Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Their Eyes Were Watching God, chapter 1
In chapter 1 of Their Eyes Were Watching God, we are introduced to Janie, who is our main protagonist. Chapter 1 is one of only two chapters in the book that take place in the present. The other chapters are all Janie telling the story of her life to her best friend Phoeby. The book is Janie's story written from an auto-biographical perspective. We are introduced to the insights she has picked up over her lifetime about who she is and what she considers important in life. The opening line of the book reads: “Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the same horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly.”
Analyze this statement. What do you think Hurston meant by this? The men and the women of the town have very different reactions to Janie's return to Eatonville, Florida, where the story is set. Describe their reactions. You must respond to to both questions in order to recieve full credit for this post. Each online discussion will be worth forty points. The online portion of discussion constitutes half of your participation grade. You will have until Friday to respond to this topic.
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Hurtson is describing the gender differences in the opening line and throughout the entire first chapter. She does so with the reactions of Janie's entrance into Eatonville. Its at dusk around the time when all the work is done in the day and dinner (or supper as they called it) is finished. All the older women come together and sit on the porches besides the road. All day they have been quiet but now is the time for talking and gossip and judgment. The men however are sitting out there most likely as well but talking about different subjects. The gender differences come to life when Janie comes into town passing by everyone as if she was a mouse that the owls are stalking. The women remember her and what she did when she originally left town and start talking about that almost right in front of her. They comment on how poorly dressed she is and how her hair is like a child instead of the grown woman that she is. The women are odiously jealous of her bodily features if they are fussing at them. But when she looks at them, all talk stops and they shuffle out a "good evenin"
ReplyDeleteThe men couldn't care less about what she did in the past or probably who she is for any matter, all they see is a beautiful women dressed really sexily. They didn't say a word. They just stared shamelessly.
In the paragraph of the chapter she is talking about men and women differences and using an analogy of ships and describing what their lives really mean. Men don't really take action for their wishes except just watch their lives waste away. Women do however and they act on everything correctly. This quote almost makes me think of feminism in a way.
-Sara Headley 5th period
the men don't really take action for their wishes except just watch their lives waste away.However and they act on everything correctly.
ReplyDeleteSome men think she has come back because tea cake has stolen her money and now she's back looking for someone else to take Teacake's place. The women laugh and mock her for what she left with and what she is now if you rephrase the line that says" Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget." That means they judge her for who was and not how she is now they are jealous.
ReplyDeleteSome men have a very far distance from her but the men is not out of sight.But the watcher dreams mocked death by time.
ReplyDeleteAnico Livingston- 5th period
Some men won't the same dream, but some follow it and and some waste their time. Women forget everything they don't want to remember want in my opinion is referring to the age difference between Janie and tea cake. Women remember everything they don't want to forget refers to the women in the city they want to be nosy and see why she had come back. They want to know the whole story about the situation and they will find out on judgment day.
ReplyDeleteWhen they find out the truth to the whole story then they will be back to normal.
Breshayla Singleton- 5th period
People wants to know why she's came back, people is judging her for who she use to be in my opinion they is just jealous , men want dreams but they're too lazy to take responsiblity .
ReplyDeleteKyana Jones- 5th Period
Some men followed their dreams while some just let theirs go to waste.While women sat around forgetting and remembering whatever they wanted.Janie comes back town and people start to talk about her because they don't have what she does. The women were basically jealous of her for things like her body features and the way she dresses. I think it is wrong for them to judge Janie the way they do because they can't be mad at her appearance and the things she has. Its not like they don't have the opportunity to get what she does. The people are living in a dream and they need to come back to reality.
ReplyDeleteAudriana Simington- 4th period
When Janie returns the men were looking at her with lust. The women talked about her and what she was wearing. I honestly think that the women are very jealous.
ReplyDeleteDamonesha Chillous 4th period
Her old community welcomes her back with scorn and derision. They’re all sitting on their porches, watching her return and exchanging nasty gossip born from jealousy of her beauty and social mobility. They make snide comments about Janie having left town in satin and returning in overalls, having left with a young man and returning
ReplyDeleteActually, the men just gawk at her because even though she’s forty, she’s really hot.
When Janie walks past all of her neighbors without stopping to chat, they take her silence as arrogance, which fuels more gossip about her.
Posting on this topic is closed.
ReplyDelete