Zora Neale Hurston "I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality,...
23
Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston "I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.“ - Letter from Zora Neale Hurston to Countee Cullen Hurston's Words
Zora Neale Hurston "I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.“
Zora Neale Hurston "I have the nerve to walk my own way,
however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the
rattling wagon of wishful illusions. - Letter from Zora Neale
Hurston to Countee Cullen Hurston's Words
Slide 2
Students will analyze how authors construct characters and how
characters affect theme Students will evaluate Hurstons use of
dialect and its effects on the reader Students will connect
historical and biographical information with the text Students will
apply appropriate critical strategies to the text
Slide 3
Writer, folklorist, anthropologist Rambunctious Jump[ed] at the
sun Charming Walk[ed] into hearts Intelligent Confident Humorous
Hotheaded
Slide 4
Born in Alabama, but Eatonville, FL was home Relatively happy
childhood until the death of her mother. Hurston was 13. That hour
began my wanderingsin timein spirit. Eatonville provided a
culturally affirming environment amidst the prejudice and
segregation that was rampant in most of the rest of the country 10
years for an education
Slide 5
In 1925, her story, "Spunk," and her play, "Color Struck," won
second place in a literary contest Studied anthropology at Barnard
College Conducted field researchfocused on the folklore and culture
of African Americans Harlem, throughout the rural south, Haiti Used
her own experience, her research and her creativity to create her
work Responsible for preserving the folk traditions and cultural
heritage of African Americans
Slide 6
Charlotte Osgood Masonwealthy, white patron guided Hurstons
work Provided both opportunity and restrictions Advocated writing
for art's sakecontrary to writers such as Locke and Du Bois, who
urged blacks to reflect a racial perspective, especially in
portraying relationships with whites. Two failed marriages marriage
was doomed "to an early, amicable divorce" Career was priority
Hurston is know to have written Sheen, remembering the idealistic
dreams they shared in their youth, regretting nothing because she
lived her life to the fullest
Slide 7
Died penniless and forgotten in 1960 Grave unmarked until 1973
Interest in Hurston and work renewed by Alice Walker In Search of
Zora Neale Hurston One of the most significant writers of the 1900s
4 novels, folklore, many short stories, an autobiography, essays,
articles and plays Influenced and inspired many brilliant writers:
Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Gayle Jones, Alice Walker, and Toni
Cade Bambara
Slide 8
Their Eyes Were Watching God First published in 1937 Largely
ignored by male reviewers Reissued in 1978 to staggering popularity
There is no book more important to me than this one.Alice
Walker
Slide 9
The Great Depression Land of hope and opportunity to land of
despair Racism as strong as ever, especially in the southern states
The New Deal Gave black Americans opportunities lacked in the past
Brought their struggles to light for the Northerners The Federal
Music Project, Federal Theatre Project, and Federal Writers Project
enabled black artists to find work during the depression art or
stories which portrayed the historic and present situation of
blacks in the South.
Slide 10
End of WWImiddle of the Great Depression alienation,
marginality, folk material, the use of the blues tradition, the
problems of writing for an elite audience W. E. B. Dubois coined
the term two-ness, the awareness of your identity divided in two:
"One ever feels his two- ness - an American, a Negro; two souls,
two thoughts, two unreconciled stirrings: two warring ideals in one
dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn
asunder." More than just a literary movement: it included racial
consciousness, "the back to Africa" movement led by Marcus Garvey,
racial integration, the explosion of music particularly jazz,
spirituals and blues
Slide 11
Based on what you know of Hurstons life, why does she write
Their Eyes Were Watching God? What parallels can you draw between
the story and her life? The characters and her life?
Slide 12
Her placid childhood and privileged academic background are
often cited as major reasons for her work's general lack of stress
on racism (Columbia Encyclopedia). What do you think? Does Hurston
fail to emphasize racism in There Eyes Were Watching God? If racism
is not the focus, then what is? Why? Is Hurston doing a disservice
by not focusing on the racism that was so ubiquitous in society at
that time?
Slide 13
A writer's material is controlled by publishers who think of
the Negro as picturesque.... There is an over- simplification of
the Negro. He is either pictured by the conservatives as happy,
picking his banjo, or by the so-called liberals as low, miserable,
and crying. The Negro's life is neither of these. Rather, it is
in-between and above and below these pictures."
Slide 14
I used to climb to the top of one of the huge chinaberry trees
which guarded our front gate and look out over the world. The most
interesting thing that I saw was the horizon.... It grew upon me
that I ought to walk out to the horizon and see what the end of the
world was like (Hurston). How might this interpretation affect our
interpretation of theme and purpose?
Slide 15
African-American vernacular, including rhythm and word choice
and oral features of heard speech Colorful figurative language, in
particular, metaphors and imagery Personification Biblical
allusions and religious imagery Contrast between diction and tone
of omniscient narrator and first person speakers Italicized opening
sentence for each chapter Name symbolism
Slide 16
How does each character contribute to the theme of Their Eyes
Were Watching God? What does each character come to represent?
Slide 17
To what extent does Janie acquire her own voice and the ability
to shape her own life? How are the two related? Does Janie's
telling her story to Pheoby in flashback undermine her ability to
tell her story directly in her own voice?
Slide 18
In what ways does Janie conform to or diverge from the
assumptions that underlie the men's attitudes toward women? How
would you explain Hurston's depiction of violence toward
women?
Slide 19
After Joe Starks's funeral, Janie realizes that "She had been
getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of
people; it was important to all the world that she should find them
and they find her." Why is this important "to all the world"? In
what ways does Janie's self-awareness depend on her increased
awareness of others?
Slide 20
How important is Hurston's use of vernacular dialect to our
understanding of Janie and the other characters and their way of
life? What do speech patterns reveal about the quality of these
lives and the nature of these communities? In what ways are "their
tongues cocked and loaded, the only real weapon" of these people?
What is lost if their words are captured in the standard English of
the time?
Slide 21
"When I went about asking, in carefully- accented Barnardese,
`Pardon me, do you know any folktales or folk-songs?' the men and
women who had whole treasuries of material seeping through their
pores looked at me and shook their heads. No, they had never heard
of anything like that around here. Maybe it was over in the next
county. Why didn't I try over there?"
Slide 22
Feminism Deconstruction Psychoanalytical Evaluate: Which of the
interpretations is most valid? Explain and support your answer
Slide 23
After reading the novel, learning about the Hurstons
background, as well as analyzing character and theme, what do you
think was Hurstons main purpose in writing Their Eyes Were Watching
God?