In Chapter 14 Tea Cake decides to move his new family down on the “muck” which is the locals’ nickname for the Florida Everglades, a large swampy area of Florida. Tea Cake and Janie move to the edge of Lake Okechobee. Early in chapter 14, there are a couple of instances of foreshadowing: One when Hurston describes the area where they live as only being separated from the lake by the dyke (dam), and the other when Tea Cake spends countless hours teaching Janie how to shoot a rifle. Both of these will be important to the story later on. Chapters 14 and 15 both give us insight into life on the “muck” as well as introducing us to a number of new “characters”. How would you describe Tea Cake and Janie’s life on the lake? Also, please give me your impressions of Chapter 15, which is the shortest chapter, but quite revealing about the relationship between Janie and Tea Cake. Please make sure you answer all questions and phrase your response in complete sentences.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Friday, January 24, 2020
TEWWG chs 8 & 9
In order to receive full credit for this entry you must answer all the questions and respond to at least one other commenter's post. Your response should be well thought out and articulate. Please remember that you are writing for an audience. Slang is unacceptable.
How do you feel about Janie's final confrontation with Joe and her reaction to his death? Was she right to confront him on his deathbed? Do you feel sympathy towards either character? Explain why. The figure of speech "Janie starched and ironed her face" is used on both page 87 and 88 in the novel. A few lines later, Hurston writes "She sent her face to Joe's funeral, and herself went rollicking with the springtime across the world." Explain how this observation explains why Janie needed to "starch and iron" her face. Later in chapter 9 Janie comes to the realization that her values are different from Nanny's. Explain how they are different. How did Janie see the world compared to how Nanny saw it?
How do you feel about Janie's final confrontation with Joe and her reaction to his death? Was she right to confront him on his deathbed? Do you feel sympathy towards either character? Explain why. The figure of speech "Janie starched and ironed her face" is used on both page 87 and 88 in the novel. A few lines later, Hurston writes "She sent her face to Joe's funeral, and herself went rollicking with the springtime across the world." Explain how this observation explains why Janie needed to "starch and iron" her face. Later in chapter 9 Janie comes to the realization that her values are different from Nanny's. Explain how they are different. How did Janie see the world compared to how Nanny saw it?
Friday, January 17, 2020
TEWWG chapters 4 and 5
In order to receive full credit for this entry you must answer all the questions and respond to at least one other commenter's post. Your response should be well thought out and articulate. Please remember that you are writing for an audience. Slang is unacceptable.
In Chapter 4 of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie meets Joe Starks, who is unlike any black man she has ever met. Describe her impressions of him. How is he different than Logan?
Chapter 5 focuses on Joe and Janie’s new life in Eatonville. Joe puts his plans concerning
the town into action. What are some of the things he does when he gets to Eatonville?
How would you characterize Joe on the first two pages of chapter 5? How is he viewed
by the people of the town? An emotional divide starts to show between Joe and Janie in
this chapter. Re-read this quote from chapter 5 “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah
wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’.Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat.
She’s uh woman and her place is in de home.” In what context is this line delivered?
What’s Janie’s emotional reaction to that line? How does this symbolize Joe and Janie’s
relationship and his ideas about her worth? Describe their different approaches to their
new position in town. Describe the scene around the lamplighting. Does it remind you of
anything? By the end of chapter 5 there is a shift in the way the town perceives Joe and
his possessions. How do the people of the town come to regard him? Re-read the last
paragraph of chapter 5. How does that paragraph summarize the relationship between
Joe and the people of the town?
the town into action. What are some of the things he does when he gets to Eatonville?
How would you characterize Joe on the first two pages of chapter 5? How is he viewed
by the people of the town? An emotional divide starts to show between Joe and Janie in
this chapter. Re-read this quote from chapter 5 “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah
wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’.Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat.
She’s uh woman and her place is in de home.” In what context is this line delivered?
What’s Janie’s emotional reaction to that line? How does this symbolize Joe and Janie’s
relationship and his ideas about her worth? Describe their different approaches to their
new position in town. Describe the scene around the lamplighting. Does it remind you of
anything? By the end of chapter 5 there is a shift in the way the town perceives Joe and
his possessions. How do the people of the town come to regard him? Re-read the last
paragraph of chapter 5. How does that paragraph summarize the relationship between
Joe and the people of the town?
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Their Eyes Were Watching God
We will be reading "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neal Hurston beginning in January. I do have a classroom set of books that we can use in class, however you will be required to do some reading outside of class as well, therefore it is preferable that you have your own copy. It can be a physical book or a copy that is downloaded to your device. You will also be required to participate in online discussions regarding the book through our classroom blog. There are many different versions of the book because it has been published by many different publishers over the past eighty years. They are all the same book. Just make sure yours is by Zora Neale Hurston
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