Their Eyes Were Watching God: Crash Course Literature 301
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Date: 2022-04-04
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Comments and reviews: 10
Yugi
Hurston- their eyes were watching god: -It was a spring afternoon in West Florida. Janie had spent-most of the day under a blossoming pear tree in the back-yard. -She had been spending every minute that she could steal from-her chores under that tree for the last three days. That was to-say, ever since the first tiny bloom had opened. It had called her-to come and gaze on a mystery. From barren brown stems to-glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of-
bloom. It stirred her tremendously. How? Why? It was like a-flute song forgotten in another existence and remembered-
again. What? How? Why? This singing she heard that had nothing to do with her ears. The rose of the world was breathing out-
smell. It followed her through all her waking moments and-caressed her in her sleep. It connected itself with other vaguely-felt matters that had struck her outside observation and buried themselves in her flesh. Now they emerged and quested about-
her consciousness. -She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in-
the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to-
her. 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-
every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! -She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a-pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid. -
And now Edith Wharton's Summer:
-There she lay down on the slope, tossed off her-hat and hid her face in the grass. -She was blind and insensible to many things, and dimly-knew it; but to all that was light and air, perfume and-colour, every drop of blood in her responded. She-loved the roughness of the dry mountain grass under her-palms, the smell of the thyme into which she crushed-her face, the fingering of the wind in her hair and-through her cotton blouse, and the creak of the larches-as they swayed to it. -She often climbed up the hill and lay there alone for-the mere pleasure of feeling the wind and of rubbing-her cheeks in the grass. Generally at such times she-did not think of anything, but lay immersed in an-inarticulate well-being. Today the sense of well-being-was intensified by her joy at escaping from the-library. -
Though where Janie's story is supposed to be a boldungsroman, I'd argue Charity's is like a reverse bildungsroman. Janie transitions from lacking freedom to somewhat incrementally gaining it throughout her life and experiences. Charity is the opposite. She starts off pretty liberated and with a bunch of freedoms which she loses/gives up by the end of the book
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Hurston- their eyes were watching god: -It was a spring afternoon in West Florida. Janie had spent-most of the day under a blossoming pear tree in the back-yard. -She had been spending every minute that she could steal from-her chores under that tree for the last three days. That was to-say, ever since the first tiny bloom had opened. It had called her-to come and gaze on a mystery. From barren brown stems to-glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of-
bloom. It stirred her tremendously. How? Why? It was like a-flute song forgotten in another existence and remembered-
again. What? How? Why? This singing she heard that had nothing to do with her ears. The rose of the world was breathing out-
smell. It followed her through all her waking moments and-caressed her in her sleep. It connected itself with other vaguely-felt matters that had struck her outside observation and buried themselves in her flesh. Now they emerged and quested about-
her consciousness. -She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in-
the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to-
her. 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-
every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! -She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a-pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid. -
And now Edith Wharton's Summer:
-There she lay down on the slope, tossed off her-hat and hid her face in the grass. -She was blind and insensible to many things, and dimly-knew it; but to all that was light and air, perfume and-colour, every drop of blood in her responded. She-loved the roughness of the dry mountain grass under her-palms, the smell of the thyme into which she crushed-her face, the fingering of the wind in her hair and-through her cotton blouse, and the creak of the larches-as they swayed to it. -She often climbed up the hill and lay there alone for-the mere pleasure of feeling the wind and of rubbing-her cheeks in the grass. Generally at such times she-did not think of anything, but lay immersed in an-inarticulate well-being. Today the sense of well-being-was intensified by her joy at escaping from the-library. -
Though where Janie's story is supposed to be a boldungsroman, I'd argue Charity's is like a reverse bildungsroman. Janie transitions from lacking freedom to somewhat incrementally gaining it throughout her life and experiences. Charity is the opposite. She starts off pretty liberated and with a bunch of freedoms which she loses/gives up by the end of the book
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Edmund
Did we read the same book? What are you talking about. Janie was able to achieve independence and emancipate herself, even in the most cynical reading. Also, this review makes Zora Neale Hurston seem irrelevant until Alice Walker dusted off her grave and acknowledged her. Not so. Hurston's influence on Fannie Hurst and Eleanor Roosevelt and others was quite impactful. This is the problem with white guys trying to convey issues for which they have no experience. Her influence on anthropology and black literature is still unfolding in posthumous release of Barracoon. Please, don't make a heroine out to be a lying mediocre talent, many authors exaggerate certain aspects of their biographies, that shouldn't be a focus, their work should be. She found her own voice in the end, that's the point. that and she achieved social mobility, a measure of material success, gave it up. found love which was most empowering. Yes, she was a limited by the circumstances of the time, but she was able to experience life, which many of her critics in the novel never did.
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Did we read the same book? What are you talking about. Janie was able to achieve independence and emancipate herself, even in the most cynical reading. Also, this review makes Zora Neale Hurston seem irrelevant until Alice Walker dusted off her grave and acknowledged her. Not so. Hurston's influence on Fannie Hurst and Eleanor Roosevelt and others was quite impactful. This is the problem with white guys trying to convey issues for which they have no experience. Her influence on anthropology and black literature is still unfolding in posthumous release of Barracoon. Please, don't make a heroine out to be a lying mediocre talent, many authors exaggerate certain aspects of their biographies, that shouldn't be a focus, their work should be. She found her own voice in the end, that's the point. that and she achieved social mobility, a measure of material success, gave it up. found love which was most empowering. Yes, she was a limited by the circumstances of the time, but she was able to experience life, which many of her critics in the novel never did.
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Anaya
I'm a junior in high school and my AP English Language Arts class just finished this novel. I believe that this book is written to exemplify feminist love vs. patriarchal love. I think it embodies how women ultimately overcome male dominance and begin to find their voice in relationships. I also think it is vital to highlight the symbols that are brought up throughout the novel. A symbol that I found intriguing was the bees and hints to trees and buds. I think that this is important to evaluate because in essence this novel shows how over time Janie begins to find herself and transition from a woman who is held down by male domination to a woman who is given the experience of true equality within a relationship. She finds that in Teacake. Over all I enjoyed the book and is one of the best novels I have read.
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I'm a junior in high school and my AP English Language Arts class just finished this novel. I believe that this book is written to exemplify feminist love vs. patriarchal love. I think it embodies how women ultimately overcome male dominance and begin to find their voice in relationships. I also think it is vital to highlight the symbols that are brought up throughout the novel. A symbol that I found intriguing was the bees and hints to trees and buds. I think that this is important to evaluate because in essence this novel shows how over time Janie begins to find herself and transition from a woman who is held down by male domination to a woman who is given the experience of true equality within a relationship. She finds that in Teacake. Over all I enjoyed the book and is one of the best novels I have read.
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Jenna
I've always wondered if Janie dies from rabies in the end because after all, she did get bit in the arm as Teacake fell from the gun blast (also not shown in the movie. Also, John Green didn't mention that she was from mixed ancestry. That's a pretty important aspect of the book. She has smooth hair like the white folk, therefor it's considered her best physical quality. She's also treated fairly better than the other blacks due to her -coffee-and-cream- skin. Also, objects in this book that are described as white in color such as Janie's clothes and Joe Stark's house are considered beautiful and magnificent.
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I've always wondered if Janie dies from rabies in the end because after all, she did get bit in the arm as Teacake fell from the gun blast (also not shown in the movie. Also, John Green didn't mention that she was from mixed ancestry. That's a pretty important aspect of the book. She has smooth hair like the white folk, therefor it's considered her best physical quality. She's also treated fairly better than the other blacks due to her -coffee-and-cream- skin. Also, objects in this book that are described as white in color such as Janie's clothes and Joe Stark's house are considered beautiful and magnificent.
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Mercat
I had to read her academic work for one of my folklore classes and honestly I recommend it. It's mostly ethnographies, or studies on specific groups ie communities in the American South. It uses the differences in prose and spelling for dialogue in comparison to narration, showing her place as a observational participant (someone who is studying a group by participating in the group's activities) as well as her academic credentials, as skeptics to her academic background were likely. It's every part, kind of like -here's how people in my parts live, respect me as I tell you this information-
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I had to read her academic work for one of my folklore classes and honestly I recommend it. It's mostly ethnographies, or studies on specific groups ie communities in the American South. It uses the differences in prose and spelling for dialogue in comparison to narration, showing her place as a observational participant (someone who is studying a group by participating in the group's activities) as well as her academic credentials, as skeptics to her academic background were likely. It's every part, kind of like -here's how people in my parts live, respect me as I tell you this information-
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Joseph
I'll start by saying that I have not read this book. And I'll jump to the end and say your critique achieves what I believe for you is its ultimate success: I want to read this book. Kudos to you.
I also like the way you don't explicitly state that a lot of critics of this book penned negative criticisms of it because it doesn't pursue their agenda.
richard hargrove
--
Plato says that the unexamined life is not worth living. But what if the examined life turns out to be a clunker as well?
- Kurt Vonnegut
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I'll start by saying that I have not read this book. And I'll jump to the end and say your critique achieves what I believe for you is its ultimate success: I want to read this book. Kudos to you.
I also like the way you don't explicitly state that a lot of critics of this book penned negative criticisms of it because it doesn't pursue their agenda.
richard hargrove
--
Plato says that the unexamined life is not worth living. But what if the examined life turns out to be a clunker as well?
- Kurt Vonnegut
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Jared
when i was assigned this in summer reading for sophomore year, i started reading the week before school started, after which i got a concussion and began to cry whenever i tried to read it. the book felt unreadable for a while mostly because i dont think i could understand what it was zora was trying to accomplish with the book. i never liked the book, but i do think it has a lot of spirit and captures life in a small community perfectly.
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when i was assigned this in summer reading for sophomore year, i started reading the week before school started, after which i got a concussion and began to cry whenever i tried to read it. the book felt unreadable for a while mostly because i dont think i could understand what it was zora was trying to accomplish with the book. i never liked the book, but i do think it has a lot of spirit and captures life in a small community perfectly.
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TheBusyJane
I realize this is very late but for the naysayers saying Janie was going to die of rabies, she definitely wasn't. The doctor had ordered the serum usually given after a rabid bite on the chance it might still save Tea Cake. I was supposed to arrive the day Tea Cake died. The doctor found Janie and Tea Cake. So it obviously came and he was coming to the house with it so he was able to administer it to Janie.
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I realize this is very late but for the naysayers saying Janie was going to die of rabies, she definitely wasn't. The doctor had ordered the serum usually given after a rabid bite on the chance it might still save Tea Cake. I was supposed to arrive the day Tea Cake died. The doctor found Janie and Tea Cake. So it obviously came and he was coming to the house with it so he was able to administer it to Janie.
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Russell
I have a very serious bias, but I will say this: it endlessly frustrates me that these videos blend together into a slurry (extremely) general book summary, author biography, (tired) John Green jokes that resonate like a fart in a hurricane, quotes, and notes on context into ONE 11 minute video. It just does all of the above a disservice.
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I have a very serious bias, but I will say this: it endlessly frustrates me that these videos blend together into a slurry (extremely) general book summary, author biography, (tired) John Green jokes that resonate like a fart in a hurricane, quotes, and notes on context into ONE 11 minute video. It just does all of the above a disservice.
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Nyckel
We should definitely take the context of who made a work of art and when. And whether the authors psychological issues are reflected in the art. If they happen to be a racist or something then that shouldn't deter from your enjoyment of it the world at any point contains all kinds of stuff good and bad art reflects that.
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We should definitely take the context of who made a work of art and when. And whether the authors psychological issues are reflected in the art. If they happen to be a racist or something then that shouldn't deter from your enjoyment of it the world at any point contains all kinds of stuff good and bad art reflects that.
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