Sam Foard's 25 random facts

1.          I used to have a buzz-cut until sixth grade.
2. My first R-rated movie was Troy.
3. I used to love Greek Mythology.
4. My favorite animal is a dog.
5.           I HATE bees and planes.
6. I used to be scared of the dark.
7. I used to be scared to sleep with my closet door open.
8. I hate photos of myself.
9.          I played baseball when i was little.
10. My favorite sport now is lacrosse.
11. My favorite lucky charm is a four leaf clover.
12.            My favorite number is 9, 99, or 19.
13. Maryland is my favorite lacrosse team.
14. I find watching sports on tv boring because it always makes me want to go play.
15. I used to be Goalie in lacrosse.
16. My favorite color changes from blue, orange, and red; its blue now.
17. I have green eyes.
18.          I always say my last name is Ford when ordering pizza because its easier.
19. I am Romanian.
20. I am Jewish.
21. I love hotubs.
22. My favorite place I haver ever been was Turks and Caicos. 
23. I don;t really have a single best friend.
24. I have more friends that are girls than guys.
25. I love summer and warm weather.

DC Blog

         Yesterday my Honors English class had a trip to the Folger. At the Folger we watched a Shakespearian play. During this play a very talented group of young actors acted out certain scenes from Shakespeare's play. When the acted out these scenes their body language really helped me understand what was going on then if i had just read it from the book. After they acted out some scenes they taught us tricks to understanding Shakespeare. These tricks were read it out loud, act it out, and read ahead to understand words you don't know. Next time i read Shakespeare im going to pretend like there is a scene going on in a play instead of a part of a story from a book. I will also read some of the more difficult lines out loud. My favorite part of the show was when the acted out the scene from Hamlet. Hamlet looks like a very exciting play and i might read it on my free time. I loved this field trip and it greatly helped me understand the importance of Shakespeare. I also loved seeing Washington DC. I hadn't been to Washington DC in a long time and i enjoyed seeing some of those truly great buildings. Overall i loved this field trip and i hope the the freshman class below me gets the same experience. 

Folger Shakespeare Library in Dc
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Folger_Shakespeare_Library_DC.JPG

Imagery

Imagery in Their Eyes Were Watching God

      Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Hurston, displayed many great examples of imagery. Imagery is visually descriptive or figurative language used especially in literature. This really enhanced her writings by allowing me as the reader to picture what was actually going on in the story in my head. Imagery is a great part to any book and Zora Hurston did a great job in incorporating it into Their Eyes Were Watching God.

1.  “the great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume,” Description of Janie’s hair, which is a big symbol in the novel. Page 2

2. “time makes everything old so the kissing, young darkness became a montropolous old thing while Janie talked.” Time loomed on as Janie told her story to Phoeby. Page 7

3. “She had glossy leave and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her.” This compares Janie to the blooming pear tree and how it is blooming as she is growing up and becoming a woman. Page 11

4. “Mind- pictures brought feelings, and feelings dragged out dramas from the hollows of her heart.” Nanny is trying to raise Janie while remembering the past things from her life, and trying to do better this time. Page 16

5. “They sat on the boarding house porch and saw the sun plunge into the same crack in the earth from which the night emerged.” This is symbolizing the start of a new day, and Janie has a new start for happiness. Page 33

6. “The fact that the thought pictures were always crayon enlargements of life made it even nicer to listen.” Listening to stories and talking makes life seem a lot better than it is to Janie; it idealizes things. Page 51

7. “The new moon had been up and down three times before she got worried in mind.” It had been a long time before Janie started to worry that she wasn’t falling in love with Logan as she hoped she would with time. Page 22

8. “She knew the world was a stallion rolling in the blue pasture of ether.” Life is fast changing and constantly moving. Page 25

9.”What she doin back here in dem overhalls? Where’s dat blue satin dress she left here in.” The townsfolk are judging Janie and making comments about how she is returning a lot less dressed up than when she left. Page 2.

10.”From barren brown stems to glistening leaf buds,” Janie describes the peat trea as barren but budding. This shows that the tree is coming back to life which changes her views on womanhood and fertility( Page 10.)

11.”It was a lonesome place like a stump in the middle of the woods.” Janie

describes his house as a very lonely place. It was also very tasteless. (Page 21)

12. "stylished dressed man with his hat set at an angle that didn’t belong in these parts His coat was over his arm… The shirt with the silk sleeveholders was dazzling enough for the world." 

Joe Starks is a very well dressed and stylish man. (page 27.)

13. “Joe noted the scant dozen of shame-faced houses scattered in the sand and palmetto roots and said, “God, they call this a town? Why,’tain’t nothing but a raw place in de woods.” This describes Joe's first opinion on the new town. It really shows his negative opinion of it. (page 34)

 14. “The rest of the town looked like servants’ quarters surrounding the “big house”. The house reminds them of slavery (page 47.)

15. “She had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be.” This shows that Janie has lost her feelings for Joe. She no longer is in love with him (page 72).

16. ” Stands watchful and motionless all day with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger” This passage id describing Death (page 84).

17. “Six months of wearing black passed and not one suitor had ever gained the house porch.” This passage describes how Janie was morning and she wasn’t in a relationship with any other guy (page 91).

18.  “He could be a bee to a blossom-a pear tree blossom in the spring. He seemed to be crushing scent out of the world with footsteps. Crushing aromatic herbs with every step he took. Spices hung about him. He was a glance from God.” This describes how Janies feelings towards Tea Cake (page 106).

19.  “Done took to high heel slippers and a ten dollar hat! Looking like some young girl, always in blue because Tea Cake told her to wear it. Poor Joe Starks. Bet he turns in his grave every day.” Tea Cake has bought Janie a bunch of new eally nice items. The townspeople disagree and say Joe must be outraged that she is moving on so fast (Page 110).

20. “He peeped up over the door sill of the world and made a little foolishness with red.” This passage is describing the sun rising (page 120).

21. “The rick black earth clinging to bodies and biting the skin like ants.” This is describing how the dirt was on everyone and there was a lot of it (Page 131).

22. 17. “She began to be snappish a little. A little seed of fear was growing into a tree.” This is describing Janies growing fear and jealousy for Nunkie, the girl who constantly flirted with Tea Cake (Page 136).

23. “Look at me! Ah ain’t got no flat nose and liver lips. Ah’m uh featured woman. Ah got white folks’ features in mah face.” Mrs. Turner thinks that Janie has a lot of white people features in her face (Page 142).

24. Mah Janie is uh high time woman and useter things.  Ah didn’t git her outa de middle uh de road.” Tea Cake tells the men that he had to win Janie over. She isn’t some girls he just picked up from the streets (Page 148).

25.  “They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His.” The people who were watching the storm were wondering if god was just teasing them showing off that he was more powerful (Page 160).

26. “Corpses were not just found in wrecked houses. They were under houses, tangled in shrubbery, floating in water, hanging in trees, drifting under wreckage. The strom was so bad that it killed so many people wherever you looked there would be dead bodies (page 170).

27.” The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall.”

Even though Teac Cake was dead she still had many fond memories of him in her mind even if they wern;t in real life (Page 193).

My favorite quote was about all the death that the hurricane has caused. Even though this quote was very grim it shows you how scary the situation was like for Tea Cake and Janie. Could you imagine looking around and seeing dead bodies everywhere? This quote really put a picture in my head about how destroyed their town was from this storm. This is my favorite quote and imagery in the story because it helped me get a very good picture in my head about what was going on in the story.

My opinion of this book

     Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, is a fantastic novel! It, however, is different from a normal book you would read in school.  This book was written during the Harlem Renaissance and displays a image of black culture not normally seen. Because of this her book got many harsh reviews from her African American Peers. However i would recommend this book to my friends. It is not the most tedious book to read and actually is quite enjoyable. Sometimes the black dialect is hard but you get used to it soon. This book has many different examples of imagery and symbolism which also help you understand the hopes and dreams of Janie. Janie is a very complex character but in the end is just searching for real love. The finds this love with her third husband named Tea Cake. Tea Cake is a great man but things don't go as planned for the happy couple in the surprise ending. I don't want to ruin the book however so you must read it to find out what happens. Overall i'd rate this book a nine out of ten!

Symbolism in Their Eyes Were Watching God

1.  The roots of the trees- represents how African Americans have little to no roots.
2.  Pear tree- Janie’s budding womanhood 
3.  The mule- black women in society; women always having the tough work.
4.  Janie's long, straight hair- represents how Janie is "different" and how she has bi-racial roots. Also, it represents her freedom as a woman. 
5.  A dog- represents how not to treat a lady. 
6. The lamp post- a symbol of light and hope for the new town of Eatonville (progress). 
7. Horizon- represents new dreams/wishes for Janie and also new beginnings.
8. The gate- represents the opening of new possibilities down the "road".
9. The general store- represents progress in Eatonville because black people have their own store and it is owned by black owners. It is also the central meeting spot for the town.
10. Janie's head rag- represents Joe's control; similar to slavery.
11. General store = progress
12. Packet of seeds- symbolizes new life for Janie and how Tea Cake is with her always.

Image of a lamppost.

http://capercompany.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/lamppost-toutx.jpg

Harlem renaissance Blog

      There was much controversy surrounding Hurston's novel with her literary peers of the Harlem Renaissance. Even though Hurston was an accomplished writer she struggled to survive. Even though her critics did have a point a believe that her works should not of been as criticized as harshly as they had been.
         Zora Hurston faced many harsh reviews from her peers . They considered her works racist and that they depicted a black lifestyle that was not really true. In her books you see a style of black culture that most people do not normally see. She shows blacks as being lazy which was a common stereotype at the time. She also showed black men beating their wives and talking in heavy slang. (Ottenberg, Eve).
       I disagree with the harsh reviews she got because i believe that her writings were based of her own experiences and that the black dialogue really helps shape the book. She shows black men hitting their wives but that was a common thing that happened back in the day because women didn't have much rights anyway. Many wight people also hit their wives. Without it the book would not be nearly as famous. Zora Hurston's writings had many controversies  but i believe that even though many people disagreed with her writings they were her own personal views and she should be able to wright about whatever she wants.

Richard Wright: One of Hurston's toughest peer and critic.

Sources:

(picture) http://dentonlibrary.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/richard-wright2.jpg
 Ottenberg, Eve. "Zora Neale Hurston’s Lost Decade." In These Times. 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://www.inthesetimes.org/article/7077/zora_neale_hurstons_lost_decade>.

Zora Neale Hurston

• Lived from 1891 - 1960
• Born in Notasulga, Alabama and raised from an early age in Eatonville, Florida, Hurston was educated at Howard University, at Barnard College, and at Columbia University.
• Wrote fiction.
• Known for her metaphorical language, her story telling abilities, and her interest in and celebration of southern black culture in the united states. 
• Best known for her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God,  written in 1937
• This book was about a black woman's search for her true identity over the course of 25 years.
• Hurston's work was not political, but her characters' use of dialect, her manner of portraying black culture, and her conservatism created controversy within the black community. 
• Throughout her career she addressed issues of race and gender, often relating them to the search for freedom.
• In her later years Hurston experienced health problems, and she died impoverished and unrecognized by the literary community.
• Her writings, however, were rediscovered in the 1970s by a new generation of black writers, notably Alice Walker, and many of Hurston's works were republished.Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
  
  
  

  

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