Tea Cake when she "looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love," then her sould came out of its hiding place.
ReplyDeleteWell, I finally finished the book, and I got to say, it wasn't as bad as I first thought. Don't judge a book by its cover comes in mind.. It's really sad how Tea Cake died though, not fully conscious of what he was doing. And him being rabid and almost hurting or possibly killing Janie and him both. I think how Tea Cake died was how he would've wanted to rest with a couch and guitar, slowly resting. I saw a great change in Janie, to a woman who had nothing left to live for, and being suppressed of her dreams and goals, to a outgoing woman filled with charisma.
ReplyDeleteI would like to add that Tea Cake's death had subtle irony to it.
ReplyDeleteBecause Tea Cake always encouraged Janie to try new things, he taught her how to shoot a gun and she became a better shot than him. Ironically, Tea Cake met his death at the end of a shot gun held by Janie.
The fact that Janie shot Tea Cake instead of allowing him to live and accepting her fate also proves significant. She stands up for herself and her life by taking the life of the person dearest to her heart. As much as Tea Cake meant to her, he proves to be only part of her journey to become an individual. Her life was not something she was willing to give up despite the love she felt for Tea Cake, and that shows her developed sense of self worth.
In chapter six, Lige Moss and Sam Watson engage in a debate on the porch at Jody's store. Moss believes that humans are taught to be catious from experience, while Watson argues that human beings have a natural sense of caution.
ReplyDelete1. I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on this argument.
I personally agree with Moss. A baby constantly reaches towards dangerous items simply because life experience has yet to be gained and they don't know any better.
2. I can't seem to connect the dots as to how this argument is in relation to Janie's journey. I feel as if it must somehow have a connection (why bring up such a specific argument in the novel unless it has meaning?)but am at a loss as to how. ideas?
So far I am throughly enjoying this book, but like others I'm sure, I have found it slightly difficult to read because of the southern dialect style of speech. I'm also confused on another topic. Why does Mr.Killicks verbally abuse and belittle Janie when she brings up the topic of leaving him? I understand he would be upset, but if he loves her like he should then shouldn't he be trying to tell her all the reasons she should stay with him? I know that's what I would do. If you could shed a little light on this peculiar behavior by Mr.Killicks it would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThe mule segment was very interesting to me but I felt I could take its importance many different ways. While reading it I thought that the mules life was a reflection of her marriages. In the beginning the mule belonged to an owner who was less than fulfilling, scared the mule, worked it hard, and was only looked at and owned by its owner for its physical work and attributes just like Janie's first marriage to the demanding and very uninspiring and loving man. The second part of the mule's life when he was bought by Janie's husband and flaunted and fed like Janie was but the difference was that the mule had a better life than Janie did with the mayor and the fact that the mule died still fighting or maintaining it's position like the mayor himself. It could even reflect the end of the story or even Janie's life how she finally became free in the end. I don't really know which seems more correct, if it is not supposed to be determined, or if I am totally off. I do think though that Joe did buy the mule because he still cared what his wife/people thought of him and that he wanted people to feel like he could care for them like he did for the mule, maybe like in the beginning when she left her first husband with Joe, how he kinda bought her and other people with words and actions.
ReplyDeletean idea from the second question i posted in my previous blog...
ReplyDeletemaybe janie blindly reaches out to find happiness through her relationship with Jody not knowing what she really wants from life and unaware that it will cause her pain?
just like a baby blindly reaches for a flame out of curiosity not knowing that it will burn them?
It seems like a decent argument from Moss's perspective in relation to Janie's life.
I'm almost finished with the book and I am finally starting to understand why the book is called Their Eyes Were Watching God. I won't say anything for those of you who haven't gotten there yet, but I understand now that Hurston did have a meaning for the title. I have to say, even though I am almost through the book, I am still having trouble with the dialect. The southern dialect is so foreign that some of the words I have never heard in my life and it seems to be getting harder and harder to understand as I get closer to the end. I feel that the book would be more enjoyble for me to read if the language wasn't so difficult, but I suppose the challenge is a good thing and it gets me out of my comfort zone a little bit. I am looking foreward to finding out how Janie's relationship with Tea Cake-that seems to be going great-ends up. I almost wish I hadn't read the begining so that I wouldn't know that it would have to end.
ReplyDeleteI think Janie was a adventure or a symbol of the road to independence from people and things who hold you back. People run into problems, obstacles, and childhood quirks when they are trying to find their way to independence and the author depicted this well. Even though the author didn't go into Janie's thoughts all that much you could tell that she was born to have an adventure or experience something amazing and something good would come out of her experiences and she would eventually find this independence.
ReplyDeleteI would like to comment on Victoria's entry about Matt Bonner's mule.
ReplyDeleteAfter the mule dies and the mock funeral is over, vultures descend upon the mule's carcass, which i can only assume is foreshadowing or symbolic.
Which I am not sure. Possibly foreshadowing Jody's own death? A symbol related to Janie's sadness in her own life?
Anyone have any ideas?
As I continue to read through Janie's second marriage, the feeling of love in this book startled me. I all of a sudden had a realization about Janie's thoughts on love. At this point in the book, Janie does not even know what love is! Janie had complained to her grandmother about being married to Mr.Killicks because she didn't love him. However, when she runs off with Joe Starks it's simply for a change of scene and try a new thing, but she doesn't love him either. I think it will interesting to see how Janie's thoughts on love will change, if they do.
ReplyDeleteTo comment on what Jake wrote about Janie not knowing what love is, does anyone untill they actually find it?
ReplyDeleteLove is about taking risks and trying new things, which most often doesn't work and if you get lucky does.
I believe that Janie took a risk in running off with Jody, which doesnt't work out for her, but it was a risk that may have been worth her while.
I won't ruin the next part for Jake, but another risk Janie takes does end up being worth it and takes her a step closer to finding real love.
After reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, I decided that I really enjoyed the book. I thought that it was sad how Janie had to shoot Tea Cake in order to protect her own life. Throughout their relationship, Tea Cake was able to bring out the best in Janie. He taught her how to do a lot of different things that she had never thought of doing. I think that Tea Cake was the one person that Janie needed in order to learn how to love. Overall, I really liked reading the book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read.
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ReplyDeleteI thought that it was a little weird how when Janie was in the court house that she wanted the aproval of the white women and not the black people. You would think she would want all her freinds from the glades's aproval. I guess she figgured she would'nt ever be there again so if the white people liked her it would be alright. If you could give me your opinoins it would be greatly apreciated.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how in both towns that Janie spent her life in she was always one of the people who owned the towns meeting place. Also the people of both towns were basically the same. Why do you think that Hurston found it necessary to do this. I personally think that it was Hurstons way fo showing that everywhere people are the same, but your opinions would be greatly apreciated.
ReplyDeleteI have a comment about Kevin's post.
ReplyDeleteI think that she made the people in both towns basically the same because she was trying to show the similar unhappiness and the way she hadn't found love or something new in either marriage. Her Marriage to Jody and where she lived revealed something different and introduced Janie to many new things and people and more excitement.
After finishing the book, I realized how much Janie went through with her husbands. Ultimately she lost every one of them. I think this shows Janie's strength when she left her first husband, Mr Killicks. Strength was also shown when Joe died and she didn't care what the rest of the town thought when she left with Tea Cake. Finally she showed strength when she shot Tea Cake. With the book now over and as I look back on it, the trait that I would most closely associate Janie with is strength, and I don't think anyone could argue with that.
ReplyDeleteWhen the people were warning Tea Cake and Janie that floods were coming it was an interesting part. I think that they should have known to leave when even the animals were going east. I wonder if east also has to do with something else, because it is where the horizon is. Maybe it is a symbol or something? The part when the hurricane actually started to flood the land showed a lot of suspense, and for a while I thought maybe Tea Cake was going to die by drowning trying to get Janie in a safer place. After they got to safe land, I then realized that Tea Cake dying by drowning wasn’t the case.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I though the book was very good, and I liked it much more than I thought I would. Although Tea Cake died in the end, I think it was a good way for him to die because it still showed Janie’s love for him, even though she had to shoot him. When she was in the court it was also another example of her love for Tea Cake when she though “It was not death she feared. It was misunderstanding.” That shows Janie still after all this time didn’t want people to think that she shot Tea Cake because she wanted to. She had only shot him because she had to. I liked how Hurston wrapped up the book with the last paragraph. It made it sound like Janie finally was at peace with the way her life had gone and that Tea Cake would always still be with he. The horizon was brought up again, and the way it was used made me glad to see that Janie was peaceful and content with the way things had went.
ReplyDeleteTo comment on Bethany's post about the flood, Tea Cake didn't die from the flood but did die from saving Janie. He fought the rabid dog to save her life, resulting in the disease he contracted that ultimately led to his death (Janie would not have shot him had he been in his right mind).
ReplyDeleteLike i brought up in a previous post, he also ironically saved her life by teaching her how to shoot a gun.
Okay, I finally finished. While reading it mentions that Janie was with Joe Starks for around 20 years. Well I thought it was very sad that Janie only got to spend about two years with Tea Cake, when he was the love of her life, not Joe. Even though Tea Cake died, he did it for his love of Janie, and of Janie's love for him. Tea Cake didn't want Janie to drown, so he jumped in the water and got bit by the rabid dog. Then Janie shot Tea Cake because he was too dangerous. So it was all out of love. I was happy that Janie got off the charges too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashley about Tea Cake saving Janie from the rabid dog out of love, but I think Janie shooting Tea Cake was out of mere self preservation. Which isn't neccesarily a bad thing, it shows that she had enough self respect not to die at his hands, even though she loved him.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that this novel is more of a story about a personal journey than love. Janie goes though three men throughout the novel, but all of them only provide a supporting role. The real story can be found in how Janie changes throughout the novel. She starts out unsure of what she wants and a little restless, and by the end she is perfectly content with who she is.
although I ffeel bad about the situation that janie is in with Logan Killicks, She is very selfish and naive. He has to work on 60 acres of land and he is going to need some help but not only does she think that she won't have to help but she becomes rude when she is asked.
ReplyDeleteDuring her teen years( in between her first two marriages) Janie is very naive. When she went to run away with Joe she didnt realize tht she had known him for a short period of time and yet she runs away with him hoping for this great life and she ends up in an opressive marriage with an ungrateful husband.
ReplyDeleteI found the character of Mrs. Turner to be very interesting. After Tea Cake and Janie move to the muck Janie becomes friends with MRs. Turner only becomes friends with Janie becasue fo the color of her skin. Although Mrs. Turner is African American she still treats everyone else like she's better than everyone justbecause of how she looks. In her life she was probably treated like she was an African American from white people which makes me wonder where she gets her feeling of superiority from.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book I realized that Janie was on this long road of self discovery and it took her almost 40 years to fugure it out. Her life was filled with dissapointment, opression, and unhappiness all from 20 years of marriage. It wasn't until she met Tea Cake that she was fully able to do what she wanted and actually experience life.
ReplyDeleteTheir Eyes Were Watching God’s plot reminded me of Gone with the Wind. The plot in both stories covers a southern love story where the woman is married three times. Janie’s first marriage to Logan Killicks and Scarlet O’Hara’s first marriage to Charles Hamilton were both without any love. Both of these women’s second marriages are to men who own a general store, but have their wives run the business. These marriages both end in the husbands’ death. In these stories the woman ends up with a man she loves in their third marriage, yet tragedy pulls them apart.
ReplyDeleteThis book has a heavy use of dialect. The dialect serves to help the reader develop a sense of suspended reality, where they feel they are in the story. Immediately this style of writing forces the reader to think of the south. The use of this dialect helps focus the reader to a particular setting, while it rounds out the characters, and gives them more personality.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston opens her book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, with many descriptive metaphors. One that caught my eye was, “Mules and other brutes had occupied their skins. But now, the sun and the bossman were gone, so the skins felt powerful and human.” The people had worked and tolled all day feeling like they were just mules used for labor. Now that it was night they could be human again, gossiping and judging. Later the reader leans that this community is made of all blacks, so the metaphor is given the added meaning of how African Americans were treated like mules as slaves not so long before and now they are free to be their own masters.
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