Journal #9

I believe a strong theme depicted in the last two chapters is remaining in contentness in times of despair.

A one passage which clearly demonstrates this theme is when Tea Cake grumbles to Janie about how she expects too much of him, "Guess you tired uh watin' on me and doing fuh me. Dat ain't de way Ah been wid you. Ah never is been able tuh do enough fuh yuh" (Hurston, 182). Even though Tea Cakes words cut deep and were hurtful because of how much Janie has done for Tea Cake, Janie knew that he didn't mean in and at that she stayed content. "Tea Cake, you'se sick. You'se talkin' everything in de way Ah don't mean it. Ah couldn't never be tired uh waitin' on you. Ah'm just skeered you'se too sick fuh me tuh handle" (Hurston, 182).

Another passage that exposes this theme is when Janie gets put in jail for "killing" Tea Cake. Janie knows that she was protecting herself from him and even though it would be painful to go through all of that after one of her loved ones had passed away, she remains content once again. "If they made a verdict that she didn't want Tea Cake and wanted him dead, then that was a real sin and a shame. It was worse than murder" (Hurston, 188).

Plot Story line


Characters:
Joe, MaryAnne, Jack
Setting:
Seattle, Wahington, 1999
Plot:
Jack and MaryAnne are Joe's closest friends. Joe has known Jack for longer than he has known MaryAnne but recently Joe and MaryAnne have been beginning to be great friends. MaryAnne and Jack  had been friends in the past but since MaryAnne started spending time with Joe, Jack has been filled with jealousy. Joe would like to spend time with MaryAnne and Jack together, but every time they do Jack fills MaryAnne with sadness and she leaves in tears from the way he treats her. Joe doesn't realize that his closest friend is bringing pain to his friend MaryAnne, he feels like MaryAnne is just being overly sensitive. While MaryAnne is in such despair over this broken relationship she has learned to be patient with Jack and not to let herself be treated horribly because it is not worth fussing over someone who is not going to change their wicked ways. MaryAnne is remaining content in times of despair.

Journal #8

In Chapter 18, i believe Hurston uses the setting to develop the theme of the up and downs of human relationships and how getting through tough times makes you stronger. In Chapter 18, a huge hurricane comes and everyone but the "saws" head east. "Others hurried east like the Indians and rabbits and snakes and coons. But the majority sat around laughing and waiting for the sun to get friendly again" (Hurston, 156). Once the river starts coming near the house, Janie and Tea Cake fled off to a safer place. They go through wind and water and while all this was going on, Janie and Tea Cake got a couple things about their relationship clearer. "Well then, Janie, you meant what you didn't say, 'cause Ah never knowed you wuz so satisfied wid me lak dat" (Hurston, 160). Right before this, Janie expresses how much her husband means to her and it really opens Tea Cakes eyes to see that Janie doesn't care if she dies because she is with her beloved husband. I believe the setting of the hurricane is used to symbolize the relationship of Tea Cake and Janie and how even though all couples go through tough times, if you stick together during those tough times you will become stronger as a couple and closer. "The wheel kept turning round and round. Hope, hopelessness, and despair. But the storm blew itself out as they approached the city of refuge" (Hurston, 166).  Janie and Tea Cake have gone through so many terrific events along with this hurricane, but the stuck together and eventually they came through it. Near the end of the chapter, Janie has a hard time swimming and Tea Cake rescues her out of the water. Janie tells Tea Cake, "But you come 'long and make somethin' outa me. So Ah'm thankful fuh anything we come through together" (Hurston, 167). After their long, tiresome journey they realize how valuable their relationship and friendship is. They let each other know how happy they are their together ad it seems they are at a high in their relationship. 

Journal #7

After a long, thought process Janie decides to go off and marry Tea Cake. The consequence of her decision  is that society expects different from her and when she did decide to go with Tea Cake society definitely disapproved. I think Janie's motivation was that Tea Cake was so different from her past relationships and the fact that society disapproved was a sort of independence she was taking on. Her decision makes it clear to the reader that she used to be a people pleaser in a way and now that she has grown up she is making decisions for herself and doing what she wants to do. 

Pastiche:

"'Ah got tuh thinkin' 'bout muh rill fillin's an' ah rilized Tea Cake was tuh young' a man fo' me. Oh Phoebe, you an' de menfolks an' all dem zigaboos were right. Tea Cake was indeed jus' usin' me fo' muh money. When Ah gots on de train Ah went tuh thinkin' rill hard 'bout all muh decision makin'. Ah rilized Tea Cake was not de right man fo' me, he was jus' a boy. Ah thought Ah'd get tuh sleep an' in de mornin' Ah'd leave wid all muh belongin's but when Ah woke muh money wuz all gone an' so was Mr. Woods.' 'Ah'm sorry, Janie, but all us folks told ya it'd happen lak dat.' 'Ah know, Pheobe dats what makes it worse cuz Ah come back an' all dem folks hear 'bout what happened, de all say dey'r right, an' I know it.' 'Well jus' cause dey'r madder dan de devil don' mean you haven't got no friends cuz ya know dat Ah'm always here for ya, Janie. 'Ah know dat, Pheob. You is all Ah ever need.'"

Journal #6

"He did not return that night nor the next and so she plunged into the abyss and descended to the ninth darkness where light has never been." -Consonance

"Day after day and week after week" -Parallel structure

"...going straight by walking crooked." -Oxymoron

Janie and Tea Cake are at Janie's house and Janie wants to go to bed, they are having a small argument. "'See dat? You'se got de world in uh jug and make out you don't know it. But Ah'm glad tuh be de one tuh tell yuh.' 'Ah guess you done told plenty women all about it.' 'Ah'm de Apostle Paul tuh de Gentiles. Ah tells 'em and then Ah shows 'em." Hurston uses an allusion to the Bible in this passage to show how Tea Cake sees himself and also shows a bit of Tea Cakes religiousness. Tea Cake says he is like the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles. The Apostle Paul spoke truth to the Gentiles about Christ and not only did he speak truth and teach them how to live a Godly life, he acted as a Godly person and was a good example to God's people. This is a great allusion to show how Tea Cake is comparing himself tot he Apostle Paul and how he is supposedly speaking truth and acting truthful.


Janie and Tea Cake are talking about their relationship and their differences in views. "You got yo' ideas and Ah got mine." I believe Janie and Tea Cake are foils because when paired together they bring out their differences and they are almost complete opposites. First of all, Janie is from a higher society and Tea Cake is not. Tea Cake seems to be a more open-minded person, while Janie tends to be more closed-minded. Tea Cake really wants to be in a relationship with Janie. While Tea Cake just wants what he wants, Janie takes a long time to think out decisions and sometimes even talks herself out of things. This could be from the difference in age. Janie has had many experiences and while some of them weren't so good, she has learned to think things out. On the other hand, Tea Cake is young and instead of thinking things over he just goes with hid first instinct of what he wants. This is also slightly ironic because of the fact they are arguing about their difference in age. 

Journal #5

Janie is at Jody's funeral, Hurston is explaining what Janie is thinking as the funeral goes on. "Janie starched and ironed her face and came set in the funeral behind her veil. It was like a wall of stone and steel. The funeral was going on outside. All things concerning death and burial were said and done. Finish. End. Nevermore. Darkness. Deep hole. Dissolution. Eternity. Weeping and wailing outside. Inside the expensive black folds were resurrection and life. She did not reach outside for anything, nor did the things of death reach inside to disturb her calm. She sent her face to Joe's funeral, and herself went rollicking with the springtime across the world." Hurston's expresses his manipulation of language by word choice, syntax, tone and sound devices in this passage to give the reader a taste of what Janie is feeling at Jody's funeral. As with syntax, a couple sentences are full, with varying explanation and imagery and other times he uses one word sentences to convey the sadness and gloom and how everything is complete and over. His word choice, for example, "darkness", "weeping and wailing", and the use of the word "black" display the overall tone for the passage which is despondency and despair. The sound devices Hurston uses also help to create a sort of tone for the passage and makes the passage seem very hopeless.

Journal #4

Then Delia began contemplating heartache. Heartache, the treacherous creature who lurks into weak relationships and broken hearts. A distant animal who resides in a cramped dark hole, letting in no form of light. Why would heartache need protection when he's the one destroying souls? He keeps watch at dusk, pondering ways to bring despair. Creeps lonely and hidden all night disguising his horns and pitchfork to lure in the uncommitted. Stayed there still listening, watching, scheming. Delia was likely to feel the burning of his fiery soul sneaking up to attack. She felt lonely and unloved. Oh Nick! He ought to consider the pain he was causing. He sent a friend to check up on her but Delia would not have it. No doctor could fix the agony heartache gave her. It swallowed her up but couldn't seem to spit her out. She knew this wouldn't kill her, but she thought it would come close. She just knew it. Everyone told her differently, but she insisted. And if they were wrong, she would spend eternity with her Creator. And if not, she'd crawl up by her lonesome and stay there forever. Just curl up in a cramped dark hole. Love, would eventually shine happiness on the heartbroken once again.

Journal #3

"'Tony won't never hit her. He says beatin' women is just like steppin' on baby chickens.'" -Simile

"The salt pork box was in the back of the store and during the walk Mrs. Tony was so eager she sometimes stepped on Joe's heels, sometimes she was a little before him. Something like a hungry cat when somebody approaches her pan with meat. Running a little, caressing a little and all the time making little urging on cries." -Simile

"You saw a fluttering fan before her face and magnolia blooms and sleepy lakes under the moonlight when she walked" -Imagery

Janie and Jody's marriage is slowly crumbling apart due to Jody's cruel words and Janie's lack of submission. "The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor. It was there to shake hands whenever company came to visit, but it never went back inside the bedroom again." Hurston uses personification to emphasize Janie and Jody's marriage tearing them apart. I believe Hurston uses personification in this passage to help the reader understand how damaging Jody's words and actions are being on their relationship. It brings a picture to mind of people shaking hands and then the friendliness fading away as they make their way to the bedroom. It really helps develop the mood of the home like you were there almost, interacting with this couple falling out of love.

The menfolks are sitting on the porch of the store talking about Joe Starks. "'Speakin' of winds, he's de wind and we'se de grass. We bend whichever way he blows..'" In this quote by Sam Watson, Hurston uses a metaphor comparing Jody Starks and the rest of the menfolk. I believe Hurston uses a metaphor in this quote to make it clear what the townspeople think of Joe. When Joe is around they talk nice to him and make him feel at a higher level than they are, but when he leaves they compare him to the wind and themselves, the grass, in which Joe makes the grass blow wherever he wants it to go. Joe is in complete control of these people and they realize that Joe is pulling them in to this trap.

Journal #2

Hear me when ah say colored 'oman ain't treated lak de should. We got feelin's lak de res' uh yuh. Jus' 'cause we cook an' clean for yuh don' mean yuh kin treat us badly. We should all love eachoder as our sweet lawd loves us. Us 'oman are free jus' lak yuh menfolks. Wid out dese beautiful 'oman none uh yuh would be born. We de one's who birthed yuh! When 'omen come tellin' yuh 'bout dere dreams, yuh should respec' 'em! We uh capable jus' as yuh are. Jus' 'member, nex' time yuh go talkin' bad 'bout yur 'oman 'cause shes de only one who kin birth yuh a beautiful baby. Treat 'er right and praise de Lawd!

Journal #1

From reading chapters one and two, I perceive that Janie is a woman who never really had a childhood and feels bad for herself. She seems like a level-headed person who has never really experienced life. When she was young, her grandmother, Nanny, insisted she get married to a man she didn't love. I believe she may of made some bad decisions because of that forced marriage and therefore is being judged by those around her. She seems to have a good friendship with Pheoby, but the people around her seem to be very judgmental of her and her relationship with "Tea cake". Janie seems as if she is not the most mature woman but she is trying to get her life back on track by moving back to where she used to live. She had a hard childhood so i'm guessing that she may have gotten a little rebellious, like any teenager and that is why these people are judging her. I perceive the narrater as a older lady who is speaking as "he/she" not "I" and who is relaxed as if she telling this story about people she once knew. She also speaks as if she might come into the story later.