Journal #8 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

Zora Neale Hurston chose the title Their Eyes Were Watching God because she wanted to highlight one of the ideas in the book. This title represents the idea that no matter how much power a man has, God still can control his fate. And when people realize this, they look up to God to watch for what God will choose to do.
Under this context, the already begins with a cynical view on religion. As I am reading, this view is supported by different effects that Hurston places in the book. Just thinking about the denotations of the title placed a religious feel onto the book.


Instead of using TEWWG, Hurston could have used a title like Struggles in Life and Happiness. This title would directly represent the growing up and search for happiness that Janie underwent and the obstacles that she faced during this period. Reading under this title would automatically define the plot of the book as Janie's battle for happiness, and would highlight examples of these struggles for me to notice.


My pastiche is called "Watching, Waiting" and I believe that this title works because a main problem in my pastiche is the submissiveness and lack of action by the main character, and this title would represent that. But also, the submissiveness and lack of action is represented abstractly by symbols, motifs,  and other techniques, with "watching" and "waiting" prominent among them. My title and my story both support each other.

Journal #7 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

“Ah’m de Apostle Paul tuh de Gentiles.” (Hurston 104)

This quote is significant because it represents one of the many biblical allusions in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston makes many references, her writing obviously influenced by religion and her cynical view on it. She uses references to the Bible to show a similarity between happenings in he Bible and in TEWWG. For example, the Flood in the Old Testament and the flooding of Lake Okechobee are both happenings that devastate the world (or community).

“He’s trading on being younger than me. Getting ready to laugh at me for an old fool. But oh, what wouldn’t I give to be twelve years younger so I could b’lieve him!” (Hurston 105)

This quote is significant because it shows one of the many times that Hurston has the narrator insert themselves into the story and take over the role of a character. It is very similar to Hurston creating a persona, but differing in the way that the the narrator takes over an already made character. Hurston uses this to voice thoughts of Janie and Eatonville in first-person.



“He’s a whirlwind among breezes...We bend whichever way he blows.” (Hurston 49)

This particular quote is significant because it is a metaphor that represents the power that Joe Starks obtains for himself. It is suggested that Joe took the power without the consent of the town, but the town did not object in any way. Joe's objective is to become happy by fulfillment, and this quote connects to the action Joe takes to achieve this. He effectively takes over Eatonville as the Mayor.

Journal #6 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

For my pastiche, I considered how I could make it more similar to Hurston's style. I also tried to make my pastiche more complete, a true vignette by making it able to stand alone and also able to be part of a story. I changed the dialogue to match my chosen dialect, made connections between parallels easier to make, and revised my ending. This helped make it sound more like Hurston's work and made the vignette more final.
I also edited for grammar and changed words to match the mood that I was aiming for. I omitted phrases and such so as to make a more a choppy feeling like there is in Hurston's style.

Journal #5 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

So Jamie began to wonder about Hope. Hope, the familiar person that is ever present in Life. The greatness that has waited in the place without possession, and the place of loneliness. What does Hope need to do, but to be found? He stands over the world. Stands and waits with his arms spread open, ready to embrace the one that needs him. Been waiting since before their was Time. She was bound to feel his warmth around her some time soon. She was sad and scared, too. Pitiful Joey! He shouldn't have to stay and wait by himself. She sent Liam to ask if he wanted company, but Joey declined. Told him that these people knew how to fix cuts and scrapes, but they didn't know anything about his sickness. He'd be fine right when he figured out the meaning of all this. He would be fine. This he knew. But Liam told her otherwise, so she knew. And even is he hadn't, she was liable to find out, for others began to gather just outside under the canopy of clouds. Some who never would have came and did not come in. Just gathered and waited. Anxiety, that fearful being, draped itself over the place.

I chose Hope as the great being that that Hurston refers to. To match her style, I kept the structure of the passage the same. I tied the first half of the paragraph back to the idea of Hope, then showed its presence in the second half. I represented Hope as familiar and always there, because hope is a familiar part of ours lives. Then I presented Anxiety as another idea to challenge Hope.

Journal #4 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

Chapter 7, page 79, last paragraph:

     "Then Joe Starks realized all the meanings and his vanity bled like a flood. Janie had robbed him of his illusion of irresistible maleness that all men cherish, which was terrible. The thing that Saul's daughter had done to David. But Janie had done worse, she had cast down his empty armor before men and they had laughed, would keep on laughing. When he paraded his possessions hereafter, they would not consider the two together. They'd look with envy at the things and pity the man that owned them. When he sat in judgement  it would be the same. Good-for-nothing's like Dave and Lum and Jim wouldn't change place with him. For what can excuse a man in the eyes of other men for lack of strength? Raggedy-behind squirts of sixteen and seventeen would be giving him their merciless pity out of their eyes while their mouths said something humble. There was nothing to do in life anymore. Ambition was useless. And the cruel deceit of Janie! Making all that show of humbleness and scorning him all the time! Laughing at him, and now putting the town up to do the same. Joe Starks didn't know the words for all this, but he knew the feeling. So he struck Janie with all his might and drove her from the store.

In this passage, Hurston shows her use of syntax in towards the end when she begins to break up sentences. She uses short sentences like "Ambition was useless." and "And the cruel deceit of Janie!", which creates angry, choppy feeling. It shows how Starks is angry and is not thinking normally, hence the short sentences. Also, the tone in this passage starts as afraid and shifts into anger. Starks is afraid of the ridicule that he'll get, and once he begins thinking of the cause of this ridicule, he becomes anger. Hurston's word choice reflects the Starks anger, using insulting words like "good-for-nothing" and "raggedy-behind" to put nastiness into his tone. Hurston also uses the alliteration of sound of 's' to place emphasis on the ridicule that Starks would get.

Journal #3 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

1. Symbol-Kissing bee represents Janie's longing for love.

     "She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in ever blossom and frothing with delight. So this was marriage!" (Page 11)

     "Janie pulled back a long time because he did not represent sun-up and pollen blooming trees, but spoke for far horizon." (Page 29)

2. Parallel Structure-Janie's character is developed along with the idea of trees gaining and suffering.

     "Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered and things enjoyed, things done and undone.Dawn and doom was in the branches." (Page 8)

3.Motif-Women are treated like animals that must do work.

     "'He picks [the load] up because he have to, but he don't tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see." (Nanny, Page 14)

     "'...and dis man Ah'm talking' 'bout is got uh mule all gentled up so even uh woman kin handle 'im." (Logan Killicks, Page 27)

4. Paradox-They are because he is, but he only is because they are.

     "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." (Page 50)

5. Foreshadowing-Hints at the bad relations that are about to come between Janie and Joe.

     "'Ah often wonder how dat lil wife uh hisn makes out wid him 'cause he's uh man dat changes everything, but nothin' don't change him'" (Page 49)

"Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered and things enjoyed, things done and undone.Dawn and doom was in the branches." (Page 8)

     This quote represents the parallel of how Janie's life is developed within the book and how a tree's life is developed. In the book, the author gives Janie much suffering. Janie finds the love, but he turns out to not be what she hopes for. This is developed much like the cycle of seasons a tree goes through.

     In the spring, the tree blooms, much like Janie's happiness. A period of content is followed, where the tree dances in the wind full of life. Then fall comes, and the leaves begin to scatter, hinting at the desolation they will leave behind, much like Janie's experiences of discovering the true nature of her husbands. The last season is winter, where there is just coldness and loneliness. Janie experiences this, constantly getting a feeling of cold and loneliness when she glimpses at her husbands' true nature.

"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." (Page 50)

     This quote is a clear example of a paradox. At first it makes sense if you just think that the two concepts depend on each other. But if you delve deeper, you begin ask why and how. The statement defies logic by stating that A happens because B happens, but B happens only because A happens. This cycle becomes never ending, much like the "chicken or the egg" question.

     In the book, this paradox serves to cause the reader to question the power that Joe Starks actually holds. The reader view this as a representation of a mini-government, where the people give one person power over them. Joe becomes the Leviathan of the town.

     This can allude to the black overseer of the slavery era. Joe is a hard master over his people, but answers to a higher being (possibly the government, or the good of the town). He struggles to maintain a balance of command and servitude.

Journal #2 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

Dialect Rules:

1. Replace 'have' with 'has'.
     -You has got to get that new item!
2. The vowel 'a' is replaced with the vowel 'e', unless it is a single 'a', which it then would be replaced by a 'eh'.
     -Hello, fevorite uncle!
     -I found eh bird today!
3. The vowel 'i' is replaced with the vowel 'e', except when the 'i' is followed by an 'nd' or 'ght'. When I is a personal vowel, it is replaced with an eh.
     -The enevetable binding of the law.
4. The letter 'y' is replaced with 'eh'. If this creates two vowels in a row, drop the first vowel.
     -Quickleh, play the xehlophone!
     -Yippy!/Ehppeh!
5. Combine nouns and attributive adjectives when there is only one adjective describing the noun.
     -green lawn/greenlawn, high ceiling/highceiling
6. Separate compound words with a hyphen.
     -racecar/race-car, upside/up-side
7. 'Ere' is replaced by 'eh'.
     -He's over theh!

*Note: Where and why are now interchangeable.
     -Wheh are you going? Wheh are you asking?

     The woods were bright with the light of the full moon, it's old inhabitants casting a forest of leafy shadows upon the smooth earth that nourished them. The woods remained undisturbed for years, whispering their secrets in the wind, dancing to the sound of rain, bathing in the warm sun.
     But now it was night, and this night, a being dared disturb the peace, waking the old inhabitants from their moonlit slumber. The being took the form of a young girl, restless, searching for comfort in the betweens of the trees. She moved noisily, squinting at her footsteps, as if the moon did not provide enough light. The trees rustled with disapproval.
     The girl, after tripping over an unobtrusive root, found here comfort sitting at the base of a tree. The wind picked up, and the tree waved its branches as if to say, "I didn't choose this!"
     "Boy, the wend sure es pecking up to-night. Eh wonder whet meh perents ere thenkeng now. Bet they has the frights."
     The girl wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, then added hallowly, "Thet should teech them."
     A pause, "Es no one out heh? Eh'm bored! Come breng me compeneh!" Another pause. "Of course no one lestens. Eh cen onleh trust mehself."
     "Thet's not true."
     "Whet? Who's theh!"
     "E'm heh. You esked for compeny, end eh ceme. Don't you went to telk?"
     "No. Lehve me elone. Eh don't need your help. Eh cen depend on mehself."
     "Boy, coldwend to-night. Aren't you chelleh?"
     "Well, mehbe eh lettle. Eh'm tough-leke, eh lettle cold doesn't bother me."
     "Okeh. Well, wheh ere you setteng theh ell elone?"
     "Meh pehrents don't know me. They never let me go out, and they thenk thet they cen geve me toys and gemes end Eh'll be heppeh. Eh cen't cross the street wethout holding theer hend. They treet me leke eh cheld. But Eh'm not, end Eh deceded to run eweh, to teech them eh lesson."
     A long pause. "Well, Eh'm sure theh're worreed seck right now."
     "Good."
     "Theh're worreed beceuse they cere about you. Theh're only treheng to protect you. Theh must love you vereh much, and Eh'm sure lots of people ere jeelous of this. Encludeng me. Some people don't has no perents..."
     The girl thought about this for a while, then said, "Well, thenks. Thet mekes sense. En fect, Eh thenk they do reely love me. You sure know how to expleen thengs!"
     The girl thought some more, then realization spread across her face. She snapped her head up and asked, "Seh, ere you eh tree?" But as she was looking up, she saw a human silhouette slide across a distant tree, and heard the sound of slapping feet. She looked on, confused, and the leaves rustled with laughter.

Journal #1 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

I see Janie as kind and unconcerned of criticism. As Janie passes the gossiping porch, she greets everyone in a polite and pleasant manner, even though she is aware of the gossip taking place there. When Pheoby brings her some dinner, Janie welcomes her warmly and makes conversation.
It seems that she is motivated by happiness to do the things that she wants to do. She moved back from the Everglades because there was nothing left there to make her happy (page 7). She looks young and beautiful, but as the chapter ends, her attitude seems to give way to her true age. She refers to Pheoby as an old friend of twenty years (page 7) and is sits down with her, about to confide in her her past worries and experiences.

The narrator seems to be above the whole situation, able to explain in detail the thoughts and actions of the characters with a tone that does not specifically care about the events. The narrator has a unique voice, saying for example, "She found her...with the lamps all filled and the chimneys cleaned" and "Janie must be round that side" (Page 4). There is an obvious use of diction, deciding to cut the 'a' from 'around' and adding the unnecessary 'all' after 'lamps'. The narrator also is very detailed in their description of the situation, using many adjectives like 'monstopolous' to describe the darkness (page 7) and 'intimate' to describe the gate (page 4).

Post #4 - Mini Literary Terms Test

1. "We didn't ought to have trust the buggers." (Old Man, 1984) This spoken sentence is an example of _______.
2. "We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness." (O'Brien, 1984) The "place where there is no darkness" can be considered a _____ of 1984.
3. So Joe Starks and his cigar took center of the floor." (Their Eyes Were Watching God) The action of the cigar is an example of ____________.
4. His prosperous-looking belly that used to thrust out so pugnaciously and intimidate folks, sagged like a load suspended from his loins. (Their Eyes Were Watching God) This sentence serves as an example of a ________.
5. Soma, the drug distributed to the population in "Brave New World", is a _______ of the use of instant happiness and gratitude to control the population.

Post #3 - Dialect

In literature, dialect can be used to define a character and make them distinct.
For example, the author could show the character as a very young child with rudimentary speaking skills, so when in the literature work the child speaks, instead of "mom, I don't want that", the author would use "mommy, I no wanna!"
Dialect can also be used to show the cultural context that the work takes place in. For example, in "Their Eyes Were Watching God", the author gives the various black characters a accent to show the unique black dialect that existed in that time period in the South.

Post #2 - Diction

Diction is the words that the author chooses to use.

Diction can affect the tone and mood of a passage, as well as the style of a literature work.
Whichever words that the author picks will bring the words' inherent connotations into the passage. For example, the two synonyms insidious and deceitful both are perceived differently when describing a person. Although they are considered to be synonyms, using deceitful to describe someone would mean that they deceiving and misleading, whereas using insidious would mean that they are treacherous, but almost unnoticed.
Diction is also used to form the style of writing in a work of literature. The author, rather than use a proper word to name something, might decide to use a slang word to name the same thing, possibly to bring into the work a cultural context or to help fixate the setting.

Post #1 - IB Junior English with Mrs. Wecker

1. I enjoyed 1984 the most because it had an interesting take on how the future (or past for us, now) would be like. I liked the book because of it's realistic quality. We can indeed communicate through video screens connected into a centralized network. It is entirely possible that the entire world could be overcome with a monolithic political system that controls the distinct nations, and the nations only differ by their naming of that political system. Orwell fills in details like how the lower-class are kept in ignorance to be controlled, and he brings up the idea that whoever controls history controls the future. There weren't any noticeable holes in the book, and all-in-all, I enjoyed reading it.

2. I least enjoyed The Stranger because the plot has an incredibly indifferent tone. In the book, the main character's personality clashes with popular social ideals. The entire time, he is conscious of the how uncontrollable his fate and it seems as if he has no reason for anything, and the book seems to relate to absurdism. After finishing this book, I understand at least a little of the themes and meanings of it, but I still could not help feeling the pointlessness that the book emanates.

3. If I were writing an essay on Their Eyes Were Watching God,I would focus on the context in which the book took place. The book was pre-civil rights, and I think that that setting greatly affects how the book was written. Also, I would focus on the consistency of the main character's personality versus the contrast between each of her lovers. I think that each of her suitors were used as character foils for her.