Eyes Journal 7

Theme Words: 
- Jealousy
- Time/ Waiting
- Perseverance
- Dreams
-Doubt
-Self Love
-Community
-Struggle
-Ambition
-Personal Growth
-Overcoming Adveristy
-Marriage
-Idealism 



Waiting: 
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston repeatedly selects words centered around time and in particular, waiting for things. Through Janie's struggle to push herself into action, Hurston suggests that we shouldn't wait for things to come to us, because it's a waste of valuable time, but instead we should constantly pursue our dreams.

Doubt: 
In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston often notes how the main character, Janie, doubts herself and thus, takes a long time to be happy. She implies that self-doubt undermines our ability to achieve our goals.

Idealism: 
Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston shows her characters pursuing idealistic love or success and they all struggle and have a hard time finding happiness. Hurston suggests that something does not necessarily have to be perfectly ideal for someone to be happy, that we can find happiness in flawed society because we are flawed people.

Eyes Journal 6

My Comments:

Olivia said...

I really like how you talked about doubt. I hadn't thought about the tone as being doubtful or Janie as doubting herself, that is a really cool point to bring up. I had said that she felt desperate. But I can see that there's also a note of regret and doubt

September 19, 2011 6:29 PM  (On Mica's Blog)

Olivia said...

I like how you talked about the author paralleling annie tyler and janie. I hadn't noticed the similarities with the bed and all of that. It makes it easier to understand why Hurston would include the part about Annie Tyler.

September 19, 2011 6:25 PM  (On Jessica's Blog)

Unknown said...

I wrote about waiting too! But I didn't associate it at all with love. It's really interesting that you talked about drawing parrallels between love and waiting/time. I hadn't thought about that.
- Olivia

September 19, 2011 6:20 PM  (On Jack's Blog)

My Outline: 

1. (Thesis/Purpose) In this passage, Hurston uses a variety of syntaxes, imagery, recurring ideas of time and waiting, and a somber tone with a regretful, sad and desperate mood to create an insight for the reader into the epiphany that Janie is having where she doubts herself and her life decisions because she feels that life has passed her by and she's wasted too much time waiting for the idealistic love. 

2. (Paragraph 1) In the first paragraph Hurtson tells the story of Annie Tyler using ambiguity, particular word choice and imagery to show the similarities between her and Janie. 

3. (Paragraph 2) In the first half of the second paragraph, Hurston creates many images and sets up Janie as being strong and stable to contrast from the doubt that she begins to feel. 

4. (Paragraph 3) In the second half of paragraph two, Hurston switches the narration to first person to allow a more desperate tone and help the reader empathize with Janie. 

5. (Paragraph 4) Hurston uses long, flowing metaphors in this passage that create a more dream-like mood  because Janie is dozing off to sleep. 

6. (Paragraph 5) Hurston ends the passage with a darker tone and depicts Janie as more helpless and pitiful which makes the mood more sad. 

Eyes Journal 5 (Commentary Prep)

- I noticed that most of the passage is from the 3rd person narrator point of view, but a few lines in the second paragraph it switches to Janie's thoughts, you can tell by the dialect. Hurston uses this brief switch because it helps the mood become more desperate when you can really hear the desperation and pleading with Janie. The reader can empathize easier with Janie.  "And God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me....Ah been waitin', Jesus. Ah done waited uh long time."
- The tone of the passage is somber. In the first paragraph she says "...and took Annie Tyler away to die in peace. She had waited all her life for something, and it had killed her when it found her." It's pretty somber when she says things like die in peace and waiting and killing her. Also later she says "Janie dozed off to sleep..." and "...It was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back." The mood of the piece is more sad and dreary as the reader empathizes with Janie, wondering where Tea Cake is. You can hear the dreary and depressed mood in phrases like "She dwindled down on the floor..." Dwindled means to "become smaller and smaller; shrink or waste away" (dictionary.com). You can picture Janie just wasting away as she becomes fearful that something bad happened to Tea Cake.
- There's a lot of imagery surrounding sleeping and beds and she also at the end mentions a rocking chair. I think these images contribute to the dreary mood.
-There's a few lines of figurative language while she's talking about the sun rising. She says the sun was "sending spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark". She's literally talking about the little first rays of light that are coming up before you can see the full sun. I think the choice of the word spies is interesting, it has an effect on the mood because it makes it more dark and somber. Also, spies has connotations of like secretive and she's wondering where Tea Cake is. Plus, the mention of the "road through the dark". Roads are a motif throughout the story and are a symbol for a journey. It also says he "peeped over the door sill of the world" which is a metaphor comparing the world to sort of a house. Also the word "peeping" connects to spies because it's sort of secretive. And she's personifying the sun as if "he" is a person. Then she says the sun "made a little foolishness with red. But pretty soon, he laid all that aside and went about his business dressed in white." I'm not sure why red is foolish? Or why she says he laid it all aside and went about his business dressed in white. What connotations are there for the colors white and red?
-There's a lot of longer sentences with description broken up with commas later on in the passage but in the beginning of the passage the sentences are shorter and more concise. I think this could be because in the beginning the narrator is just stating facts and Janie is up and she's begging and pleading so there's this atmosphere of desperation. But then she starts to "doze off to sleep" and that's when the sentences get longer and more description. So this creates sort of a "dream" effect, the longer sentences are more flowing and dream like because Janie is dozing off.

Eyes Journal 4 (Pastiche)

But Charlotte began to question Love. Love, that silly creature with the powerful grip who lived locked in the hearts of school girls. The one who hides in the darkest corners of the ally, lurking in the shadows. Why does love need to hide, why do people spend their lives searching for something so vague and unreliable? He perches in a nest with a view of the horizon. He flies back and forth, east to west, swooping up dreams along his way, clutching them in his mighty talons. Been making these rounds since long before skyscrapers blocked his view. She wouldn't be surprised if she stumbled upon one of these forgotten dreams, torn and fallen from his sharp claws lying on the New York sidewalk. She was intrigued and skeptical too. Oh, Luke! He had to realize all of this was so utterly irrelevant. She had tried to talk him out of it, but, boy, was he was stubborn. These men were luxuries for a short time, but they didn't last. He would just twirl her around in his arms, like some ridiculous movie, buy her something that glitters, and they'd live happily ever after. That's what he thought. But the world had taught her differently, she knew better. And imagine if it hadn't! She'd be another poor girl living out fantasies that belonged in children's books, only to have them snatched away by the cold, stone city. Some women were so naive, leaning on men when in this modern world it's no longer necessary, like PDA's or Dial-Up internet. Still, from somewhere in the darkest corner of her heart, lurking under all her fears, was something that felt like a flutter, brushing against a brick wall.

Eyes Journal 3

Characterization:
      The character I chose to analyze is Joe Starks. First of all, the first name Joe or Joseph means "He will enlarge" or "He will add". This definitely has meaning for the character because Joe is the mayor of the town, he's the creator of this place, he enlarges and adds to the town. He's very powerful and he literally enlarges and adds to the town. Also, the name "stark" means strong. And Joe is definitely a strong character. Also, the vocabulary word stark means "severe or barren in appearance" or "unpleasantly or sharply clear; impossible to avoid". His name has that feel to it also when you say it aloud, Joe Starks is a very succinct and strong and concise. It sounds harsh.
        There's a ton of characterization of Jody in this chapter. Another more subtle aspect, is the different names he's called through out. He's referred to as Jody or Mister Starks or Mayor Starks or just "Starks". Typically when Janie is thinking or talking about him, he's called Jody. Since it's more a term of endearment and could refer to the softer side of him that she sees. Also the use of his last name all the time makes him sound much more formal and I think that Hurston does this so the reader gets an image of Joe being important. She wants the reader to have an authoritative view of Joe Starks because that's how the characters in the story view him.
        Another way to characterize Joe is by his actions. His actions are a little more obvious the way he speaks to Janie, he's belittles her constantly. He definitely has the mindset that he is way smarter than her and can outwit her. He treats her like a child. When he wants her to do what he wants he tries to make it sound like that's what she wants. For example, "He didn't want her talking after such trashy people. 'You'se Mrs. Mayor Starks, Janie, I god, Ah can't see what uh woman uh yo' stability would want tuh be treasurin' all dat gum-grease from folks dat don't even own de house dey sleep in. ''Tain't no earthly use. They's jus' some puny humans playin' round de toes uh Time" (54). First,(highlighted in blue) he surround her with words that put her on a pedestal, like calling her "Mrs. Mayor" and saying "A woman of your stability". He's building her up trying to get her to think she's better than them so she'll do what he wants. It's what a parent would do to a child, like saying to their toddler that they're trying to potty train, "Oh, a kid as big as you wouldn't want wear diapers anymore because you are much to old and grown up for that!" He's showing that he thinks he can easily outwit her. Then, also (high lighted in pink) he puts down other people. Again, trying to show how much better she is than them. There's also many more examples of him using this belittling tone with her through out the chapter.
         Another way to get to know Jody's character is by his thoughts. I found this to be the most interesting piece. Because, in life, we don't have an omniscient narrator so we never get the benefit of knowing what other people's intentions are. However, Hurston does occasionally narrate some feelings and thoughts of Joe that he doesn't say out loud. For example, "...Joe never told Janie how jealous he was.." (61) and "He felt like rushing forth with the meat knife and chopping off the offending hand" (61). I found this interesting because looking at just his actions, he's really mean. As a reader, I don't like him one bit when I look at how he treats Janie. However, you catch glimpses of his anger and you get to know that he can be pretty hot headed. He does have strong emotions and he shows a lot that it's not that he doesn't love Janie, he actually truly believes that he is smarter than her and that women need someone to think for them. He thinks he's doing her a favor."Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don't think none theirselves" (71). And "....he saw that she was sullen and he resented that. She had no right to be., the way he thought things out. She wasn't even appreciative of his efforts and she had plenty cause to be. Here he was just pouring honor all over her; building a high chair for her to sit in...." He goes on to talk about how much he does for her. He really thinks of her as almost subhuman. He thinks of her like an animal almost and I feel like this is when you start to get a real sense of feminism from the novel and you start to feel amazed at how some men viewed women during these times.

Eyes Journal 2

I chose the passage from page 41, the first full paragraph. It begins with "Janie was astonished..." and ends at the end of that paragraph.

"Her silken ruffles rustled and muttered about her." This sentence contains alliteration with the ruffles rustled, and it's really good imagery because it appeals to your sense of sight, sound and touch. Hurtson uses this imagery to put the reader into the story and make her writing more articulate, it sounds better and imagery creates a softer mood when she mentions silk and ruffles.

"So she put on one of her bought dresses and went up the new-cut road all dressed in wine-colored red." I think there's a little motif in this sentence of 'newness'. She talks about a new "bought" dress so you can infer it was nice and expensive, probably something Joe bought her. And then again she says "new-cut road" so it's kind of a symbol of this fresh start that she has in this brand new town with her new husband. It relates to new beginnings. Also, I think red is an interesting color choice and it's interesting that Hurtson specifies red because red is the color of the sunrise and the sunset which are motifs throughout the novel. So the color red could relate to that image of dawn and dusk, beginning and ending. Also the fact that it's "wine-colored" red makes it sound fancy and expensive. Since wine is a more formal, classy drink that you would think of wealthier people with so it can also represent her new status and wealth as the mayor's wife.

Another quote that I found interesting was "She must look on herself as the bell-cow, the other women were the gang." I had to look up the term "bell-cow" and I found out that literally a bell cow is the leader of a herd of cows who wears a bell around it's neck so that they can locate the herd. (dictionary.com) So, basically when it's saying she's supposed to be the bell-cow, she's supposed to be the special one, the leader, the rest of the women just follow what she does. By using bell cow Hurston is again referring to animals and nature. Also, bell-cow sounds more rural which contrasts to the fact that they're trying to urbanize this area and make a town.

Mood: I think the mood is prosperous and excitement and hopeful, talking about getting ready for this big event and what everyone is wearing. It's a little anxious almost because you're waiting to see what will happen.

Tone: I think the tone is more formal since it's part of the narration and it's more serious than playful.

Purpose: This passage is important to the story because it shows one of the first glimpses of Joe and Janie's relationship and starts to suggest that Joe sees Janie almost as a trophy wife, and that he uses her to put up on a pedestal and to enhance his own image. It also makes Janie seem very submissive since she's just wearing what he bought and standing there looking the part. 

Eyes Journal 1

Hurston uses metaphors such as “They made burning statements out of questions, and killing tools out of laughs” (2) and when she describes the women criticizing Janie’s clothing she says “It was a weapon against her strength” (2). A few small metaphors like this in the first chapter relate to weapons or warfare. When Pheoby leaves, Hurtson says “She left the porch pelting her back with unanswered questions” (4). The imagery or war is repeated in much of her figurative language. Using something like weapons to compare the story to as opposed to something softer suggests that the story is more dark and harsh. That, much like a war, things are destroyed, people are hurt, and you have to be strong to survive. Janie is portrayed as a strong character and it’s accurate to describe her as similar to a soldier since she does have to “fight” a lot in her life, not in a literal sense, but emotionally fight through her struggles. Overall, her choice of metaphors sets a particular mood for the story, a mood of hard times and warfare.

It’s interesting how she decides to set up the story with so many metaphors that are pretty dark because the book as a whole really isn’t dark, it has a lot of messages or power, strength and hope. I wonder why she chose war as opposed to something else? Also, why make Janie so mysterious at the beginning? She also uses nature in many of her metaphors so I wonder how she connects nature and warfare? 

One of the biggest literary techniques that Hurston uses in her novel is contrast. She applies a lot of smaller contrasts within paragraphs and sentences. For example she says “Dawn and doom was in the branches” (8). Dawn is so hopeful and graceful and soft, and then doom is so dark and opposite but she talks about both of them being “In the branches” metaphorically speaking, since she is comparing her life to a tree. She also says “They sat on the boarding house porch and saw the sun plunge into the same crack in the earth from which the night emerged” (33). This could be a metaphor, talking about how the sun, representing the day and the light, is from the same place as the night, representing darkness. Through all her contrast between light and dark, happy and sad, she is showing how much life changes and how we all experience dark times and well as brighter times. Sometimes even the same things that start out good, can end badly. This relates to Janie and her three marriages throughout the novel that started off bringing her happiness but then things fell apart.

Why does she choose to make the contrasts so extreme, like light and dark? I wonder if there’s something deeper than just contrast that has to do more specifically with lightness and darkness, because lightness and darkness contrast could also have racial connotations, especially in this time period. The difference and contrast between white and black people. In what other ways does the book convey contrast besides just metaphors?

Hurston uses personification in her book in a few different circumstances. In one instance she says “…never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked by Time” (1). She chooses to capitalize both the word watcher and the word time. In regards to time by capitalizing it, it becomes like a proper noun, like time is not just a thing but a whole separate entity, kind of like saying “Father Time”. I think for one, it makes the mood a little more mysterious, it makes time sound almost ominous. She also says “the night time put on flesh and blackness” (10). She personifies the night which is interesting since again it has to do with time. A lot of authors personify common things like inanimate objects, a tree or an apple or something. I think it’s interesting that she personifies things like time and night. She says that night “put on flesh”. It sounds so dark. Hurston writes “the panting breath of the breeze” (11). I like how she describes that because it’s so specific you can just hear the type of breeze she’s describing. Also, it sets a different mood the fact that it’s “panting” instead of saying something like deep breaths, or soft breath. She uses personification to help the setting come to life and it also aids in all the metaphors that she writes comparing things to nature and to animals.

I wonder if the references to time are because as Janie’s looking back on her story or as a person looks back on their life they wonder where does the time go? Also, why does she choose to create such a mysterious mood, saying “put on flesh and blackness”? She also capitalized “watcher” on the first page, which kind of reminds me of the title “Their Eyes Were Watching God” because God is always capitalized so it’s almost like there’s God and then there’s the “Watcher”. I wonder who she’s referring to when she says Watcher or whether it’s just people in general? Why does she capitalize watcher? Will it appear again in the book or does it connect to anything else in the novel?