25 Random Facts About Me

1. I hate standing in long lines.

2. Before a big game, I usually pray to God for a good outcome.

3. I always try to go outside in my free time.

4. I learn something new every day.

5. I am more of a morning person.

6. I have gone to the Outer Banks of North Carolina every year since since 2006.

7. I share my bedroom with my brother.

8. I play baseball in the spring and basketball in the winter.

9. I have seen horses close-up on the beach.

10. My favorite color is blue and my favorite food is cheeseburgers.

11. I have good relationships with all of my family except my sister.

12. I like when it it warm outside better than when it is cold. 

13. My friends and I always play either touch football or a game of basketball.

14. I have both a dog and a cat and my cat is overweight.

15. I did gymnastics when I was 3 years old.

16. I used to always procrastinate and do assignments at the last minute.

17. When I don't have a lot of homework or a sport to play, I like to relax and play video games.

18. I do not like shopping, unless it is at at a sport's store.

19. I go the grocery store every week with my dad.

20. The worst sight to see is when Joe Flacco gets sacked.

21. I have season tickets to the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

22. I also like to place tennis in my free time.

23. I do not like to speak in front of large crowds.

24. My favorite movie is Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

25. I always try to live life to the fullest, even if times in my life are tough.

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Our Day in Washington D.C.

During our day in D.C., I thought that watching the actors and actresses at the Folger's Theater was very interesting. I don't know how they could have ever memorized all of those lines from all of the plays that Shakespeare wrote! I thought that they did a great job of performing but I also liked how they interacted with the audience. The audience also did a good job of acting along with the professionals. My favorite part of the show was when they did the scene where they brought up 13 people from the audience and they all pretended to die after they got stabbed. It was really funny to see how the people would fall to the floor. I also thought the male actor did a good job of connecting with the audience through body language. That part helped me learn and interpret Shakespeare in a way that I never thought would help me. I also liked walking around Union Station because there were so many cool things to see there. The food was also very good. I thought the walk through D.C. was a bit far, especially when it was kind of hot out. It was also interesting to see the Capitol building and I even got to see the Washington Monument. It would have been better if we were able to do more, but this trip was way better than going to school.

Who is the Real Tragic Hero?

Julius Caesar

• He is a very strong military general with a ferocious army that can conquer almost any civilization.
• He is very brave and courageous, doing anything that he will to save his army and followers.
• He has very high moral standards that is beloved by many people, making him a great role model.
• He was very smart when it came to power that he received, using it wisely to help others.
• He was full of smart ideas and helped his people in important ways

Tragic Flaws

• Was growing to high in power and was not using it wisely.
• He was not trusted as a leader since he had extreme ambition.
• He felt like he could do anything he wanted and that no one could stop him.
• He did not listen to anyone and only to himself.
• Did not trust other people as a leader.

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Marcus Brutus

• Very noble person in Rome, well-respected by many people
• Very close with his wife, Portia and has a good relationship with her
• Thinks all of his decisions through and makes the right decisions.
• He had many good friends who respected him for his character.
• He is very brave and is not afraid to stand up for himself.
• Wanted to be honored for the good he did for all of Rome

Tragic Flaws

• He valued Rome more than his relationship for Caesar
• He thought that everyone had the same intentions as he did.
• He didn't think through the plan.
• His devotion to the conspiracy made him lose his wife.
• He was blind to other people's motives.

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Final Review of Their Eyes Were Watching God

In the end, I found that reading Their Eyes Were Watching God provided me a first-hand experience of what the black life was all about in the 1930s. This novel helped me understand more about what exactly happened in the life of a black person and how they were affected by the white people in society. I thought that the dialect used in the novel was going to be very difficult to read as I went farther into the book, but the further I went, the more easier I could read the dialect and understand what the people were saying in the book. I was always hooked on to read the book every time something happened to one of Janie’s husbands because I wanted to know what would happen next. I thought that Janie evolved as a person throughout the book by the way she handled situations and by the way she guided her own life. I liked how Janie did not let anyone influence and mess up with her life and how she lived a full life with a couple of loving relationships. I thought that Janie was a pure leader during her life and she is a great role model for other readers reading this book. I really enjoyed the use of imagery because I could actually see the scenes in the book as clear pictures in my head. This made it much easier to follow along in the book and to clearly know what happened. The symbols used in the novel I thought made this book more realistic where it had more detail and meaning, making the book more interesting to read. In the short amount of time that Zora Neale Hurston had to write this book made the novel even better.  Some parts of the book though were very hard to follow along with or it was very difficult to analyze. Other parts were kind of boring and made me feel that there was useless text included. But most parts of the books were very well written and show the beautiful writing style of Zora Neale Hurston. Overall, I thought that the book was very well-written and portrayed the growth of Janie throughout the book exceptionally well. Some parts of the book were hard to follow along with but I could easily understand the context of each chapter. Their Eyes Were Watching God was a very good, informative book about the life of an African-American, but it is not the best book I have ever read. I would give it a rating of a 7.5 out of 10.

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Symbolism in Their Eyes Were Watching God

Symbolism is a key element found in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. There are numerous symbols that appear in the novel. Here is a list of the symbols found in the book.

1. Roots and branches of trees- African American people have little to no roots

2. Pear tree- blossoming womanhood and desire for love

3. Mule- black women doing all of the worst jobs

4. Janie’s long, straight hair- represents how Janie is “different.” It represents her bi-racial roots. Lastly, it will represent her freedom as a woman.

5. Janie’s head rag- Joe’s control; similar to slavery

6. A dog- to represent how not to treat a lady

7.  The lamp post (light) - symbol of light and hope for the new town of Eatonville (progress)

8. Horizon- represents new dreams/wishes out on the horizon; new beginnings

9.  The gate- opening to new possibilities down the “road.”

10.  The general store- represents progress in Eatonville because black people in town have their own store and it’s owned by black store owners. It’s also the central meeting spot of town.

11. Overalls- the working class

12.  Spittoon- the power that Joe has

13. Checkers- respect for Janie

14. Blue- Tea Cake’s proof of love for Janie

15. The soil of the muck- growth and the working class

16. Hurricane- God’s ability of omnipotent

17. Mrs. Turner- racism in the black world

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Imagery in Their Eyes Were Watching God

In many novels, authors used a key term called imagery. Imagery can be described as anything that creates a vivid image in the reader's mind through any of the five senses. Imagery in novels helps create a clear image in the reader's mind as they read along through the book.

List of Imagery

1.  “the great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume,” Description of Janie’s hair, which is a big symbol in the novel. Page 2

2. “time makes everything old so the kissing, young darkness became a montropolous old thing while Janie talked.” Time loomed on as Janie told her story to Phoeby. Page 7

3. “She had glossy leave and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her.” This compares Janie to the blooming pear tree and how it is blooming as she is growing up and becoming a woman. Page 11

4. “Mind- pictures brought feelings, and feelings dragged out dramas from the hollows of her heart.” Nanny is trying to raise Janie while remembering the past things from her life, and trying to do better this time. Page 16

5. “They sat on the boarding house porch and saw the sun plunge into the same crack in the earth from which the night emerged.” This is symbolizing the start of a new day, and Janie has a new start for happiness. Page 33

6. “The fact that the thought pictures were always crayon enlargements of life made it even nicer to listen.” Listening to stories and talking makes life seem a lot better than it is to Janie; it idealizes things. Page 51

7. “The new moon had been up and down three times before she got worried in mind.” It had been a long time before Janie started to worry that she wasn’t falling in love with Logan as she hoped she would with time. Page 22

8. “She knew the world was a stallion rolling in the blue pasture of ether.” Life is fast changing and constantly moving. Page 25

9. “So they chewed up the back parts of their minds and swallowed with relish.” The people did not use their heads and they just criticized Janie in harmony. Page 2

10. “One mornin’ soon, now, the angel wid de sword is gointuh stop by here.” Nanny is getting old and one day an angel will bring her to heaven since she is aging. Page 15

11. “Did marriage compel love like the sun of day?” Love does not come directly from getting married like the sun that comes out. It has to be shared in a relationship. Page 21

12. “The shirt with the silk sleeveholders was dazzling enough for the world.” This strange man had such a nice looking shirt that everyone in the world would be amazed by the way he dressed. Page 27

13. “And then he spit in that gold-looking vase that anyone else would have been glad to put on their front-room table.” Many people would have displayed a gold vase as a prized possession but Joe Sparks used it to spit into, making people feel worse about him as mayor. Page 47

14. “Every morning the world flung itself over and exposed the town to the sun.” Janie had a new day and every day, something new would happen. This would continue each and every day to the world. Page 51

15. “Somebody near about making summertime out of lonesomeness.” Janie spent the most of her summer alone while Joe was out doing business. Page 77

16. “A sack of flabby something hung from his loins and rested on his thighs when he sat down.” Joe was starting to get flabby where his fat was hanging down from his thighs like an old man. Page 81

17. “Inside the expensive black folds were resurrection and life.” Janie might have looked depressed on the outside, but she felt freedom and liveliness on the inside. Page 88

18. “She looked him over and got thrills from every one of his good points.”  Janie was fascinated by everything about Tea Cake and she was thrilled about his playful personality. Page 96

19. “At the newel post Janie whirled around and for the space of a thought she was lit up like a transfiguration.” Janie did not know what to think after Tea Cake said something very rude to her. She was shocked at what Tea Cake said. Page 105

20. “So her firm intention looked like an accident and she didn’t have to give her opinion to folks along the way.” Pheoby’s main intention was to go talk to Janie directly, but she stopped at other houses along the way to talk to other people. Page 112

21. “But, don’t care how firm your determination is, you can’t keep turning round in one place like a horse grinding sugar cane.” Janie was determined to find her lost money, but she kept going backwards in her search, not making any progress. Page 118

22. “Dirt roads so rich and black that a half mile of it would have fertilized a Kansas wheat field.” The land in the Everglades was so fertile that anything could grow on it. Page 129

23. “A little seed of fear was growing into a tree.” The thought of losing Tea Cake was evolving more and more every minute he spent with Nunkie. Page 136

24. “She was an ironing board with things throwed at it.” This is describing Mrs. Turner, who looked very odd to many people. Pages 139-140

25. “The way he petted and pampered her as if those two or three face slaps had nearly killed her made her the woman see visions and the helpless way she hung on him made men dream dreams.” Tea Cake often slapped Janie across the face, but she did not care too much and it was like she just hung on to Tea Cake. Page 147

26. “That night the palm and banana trees began that long distance talk with rain.” Even the trees in the region knew that the rain and winds were coming with the approaching hurricane, making it hard for all wildlife. Page 155

27. “The mother of malice had trifled with men.” Destruction was largely prevalent in the Southern Florida area and evil had done its job.” Page 169

28. “The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall.” The memories Janie made with Tea Cake will never be forgotten and they will light the rest of Janie’s house and the rest of Janie’s life forever. Page 193

My favorite example of imagery was the one with the palm and banana trees talking with the rain because I could create a clear image in my head of what this would look like. This piece of imagery I thought was very easy to witness if I was placed in that scene. I also liked this example of imagery because you could see how close the hurricane was to Janie and how close all of the wildlife were to getting pummeled by rain and wind. You could see how close the rain was to the wildlife in the region and they were all bracing for the worst. I think that this quote describes imagery in a very good way and that is why it is one of my favorites.

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Criticism of Zora Neale Hurston

During Zora Neale Hurston’s lifetime, she encompasses a lot of criticism, especially from other authors during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Some people greatly praised Hurston for writing such an intellectual book full of the images of the black life while others did the opposite of that.

 One of these authors who was known for this criticism was Richard Wright. Wright had a very strong voice during the time of the Harlem Renaissance and many people either listened to him or respected him. The criticism was so cruel and malicious towards Hurston that she eventually went into seclusion. He says that, “the minstrel technique that makes the white people laugh" (Wright, 1937). This says that Wright accuses her of writing explicitly writing about how the black people were tormented by the white people with racial comments in her novel too. Wright also said she wrote to satisfy the white audience and to make sure they were satisfied. He also accuses her of continuing the black tradition of white folks “just laughing” at what they do. Wright also said that “Her characters eat and laugh and cry and work and kill; they swing like a pendulum eternally in that safe and narrow orbit in which America likes to see the Negro live: between laughter and tears” (Wright, 1937). Wright’s criticism was very negative and it made Zora Neale Hurston feel embarrassed and stupid. She was accused of all of these things about the Negro life of characters in her book. With all of this criticism of stereotype, Zora Neale Hurston went into hiding.

          

  I do not agree with the criticism that Hurston received because Hurston was just portraying the black life in a simple but detailed way. The characters in Their Eyes Were Watching God are depicted in an honest and realistic way during the times of prejudice against the black people. Hurston was determined to write a great book and that is exactly what she did. The praise from this book should stand out more than the harsh criticism that it received. The criticism was so mean and unjust, especially for a book that was written in only seven weeks by Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston was just showing the facts of the real black life in the 1930s with great detail and numerous motifs and symbols. Hurston took a chance by writing this book and she accomplished this daring feat. Every book receives some criticism, but Their Eyes Were Watching God received way too much negative criticism. I do not agree with the cruel criticism of this book and that Hurston just wrote from the heart and what she encountered in her own life, making this a fantastic book to read.

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Source

Wright, Richard. Between Laughter and Tears. 5 Oct. 1937. 13 Apr. 2011 <http://people.virginia.edu/~sfr/enam358/wrightrev.html>.