Lindsay's+Eyes+;)

Their Eyes Were Watching God

The beggining parargraphs were like "BOW."Hurston blew me away with her metaphors and comparisons toward women and men's lives. It was very broad and i enjoyed that because i can completely relate to her words "the dream is the truth." People often times only remember what they want too. But continuing on, she brought in Janie who had just come back from where ever she had been. The whole town is buzzing with chatter and gossip while Janie keeps her head held high and rises above it. I admire Janie, so far she seems like a strong independent woman who doesn't need to explain herself to anyone. When we finally moved into her flashbacks it seemed like she was speaking about an entirely different person. The fact that she was completely under the control of Nanny and crying instead of maintaining her composure when talking about marriage. I cant wait to see the journey of how she came to be the person she is now. And that story about her believe she was white was precious and so naive.....

Going along with "the dream is the truth" quote- i think this is going to appear many times throughout the novel. The first time i saw it repeated was between Nanny and Janie's relationship. Janie is a second chance for Nanny to raise a "perfect" child. Nanny felt ashamed of what happened to Janie's mom so she chose to raise Janie and creates her to be absolutely safe and stable in the white's world. That's why she raises her with white children and chooses to marry her off to Logan Killicks. But this is just wrong, its like Nanny is trying to control her life. If Janie isnt allowed to learn from her own mistakes then she will not be able to independently fight when needed, which could be at anytime being the time she lived in. Nanny is sheltering her, just like in the movie "The Truman Show." In this movie Jim Carrey is unaware of his "sheltering." He is on a 24 hour tv show, but for him it is reality while everyone else knows it is not real. Actors are put in place to play their part in his life and he is kept inside of a studio completely unaware that he is being tricked. Just like Truman, Janie is being forced to live a life she didnt want. And in the end she will end up rebelling just like Carrey rebelled and went nuts. Practically making him unstable for the outside world since he never had any experience in how to live in it.

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CHAP. 3 - 4

Chapter 3 was so sad; with all the whining Janie was saying about her love life, it just made me feel horrible. Then to top it all off Nanny dies! just great. So now Janie is all alone without anyone but Logan as her company. At least he doesn't hit her, he seems like a nice man. Of course here comes chapter four where Janie meets Mr. Joesph Stark, smooth criminal haha. I feel like she totally got tricked into leaving. For me it seemed like Stark was the easy road, he sold her happiness and the feeling of being wanted while Logan was the hard road with spending time to be able to love each other and doing manual labor. I think Logan was right when he called Janie spoiled. A woman's place is in the kitchen..? ha what a lazy and rude excuse not to get dirty. I think i started to lose my respect for Janie more and more throughout these chapters. It seemed like right when things started to get hard she ran away, something alot of people do, choose the easier route.

I know this is a lame connection but throughout this entire novel i keep coming back to "The Color Purple." Alice Walker practically resurrected Zora Neale Hurston and probably took after her in writing but i really just can't help making the connection. Cecile and Janie are alike and yet antithesis of each other in the same way. They are both young black woman that were forced into a marriage they didn't want but Cecile had to deal with being raped and beaten until finally running away with help from other. The difference is that Janie didn't like her situation and changed it within two chapters while it took Cecile an entire book. Both though used the strength and influence of others to see another light at the end of the tunnel. Cecile had Shug and Janie had Joseph; both helping push them in the direction of a better life. Let's hope that Janie's life will actually get better like Cecile's did.



Chap. 5

Throughout this whole chapter i was tormented. I know that Ms. Ryce said it would only take three chapter to learn the dialect and i feel like i've picked up on that, but i hate how Hurston will have a whole conversation with 4 people in the scene and never tells us who is saying what! Maybe i'm too busy trying to decipher the dialect but jeeeze on page 36 i had no idea who was saying what! Overall i think we've seen a new light on Joe, i knew i didn't like him from the beginning but when he didnt let Janie make a speech i had to grit my teeth and count to ten just so i wouldn't throw my book across the room (since its actually not my book or else it would have to be glued back together). The way people just bow down to him too makes me mad, i really hate it when i read a book where all people have to do is stand up for themselves and they wouldn't suffer, but i guess in alot of ways that's a problem everyone has had. Right When i read about that Lamppost i thought this is great. It's a symbol for the young town growing and becoming popular and rich on its own. It's their light in the darkness (litterally) of a white man's world. Then i glanced and saw a hymn was going to be sung, i seriously thought it would be "this little light of mine" but it wasn't. Yet some how i couldnt get that song out of my head, it was my background music for this chapter. I felt like the light represented Janie finally seeing Joe's antics. It was like the LIGHTbulb went off in her head and she realized that this is not her place to be either, her love wont be found here.

So this is a song version from the old christian hymn by the seekers. I liked this one because it talks more about love and "seeing what the power of love can do." Since Janie is searching for love with this new light she finally sees who Joe is and that she is not in love with him.

Here is a Video of the song with the lyrics below! media type="youtube" key="n1vmfCSdZ-M" height="390" width="480" align="center"

code This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Every day, every day, every day, every way, Gonna let my little light shine. Light that shines is the light of love, Hides the darkness from above, Shines on me and it shines on you, Shows you what the power of love can do. Shine my light both bright and clear, Shine my light both far and near,

In every dark corner that I find, Let my little light shine. (Chorus) Monday gave me the gift of love, Tuesday peace came from above, Wednesday told me to have more faith, Thursday gave me a little more grace, Friday told me to watch and pray, Saturday told me just what to say, Sunday gave me the power divine To let my little light shine (Chorus twice) Shine, shine, shine, shine, shine. code

Chap. 6

And finally the story begins....! i was iffy about this chapter because on one hand i like how it was set up with a time progression of Janie and Joe's realationship. How Janie felt things were getting worse but at the same time there was just so much to read and unnecessary things that Hurston threw into this chapter; like Ms. Bogle and other parts about the teasing of Matt about his mule were lengthy and didn't really help the develop overall theme of story.I felt like just saying okay, but whats you point? Finally at the end she makes it and i appreciated that Janie finally spoke up.

What i am tying this into is something that happened just recently. There was this video that has been making its way about a chubby kid getting bullied and he finally stands up to his bully (maybe not in the best way) and body slams the kid. Just like the victim, Janie stands up to her fear and bully Joe when she finally speaks up and says that "god tells her things that men dont know." Something Joe has repetitively stated "who else do you think has to think for the women, children, and chickens" to her on various occasions. Maybe Janie didnt outright strike Joe back physically but mentally i think she won the battle and i cant wait to read about the war..... media type="youtube" key="KakZkh9Iu7U" height="390" width="480" align="center"

Chaps 7-10 Gah! i cant believe it took the death of Joe for Janie to finally be free. When we left off with her speaking up in chapter 6 i thought she was deffinetely coming around to fighting back, but no. She took took the abuse for wayyyy too long and but at least she did snap at him before he died, even if it was right before he died. I'm also glad that Janie has denied most men's advances towards her so that she can be independent and alone to find out who she really is. Then comes Tea-Cake, that fact that his name is"Tea-Cake" just makes me so happy, cause he's so precious and i cant wait until they live happily ever after. :)



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">Liberation. Is what Janie felt once Joe was gone (finally). The historical event that i always think of when hearing that word is in 1969 when women protested the Miss America Pageant by throwing acessories, bras, high heels, girdles, etc into a trash can. They never actually "burnt their bras" but the newspaper claimed that they did and it became a staple for feminism everywhere. Janie finally realized she wasn't ugly and old like Joe but had aged gracefully when he took off her head rag. After his funeral on page 89 it states "before she slept that night she burnt up everyone on of her head rags and went around the house next morning with her hair in one thick braid..." This showed how Janie was liberated and free from Joe and anyone else's power over her, just like the woman protesting the Miss America pagent who believed that "woman were paraded around like cattle to show off their physical attributes ( [] ).

<span style="background-color: #8f6505; color: #f4f792; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 180%; text-align: center;">Chap. 11-14

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">I love Tea Cake, i really do. Hurston has him be the most tender, hardworking, caring boy that there ever was. The story of how Janie left the big city to follow him where ever is so pure and beatiful. Them together are just precious, especially when he starts to skip work just to spend more time with her. I was a little disspointed though, that janie denies and doesnt trust their love. I mean she couldnt trust a man yet to be the one pure love and i think she is just in shock of how good Tea Cake is. It's almost like she believes he is too good to be true- so she worries everytime they leave each other's side. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The dealing of upper vs. lower class made me automatically think of Titanic. The story of Jack (the younger lower class man) falling in love with Rose (the older engaged wealthy woman). At first Rose denies their love just like Janie did "Aw Tea Cake, you just say dat tuhnight because de fish and corn bread tasted sort of good. Tomorrow yo' mind would change (105)." But his feelings don't change and neither do Jack's. Both boys chase the woman and they eventually fall for them. Let's just hope Janie and Tea Cake's fate isn't as horrible as Jack and Rose's.

<span style="background-color: #8f6505; color: #f4f792; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 180%;">Chap. 15-17 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> And Hurston does it again! In 3 chapters she makes me blush, fall completely under her vocab-ularious spell, and then vomit in my mouth slightly. These chapters were steamy, sticky, and dangerously action packed! The fighting between Tea Cake and Janie made me sad, why must there always be physical violence. But at least in the beginning it was mutal fighting, but later when Tea Cake bragged about being able to beat Janie- it made me sick. Why do men see it as a good thing being able to control their wives- what kind of sick person wants a slave instead of a partner.But a very humorous part was Mrs. Hurston. It took a while for me to realize that she too is a black that married a white (INTEGRATION!). I don't understand her hate and i dont think i ever will understand how people generalize hatred like that, but at times she gave me a good laugh. When the brawl broke out in her store and no one helped her or when Janie put her down constantly yet she was so desperate for her approval and friendship she took it all. Then at the end she yells to her husband her son and brother would protect her but later we find out they were long gone. Karma!

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> I think the reason i found Mrs. Hurston to be so funny because she reminded me of the Black White Supremacist Chappelle Show skit. This skit isn't for the faintest of heart but its about a blind man who is in the KKK and has wrote many books on how much he hates black people. But in all reality he was lied to all his life because he is black. Just like Mrs. Hurston, Bigsby is racist against his own race.



<span style="background-color: #8f6505; color: #f4f792; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 180%;">Chap. 18 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">Well Hurston brought the action this chapter. The hurricane was surprising for me, i just didn't think of this as a big action book but i guess it ties into the theme of man vs. nature. I clutched my heart when Tea Cake and Janie decided to stay. Never think you can take on nature, it will always bite you in the butt. Poor Motorboat too, i hope we hear from him later :(. Then the cows come into play, all this made me think of twister with the cows flying in the tornado haha, i guess in a way its sad and not funny. While reading i couldn't help but laugh at the fight between the dog and tea cake. who fights a dog? why didn't they choose the smart move and just move, then all of this tragedy wouldn't have happened.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">In this book people have taken on the forces of nature all the time. Nanny took away love and natural selection, Joe took on his disease by pretending remedies could fix it, and Tea Cake believed that he was stronger than the weather. Yet when i saw the multiple quotes about god- especially the quote <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">"They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.(160)." It reminded me of House, who tried to take on the rules of nature (god). Season 2 of House when a religous boy comes in and believes that god will heal him instead of house. The whole time house sets up a score board between him and god. It's a great episode and in they end up tied but house still believes he came out on top since the boy had sinned to become diseased. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">

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<span style="background-color: #8f6505; color: #f4f792; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 180%;">Chap. 19-20 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> yeah! motor boat is alive (i told you to keep believing mary!). I JUST KNEW that if tea cake didnt die form the hurricane it would be from the dog. That's the thing, you don't mess with nature. Tea Cake undid Darwinism and now he's paying the price.But wow, i thought he would just die from the rabbies not janie shooting him. She's stupid though, who doesnt take the bullets from a delusional man?! I'm glad that Hurston choose to keep racism mostly out of the court room and have janie be found innocent. If she would have been guilty the ending just would have been too cliche and her theme would be broken. But now janie is free to do whatever she pleases, finally! Although it took the finally sacrifice of killing Tea Cake to save herself. I love how at the end Janie is just like "shove it" to Eatonville. Her journey has truly been epic and even though hurston ended on a bitterly sad note, happiness was still achieved since Janie has found her voice. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> And now the final connection of course it had to be epic. MY CONNECTION IS TO SCRUBS! Elliot Reid is a prude, financed by daddy, stuck up, Connecticut girl who got into medicine because her entire family did. Over time Elliot looses the crazy and becomes this great person who ends up marrying JD (yay!). I think her first true turn in growth is when she told off her father and told him that she would not become a gynecologist but stay in diagnostics. He completely cuts her off and now elliot is free to grow up on her own and find her own way through life. Just like Janie, Elliot finally has the opportunity to do whatever she chooses and to get by in life without a man supporting her.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> (part 2 of "Fruit Cups" Elliot tells dad off at 6:30!) )media type="youtube" key="i003tdNfh1k" height="312" width="384"

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> JD ends this episode with:

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> //"i usually don't like thinking about the future, i mean let's face it you can't predict wha'ts going to happen. But sometimes the thing you didn't expect is what you really wanted after all. Maybe the best thing to do is to stop trying to figure out where your going and just enjoy where you are at."// <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;"> Janie thought her life with tea cake what was she wanted and although it was great for her to be loved, she needed to find her independence. She didn't expect tea cake to die before her but he did because she put herself over him. Now she is just living in the present and thinking about what is to come.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">(ending! JD's rant is at 5:53!)

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">media type="youtube" key="pB2CbG032LM" height="312" width="384"

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">:)