COharTEWWGEssay

COharTEWWGEssay Cleora Ohar __Their Eyes Were Watching God__ Mrs. Laurencot

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 * 1.)** **What are your thoughts and questions about the story?** The book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, gave me a lot to think about. For example, when I first read it, I wondered why Janie, the main character went out with so many guys. I noticed that she tends to be eager to find love. “You just wants to hug and kiss and feel around with the first one man and then another, huh?” (Chapter 2, p. 13) I agree with this observation that nanny made. It really seems like Janie goes out with one guy and then decides to go out with another if she feels that he is not right for her. A question that ran through my mind was, Why didn’t Janie think of a more resourceful way to aid Tea Cake in his last hours of being wasted by rabies? I feel that she had many more options that she could have opened the door to, rather than shooting Tea Cake. For example, she could have taken the doctor’s advice. “…put him in the County Hospital where they can tie him down and look after him”( Chapter 19, p. 177) She knows that she cannot change the fact that she shot him. This is something she has to live with for the rest of her waking days. A really strong question that came to me is, If Janie ever gets in another relationship, how will it be different and will it be the best one of all her relationships? Each of her relations thus far are different. Every time, her relationships become better in a different way.=====

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 * 2.) How does the main character change from the beginning of the story to the end? What doe you think causes this change?** Janie, the main character, changes drastically from the beginning of the story to the end. For one, she grows older during the course of Their Eyes Were Watching God . As a young adolescent, at 17, was pulled into a world of relationships and love. At age 40, she is much wiser and more experienced at life. Janie makes better decisions such as throwing her apron aside and being more free with herself. She realizes that even when the guys in her life are tough and controlling that she has to let go and take charge of herself. Janie knows that no one else will do it for her. Janie’s change reminds me of Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. As crazy as it seems, in this story the main character Ebenezer Scrooge doesn’t change in the same way as Janie, but his change is as life altering as hers. In the beginning, he was a cold hearted brute towards people. He didn’t care about life or Christmas for that matter. The three spirits help him change his ways just as the people in Janie’s life helped her. “ Yes, she would love Logan after they were married.” (Chapter 3, p. 21) Logan Killicks was her first shot at a romantic relationship. Technically, it was a planned marriage, but nonetheless, it was an affiliation. Her second relationship with Joe Starks was a little more free. However he was a bit controlling of Janie. For example, he made her cover her hair up for fear that she would attract other guys with it.=====

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 * 3. What does this story say about people in general?** In what ways does it remind you of people you have known or experiences you have had? Their Eyes Were Watching God has plenty to say about people in general. For one thing, people like Janie can be so caught up in love that they fail to realize the beauty that it embraces. Each time one of Janie’s relationships ended, she started up another. This proves that real true love is not possible. One may see something in another person that makes them snap inside and want to date instantly. Love is not for the faint hearted. It must be taken very seriously. “Sometimes she stuck out into the future, imagining her life different from what it was” (Chapter 7, p. 76) A lot of the time, Janie likes to sugarcoat things and make them seem like they are worthwhile. This is proof that love does not go very well for her. In a book called Chicken Soup for the teenage Soul, I read of a girl who went through the same problems a Janie in all of her relationships. She had the same impulse of going out with different guys after one relationship ended. She was hungry for love and to be loved. In the end, this girl eventually learned (the hard way) that love is not all that it’s cracked up to be.=====

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 * 4. How successful was the author in creating a good piece of literature?** **Is it executed artistically? Does it make you feel emotional?** Zora Neale Hurston, the author of this book, was very successful in creating a good piece of literature. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a timeless piece of work. All the issues during the time period of the story still exist today, such as racism and sexism. All of these heated topics are still being discussed today. A classic book like this brings a new light to people from the past, present, and possibly the future. Zora Neal Hurston is an expert at creating a great plot and climax. Her character, Janie, is a young woman who falls in love several times from the age of 17 till 40. There could be many possible climaxes because so many things occur. In one incidence, Janie’s partner, Joe dies, while at the end of the story, she pulls the gun trigger on her last soul mate, Tea Cake because he was suffering from the infliction of rabies. Zora Heale Hurston had a great way with imagery and figurative language. For example, the phrase, “a bloom time, and a green time and an orange time” is describing the changes in the seasons (Chapter 3, p. 25). A bloom time is spring and a green time is the summer time. The orange time is the autumn season. This would be a great example of the author’s use of a metaphor. Zora Neale Hurston masterfully created imagery. For example, when she describes Janie, one can vividly paint a picture of what she looks like.=====

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