Antigone Journal 4

Page 52

     Creon. Listen to me. They don't know it, but the truth is the work is there to be done, and a man can't fold his arms and refuse to do it. They say it's dirty work But if we didn't do it, who would?
     Page. I don't know, sir.
     Creon. Of course you don't. You'll be lucky if you never find out. In a hurry to grow up, aren't you?
     Page. Oh, yes, sir.
     Creon. I shouldn't be if I were you. Never grow up if you can help it. [He is lost in thought as the hour chimes] What time is it?
     Page. Five o'clock, sir.
     Creon. What have we on at five o'clock?
     Page. Cabinet meeting, sir.
     Creon. Cabinet meeting. Then we had better go along to it.



The author, Anouilh chooses these lines to be the last spoken words by any characters, besides the Chorus. These 15 lines are important to this story because they embody the idea that life goes on after death. In the sense that, the people that knew someone who has passed away, their lives are only affected for a short time. This period is called "mourning". In this case, Creon is already thinking about business and running his city, just moments after learning his wife had committed suicide by hanging, once learning that his niece had just died, along with her fiancee and others. Anouilh is referencing the Vichy Government in this passage when Creon says "it's dirty work. But if we didn't do it, who would?" this type of statement was used a lot during Nazi occupation. When Anouilh wrote this adaption of Antigone, France was occupied by Nazi Germany, and a puppet regime, "Vichy" was put in place. These types of governments would label war jobs as "dirty work", but somebody had to do them. After Creon says "Never grow up if you can help it", he gets lost in thought and is only re-awakened by the chiming of the hour bell. This dozing off while in thought about never growing up shows regret and remorse in Creon. Creon is reminiscing about something that he has done, and it seems as though it has negative connotations.

Antigone Journal 3

The author's warning in the play Antigone is that life and death is absurd. It's not so much a warning, it's more of a message then anything. Anouilh is telling his audience that once someone is dead, you will only impact the living for so long, everything goes back to normal and life continues on. Just like in the play at the very end, "She has played her part."(53) Anouilh is breaking the 4th wall by having the chorus say this. He is making his audience realize that they are indeed, watching a play and it is coming to an end. Later on the same page, "Only the guards are left, and none of this matters to them. It's no skin off their noses. They go on playing cards."(53) Anouilh has this as the closing statement to remind the audience that when they go home after this play, they will most likely forget it fairly quickly. As with the guards, they go on with their life, as does Creon. "Listen to me. They don't know it, but the truth is the work is there to be done, and a man can't fold his arms and refuse to do it. [...] Cabinet meeting. Then we had better go along."(52) Right after the death of his niece, wife, niece's fiancee etc. he just goes on with life. He was affected for a short time, but life must go on. The living must continue living, disregarding the dead after mourning. That is Anouilh's "warning".

Antigone Journal 2

-Polynices gets killed
-Creon makes it illegal to bury Polynices
-Antigone goes to Haemons house
-Haemon and Antigone fight
-Antigone buries Polynices
-Antigone goes home
-Nurse talks with Antigone
-Ismene wants Antigone to not break the law (burying polynices)
-Antigone tells Haemon they will never be married
-Haemon goes away
-Ismene asks Antigone again to not bury polynices
-Antigone shows Ismene that she buried Polynices

Antigone Journal 1

 I picture the opening scene to have a long set of stairs that everyone is sitting on. I pictured the chorus as one guy standing at the top, but moving downstage once the curtain rises. I picture Antigone looking very depressed and having long black hair covering her eyes kind of like The Grudge. Then the three guards would be sitting in a group, I picture them to kind of look like Cronk from The Emperor's New Groove. Then Eurydice and the Nurse I both picture as being kind of background people, not too special. I see Haemon as being very handsome and Creon is old, and resembles the old future Spock from the new Star Trek(Leonard Nimoy). The characters would be dressed in normal older day attire. Kind of like pilgrims but a little more modern then that. I would need a chair, stairs and then the people and lights.

Dystopian Journal 3

The structure of the society:

In 1984 by George Orwell, there are three different superpowers in the present world, Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania. These three superpowers support themselves by being in constant war with one another, this constant, never ending war allows the three superpowers to prop one another up. The three superpowers feed off of this constant war, by keeping the masses busy with work, so they do not realize what is going on. To help keep the masses out of the loop, atleast in Oceania, there are four ministries put in place. The ministry of Love, Truth, Peace and Plenty. Each of these ministries is respectively called miniluv, minitrue, minipax, miniplenty in Newspeak. The main tools of "the party", aka Ingsoc (English Socialism), are the ministries and newspeak. The ministries each concern themselves with different parts of propaganda for their superpower. Each ministry concerns itself with the opposite of what you would expect from their name, "The Ministry of Truth, which concerned itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts. The Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war. The Ministry of Love, which maintained law and order. And
the Ministry of Plenty, which was responsible for economic affairs."(2) This contradiction directly connects to the party's next tool, Newspeak. The party uses control to obtain their power. The party controls not only their subject's mind, but the words they can literally say, and the emotions they feel, etc. Newspeak restricts the words used in the "english" language. By restricting the words used in a language, you can essentially take out all emotion and any negative inflection that could be used again the party. The people that run Oceania, are the referred to as the Inner Party, the people that work in the ministries are the Outer Party, and the Proles are the ones that do all the manual labor. Their is no change in power, Inner is always at the top, Outer is always in the middle, and the Proles are always at the bottom. Because the Proles know of nothing other then what the party wants them to know (recall newspeak/control of media/past) they have no reason to revolt. Why would someone revolt if they believe that their is nothing else besides the life they are living presently?

Dystopian Journal 2

On pages 182-183, Winston and Julia get arrested by the Thought Police. The old man, Mr. Charrington had been providing a place for Julia and Winston to "sleep" together and basically have a vacation away from the constant eye and ear of the party. After Winston wakes up from falling asleep while reading Golstein's book, a telescreen speaks from behind a picture hanging on the wall.

Moment of conflict(climax): This paragraph is the climax of the rising action in this novel. Throughout the book, Winston has been fearing and not fearing being caught by the Thought Police. He knew it would come someday, but he didn't know when. The reader has been waiting for this moment this whole book: to see the thought police.

Characterization: Winston and Julia are faced with extreme terror: facing the thought police. This moment of trauma brings out the true characteristics of Julia and Winston. Throughout the novel, Winston has been building up a sort of "acceptance" that he will be caught one day, but when that day comes, he melts. "He could just stop his teeth from chattering, but his knees were beyond his control."(183) Winston being able to control his teeth, but not his knees shows that he can say he is not afraid, but really, he is. Julia, who has been previously characterized to be a "bad ass", now turns "milky yellow" at the sound of the telescreen behind them. Having even Julia scared of the Thought Police shows the total control they have over everyone.

Symbolism: Mr. Charrington speaks through the telescreen to Winston, after one of the Thought Policemen says "You may as well say good-by", Mr. Charrington says, "And by the way, while we are on the subject, Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head."(183) This is the ending of the nursery rhyme that Winston has been trying to piece together for so long. The significance of Mr. Charrington telling Winston the ending now, symbolizes Winston's fate to come, hence the "chopper to chop off your head." What really gives that "death" mood, is that Mr. Charrington says, after the man before says "you may say good-by", Mr. Charrington says "while we are on the subject" suggesting that the ending of this nursery rhyme is related to Winston and Julia being split up.

1984 Comments

KKVL said...

I liked how you saw the use of numbers in this passage, Joshua commented on my analysis of numbers and I thought I would share the wealth of knowledge, Josh suggested that Orwell's use of numbers(math) is a good comparison to how everything is controlled in 1984, how every day is the same.

KKVL said...

I found it REALLY interesting how you found out that Big Brother may be related to Herbert Kitchener. When I read 1984, I just completely accepted Big Brother as a direct allusion to Stalin, but that's really interesting to think that that may not be the case!

KKVL said...

I really liked how you connected the varicose ulcer to Big Brother's power over Winston. I never thought of it that way, but now that I think about it, the ulcer does show up throughout the book when he is going against "the rules".

Dystopian Journal 1

Passage: The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a colored poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine, and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with enormous face gazed form the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran.


    This passage, the second paragraph on the first page of the novel 1984 by George Orwell, "Eric Blair", is very detailed and descriptive. The only blatant sensory detail in this whole passage, is describing the hallways, putting a lot of emphasis on the smell and age of it. Boiled cabbage is a very typical "bad" smell to be used to describe things, but could it have a particular cultural connection at the time? Age, and numbers in general are used quite a lot in this passage, "The flat was seven flights up", "more than a meter wide", "Winston, who was thirty-nine", "a man of about forty-five", all these numbers are used to create direct position in relation to Winston. His house is seven flights up, that man on the poster is older then him, that poster is wide, etc. Age seems to play a large role in this passage, but will that continue through the book? This meter wide poster is mentioned twice in the passage, and the size of it is mentioned three times, suggesting the size of the poster is important. The sentence "too large for indoor display" really caught my attention. Was the poster really too large, or is it the idea that the poster carries too large? It's hard to put thoughts into words, but it really stood out. Speaking of the large poster, Winston seems to "make for the stairs" right after seeing this poster of "a man of about 45 with ruggedly handsome features.". Winston running at the sight of this seemingly normal poster suggests that the poster holds a possibly more sinister aura about it. Will this poster pop up as much as it did in this one passage throughout the book? Why does Winston fear the poster so much?

Stranger Journal 6

Belief

I wasn't being reasonable

You never know what might happen

I see the sky and that's all I see

You always get exaggerated notions of things

I thought everything was very simple

And in a way I was right

I've refused to see the chaplain

I don't need to see the chaplain

None of his certainties was worth one hair

I just couldn't accept such arrogant certainty

Everybody knows life isn't worth living

Now it was all over

Nothing, nothing mattered

I don't believe in God









Stranger Journal 5

(I had made a 5th Journal, but apparently I had been logged out so it didn't save a draft, so when I went go publish it, it just sent me to a login screen, and no draft was ever saved... So here is my haphazard recreation of what I made.)

In the second part of The Stranger, Meursault undergoes a change of mood. In the first part, Camus portrayed Meursault as an emotionless, lackadaisical person. But, a few pages into the third chapter of the second part of the book, Meursault "had this stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much all these people hated me."(90) Meursault normally feels little emotion, if any. The emotion he usually shows is either sexual or irritation. But, in the second part of the book, Meursault begins to show some actual emotion. I believe Camus is showing this emotion in Meursault to show his gradual understanding of the graveness of his situation.
Another thing I noticed was the change in characterization of minor characters. We still get the same descriptions of appearance and such, but all of the minor characters introduced to us in the second part of the book do not have names. All of the jurors, the judge, the prosecutor, etc. They are all referred to as their role in the trial. This could be Meursault grouping a certain type of people together like he did with the Arabs.
Lastly, I noticed that the theme of unimportant things still persist. Meursault viewed many things as trivial, and of little importance in the first part of the book, but now in the second part of the book, I've noticed a slight change. Instead of the normal carelessness of the first part of the book, there is a dreary, sort of hopeless undertone to everything Meursault notices. "I knew it was a a silly idea since it wasn't anything funny they were after but a crime. There isn't much a difference, though--- in any case that was the idea that came to me."(83) Meursault still has his normal nonchalant tone, but in context, it has a sort of macabre undertone.

Stranger Journal 4

10. Existentialism and Absurdism draw upon connotations or randomness and despair. How does the author portray hope in the text? How does the hope help establish a theme?


Existentialism: a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad. [www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/]


Absurdism: a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is irrational and meaningless and that the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe.[www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/]


"Nevertheless I answered that I had pretty much lost the habit of analyzing myself and that it was hard for me to tell him what he wanted to know."(65)


"I felt the urge to reassure him that I was like everybody else, just like everybody else. But really there wasn't much point, and I gave up the idea out of laziness."(66)

"I was about to tell him he was wrong to dewell on it, because it really didn't matter."(69)


"He simply asked, in the same tone, if I was sorry for what I had done. I thought about it for a minute and said that more than sorry I felt kind of annoyed."(70)


"I thought it must be Marie. It was."(73)


"I was feeling a little sick and I'd have liked to leave. The noise was getting painful. But on the other hand, I wanted to make the most of Mari'es being there. I don't know how much time went by."


Meursault doesn't need hope. Meursault "had to live in the trunk of a dead tree, with nothing to do but look up at the sky flowering overhead, little by little [he] would have gotten used to it."(77) Camus portrays Meursault as one without hope, and without a need for hope. He can adjust to whatever circumstance he is in, to be be perfectly quaint.

Stranger Journal 3

 L'Étranger has a few definitions, but all of them fit the book in one way or another. What piqued my interest today, is the translation of The Stranger. In America, the most widely used title is The Stranger. Stranger: a person with whom one has had no personal acquaintance.(Dictionary.com) I found this definition interesting because the reader of The Stranger, never is formally introduced to Meursault, you are always kept guessing about certain aspects of his views or beliefs, or feelings for that matter. He is truly a stranger to the reader throughout the book. I feel that this translation of L'Etranger is the best fit for the book. 

Stranger Journal 2

The minor character that stood out to me the most out of the whole book, let alone the third chapter, is Raymond Sintes. Raymond got in a fight with a man, and he tries to justify everything that he has done, and it makes him come off as he's trying to cover up a crime that he committed. "You see, Monsieur Meursault, It's not that i'm a bad guy, but i have a short fuse." "So you see, I wasn't the one who started it." After Raymond explains to Meursault that he smacked his girlfriend around, he tries to support himself by saying, yet again, "You see, Monsieur Meursault, it's like I told her: ..." Raymond is constantly justifying his horrid actions, with mediocre evidence. Camus portrays Raymond as a foil to Meursault. Meursault is lackadaisical and doesn't really care about anything, and doesn't justify anything he does. Raymond on the other hand, gets extremely angry at the smallest things, and constantly makes sure everyone around him agrees with him, showing he is very insecure.

Stranger Journal 1

Cultural Journal: What stood out to me was the laziness, and easygoing nature of the French portrayed by Camus. As Meursault goes to the beach to swim he notices "there were a lots of young people." swimming is a huge part of life in Algeria, as it is very hot there. It seems that a lot of french people there have quite a lot of free time to just do what they would like, like all the people at the channel, while Meursault is simply sitting on his balcony, watching the street, he notices "the street slowly emptied out. The matinees had all started"(22) The streets are now empty, because everyone is going to the movies. Matinees must be a large part of French culture. 

Journal 1: Meursault seems very detached, and overall lackadaisical. Nothing really seems to matter, from his mother dying, to falling asleep, he doesn't really keep track of what he has done. He knows what has happened, but never really knows why, or cares to know for that matter. "Maman died today. Or Yesterday maybe, I don't know."(3) One would assume right away, that he is utterly emotionless, the death of one's mother should be a big deal. But, on page 20, he remarks that as he "hoisted [himself] up next to her" that the occasion was "nice, and, sort of joking around" He can still feel physical emotion, but while he views the act of swimming with Marie as nice, he still has that lackadaisical tone as he says that it was sort of joking around. His ability to express physical emotion is further portrayed when "Toward the end of the show, I gave her a kiss, but not a good one."(20) He is again expressing physical emotion, but with his ever persistent lackadaisical tone. Camus would create Meursault like this to possibly convey his beliefs of a mix of existentialism and absurdism.
A phrase I found that Meursault seems to repeat quite a lot, is a sort of guilty thought. "It's not my fault."(1), "it isn't my fault"(19), "I felt like telling her it wasn't my fault"(20) Whenever Meursault or someone else talks about his mother's death, he has to assure them that it isn't his fault. Why does he keep reminding everyone that his mother's death was not his fault? After Meursault has been characterized as this lackadaisical, detached person, he seems to be feeling quite a lot of hidden guilt.

Final Eyes Journal (7)

Themes:

• Curiosity
• Race
• Death
• Luck
• Sickness
• Waiting
• Anger
• Hatred
• Religion
• Fear
• Jealousy
• Possession (Superstitious)
• Murder

Race: Race is constantly used in Hurston's writing. Hurston uses race to show how life was back in the '30s. Hurston shows White men forcing Black men to bury the dead (169-170), only the White men got buried in Caskets, the Black men did not.


Waiting: Hurston uses the theme of waiting to show the illusion of time in one's life. Janie never would of thought Tea Cake would die from being bitten by the dog, she was more worried about herself growing old.


Jealousy: Hurston uses Jealousy in Their Eyes Were Watching God to show a more dehumanized version of man. Whenever someone is jealous in her book, she portrays them as something other than human, whether it's a monster or a brute animal. 

Eyes Journal 6

Purpose Statement: This passage shows Janie's fear of becoming old without having found her idealized love. Hurston uses the repetition of Janie pleading to God, and the personification of bright things representing Tea Cake to show Janie's desperation to find that idealized love.

Topic1: In the first paragraph Hurston compares Annie Tyler and Janie to show Janie's regret for waiting for her perfect "fantasy" love.

Topic2: Hurston shows Janie being desperate by pleading to God about the safety and well-being of Tea Cake.

Topic3: Hurston uses personification of the sun as Tea Cake, and the darkness that ensues is Janie without Tea Cake.



Comments:

KKVL said... (To Olivia)

I really liked your use of a dictionary definition to back up your reasoning. I agree that Hurston used a lot of imagery to help show Janie's mood during the passage. I also liked how you noticed Hurston using "spies" to make the figurative language darker. You had a lot of great ideas.

September 21, 2011 1:43 AM 

KKVL said... (To Andrew)

I liked how you noticed the part were Janie gives credit to the townspeople, I never noticed that. You had a really good overall analysis of the passage. I never noticed how the rocking chair could be linked to her spinning thoughts. I really like how you came up with that.

September 21, 2011 1:46 AM 

KKVL said... (To Jack)

I never noticed Hurston's doubling of paragraphs, after reading that, the passage makes more sense now. I really liked how you said "time seems to go by very slowly" when you're waiting for something, because that is very true.

September 21, 2011 1:53 AM 

Eyes Journal 5

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.


Tone: Worrisome/Depressed
 Hurston feels very sad towards this passage, using words like "killed", "die", "pitied","lonesome", "dark" and "dwindled".


Mood: Worried
Hurston tries to make the reader worried along with Janie, and possibly sad about the passing of Annie Tyler.


"They put her to bed" is forshadowing Annie Tyler dying. Hurston might of said Janie "got out of the bed" as a kind of contrast. Possibly hitting on the point that Janie feels so alive with Tea Cake


Hurston uses personification in the beginning of the 2nd paragraph. "The thing made itself into pictures and hung around Janie's bedside all night long." Hurston uses personification to show "the thing" that is the idea of Tea Cake off with another girl/getting hurt, bothering Janie. Janie is a wreck without Tea Cake at this point in the book, and Tea Cake has a tendency to go off for long periods of time, which destroys Janie during, but makes everything 200% better when he returns.


The end of the 2nd paragraph is written in 1st person, coming from Janie. Hurston has Janie beg to God to make sure Tea Cake is OK, and she tries to make a deal with him. This shows Janie's desperation when she is without Tea Cake. Hurston could be portraying her ideas on relationships. Is it good to derive a spouse of his/her presence and then bestowing it again to make everything okay again.


Again Hurston is using personification to portray the sun "creating" the sunrise. Using the "door sill" as the horizon, and his "spies" that he is sending ahead of him are the first beams of sunlight. The sunrise is so vividly depicted to show how intense it is for Janie after waiting around all night for Tea Cake. But why is the Sun wearing white when he walks away? What could that be referencing? Tea cake walking away from Janie with her money?




"a chair couldn't hold her." Hurston says this to show how weighed Janie is. She has the burden of worrying about Tea Cake all night and most likely all morning. 

Eyes Journal 4

So Megan started to contemplate forgiveness. Forgiveness, the cute turtle with the tiny protruding head that resides in the pond. The magnificent being that lies on a rock like a pedestal without legs beneath it, and without a cushion. What desire does Forgiveness have for a pillow, and what aches can hurt him? He lies on his lifted rock that sees over the pond. Waits peaceful and thoughtless all day with his arms open wide, hoping for the Keeper to bring him home. Been lying around when there was a relationship or apology or gift. She could find a leaf from the tree standing above his pond anytime. She was patient and trustful. Poor Joseph! He should not have to die there with no one else. She sent John in to suggest a conversation, but Joseph said No. These waiting therapists were okay with the depressed, but they could not handle a situation like this. He would better when the wingless pigeon discovered who had plotted against him. He would become happy. That is what he thought. But John suggested something else, so she thought. So if he didn’t, one night she would find out, because people start to accumulate beneath the forest tops and lower canopy. Things that could not enter the forest before, hiked in not to enjoy the nature. Just sat in the bushes and thought. Legend, that headless man, had lit up the forest floor.  

Eyes Journal 3

The characters that interested me this chapter were Same Watson and Lige Moss. First of all, I noticed the motif of nature in Lige Moss. If we are counting old Irish as a valid source, then his name technically means "lying [on]    moss". Sam Watson on the other hand, has little reference to nature, unless his name has something to do with water. Their argument from page 63 to 67, interrupted by the passing by of Daisy. The topic that they were arguing about interested me, "Whut is it dat keeps uh man from gettin' burnt on uh red-hot stove--caution or nature?"(64) I can't help but feel this is relevant to the book, as one, it includes nature, a strong motif, and caution. But what could Janie be trying to tell the reader by making these two lesser characters argue about Nature vs. Caution?
         I found it interesting how Lige Moss, "lying on grass", was the one that thought caution is the thing that keeps men from getting burnt on a stove. While as Sam thought it was Nature. What was Hurston's purpose for making a character, clearing related to nature, decide that Nature isn't what creates caution? Hurston goes on to create Sam as the type of person to question authority. Could this be foreshadowing? Lige is sort of a trickster as he likes to mess with Sam, "'Well what is my point?'-Sam 'You ain't got none, so far.'-Lige"(65) Even though Sam has clearly said that caution is a greater force then Nature as far as keeping men at bay. Also, Lige and Sam seem to be the center of attention while the argument is going on, "By this time, they are the center of the world."(64) If everyone is listening, why do we not hear any others' opinions? The only person to interject is Walter, to help back up Sam. Reading those few pages, made me interested on which the other main characters would choose, Caution or Nature? Hurston took about 3 pages, and dedicated them to the argument of Lige and Sam, it must have some significance. I can't help but think what else the characters Lige and Sam could represent? Why does Hurston have these two characters argue? Is it to build on lesser characters just as filler? Or is there more to this argument?

Eyes Journal 2

Karl Viamonte-Lyons

“Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home.”

            Janie made her face laugh after a short pause, but it wasn’t too easy. She had never thought of making a speech, and didn’t know if she cared to make one at all. It must have been the way Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything one way or another that took the bloom off of things. But anyway, she went down the road behind him that night feeling cold. He strode along invested with his new dignity, thought and planned out loud, unconscious of her thoughts. (43) (11 lines in the book)

Three techniques:

Motif: “the way Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything one way or another that took the bloom out of things.”

Analysis: Even in the fifth chapter, Hurston is using the motif of nature. In the earlier chapters she talked about how Janie’s innocence and childhood referred to a pear tree, and when Janie finally left Logan, there was a great detail in the setting in which she left him. Maybe Hurston chose the word “bloom” in the context of him “taking the bloom out of things” as in, taking away the spark that caused her to leave Logan for Joe. Maybe throughout the book, nature will continue coming up giving hints as to what Janie is really feeling.

Epiphany: The first hint of Janie being spiteful towards Joe.

Analysis: In this paragraph Janie realizes Joe may not be the man she thought he was. She is not mad at him, just merely considering the fact that if she had wanted to give a speech, she couldn’t. “He strode along invested with his new dignity, thought and planned out loud, unconscious of her thoughts.” It seems like Hurston is portraying Joe as not really aware that he had hurt Janie in any sort of way, and that denying her of opportunities was a normal thing to do.  The way Hurston says “unconscious of her thoughts.” really pushes the point that Joe has no idea that Janie was affected at all by his denying her of speaking.

Protagonist/Antagonist: The first act of Joe being sexist towards Janie.

Analysis: In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie plays the role of the Protagonist. It seems that Hurston might be foreshadowing Joe becoming a future antagonist, as he seems to be trying to hold Janie back from her full potential. Yes, Janie and Joe are married, but Janie rushed into marrying him, there could be more to him than meets the eye.

Tone: Condescending

Mood: Disappointment/Realization

Purpose: To show Janie’s feeling about Joe’s possible sexist attitude. This paragraph could also foreshadow future conflicts concerning Janie wanting to do something that Joe wants to hold her back from doing.

Eyes Journal 1

       Karl Viamonte-Lyons

9-11-11

Period 4AB IB Jr English

Mrs. Townzen

      For the very first sentence of the book, Hurston chooses to talk about men. Not just men, but the dreams and goals of men. “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing…” (1) Hurston is describing how some men’s dreams just come naturally, but in contrast, some men can chase their dreams forever, never fully reaching them. I found it interesting how she starts the book talking about men chasing their dreams, when the focuses on Janie. The answer could lie in the third line of the book, “…never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by time.” (1) The title of the book is Their Eyes Were Watching God. In that line, “the Watcher” is capitalized, maybe suggesting that “the Watcher” is God. I find it very interesting how closely that relates to the title, maybe Hurston could have a much deeper meaning to the first lines then just talking about men’s dreams.

            I’m very intrigued in how closely the line “the Watcher turns his eyes” relates to the title of the book, I wonder if there is a reason for that. Does the first paragraph have more to do with the book then meets the eye? Why does Hurston to choose to start a book about the life of a girl, with the dreams of men?

            One thing that really stood out to me was Hurston’s reference to plant life.  “She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds” (11), and right after, “Through pollinated air she saw a glorious being coming up the road.” (11). After a few sentences she kisses that “glorious being” (Johnny Taylor). Hurston described the air as “pollinated” was that a very quick and decisive foreshadow to their kiss? It may foreshadow something later on in the book. It seems as though Hurston likes to use plants and other natural things to contrast to human life. Later on, Hurston has Janie describe her Nanny as “…[Nanny’s] face looked like the standing roots of some old tree…” (12) Hurston chooses to describe Janie’s Nanny as an old tree. This could be portraying Janie’s thoughts of her grandmother’s old-fashioned view of love, and how “status” is ultimately more important than love, according to Nanny. In the third chapter, Hurston usually uses spring time to describe Janie’s life, “So Janie waited a bloom time, and a green time and an orange time.” (25) Also, in the beginning of the second chapter, “Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches.” (8) What could Hurston be foreshadowing in the rest of the book?

            I find it curious how Hurston describes the seasons by the color of the plants during each season; does this have something to do with Janie’s three marriages? Why else would Hurston only use three seasons instead of four? Will Hurston use more nature to describe Janie’s feelings about life later on?

            Another curious thing about the first few pages is that Hurston likes to put contradicting words in the same sentence. On page 2, while talking about Janie being judged by the porch sitters, Hurston describes the porch sitters making “burning statements with questions, and killing tools out of laughs. It was mass cruelty.” (2) and then no more than a line away, Hurston describes their actions as “walking altogether like harmony in a song.” I think it’s very strange how she uses such contradictory terms so close together. Hurston describes the “porch sitters” as having a sort of mob mentality. I wonder if during the 1930s that was very common and inspired her.

            Was Hurston’s life influenced by “porch sitters”? Why does she make them have such an impact on the story line? Will Hurston keep using contradictory words later in the book? Why does she use this style?