Macaroni+and+Blog+2

Due March 16, chapters 1-2

I found the first few paragraphs of this section hard to read. It might have been because I was so tired, though.

Luckily, I didn't find the dialogue hard to understand at all. I always give characters in novels their own voices, so it definitely wasn't hard to put voices to Janie and Pheoby. I don't have a whole lot more to say, other than that, because I haven't yet figured out how I feel about this novel (other than the fact that I loved the passage with the pear tree and I love Nanny to death).

And, well...it's kind of a long shot, but this is all I got:

The dialect kind of reminded me of the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. The Southern dialect is really interesting to me, and even though Harris doesn't write in the same style as Hurston (with the dialogue all funky), somehow the dialect was a connection for me.



Chapters 3-4

Janie reminds me of myself, and not in a good way. I tend to be very whimsical inwardly, and then I listen to everyone else when they tell me to be pragmatic. That always turns out to be a mistake, too, because I end up miserable like Janie did in her marriage with Logan. That (in my life and in TEWWG) generally leads to something reckless. I could relate so closely with Janie in these chapters, and I have a feeling that she'll keep doing things that remind me jarringly of myself.

So, depending on how well I can deal with intensive introspection, we'll see whether I end up liking this book or hating it.

My connection is wonderful. :D

And since I can't find any clips of Belle singing the song I want to use for my connection (the Belle Reprise from Beauty and the Beast) I'll just type in the lyrics...from memory...which is NOT nerdy.

Madame Gaston; can't you just see it? Madame Gaston, his little wife... No sir, not me, I guarantee it I want much more than this provincial life I want adventure in the great wide somewhere <span style="color: #e60909; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">I want it more than I can tell <span style="color: #e60909; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">And for once, it might be grand <span style="color: #e60909; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">To have someone understand <span style="color: #e60909; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">I want so much more than they've got planned.

<span style="color: #a32323; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Besides the obvious difference that Belle wouldn't marry Gaston and Janie did marry Logan, they seem to have very similar attitudes toward marriage and that's what came to mind while I read chapters 3-4.

<span style="color: #b51267; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Chapter 5

<span style="color: #b51267; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I liked this chapter; I heard a lot of people say they didn't but it was very illumating for me. I can see that Janie is learning a lot, and I'm becoming more and more attached to her as the novel progresses. I can see that she's learning a lot from her two marriages so far, and I have a suspicion that her marriage to Joe will not be her last. Doesn't seem to me like she can take much more of his controlling behavior. He controls her the way that he co﻿ntrols the town, and even some of the townspeople are resentful towards him. He clearly wanted nothing more than power, and he got it. I thought that the last sentence of chapter 5 was a very interesting insight on leaders in society. "They bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again he was all of these things because the town bowed down."

<span style="color: #b51267; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This chapter focused a lot on town gossip and how people tend to just talk to each other for the sake of it, rather than talking about what they really mean. That sort of reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird, with the small-town (in TEWWG's case, a //very// small town) gossip motif. TKAM is contemporary, right?

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<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Warning, I read ahead! I hope I can keep my two chapters straight. :P

<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">So I really liked chapter 6, even though it was extra freaking long. The whole thing with the mule really amused me, and its symbolism made me smile. :)

<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">One thing I didn't really understand was the buzzards. I thought the personification of them was ingenious, but I didn't understand their responses of "Bare, bare fat."

<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">And then there was the issue with Tony's wife coming in and saying her husband didn't feed her whereas, according to the townspeople, he spent entirely too much money already. That conversation was highly thematic and very illuminating; Tony loves his wife and doesn't want to hurt her.

<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">As for Joe Starks, see below in the near future for more evidence, but I'm gonna say here one reason why Joe isn't an awful person, merely insecure and weak.

<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">He has a reason for making Janie tie her hair up, besides wanting to conform her:

<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Got another cartoon reference today. :D Not Disney this time, though. The part with the buzzards made me think of the scene in Ice Age 2 when the buzzards start singing a spinoff of the Food song from Oliver! the musical.

<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Can't find a video clip...here's a song clip. For the record, buzzards are singing this. :D

<span style="color: #53dfa9; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="color: #0088ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">So happy to finally be able to talk about Chapter 7, arrgh. The passage at the very end of the chapter gave me goosebumps. It actually gave me the feeling of falling in the pit of my somach; Joe's descent from the powerful man we knew when we first met was so disconcerting, somehow. As for chapter 8, I know lots of people are ecstatic that Joe is out of the picture. I am not. I'm sad for him. He never learned his lesson. He never accepted the truth; he died in a sense of excruciating denial and I think that's horrible. I'm glad for Janie, because she's not as tied down anymore, but I think that Joe's death was tragic.

<span style="color: #0088ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Chapter 9 was really interesting, especially at the beginning. Janie decides not to go back in search of her past, and instead decides to keep moving forward. Beautiful. For the record, I also loved the passage about how God made man and angels were jealous and chopped him up, etcetera.

<span style="color: #0088ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">And finally, chapter 10. I'm excited to finally meet Tea Cake, and I can't wait to see if he's as cool as I think he is...although, at this point in the novel, I'm sort of afraid to think that any male character isn't a complete jagoff. (<PITTSBURGH JARGON OOOH SNAP)

<span style="color: #0088ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">My connection is Disney again! :D Reminds me of Aladdin. A rich woman falling for a poor man. Pardon me for mixing my Disney movies here, but it's a tale as old as time. <333

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<span style="color: #0088ff; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The picture doesn't exactly show how poor he is, 'cause he's cheating...but you get the point. :)

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">RANDOM SIDE NOTE HERE.

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">I'm seeing a lot of hatred towards Joe Starks. He's not that bad, guys! That's right. He's not a bad person. He is, however, weak.

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Evidence from chapter 7:

"Then Joe Starks realized all the meanings and his vanity bled like a flood. Janie had robbed him of his illusion of irresistible maleness that all men cherish, which was terrible." The novel goes on to say that Joe knew that men would no longer respect him the way that they had been, because Janie showed what was going on "under his clothes"--under the front of riches and power, he was merely a man who was getting on in years--which, in all actuality, is what he is. He doesn't want others to see the weakness beneath his show of power.

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">So...I was going to wait, but I'm going to post as I read because I'm liking what I see so much. :)

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">I'm currently on page 106, and I'd like to comment that I love Janie's thinking of Tea Cake in terms of pear blossoms. Oh how my heart flutters! I'm so happy for her; this is pathetic of me.

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Oh. Well now that I've finished the reading, I'm pretty sure he's a jerk. D: I'm sure his story about how he lost that one hundred eighty-eight dollars was full of bullcrap. However, when I read the following quote, my life turned pink for a second:

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Janie, Ah hope God may kill me, if Ah'm lyin'. Nobody else on earth kin hold uh candle tuh you, baby. You got de keys to de kingdom."

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">NONETHELESS, although I'm almost as sucked in as Janie is at this point, I still can't help but like Tea Cake.

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">UPDATE: I've changed my mind. I am not convinced that Tea Cake is a jerk. I am more skeptical now than angry. He's such a youngster; I think that'll turn out to be the crux of the issue. I hope they get over it; I'm rooting for them now (Tea Cake almost as much as Janie!).

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">My connection is a song this time around, and it's by Carrie Underwood. It's all about a man whose charm is able to fool a woman into giving him her heart, and then he turns out to be a jerk.

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Too bad I can't find a media file. Here are the lyrics.

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You better take it from me, that boy is like a disease <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You're running, you're trying, you're trying to hide <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">And you're wondering why you can't get free <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He's like a curse, he's like a drug <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You get addicted to his love <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You wanna get out but he's holding you down <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">'Cause you can't live without one more touch

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He's a good time cowboy casanova <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Leaning up against the record machine <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Looks like a cool drink of water <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">But he's candy-coated misery <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He's the devil in disguise <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">A snake with blue eyes <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">And he only comes out at night <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You better run for your life

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">I see that look on your face <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You ain't hearing what I say <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">So I'll say it again <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">'Cause I been where you been <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">And I know how it ends <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You can't get away <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Don't even look in his eyes <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He'll tell you nothing but lies <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">And you wanna believe <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">But you won't be deceived <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">If you listen to me <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">And take my advice

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He's a good time cowboy casanova <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Leaning up against the record machine <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Looks like a cool drink of water <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">But he's candy-coated misery <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He's the devil in disguise <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">A snake with blue eyes <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">And he only comes out at night <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You better run for your life

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Run run away <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Don't let him mess with your mind <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He'll tell you anything you want to hear <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He'll break your heart <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">It's just a matter of time <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">But just remember

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He's a good time cowboy casanova <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Leaning up against the record machine <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Looks like a cool drink of water <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">But he's candy-coated misery <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">He's the devil in disguise <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">A snake with blue eyes <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">And he only comes out at night <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You better run for your life

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Oh you better run for your life <span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Oh you better run for your life

<span style="color: #7b00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Chapters 15-17

<span style="color: #7b00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">For the record, I'm getting confused about the setting of the muck...anyway.

<span style="color: #7b00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Chapter 15 made me laugh, because I know a girl just like Nunkie and I was in the same situation as Janie. I definitely feel her pain on that one. Chapter 16 was funny to me too, because I know someone just like Mrs. Turner, who has the audacity to get angry because people are laughing. Those are the kinds of people who just bitter because other people are happy and they're not. On the other hand, Mrs. Turner's rants are some of the first instances of racism that we've seen. This book hasn't had much real hatred in it, at least none that's based on race, and I think it's interesting that Hurston decided that the first instance would be a sort of self-loathing.

<span style="color: #7b00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">And oh my goodness, the passage in chapter 16 where Hurston talks about Mrs. Turner's version of a god made my head spin, in a good way. I don't know how to put it other than that.

<span style="color: #7b00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">So then there was chapter 17. I don't know what Tea Cake thinks he's doing, beating his wife to show the Turners a lesson, but I didn't like it at all. I'm hesitant to pass judgment, because from what I've read, men beating their wives was common practice in this culture and time period, but I still didn't like it and I wish I knew more about the culture back then so that I could understand it better.

<span style="color: #7b00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">My final comment is that I thought it was very interesting that no one came to help Mrs. Turner when there was a fight in her restaurant. No one called the police and her husband, son, and brother stood idly by.

<span style="color: #7b00ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">I'd like to connect Mrs. Turner to the Sour Kangaroo from Horton Hears a Who. :D The Sour Kangaroo is a character who thinks she has it all figured out, and definitely thinks that she's above everyone else (not because she's a kangaroo, but because she's herself). Even the way she's drawn--nose literally up in the air--portrays her character.

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<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Chapters 19-20

<span style="color: #f00959; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">I'm gonna just comment that it's really freaking late so this may not make any sense coming out of my sleep-deprived brain through my sleep-deprived fingers....

I'll say first, before I forget, that I like that Janie calls Tea Cake the son of the Evening Sun. It's like he lit up the last bit of her life, even if it was only a few years.

Pear blossoms bloom briefly. Unlike some flowers that bloom beautifully and then die, pear trees bloom for only a bit of their lives, and then the blossoms go away even though the tree is still living. Tea Cake was the blossom in the tree of Janie's life; now she has the memories of those beautiful blooms to last her through until her time runs out. Hurston's writing was beautiful in the last chapter, and even though I hate that Tea Cake died and that their time together was so tragically brief, I'll never forget this book because of the ending being so heart-wrenchingly real.

I wish I could put into words the theme that I got out of this book...but I don't think that I can. I don't think that I should.

My contemporary connection is more to the whole book than these chapters, but I can't help but feel that it makes sense. This book was more real than anything that I've read in a long time. Here's the song:

500 Channels and there ain’t much on tonight But reality shows about some folks so called lives A pretty girl cries cause she don’t get a rose But she’ll find love next year on her own show And they call that real Real, is the hand you hold 57 years Real, is a band of gold trembling with fear And it’s the first long tear down an old man’s face Watching his angel slipping away His heart so broke, it’s never gonna heal I call that real Where I live, housewives don’t act like that And the survivors are farmers in John Deere hats Our Amazing race is beating the check Praying that the bank ain’t ran it through yet Real, like too much rain falling from the sky Real, like the drought that came around here last July It’s the damn old weevils and the market and the weeds The prayer they prayed when they plant the seeds And the chance they take to bring us our next meal I call that real Real, like a job you lose ‘cause it moves to Mexico Like a momma and a baby with no safe place to go Like a little dream house with a big old foreclosed sign Like a flag draped coffin and a 21 gun goodbye I call that real Man I call that real Oh I call that real