Once the rabies disease shows symptoms on the victim it becomes impossible to cure because the disease has already spread through out the entire nervous system. Did Zora Neil Hurston accurately portray the rabies disease in the novel as to real life? Because in the novel Hurston did portray the symptoms accurately. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston gave Janie's husband, Tea Cake, great characteristics of having contracted the disease. Some of the characteristics that were shown in the novel were Tea Cake gagging when drinking liquids, bad headaches and the time period it took for the symptoms of rabies to finally show up.
Tea Cake in Their Eyes Were Watching God, could not swallow liquids without disgorging his contents. "Tea Cake took it and filled his mouth then gagged horribly, disgorged that which was in his mouth and threw the glass upon the floor." (Page 174). Tea Cake at this time was already showing symptoms of rabies. When the victim shows symptoms of rabies it means that the virus has spread throughout the victims body. On the New York Times website, a symptom for rabies is, "Swallowing difficulty (drinking causes spasms of the voicebox)". In the novel it was easily seen that Tea Cake would choke easily every time he'd try to swallow even his own saliva. "Way in the midnight he woke up Janie in his nightmarish struggle with an enemy that was at his throat." (Page 174). When Tea Cake expound his dream about the "enemy" that was at his throat to Janie, it was simply just his voicebox having spasms every time he'd try to swallow in his sleep and he'd choke.
"... Tea Cake came home early one afternoon complaining of his head. Sick headache that made him lie down for a while." (Page 173). Another symptom that th...
... middle of paper ...
... with Tea Cake chocking in his sleep. The headache symptom Tea Cake got also proved Hurston factually correct because the CDC website listed headaches as one of several symptoms to rabies. The incubation period was also proved to be fact in the novel and in real life, because symptoms don't show up till after the incubation period of average 3-12 months has happened. It's a shame that in the end Tea Cake was not killed by the very fatal rabies diseases, but by his indiscriminate choice of wanting kill Janie.
Works Cited
"Top 10 Facts about Rabies You Didn’t Know." N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
"Rabies." ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel. New York: Perennial Library, 1990. Print.
When they are caught in the storm, Janie does not question Tea Cake’s decision to stay, but instead watches attentively as to what he decides to do next. Her love for him rids her of powerlessness, and she regards him as God, because she loves him and is ready to leave at his command. After Tea Cake’s death, Janie still clings to her love for him, which empowers her.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Harper Perennial Modern Classics: Reissue Edition 2013
As much as Tea Cake had the qualities Janie was looking for she found a greater understanding of herself as a women besides her love. Janie was inexperienced at the start of her adventure, learned that love will not always come from promises, and had major reflection when she finished her first marriage with Joe that she went into with assurance. Janie was able to get a glimpse of independency after Joe died which is conveyed through the quote “Besides she liked being lonesome for a change. This freedom feeling was fine” (Hurston 90). Before meeting, Tea Cake Janie was able to understand that she was comfortable with not searching for love. However, Tea Cake was a reminder to her that her ideals of love were still out in the world. He was able to make Janie happy from doing things fun and childish and these activities like fishing during the knight, or playing chess were the things that society would not accept for a women like Janie. The first major instance when Tea Cake helped Janie go against society was when he played chess with her. While a small act to some readers, Janie found the act enormous in her eyes as it showed her that Tea Cake was a man able
...ots her memory, the blossoms her dreams, and the branches her vision. After each unsuccessful marriage, she waits for the springtime pollen to be sprinkled over her life once again. Even after Tea Cake's death, she has a garden of her own to sit and revel in.
When Tea Cake enters Janie's life, Janie really starts to come out of her shell. She lets down her hair that was kept up the entire time with Starks. This symbolizes Janie letting all her inhibitions out. In finding Tea Cake, Janie has "completed her voyage" of self-discovery. Tea Cake allows her to feel exhilarated and young again. She makes more friends and becomes more social. During this time in her life Janie is an excellent role model for other black women. She does not give a second look at what other people think about her, which is very admirable. This is shown when Hezekiah Potts tells Janie that Tea Cake is too low of a man for Janie yet, she stills persists on seeing him. Many people also think that Tea Cake is courting Janie for her money only. Janie pays no regard to these onlookers though.
Hurston, Lora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1990.
4. Hurston, Zora Neal. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper Collins, 1937. Print.
Hurston uses the power of language and different narrative techniques to show Janie's transition throughout the novel. It is important to notice that in Janie's journey from object to subject, the narration of the novel shifts from third person to a mixture of first and third person; thus, the shift shows the awareness of self within Janie. Language becomes an instrument of injury and salvation and of selfhood and empowerment. The use of powerful language is exemplified well in the text when Janie is asked to say a few words as the new Mrs. Mayor. Joe, her second husband, quickly cuts in and says, "Thank yuh fuh yo' compliments, but mah wife don't know nothin' 'bout no speech-makin'. Ah never married her for not...
Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1937. Print.
...at in domestic animals, which indicates wild animals cause a higher risk to humans. Controlling the disease in susceptible wild free-ranging animal populations is implemented by oral vaccination and recombinant rabies vaccine by use of vaccine-containing bait. The best prevention is decreasing chances to expose to the disease. Once a patient is suspected as a rabies case, the physician and local health administrator should decide whether infection actually occurs and whether a risk of rabies exists in the geographic area. Once the identification is completed, the patient should receive post-exposure prophylaxis immediately, which contains the combination of local wound cleansing, human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) and rabies vaccine. The population such as veterinarians, animal handlers that have higher risk to be infected should receive pre-exposure immunization.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. Print.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1937.
A “vaccine” or otherwise known as a vaccination, is something that stimulates someone’s immune system from a disease. Vaccines can prevent infections and actually cause it to not re-occur again. The invention of the Rabies, and Anthrax vaccines not only saved life’s, but helped scientist conduct and produce more accurate and successful research. Discovered by Louis Pasteur, in 1882, the innovation of the rabies vaccine was invented. Rabies is a critical and sometimes fatal infection that one could get with coming in contact with a “rabid” or wild animal. When this virus enters the body and spreads, it travels slowly through all the nerves and all the way to the brain. Once it reaches the brain, it becomes fatal. The number of deaths due to rabies worldwide each year is approximately 55,000. However, due to the invention of the rabies vaccine, the number of fatalities and illnesses decreased by a substantial amount.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 04 Feb. 2014. Web. The Web.
After a few days of exposure, the human will experience the symptoms of clinical rabies: anxiety, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, and also insomnia (CDC). These symptoms may last two to ten days. Once the clinical symptoms have appeared, the fatality rate is very high. To date, there have only been six cases of survival from the clinical stage of rabies (CDC). Incubation period ranges from ten days to one year, but the average is 20 days.