IB Junior English Journal Response #7

List of Themes:

-Concern

-Worry

-Hope

-Thoughtfulness

-Control

-Anger

-Doubt

-Jealousy

-Fear

-Change

-Religiousness

-Relationships

-Nature

Top Three Themes Described:

1. Hurston clearly emphasizes Janie’s thoughts about all three of her relationships.  Most of her feelings are expressed in a solemn and focused way showing what her expectations are for a good marriage.

2. Some characters have a tendency to control other people based on their gender and how they view certain types of people in society.

3. The give and take concept of nature is similar to what happens between the major protagonists in the novel.  Each relationship has their up and down, but from this we learn about the morals from the character and some morals from the passages.

IB Junior English Journal Response #6

Topic Sentences for the Passage:

1. Janie uses Annie Tyler’s story in the first paragraph as a base for most of her feelings of doubt and fear.  Most of the ideas here centers on something that Annie waited for, presumably love.

2. In the second paragraph, a lot of thoughts run through Janie’s mind as she starts to think about her relationship with Tea Cake.  Here the author creates a pleading tone which show feelings of desperation and a bit of impatience.  Religion seems to be a part in most of Janie’s dialogue in this section.

3. The overwhelming thoughts of despair and desperation force her to rest.  As she wakes up, we see that she is given a spark of hope through the personification and alliteration of the sun brightening.  This creates the image of a god or power that is being restored in her.

Purpose:

The relationship between Janie and Tea Cake is at a downward trend near the beginning of this passage.  This is presented to us through the death of Annie Tyler and a short part of Janie’s dialogue.  However, nearing the end of the passage we see that people have no control over time, but what they can do is wait and with waiting comes hope.

Comments:

-Emily H.

The observations for syntax repetition were insightful, particularly on the word “Ah’m”.  One can agree that, that word does express meaning to some extent in Janie’s dialogue.  Here are some questions to consider though.  What other literary elements could describe the use of this word?  What effect would other spellings of this word have on the piece?

-Austin S.

Under parallel structure, you mentioned that Janie hasn’t realized her dreams.  One can also say that her dreams could have been the “it”.  What she aspires for in life, her goals could possibly be the “it”.  A question one can draw from this is, could dreams be a symbol of something?

-Courtney

In the paragraph section on “Sun/Darkness/Horizon” there is a very clear and direct analysis on how the sun and darkness relate to Tea Cake.  One can also surmise that the sun is a sign of inspiration or a small step to hope for Janie.  Are there any other literary relationships that can be found from this concept?

IB Junior English Journal Response #5

Passage Commentary on Their Eyes Were Watching God (pg. 119-120)

“They put her to bed and sent for her married daughter from up around Ocala to come see about her.  The daughter came as soon as she could and took Annie Tyler away to die in peace.  She had waited all her life or something, and it had killed her when it found her.

      The thing made itself into pictures and hung around Janie's bedside all night long.  Anyhow, she wasn't going back to Eatonville to be laughed at and pitied.  She had ten dollars in her pocket and twelve hundred in the bank.  But oh God, don't let Tea Cake be off somewhere hurt and Ah not know nothing about it.  And God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me.  Maybe Ah'm is uf fool, Lawd, lad dey say, but Lawd, Ah been so lonesome, and Ah been waitin', Jesus.  Ah done waited uh long time.

      Janie dozed off to sleep but she woke up in time to see the sun sending up spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark.  He peeped up over the door sill of the world and made a little foolishness with red.  but pretty soon, he laid all that aside and went about his business dressed all in white.  But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back.  She got out of the bed but a chair couldn't hold her.  She dwindled down on the floor her head in a rocking chair.”

(Hurston, 119-120)

Margin Notes:

-In context, the first paragraph is an allusion to Annie Taylor’s experience of being taken advantage of financially.

-What was Annie waiting for?

-Why did it kill her when “it” found her?

-Who or what was the “it”?

-Janie has the trait of pride (paragraph 2, line 2)

-There is use of imagery and personification (paragraph 2, line 1)

-Janie is religious when her worrying personality is evoked (paragraph 2, line 2)

-She [Janie] worries often in this passage.

-When Janie speaks, she has the diction of a southern/African American person. 

-There is use of personification to identify the sun and alliteration to create a tone of sneakiness. (paragraph 3, line 1).

-There is a motif of “lawd” and “god” which futher emphasizes her Christian belief.

-“mark out” has a connotation of navigation.  It also has ambiguity when put in context.  (paragraph 3, line 1)

-The passage is set in normal paragraph form.

-Syntax: more commas are used to provide a more solemn and emphatic effect

Point of View:  This passage is told from the narrator’s and first person point of view.

Characters:  Janie, Tea Cake, and Annie Taylor are the characters that are mentioned in this passage. (With the exception of [God]).

Subject:  In the first paragraph of the passage, they briefly describe the death of Annie Taylor.  On the second and third paragraphs, it talks about Janie having concern over Tea Cake who has not come home for longer than she expected.  It also creates impressions of loneliness and money for the reader.

Feelings Evoked:

-Loneliness

-Worry

-Solitude

-Desolation

-Protection

How Hurston Creates an Image:

-She incorporates religion and feelings of solitude.

-Money is one of the concepts described and is associated with feelings of defense/protection.

-Janie’s Dialogue (personality) being characterized.

Connections to Other Parts of the Passage:

-Janie is married to Tea Cake prior to him leaving temporarily

-Eatonville is where she started with her first 2 husbands (one of which she separated with, and the other passed away)

-Janie is generally thoughtful when left alone

Purpose:

1. To compare Annie Taylor’s unfortunate experience and highlight certain aspects of Janie’s personality with it.

2. To show how Janie is concerned about Tea Cake’s reliability based off of Annie Taylor’s life.  The passage also highlights her trait of loneliness and protection.

IB Junior English Journal Response #4

p.84 Pastiche on Their Eyes Were Watching God

So Jack commenced pondering about joy.  Joy, that tiny being who had one thin wand that sat in the depths of your consciousness.  The humble individual who resided in a dome like an egg excluding the windows in it, and no doorways.  How could Joy live in a shell, and what kinds of solitude can bombard him?  He kneels in his steep dwelling that he perceives the universe in.  Kneels grateful and exuberant at times without any weapon, anticipating the mailman to request for his assistance.  Been sitting there after there was a how or a why or a what.  Jack was dependable when relaxing to seek the formula from the books piled on his desk any minute later.  He was happy and energetic too.  Rich Jack!  He had to read in here by himself.  He sent Ralpe to conduct a psychology test, but Willis said No Way.  These librarians were not all right with the lack of interest, but they had little knowledge about a decision similar to this.  He’d recover quick when the elderly lady shows what was un-earthed besides him.  That was what he didn’t think about.  But Jade told him something abstract, so he knew.  And if the other person didn’t, the next morning he was apt to know, for people started to gather around in big clusters around the vast expanse of the entrance and the lobby.  Humans who haven’t set foot in the place entered, and stopped at the doorway.   Just stood under the shade and stretched.   Eagerness, that four-legged ant, had dragged itself into the city.     

IB Junior English Journal Response #3

I frequently see Jody Starks being portrayed as a man of “principles” and outspoken in society.  He is always interested in more power through his dialogue towards other characters.  In his position, he believes that he is a role model for Eatonville’s people.  So in order to make himself and his relatives look like the perfect people to others, he gives instructions to his wife that would make her behave like a person of a higher social class.  This commanding and steadfast personality of Mayor Starks cause many characters related to him start to criticize his decisions.  For instance, adding street lights or charging Matt five dollars for his mule (when it should just have been returned to its rightful owner with no strings attached).  Despite this, this same commanding personality he is able to make the people feel that what they are doing is right for the community.  These action, reaction, and thought traits are nearly the same for Logan Killicks and Nanny.  Does Jody Starks personality provide an archetype for other characters in the novel?

On the other hand, Janie heavily questions many of Jody Stark’s actions.  During their marriage, she feels overwhelmed by the amount of responsibilities that are associated with handling a store and keeping track of mail and finances.  The same nearly holds true for Mr. and Mrs. Turner because they also run a small business.   By being a naturally thoughtful, obedient, and criticizing person, she seeks to understand why Jody let’s go of situations that get out of hand.  Is this just because of his lack of concern or is it a sign of procrastination (or failure to maintain order in society)?  This relationship seems to represent how some of the small town leaders were like in the 1900’s. 

                   

IB Junior English Journal Response #2

15 Line Passage From Chapter 5 (Their Eyes Were Watching God)

“There was no doubt that the town respected him and even admired him in a way.  But any man who walks in the way of power and property is bound to meet hate.  So when speakers stood up when the occasion demanded and said ‘Our beloved Mayor,’ it was one of those statements that everybody says but nobody actually believes like ‘God is everywhere.’ It was just a handle to wind up the tongue with.  As time went on and the benefits he had conferred upon the town receded in time they sat on his store porch while he was busy inside and discussed him.  Like one day after he caught Henry Pitts with a wagon load of his ribbon cane and took the cane away from Pitts and made him leave town.  Some of them thought Starks ought not to have done that.  He had so much cane and everything else.  But they didn’t say that while Joe Starks was on the porch.  When the mail came from Maitland and he went inside to sort it out everybody had their say...” (48)

Metaphor:  “It was just a handle to wind up the tongue with.”

Analysis:  The author simply explains that when “speakers stood up when the occasion demanded and said ‘Our beloved mayor’” they say this just for the sake of formalities.  Inside, they criticize the Mayor’s decisions that seem less productive as time goes on.

Symbol:  The Store Porch

Analysis:  In this passage, the store porch becomes a place of social interaction and free expression of opinion, except when the mayor passes by.

Point of View: 1^st Person

Analysis:  The narrator uses first person point of view in order to better explain to us any misunderstandings rather than including it in the dialogue between characters in this story.

Mood:  The mood is dull and criticizing because of a trace of bossiness about Starks.  His severe actions to minor faults contribute to the dull mood.

Tone:  The author makes the passage seem as if everything is busy and hate is abundant among the Mayor’s followers.  Hurston shows this through how Joe Starks treated Henry Pitt in the ribbon cane incident.

Purpose:  This passage gives us a clue that Mayor Stark’s personality is changing to suit his own lifestyle and doesn’t address the needs of the community.

IB Junior English Journal Response #1

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston points out a metaphorical comparison when Janie sees “a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom” (11) and expounds on the plant’s processes mentioning “the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree” (11).  She then describes the relationship of the plant as “frothing with delight” (11).   The detailed explanation shows us Janie’s attempts to seek understanding of “marriage” through a give and take scenario with a “bloom”.  Also, the author emphasizes this saying that “she had been summoned to behold a revelation” (11).

What interests me is how the “bloom” is used to signify “marriage”.  As the story progresses from this point, there are more relationship-type comments associated with nature.  In what way does nature play any other role in the novel?   Could the “revelation” relate to the religious nature of some of the characters in the story?  How would we view the novel if Janie’s realizations were explained to other elders in her society?  Would there be a subtle change?

The author also expresses how Janie’s grandmother feels about escaping the bad aspects of slavery in the past just to save her infant from being sold away.  During these times she personifies her views during the night hours when “de limbs of dem cypress tree took to crawlin’ and movin’ round after dark” (18) and exaggerates her fears mentioning “Ah heered panthers prowlin’ round” (18).  Her realistic description of a war when she states that “one night Ah heered de big guns boomin’ lak thunder” (18) gives the reader the impression that a war that has relation to the removal of slavery was taking place.   The grandmother gives us a sense of tension through the words “prowlin’” and “thunder”. 

Janie’s grandmother’s intense views on the war and slavery interest me.  What other instances does she allude to this situation?  How does she cope with the harsh conditions as a slave?  Did her decisions saving the infant waver when her fears of “cypress trees” at night and “panthers” were aggravated by the thought of capture?  What were the fears most slaves faced before being freed?  How did her master and other slave owners cope with the losses of slaves when the Union won the Civil War?

Hurston describes Janie’s grandmother’s thoughts towards her own passing.  The narrator personifies this saying “there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought” (24) and goes on mentioning that “Nanny entered the infinity of conscious pain again on her old knees” (24).  She starts to face everything with indifference for an instant and saying “Lawd, you know mah heart. Ah done de best Ah could do.  De rest is left to you” (24).  Her last utterances show that she has strong religious outlooks.

The grandmother’s thoughts before passing interest me.  Why does she disregard her granddaughter when relieving herself of all responsibilities?  Does her indifference towards all impact Janie in any way?  Was this reaction typical to aged people in their time?  Did any other people portray dying similar to this back in the 1900’s?