Eyes: Journal #8

Part 1: I think Zora Neale Hurston chose the title she did because the book refers to God a lot, and the different roles he plays to individual characters through out the book. God tends to represent a symbol of this overbearing power over humans to many of the characters, and with the character relations there are power stuggles. In the storm, the line "Their eyes were watching God", was said and Hurston said it because nature is this overpowering force that humans will never be able to control and it may or may not be caused by a God. I feel like when the title was said in the storm, it pulled everything together. It made it clear that this book really is about power and different relations people have with God or one another that all have to do with power.

Part 2: I think Hurston could have names the book, Under the Absence of the Sun. I think she could have titles it this because the sun also portrays this symbol of power and God. When the gossip happens, when death comes, when bad things happen there is this reoccurring absence of the sun or God. I think that had Hurston titled the book that, the book would probably have more themes directed towards the roles God plays in the novel, more so than the theme of power.

Part 3: My pastiche is titled, A Beach With No Waves. I chose this title because my pastiche focuses on the power struggle between an oppressing individual or society and the oppressed. I use the symbol of waves molding a beach to portray the lack of control my protagonist has in his current situation, just as is shown with Janie being controlled by her grandmother, her friends, and husbands. This is a strong title because in both Eyes and my pastiche the protagonists have a lack of control, like a shore line. Therefore, if there were a beach with no waves to impact that shore line it makes the reader wonder what the shore line would be like, or if there would even be one.

Eyes: Journal #7

1.) “He’s de wind and we’se de grass. We bend which ever way he blows” (Hurston 49).

First off, this quote clearly has the alliteration aspect of the "w" sound. I think the "w" sound was used to sort of a whisper to the sentences. The "w" sound sounds very flowy and I think that really illuminates what the that quote is saying. It's talking about how Joe has control over the people of Eatonville and how they bow down to him, and the "w" sound is effective of emphasizing the the power situation. The context of the quote is about power, which is shown all throughout Hurston's novel. There are power struggles between Joe and the town people, men and women, and blacks and whites. The power struggle can be connected to all different parts of the book where one person is submissive to another, as the people of Eatonville show in the quote.

2.) “Strange trains, and people and places didn’t scare him neither” (Hurston 34).

Throught Eyes, Hurtson uses a lot of parallel structure when describing things. In this quote she was referring to Joe. The repetition of "and" makes the things that he isn't afraid of have more effect, power, and length. The statement that Joe is fearless is really portrayed through the use of parallel structure. In the scene where the men from the porch are fighting for Daisy's attention Hurston says, "you know jim and dave and lum" (68). Again, the use of the repeated "and" gives the phrase more emphasis. It show just how many guys she's talking about which is what she was trying to do.

3.) “She knew things that nobody had ever told her. For instance, the words of the trees and the wind. She often spoke to falling seeds and said, ‘Ah hope you fall on soft ground’” (Hurston 25).

Hurston uses the motif as trees to represent something that is very susceptible to nature and change. Trees change with nature and are very easily molded. I think that is quote especially shows that Janie is aware that the well-being of trees depends on many things besides itself. She's aware that trees need a safe place to fall in order to grow and become a mighty tree. By soft ground I think it could also mean that she hopes that the trees are not taken advantage of because they are so vulnerable. In the book, I think Janie almost parallels this sense of constantly being effected by people and letting everyone make decisions for her just as what happens to the trees.

Journal #6: revisions

Right now I'm working on revising my pastiche in many different aspects. Firstly, I'm working on adding more imagery into my pastiche to make it more like Hurtson's writing and also because I am still far from the limit on the actual pastiche, so I have space to expand my thoughts. I cleaned up a lot of sloppy sentences and typos, I didn't realize how many I made late at night just typing away.

I've been trying to work more on making the pastiche flow better, so that I get a background of what's happened to the family, as well as how things currently. If I can do that, then I have a far better chance of creating a pastiche hat effectively parallels some of Hurtson's themes in Eyes. This however isn't going too well. I'm not the best at creative writing, so it's a slow process of making my writing effective.

Lastly, I'm trying to work more with my dialogue. I have subtle changes that make my accent different than just plain english, but I don't think that from those subtle changes a person will read a British accent. There's parts where I think a reader would be able to tell it was British, but there's still spots for improving the dialect.

Eyes: Journal #5

Naturally Cassie began to dream of Jealousy. Jealousy, the devious creature with long looming hands who was always just below the surface. The insecure one who inhabited stray thoughts like an unwelcome party guest who insisted on staying. What purpose does an invitation have for Jealousy, for means is there of stopping him from arriving? He awaits anxiously over analyzing every mans thoughts. Looms hungrily and breathlessly with every thought his whip held tight, waiting for the catalyst to begin his feast. Looming and stirring before was even a need to. She was bound to find a thick blanket of his dust engulfing Sid soon. She was concerned and sympathetic too. Poor Sid! He shouldn't be warding off the poison on his own. She pushed to help him through Cris, but Sid didn't want her help. Them boys cud help each other through a lot, but they didn't know how to hush a mind-invader. He'd be jus fine once they found whatever he was allergic to. His thoughts weren't being consumed. Or so he believed. However, Cris knew that wasn't true, and so did she. But if she didn't know, by dusk there were traces of darkness looming on everything Sid had been near. Stories, people, and photos were coated with a questioning haze, that normally would not be under analytical attack. Coated and blackened with insecurity. Trust, the white sealant to the cracks of life, had been chiseled away from the aspects of Sids life.

Decisions:

In the passage on page 84, Hurston personifies Death, so I personified Jealousy in the way that jealousy is a monster that consumes people based on doubts and insecurities. Hurston uses different dialects in the passage to show a different perspective and I did the same in my passage to show how me as the author writes about the situation objectively and then how Cassie is more subjective to the passage. I used the same number of characters as Hurston to portray her ideas, as well as using a "population" which in my case were Sid's friends. I tried to make sure that sentence by sentence the same idea or type of words were followed through in my own writing. Hurston refers to Death as having feathers, and makes Rumors a wingless bird. I chose to have Jealousy have a black hue that it is indicated by and Trust was also a shade but it was white.

Eyes: Journal #4

Page 77, paragraph 3.

Syntax: In this passage Hurston uses several simple sentences to describe Joe. I think Hurston uses these simple sentences in order to emphasize Joe's age and the sluggish feeling associated with age. For instance, "Eyes a little absent too" (77) is a simple sentence that shows age. Hurston also uses more complex sentences when giving more of a picture for the audience, for instance when referring to his belly, "His prosperous-looking belly that used to thrust out so pugnaciously and intimidate folks, sagged like a load suspended from his loins" (77).

Word Choice: First off, in this paragraph Hurston has Janie refer to Joe as "Joe" or "him" but in the nest paragraph she has Janie call him "Jody". In previous parts of the book, Hurston has used his different names depending on other characters feelings about him, but I think that specifically in this paragraph the use of "joe" was due to the fact that the paragraph was solely describing his old age and how he had changed. Secondly, when Hurston talks about his belly, she says it had once been pugnacious, then states that it now sags bellow his loins. The connotations of the word "loins" is usually a woman's womb, so Hurston is emasculating Joe in the comparison between how he used to be intimidating and now he has is stomach hanging below his womb.

Tone: To an extent the tone is sort has sort of a matter-of-fact feel to it, but there is also a sense of Hurston wanting the reader to belittle Joe in his old age. The way Hurston compares how Joe used to sit, to how he now falls, there is a feeling of a lack of compassion toward Joe. In the last two sentences of the paragraph Hurston seems to be absent from the writing, portraying a sense of old tiredness that is Joe, and how she is tired of him.

Sound Devices: In the paragraph as a whole there is a repeating "s" sound, "He didn't rear back in his knees any longer. He squatted over his shoulders when he walked." (77). The repeating "s" sound seems tired, and tends to drone on and on, adding emphasis to Joe's age. The "s" sound has a flow to it that just keeps going, but without energy or compassion like Janie herself.

Eyes: Journal #3

1.) "What Ah don't lak 'bout de man is, he talks tuh unlettered folks wid books in his jaws." (Hurston, 49) Metaphor

The way the people talk about Joe says a lot about his character and how he comes off to people. The people have a sort of love hate relationship with him because they don't like how powerful he is and how he runs the town, which makes them feel inferior. However, if he didn't do the things for their town that he does they wouldn't be where they are. They way the other characters speak about Joe helps to characterize him. They refer to his superior intellect, which I think also plays more into how he thinks he is like the God of the town, and really believes he is better than everyone. His feeling of superiority plays into his relations with Janie as well as other characters in the book.

2.) the spirit of marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor. It was there to shake hands whenever company came to visit, but never went back inside the bedroom again.(Hurston, 71) Personification.

3.) "...It's so easy to make yo'self out God Almighty when you aint got nothin' tuh strain against but women and chickens." (Hurston, 75)

This quote from Janie is directed at men in general, but mostly to Joe. Unlike when Hurston makes Joe speak, Hurston capitalizes God when Janie says it. The capitalizationof God shows what Janie believes in, and in this defiant quote by her when she was not even supposed to be giving her two cents, she sort of shows who she bows down to; God and not men. This shows the female perspective of submission, and how Janie feels about men, especially Joe. Janie is sort of belittling Joe's power over her as well as the town by blatantly telling him that he's really not very significant for only trying to control women and chickens. This quote also offers conflict between Joe and Janie, as well as between men and women, which is found through out Hurston's novel.

4.) She was saving up feelings for some man she had never seen. (Hurston, 72) foreshadowing

5.) "Now, Daisy, you know jim, and Dave, and Lum is 'bout tuh kill one 'nother 'bout you" (Hurston, 68). Parallel structure.

Eyes: Journal #2

British accent:

1.) often refer to people as mates,

2.) in some words the letter "t" isn't pronounced ex: button becomes bu-on

3.) cheers can be used to mean thank you or goodbye

4.) u in words goes to ew ex: student becomes stewdent

5.) th becomes f ex: think becomes fink

6.) er at the ends of words changes to a ex: whiter becomes whita

7.) neighbor becomes neighbour

Pg. 7

As the classroom filled with eager and sleep deprived bodies, anxiously examining the seating chart, Sid watched as Cassie floated into the room and suddenly all the movement and volume within the room seemed to disappear. It was their first day of senior year, and Sid had now kept his feelings for Cassie a secret for three years. His eyes followed her as she flitting to the chart, then just as smoothly took the seat beside him.

"Dang, can you believe how many people are in this class? I remember hearing last years seniors moan about this class for hours on end- naturally I assumed there wouldn't be so many people in it. At least we can all tough it out together, right? I mean, more in number is what've always heard. Anyways, I'm Cassie. What's your name?"

Filled with shock and nothing but a disbelieving smile, "M Sid, hi."

"Yeah, I think we've had a class before, but who can keep all the classes straight? I can't believe summer's over already. It seems like a week ago that the sun just came out. Are you looking forward to this school year?"

"the summa went by fast. My mum nd I moved to a new neighbourhood about a month ago. But, I'm not sure how forward I am looking to college this semester, we will have to wait nd see."

"I can understand that one. Moving's always a challenge, and I'm sure that made summer less relaxing for you two. I don't want to start getting negative about school already, I think I've done that every year, so this year I just want to stay positive, not procrastinate and enjoy what I have left of high school, ya know?"

"Wow, yes. It's really quite lovely how awake and positive you are at this hour."

"I'm sorry. Am I talking too much? I've been told that I go off on tangents, and just talk and talk, so please just cut me off if I'm boring you."

"No, Cass. You're really quite lovely the way you are. All the other mates in here are already down about the work, and you sure are ready to be a stewdent once again. You add colour to the room."

As the teacher called for the class to start the energy level within the class dropped, however Sid still felt the energy Cassie had shared with him. He knew she would color more people through her life.

Eyes: Journal #1

As Janie arrives in this town for what the audience discovers is not the first time, she is the center of attention and the focus of gossip on every porch. All the women have some sort of input about Janie leaving town with Tea Cake, and what they have to say isn't very nice, "She ain't even worth talkin' after... ole women runnin' after young boys" (Hurston, 3). The women judge her very harshly because she left town with out much explanation, they don't think she's very proper for going away with a younger man, and they find her to be unlady-like. They're very catty, and their views on what Janie's done are some of the first things the reader learns about Janie, proving that she's done some things recently that were controversial. When Janie talks to Pheoby her best friend another side of her is able to be shown. The way her and Pheoby joke around and how she tells Pheoby a little bit about Tea Cake, she becomes very likable and is sadly misunderstood and harshly judged by the women due to a lack of understanding, "They don't need to worry about me... Tea Cake ain't wasted up no money of mine, and he ain't left me for no young gal, neither. He give me every consolation in de world" (Hurston, 7).

The men also provide some insight to how people feel about Janie, "They, the men, were saving with the mind what they lost with the eye" (Hurston, 2). Obviously from this quote men are very attracted to her and they find her beautiful. Her beauty may also be why the women judge her as they do.

The narrator clearly emphasizes the female perfective and right from the first paragraph, it is obvious that she will focus on the female experience. She talks about a mans life, then directly contrasts the mans life with a woman's life and starts the novel with it about a woman. She writes in third person omniscient because she provides some insight to the characters thoughts, "They sat there... Pheoby eager to feel and do through Janie, but hating to show her zest" (Hurston, 7). Hurston uses a lot of figurative language such as personification, "the porch pelting her back with unasked questions" (Hurston, 4). Hurston uses long descriptive sentences when she does say something, but for the most part the story is told though the dialogue and character interactions.

Post #4- sample test questions

1.) "This was what the porch was waiting for." (Hurston, 73)

2.) "Dat sho is de truth, now." (Hurston, 40)

3.) "The tar had burst open in the sun." (Camus, 16)

4.) "All I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead" (Camus, 59)

5.) "It systematically undermines the solidarity of the family, and it calls its leader by a name which is a direct appeal to the sentiment of family loyalty." (Orwell, 216)

Post #3- Paradox

paradox: A paradox is a phrase or group of statements that seem self-contradicting, or defy logic. A paradox may sometimes defy logic as well as possibly expose the truth to a situation. Paradoxes can be partially true and false which generally make them hard to accept or find a definite answer. For example, when a person is standing in a doorway and someone says, "She's in the room" that statement is hard to totally accept, and it is also hard to fully deny. Instead it is acceptable to partially agree with the paradox, and partially disagree, as well as it is alright to say that she is neither in the room nor out of the room.

Good examples of paradoxes were in 1984 by George Orwell. Orwell says, "War is Peace." "Freedom is slavery." and "Ignorance is strength." These sayings contradict themselves because, slavery and freedom are exact opposites, however the statement suggests that freedom is essentially slavery. This statement defies logic because you cannot be bonded and yet have freedom, so therefore there is a paradox in the statements given above because in 1984 they were used by the government and Big Brother to tell people not to question, and that they should be content with the fact that their country was at war, that freedom is not all that great, and that in being ignorant you are strong.

However, these statements are false, but useful for the purposes of Big Brother I suppose.

Post #2 - Parallelism

Parallelism: Two ideas or themes that are developed with the same related words, structure, or have similar components to them.

For example, an author who writes using the same type of sentence length, and grammar uses parallel structure.

I remember what it is because I think about what parallel lines are. Both lines travel in the same path, or direction mirroring each other.

Parallelism and parallel structure are important because when an author makes comparisons between things it is key to use the same structure while contrasting the different ideas.

Example: She wanted to know what his favorite food was and what sports he liked.

Post #1

1. The book I enjoyed reading the most was probably The Stranger because to me, the storyline was the easiest to follow. I also really liked the writing style of The Stranger over Their Eyes Were Watching God, and 1984. I liked that the book was really to the point, and almost free of emotion and description. I'm really into Law and Order and creepy things like that, so especially when talking about topics such as death, in such a nonchalant way it was fascinating to me, as well as easy to read.

2. My least favorite book would by far be Their Eyes Were Watching God... I just couldn't get into it. Part of the reason I didn't like it was the dialect the author took on. I just found the way they talked was hard to relate to, and it definitely took some getting used to. Once I was able to get past the dialect though and read the novel, I just wasn't fond of the plot in general. The plot as a whole was just kind of bland for the most part to me. The book was her telling her life story basically and had a lot to do with her love life, or lack there of until Tea Cake. I just really didn't appeal to me..

3. If I had to write an essay on 1984, it honestly probably wouldn't be very good. The book as a whole I felt was too long, I just think that it could have been condensed. Regardless, I would probably focus on the control in the government, and how extreme the control was. I would focus on that aspect of the novel because I feel that it was written as a warning to the future about government control, and how bad a society can become when a person cannot have any privacy or private thoughts without intrusion from or exposure to authority.