Janies story starts with her youth, as a girl in search of great things. The black townspeople gossip about her and speculate about where she has been and what has happened to her young husband, tea cake. The structure of the story revolved around the men in janies life. The story ends where it started, as janie finishes recounting her life to pheoby. Plot summary for their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston, including important events and themes. After slaves were freed at the end of the civil war, nanny got with some good white people and moved to west florida.
How to cite the literature note fortheir eyes were watching god. The paper will analyze the evolving image of jamie crawford, a young afroamerican woman in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. Their eyes were watching god takes place in the early 1900s, probably somewhere between 1915 and 1935. It appears on their fourth album, the last drag, released in 1993. Love is everything gods purpose full free maverick movie. Their eyes were watching god summary in a plot diagram. It is a story about a middleaged black woman who was not only beautiful but confident in her own right. Their eyes were watching god study guide literature guide. Need help with chapter 15 in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. The narrator makes the statement during a hurricane, when janie, tea cake, and the others rely on faith because they believe their fate is in god s hands. Love is everything gods purpose full free maverick. In the first quote, hurston in many ways accuses blacks of looking to whites to learn what their futures hold. Janies long, straight hair is a symbol of her sexuality, assertiveness, and youthful energy.
Without delay, on first page of the book, hurston substantiates the contrast between men and women by initiating janies quest to reach fruition of her own dreams and presaging the female quest theme throughout. Notes eatonville is a song by indie rockers the samples, written by andy sheldon. Their eyes were watching god essay, reflects on the plot, themes, symbols, motifs and overall structure in zora neale hurstons book. Sparknotes is here for you with everything you need to ace or teach. Hurstons success in their eyes were watching god comes largely from her ability to tie these two. Their eyes were watching god study guide course hero. Janie experiences romantic jealousy for the first time in her marriage with tea cake. Their eyes were watching god character analysis course hero. Their eyes were watching god tells the story of janie crawford, a thrice married woman on a journey to find true love and discover herself.
Zora neale hurston was an african american woman who wrote many books and essays about black people between 1920 and the 1950s. In 1927, a decade before writing their eyes were watching god, hurston traveled south to collect folk songs and folk tales through an anthropological research fellowship arranged by her barnard college mentor franz boas. Through their dialogue, the characters of pheoby, janies. With so many new disciplines especially open to the themes and content of hurstons work, their eyes were watching god achieved growing prominence in the last several decades. This is a quest to advance the themes of the novel. Work cited their eyes were watching god presentation by. The main reason why i found this story so interesting was because of the extreme character development that i got to witness. Interpretive projects their eyes were watching god. Plot summary of their eyes were watching god novel. Solve the great race problem by securing a home in eatonville. Zora neale hurstons novel their eyes were watching god is a famous harlem renaissance novel that examines race and gender issues through the. Hurston completed the novel in seven weeks while traveling through haiti.
Readers first glimpse janie through the eyes of her neighbors in eatonville, who are sitting on the porch at sundown and watching her return home. Our maxnotes for zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god study guide includes an overall summary, character lists, explanation and discussion of the plot, overview of the works historical context, and a biography of the author. Shes now in her 40s, and shes been married three times. When employed properly, the different literary devices help readers to appreciate, interpret and analyze a literary work. Not only was it unusual for an africanamerican female author to have a novel published, but also it was uncommon for novels written during this time period to contain an africanamerican female as a novels heroine. May 31, 2017 in zora neal hurstons novel, their eyes were watching god, a woman named janie crawford learns what love truly means to her through the experiences she has with three different men.
Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Throughout these relationships janie discovers new aspects of the society she lives in, including discrimination because of who she is. The writing is beautiful and the story of janie and teacake is poignant. Their eyes were watching god is the second novel of zora neale hurston, a writer and anthropologist associated with the harlem renaissance. This is the first incorporated black town in america. During a hurricane, tea cake is bitten by a rabid dog, and janie kills him in selfdefense. Their eyes were watching god project gutenberg self. Check out shmoop s visual take on what its all about. One day, as they are all working, fellow laborer sopdebottom asks janie where tea cake is. What do the names of janies husbands logan killicks, jody starks, vergible tea cake woods tell us about their characters and their relationships with janie. Their eyes were watching god perfectly combines folklore and literature in the theme of black and female empowerment.
Trying to imagine plot summary part 1 in their eyes were watching god. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. The folklore elements were so well immersed that they could easily go unnoticed. This is our study guide for their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston in microsoft word ms word doc format. In their eyes were watching god, hurston celebrates janie as an artist that enriches eatonville and details her selfdiscovery. Rather, their eyes were watching god looks at black life on its own terms, with an eye to its beauty and vitality.
The towns weekly announced in 1889, colored people of the united states. She begins to tell the story of the last twenty years of her life to her best hometown friend, pheoby. Their eyes were watching god literary elements a literary device, also known as a literary technique, refers to methods authors use to convey what they want to the reader to understand. Their eyes were watching god by diana avila on prezi. There are several clues in the novel that point to the historical context of the time. Their eyes were watching god tells the story of janies passage from repression to spiritual fulfillment as she clashes with the expectations thrust upon her by others. In response, tea cake waves his hands from a low point on the. Their eyes were watching god plot summary schoolbytes. Hurston penned their eyes were watching god in 1937, a time when novels written by africanamerican female authors were rare.
Lippincott, the book is regarded as one of the forerunner texts of 20thcentury africanamerican and american womens literature. See a complete list of the characters in their eyes were watching god and indepth analyses of janie mae crawford, tea cake, jody starks, nanny crawford, and mrs. The time was past for asking the white folks what to look for through that door. Detailed analysis of characters in zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god. Zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god explained in just a. Pdf narrative structure and textual architecture in zora neale. She writes this novel about a small towns black woman, janie, who lives in eatonville, florida. Download the free study guide and infographic for their eyes were. Have study documents to share about their eyes were watching god. It is considered a classic of the harlem renaissance of the 1920s, and it is likely hurstons best known work.
Example plot diagram for their eyes were watching god exposition. As a young girl she becomes attractive to a pear tree and becomes obsessed with finding true. Lippincott, the book is regarded as one of the forerunner texts of 20thcentury africanamerican and. She raised leafy, janies mother, and made sure she received a good education. The other townspeople observe her in judgment and speculate about what has brought her back. Three husbands, two very different narrative voices, and one terrifying rabid dog. Paraphrase the plot of zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god discuss the ways hurston addresses gender and race in the novel to unlock this lesson you must be a member.
Janie crawford returns to eatonville, and her old friends want to know where shes been. After 9 months janie remarries a commoner, tea cake. Foreshadowing the lack of meaningful contact to come in their relationship, janies first conversation with jody is brief. Out of print for almost thirty yearsdue largely to initial audiences rejection of its strong black female protagonisthurstons classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of. Their eyes were watching god is a novel by zora neale hurston that was first published in 1937. To her neighbors, janies hair is also a symbol of her nonconformity, even indecency. This poetic, graceful love story, rooted in black folk traditions and steeped in mythic realism, celebrates, boldly and brilliantly, africanamerican culture and heritage. Their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston plot. The narrator makes the statement during a hurricane, when janie, tea cake, and the others rely on faith because they believe their fate is. The allblack eatonville of their eyes were watching god is based on the allblack town of the same name in which hurston grew up. How to cite the literature note fortheir eyes were watching god ash, megan e. Their eyes were watching god idaho commission for libraries.
When janie, at sixteen, is caught kissing shiftless johnny taylor, her grandmother swiftly marries her off to an old man with sixty acres. Their eyes were watching god plot summary course hero. The best study guide to their eyes were watching god on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes. Diana avila summary their eyes were watching god tells the story of janie crawford, a girl of mixed black and white heritage. Their eyes were watching god brings to life a southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of zora neale hurston. Janie crawford, an attractive, confident, middleaged black woman, returns to eatonville, florida, after a long absence. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The analysis will show how she is mainly defined in terms of her relation to men who fail to recognize her right to individuality and identity as a black woman. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching god. It was clear that janie was maturing throughout the story. Each section of the work is individually summarized and includes study questions and answers. Their eyes were watching god story structure analysis.
I felt as though the plot was a perfect way to display janies character development. After her master died, nanny took her daughter and ran away because the masters widow threatened to sell janies mother. On november 5, 2019, the bbc news listed their eyes were watching god on its list of the 100 most influential novels. With every marriage, came a learning experience for janie. An interactive data visualization of their eyes were watching gods plot and themes. In china mievilles short story collection three moments of an explosion, the story watching god repeatedly references their eyes were watching god, with several allusions to the famous. God plays a part in the plot as indicated by the title their eyes were watching god. The title their eyes were watching god comes from a sentence in chapter 18. Wolf baldassarro social change 3 written in 1937 by zora neale hurston, their eyes were watching god tells the story of janie crawford, a 16yearold whose grandmother decides to marry her off to a wellrespected man in the community. She combines an introduction, setting, pattern of arrangement, exposition of primary conflicts, rising action, climax, and resolution to put together a wellorganized, interesting plot. A chapter 1 zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god opens with a lyrical passage in which janie starks returns to eatonville, where she had previously lived. Their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston plot summary. She is met by the judgmental gossiping of eatonvilles townspeople, whose conversations focus on the fact that janie had left.
What kind of god are the eyes of hurstons characters watching. Their eyes were watching god focuses on the experiences of janie crawford, a beautiful and determined fairskinned black woman living in the american south. The novel begins when janie returns to eatonville, florida after having left for a significant amount of time. Their eyes were watching god quizzes about important details and events in every section of the book. Learn all about how the characters in their eyes were watching god such as janie and pheoby contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot.
The lyrics were influenced by their eyes were watching god. This is our monkeynotes downloadable and printable book summary booknotes synopsis chapter summary criticism for their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston in pdf format. Zora neale hurston s their eyes were watching god was published in 1937. While writing their eyes were watching god theme essay, one will encounter a number of motifs. Their eyes were watching god by zora neale hurston. Their eyes were watching god is a 1937 novel by africanamerican writer zora neale hurston. I was fascinated that both of these men died and were buried with. God, in this case, refers to a supreme being who has control over nature. Plot summary part 1 in their eyes were watching god chart. This study guide and infographic for zora neale hurstons their eyes were watching god offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary. It is now firmly established in the literary canon. Plot and structure zora neale hurstons their eyes were. According to claire crabtree, there are four major aspects. They take her confidence as aloofness, but janies friend pheoby watson sticks up for her.
434 202 938 696 605 334 571 698 1325 141 1345 606 1080 1162 1028 1231 128 517 1156 1514 1113 308 1508 1359 661 982 1368 1301 908 786 1246 488 857 874 842 1294 174 430 974 564 853 333 99