Monday, December 2, 2013
Their Eyes Were Watching God, chs 4 & 5
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? Janie and Joe get to Eatonville, Florida in Chapter 5 where they are disappointed to see the state that the town is in. When Joe buys land and starts to build houses and a store in the town, the townspeople are initially excited. They name him mayor, which also gives Janie a certain status. There is a celebration surrounding the installation of a streetlight. As the town grows, however, and Joe attains a certain status, it starts to stir very different feelings in some of the townspeople, particularly when he builds his own house. “Take for instance that new house of his. It had two stories with porches, with banisters, and such things. The rest of the town looked like servants’ quarters surrounding the ‘big house.’” The citizens start to feel inferior, and Joe likes it. He desires to be set apart from others and wants Janie to feel the same, but she doesn’t. We talked in class about how Nanny had put Janie in a “box” because of her own feelings and understanding of what black women needed. Explain to me how Joe is doing something similar. Give examples. Also read the following statement from the last page of chapter five. Analyze what is meant by it. “The town had a basketful of feelings good and bad about Joe’s positions and possessions, but none had the temerity to challenge him. They bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again he was all of these things because the town bowed down.”
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Compared to every other man Janie has ever met and known, Joe Starks is something new and very interesting. Hes charming and seems to care about her and how she lives instead of treating her like a slave, he treats her like an lady. Logan and Joe are extremely different physically and mentally. Joe is what back then they would call a gentlemen a man with class and grace. At least to her he was compared to her background and culture. He makes her feel special and important so she figures that's what marriage and love is about.
ReplyDeleteWhen Joe becomes mayor of the town he does have a status that he must upkeep. He has to be a sociable and charismatic, yet disciplined and smart to ensure stability and order in the town. As his wife Janie must do the exact same more even, she has to be spotless and almost the perfect obedient wife. Janie is a beautiful woman with long hair that is not seen that often in their community. She has a certain sexuality about her that draws other people, typically men to her and Joe tries to suppress that and hold control over her as if to get rid of her entire identity and to completely control her and make her into who he wants her to be just like Nanny. Joe has a distinct masculinity about him that influences people and Janie to submit and obey. He wants to be the "master" of the people and a darker side of him emerges and he likes the power he has.
The final statement of Chapter 5 is almost the solution to why all of this was happening. Joe's authority, his leadership, his control, and his power cannot exist without their participation. He is nothing without them and their submissive behavior. If they rebelled and perhaps if Janie threatened him enough then he would be nothing but a horrible control freak of a man. The saying is true, "You are nothing without others."
Joe Starks treats her very well. He treats her like a queen and cares about her very much. Logan and Joe are different in many ways. Joe has a lot of class and acts like a gentleman. When he becomes mayor some thing starts to change. Jamie is once again put in that box and is separated from her own people. Although he tries because of her sexuality and good looks its kind of hard for him. Joe lets the power he has go to his head.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Joe was trying to protect Janie, like her nanny would want?
DeleteJanie impression of Joe was nice. Janie felt different with him and that's why she ran away with him. She believed that Joe really cared about her as well. Logan and Joe were different because Joe was a gentlemen and Logan really wasn't. It seems as if Logan would try to boss her around a little bit, while Joe on the other hand didn't want her doing alot of things Logan let her do.
ReplyDeleteJoe wanted Janie to be protected like nanny wanted. Nanny didn't believe in love she believed in protection and she doesn't want Janie to become hurt like her mother did. Joe wants to separate Janie from the other people, Even though Janie disagree. Joe feel as if he doesn't talk to the people she can't either.
The town had good and bad feelings about Joe being the mayor and all that he had. No one in the town would have the guts to go up against him. People in the town looked up to him because he had power and he was a good leader for the new town.Then he might be the powerful person and leader because of the people in the town. What would the people in the town be like if Joe wasn't there, and what would Joe be like if people in the town wasn't there.
How do you think Joe became this way?
DeleteFirst it was odd to see a stranger stops, eyes her meaningfully, and asks for a cold drink.
ReplyDeleteShe learns that his name is Joe Starks from Georgia and he’s heard of a town made up completely of black people who are going to build and run their own city. Soon after the drink they began flirt and it’s obvious that Joe wants to see Janie made a proper lady, not laboring behind a plow.It’s clear that Joe is interested in Janie. He spends his time talking about what a great future he has ahead of him. Though Janie is obviously unhappy with Logan, she has a few reasons keeping her from just ditching him for Joe. Joe is very much different from Logan. Joe treated her like a queen she was, rather then Logan who told her how and what she should be grateful for. Nanny didn't believe in love she believed in protection and she doesn't want Janie to become hurt like her mother did
They arrive in the highly-anticipated town and find it disappointing, much smaller than they imagined. Joe demands to talk to the mayor. A man named Amos Hicks, upon seeing Janie, pretends to be the mayor. He thinks Janie is Joe’s daughter, but when he finds out the truth, he drops the façade since he’s definitely not getting anywhere with the pretty,married girl. Soon Joe discovers that the town doesn’t have a mayor yet,but even know Mr.Hicks was still shocked by Janie being his wife , he offered them a home until they actually get on their feet and would to afford their own place.After Janie didn't find anyone that have her looks she being to grow anciently. Her sexuality about her that draws other people, typically men to her and Joe tries to suppress that and hold control over her as if to get rid of her entire identity.
In Chapter 5 Conclusion Janie reveals that she feels Joe’s role as mayor makes their relationship strained and unnatural. Joe disagrees, saying she should be happy because it makes a "big woman" out of her. The conversation ends with Janie feeling lonely. She soon being to loose hope in her marriage. By TIRA LEWIS
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ReplyDeleteAfter a while, Jody and the rest of the town start to grow apart from each other, and Janie, as the mayor’s wife, becomes the object of both respect and jealousy. The townspeople envy Jody’s elaborate new two-story house that makes the rest of the houses look like servants’ quarters. Jody buys spittoons for both himself and Janie, making them both seem like aristocrats flaunting their wealth and station. Furthermore, Jody runs a man named Henry Pitts out of town when he catches Henry stealing some of his ribbon cane. The townspeople wonder how Janie gets along with such a domineering man; after all, they note, she has such beautiful hair, but he makes her tie it up in a rag when she is working in the store. Though Jody’s wealth and authority arouse the envy and animosity of some residents, no one challenges him.
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