The two readings that will compared in this essay is Zora Hurston’s Drenched in Light and Mark Twain’s Diaries of Adam and Eve. Both of these readings demonstrate that the kindness from other humans for companionship is necessary for some to reach the good life while unkindness that may come from companionship may diminish the good life a bit. This companionship can be built off of similarities or differences and still help others reach the good life from human affection.
Starting first with Drenched in Light by Zora Hurston; it is the story of a little girl named Isis. She is very curious, being at a young age, so she often gets herself into situations that are not ideal for her grandmother. For example, Isis once dipped a puppy
…show more content…
into a bucket full of water to see his paws move in an attempt to swim. When she placed the puppy outside of the bucket and onto the floor, it tracked mud everywhere (Hurston 693). She also once took a tablecloth and draped it around her like a dress to dance in (Hurston 696). The reasoning behind why Isis does this is because she is lonely and is looking for something to do. The reader can further decipher this because she immediately runs up to people on the road whenever they are around. Isis loved interaction with other people. Hurston even states “This struck the child in a very sore spot for nothing pleased her so much as to sit atop of the gate post and hail the passing vehicles on their way South to Orlando, or North to Sanford (Hurston 691-692).“ She enjoyed seeing passing vehicles because then for her that meant that she could communicate and get a taste of companionship with them, other people. She was described by Hurston as a “round eyed puppy” when these people came around (Hurston 692). Isis does have her grandmother who is very active in her life but they often have conflicts because Isis is always getting into trouble that ends up upsetting her grandmother. She does not get that positive companionship from her grandmother like she does with the travelers. Isis even told one of the travelers of her conflicts with her grandmother. When he asked her why she was by the water, she responded “"Ah'm killin' mahseff," Isis declared dramatically. "Cause Gran'ma beats me too much (Hurston 696)."” At this moment, Isis meets a woman who is white, named Helen.
Helen and Isis meet because Helen is one of the passerby travelers. Helen is very friendly towards Isis and they grow a bit akin to each other. Soon the reader can see that they give each other the good life by giving the other the human companionship that they secretly craved. Although they are of a different race and one is a child and the other is an adult, they both shared the same need for the friendliness from another. They hold hands and lay close to each other and this act of compassion demonstrates the need of human interaction for the good life no matter the age, race, or class of one (Hurston …show more content…
698). As for the Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain, there is also the indication in the need of warmth for humans by other humans.
The reading is about the first two humans named Adam and Eve who live in the new world and become close with each other. The kindness they gave each other also gave them happiness and the ability to have the good life. However, when Adam was not around, Eve once had an exchange with her reflection, which appears to be another human because Eve is a human. She showed kindness to herself and was overwhelmed with happiness. Her reflection gave her interaction as Eve exclaimed “...it says, "Do not be downhearted, you poor friendless girl; I will be your friend." It IS a good friend to me, and my only one; it is my sister (Twain).” Although Eve does not realize that her reflection is not an actual person she finds comfort in having another human care about her. Also, even though Adam is annoyed by Eve at first, he later adores the warmth he gets when he converses with Eve. Adam admits at the end of his diary that she was a wonderful presence to be a around as he says at her grave: “Wheresoever she was, THERE was Eden (Twain)”. Eden was described as paradise for the too so when Adam says this he means that whenever Eve was around him, it was like paradise so Eve brought Adam happiness from their companionship.
When that kindness was absent; however, they were brought sadness. For example, at first, Adam was annoyed by Eve so he tried to avoid her
whenever she tried to follow him and this makes Eve upset as she states ”my first sorrow. Yesterday he avoided me and seemed to wish I would not talk to him (Twain).” Thus, when Adam was not kind to Eve she had a lack of happiness from his lack of communication and her reaching of her good life dwindled. Both Adam and Eve were the only two of their kind and so this similarity helped them build their bond because of Eve’s curiosity of Adam. Specifically, Eve did interact with other animals but they did not give her the same satisfaction as she received when coming in contact with Adam. Eve did not talk about the animals like she talked about Adam as she admits “for I loved to be with him, and loved to hear him talk (Twain). Even though both Adam and Eve are the first humans they immediately learn what is required for their good life as they learn about how the other can make them happy and sad. The evidence gathered from the two readings are significant to consider because it shows that human interaction is necessary for all humans despite any different or similar characteristics. Drenched in Light takes place in a contemporary setting and shows that humans, no matter their race or age, can find friendships with another and also bring them happiness or sadness. The Diaries of Adam and Eve also show that friendships between humans can bring them happiness or sadness; however, the setting is during the start of the earth and the characters build a friendship based off of them being of the same species. When contact between humans bring them happiness, it pushes them closer to reaching a good life because of that happiness or do the opposite with sadness.
This novel uttered this through the reoccurring theme of mateship between the two main characters. Throughout the novel, the author has expressed no one will be able to overcome stress and mishaps in life, without a hold of mateship with one another. The relationships with people are interesting as many people in society go through the same thing. The author wrote this for the reason that it is the way humanity was born. No matter if ones cheat or get someone pregnant, people can always related and help you.
...the narrator and all people a way of finding meaning in their pains and joys. The two brothers again can live in brotherhood and harmony.
Zora Hurston was an African American proto-feminist author who lived during a time when both African Americans and women were not treated equally. Hurston channeled her thirst for women’s dependence from men into her book Their Eyes Were Watching God. One of the many underlying themes in her book is feminism. Zora Hurston, the author of the book, uses Janie to represent aspects of feminism in her book as well as each relationship Janie had to represent her moving closer towards her independence.
Nicholas Sparks once wrote, “ You can’t live your life for other people. You have to do what’s right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.” In other words, a person must live life in his favor because it’s his own happiness that truly matters. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Hurston uses many devices to illustrate that if one wants to truly achieve inner happiness he must live life for himself and no one else.
Janie sets out on a quest to make sense of inner questions. She does not sit back and
The late first lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Hate and force cannot be in just a part of the world without having an effect on the rest of it." Mrs. Roosevelt means that although one person may feel alone through the hardships one faces, one has millions beside oneself who can relate to and understand what one may feel. Zora Neale Hurston shows that even though Janie's family and spouses continue to be abusive and harsh toward Janie, their hate and control left her stronger than before, preparing her for the next challenges thrown at her. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, the deaths' of close relatives and family positively affect Janie because she tends to become more educated and wiser with each death she overcomes in the obstacles she calls her life.
From the beginning of society, men and women have always been looked at as having different positions in life. Even in the modern advanced world we live in today, there are still many people who believe men and women should be looked at differently. In the work field, on average women are paid amounts lower than men who may be doing the exact same thing. Throughout the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston brings about controversy on a mans roles. Janie Crawford relationships with Logan, Joe and Tea Cake each bring out the mens feelings on masculine roles in marital life.
Delia, a flower in a rough of weeds. That is what I got from this story in one sentence, although knowing my grammar possibly not. Hurston’s tale of a shattered woman, gives us a glimpse into what was possibly the life of women at that time. There were many convictions against men in the story, although it may have been unintentional, not to say she was a hard-core feminist there were episodes of male remorse.
Gender inequality has been a major issue for many centuries now. Societies insist in assigning males and females to different roles in life. The traditional stereotypes and norms for how a male and female should present themselves to the world have not changed much over time. But individuals are more than just their gender and should have the right to act and be treated the way they want. The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Marriage is a concept that society takes extremely inaccurately. It is not something one can fall back from. Once someone enter it there is no way back. In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” she tells the story of Delia, a washerwoman whom Sykes, her husband, mistreats while he ventures around with other women and later attempts to kill Delia to open a way for a second marriage with one of his mistresses. By looking at “Sweat” through the feminist and historical lens Hurston illustrates the idea of a sexist society full of men exploiting and breaking down women until men dispose of them.
Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” is a distressing tale of human struggle as it relates to women. The story commences with a hardworking black washwoman named Delia contently and peacefully folds laundry in her quiet home. Her placidity doesn’t last long when her abusive husband, Sykes, emerges just in time to put her back in her ill-treated place. Delia has been taken by this abuse for some fifteen years. She has lived with relentless beatings, adultery, even six-foot long venomous snakes put in places she requires to get to. Her husband’s vindictive acts of torment and the way he has selfishly utilized her can only be defined as malignant. In the end of this leaves the hardworking woman no choice but to make the most arduous decision of her life. That is, to either stand up for herself and let her husband expire or to continue to serve as a victim. "Sweat,” reflects the plight of women during the 1920s through 30s, as the African American culture was undergoing a shift in domestic dynamics. In times of slavery, women generally led African American families and assumed the role as the adherent of the family, taking up domestic responsibilities. On the other hand, the males, slaves at the time, were emasculated by their obligations and treatment by white masters. Emancipation and Reconstruction brought change to these dynamics as African American men commenced working at paying jobs and women were abandoned at home. African American women were assimilated only on the most superficial of calibers into a subcategory of human existence defined by gender-predicated discrimination. (Chambliss) In accordance to this story, Delia was the bread victor fortifying herself and Sykes. Zora Neale Hurston’s 1926 “Sweat” demonstrates the vigor as wel...
Zora Neale Hurston’s writing embodies the modernism themes of alienation and the reaffirmation of racial and social identity. She has a subjective style of writing in which comes from the inside of the character’s mind and heart, rather than from an external point of view. Hurston addresses the themes of race relations, discrimination, and racial and social identity. At a time when it is not considered beneficial to be “colored,” Hurston steps out of the norm and embraces her racial identity.
In literature, the significant themes of a story can sometimes be developed within dramatic death scenes. With that being said, Zora Neale Hurston 's presents an unappreciated housewife and her high-class husband 's sinful ways which ultimately lead to the husband 's unplanned death, in her short story “Sweat”. The concluding death scene can best be described as illustrating the theme as “what goes around comes around”. Sykes was abusive and tried plotting his wife, Delia 's, death by using a rattlesnake, but his plan backfired and it was Sykes that was killed in the end.
13th March, 2014 In the poem “Mirrors”, by Sylvia Plath, the speaker accentuates the importance of looks as an aging woman brawls with her inner and outward appearance. Employing an instance of self-refection, the speaker shifts to a lake and describes the discrepancies between inevitable old age and zealous youth. By means of sight and personification, shifts and metaphors, the orator initiates the change in appearance which relies on an individual’s decision to embrace and reject it. The author applies sight and personification to accentuate the mirror’s role.
The short story, “Unlighted Lamps,” by author Sherwood Anderson is about a relationship between a father and his daughter. Their relationship is a stressful one because neither of them talk to each other, nor show their emotions. Throughout the story, you find out why their relationship is the way that it is, and why it is hard for her father to talk to her. The unlighted lamps in the story represent flashbacks of memories wherever light dances across something.