Zora Neale Hurston was born in Eatonville, Florida supposedly on January 7th, 1903. Living the life as the daughter of the mayor of an all-black incorporated town, Hurston was sheltered from racial prejudice that many other African Americans faced at that time. However, when Zora turned fourteen she snuck out of her house to work as a maid for white families. Her work provided her with access to a good education at Morgan Academy, Baltimore thanks to her employers. From there she went to Barnard College and met Franz Boas, an anthropologist for whom she worked under, and went to Howard and Columbia University to earn a PH.D. in anthropology. Hurston’s literary career didn’t start until she published her first story in 1921, and it didn’t pick …show more content…
Hurston uses diction throughout most of her story in order to pull the reader in and help them better understand African-American culture. She frequently makes the characters talk with their unique diction which includes plenty dialect. As a reader myself, I can say that whenever a character talks they have my full attention. The way every character seems to speak is not something I am used to hearing. Sentences like “De men wuz talkin’ ‘bout it in de grove tuhday and givin’ her and Tea Cake both de Devil.”, (Hurston pg) “Some of dese mornin’s and it won’t be long, you gointuh wake up callin’ me and Ah’ll be gone.”, (Hurston pg) and “She got ninety-nine roes up jaw teeth and git her good and mad, she’ll wade through solid rock up to her hip pockets”, (Hurston pg) grab my attention and often make me reread them because of the way they are worded. The novel also teaches it’s readers how southern rural African-Americans speak. Hurston is very familiar with this style of speaking because of her background. By being born and have lived in Eatonville the readers are assured with accurate diction and dialect of the area. All in all, Hurston’s work has good usage of diction in order to teach the reader something they may have not known about African-American …show more content…
This is why I would have to disagree with Alain Locke’s want to include different genres into Hurston’s work. A book can never include all the elements every person would want. If Locke’s idea would be incorporated, Their Eyes Were Watching God would have been a completely different book. For example, if Zora would have incorporated racial prejudice against African-Americans it would take away from Jaine’s journey of finding herself through her experiences of love and focus more on her hardships. My original thought of Hurston’s novel was unique, because of Janie’s view of the world, adding certain elements would ruin that. Hurston’s figurative language which includes, “She was an ironing board with things thrown at it”,(Hurston pg) ”’Mah woman would spread her lungs all over Palm Beach County, let alone knock out mah jaw teeth.’”,(Hurston pg) and “The train beat itself and danced on the shiny steal rails mile after mile”,(Hurston pg) more than make up for any belief in lack of genre. Hurston not only uses figurative language, but also uses diction, metaphor, and folklore of southern blacks. In the end, I disagree with Locke’s proposition that Hurston’s work is lacking any way. Their Eyes Were Watching God is perfectly unique just the way it is, Hurston did a good job in such a short
Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga Alabama on, January 7, 1891. When she was a little girl her family moved to the now iconic town of Eatonville Florida. She was fifth child of eight of John Hurston and Lucy Ann Hurston. Eatonville was one of the first all-black towns to be established in the United States. Zora’s interest in literature was piqued when a couple of northern teachers, came to Eatonville and gave her books of folklore and fantasy. After her mother died, her father and new stepmother sent her to a boarding school. In 1918 Hurston began her undergraduate studies at Howard...
Zora Neale was an early 20th century American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist. In her best known novel Their eyes were watching God, Hurston integrated her own first-hand knowledge of African American oral culture into her characters dialogue and the novels descriptive passages. By combing folklore, folk language and traditional literary techniques; Hurston created a truly unique literary voice and viewpoint. Zora Neale Hurston's underlying theme of self-expression and search for one’s independence was truly revolutionary for its time. She explored marginal issues ahead of her time using the oral tradition to explore contentious debates. In this essay I will explore Hurston narrative in her depiction of biblical imagery, oppression of African women and her use of colloquial dialect.
Zora Neale Hurston grew up in Eatonville, Florida also known as “Negro Town” (Hurston, 1960, p.1). Not because of the town was full of blacks, but because the town charter, mayor, and council. Her home town was not the first Negro community, but the first to be incorporated. Around Zora becoming she experienced many hangings and riots. Not only did Zora experience t...
Modern Critical Interpretations: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Pondrom, Cyrena N. "
Zora Neale Hurston an early twentieth century Afro-American feminist author, was raised in a predominately black community which gave her an unique perspective on race relations, evident in her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston drew on her on experiences as a feminist Afro-American female to create a story about the magical transformation of Janie, from a young unconfident girl to a thriving woman. Janie experiences many things that make her a compelling character who takes readers along as her companion, on her voyage to discover the mysteries and rewards life has to offer.
This paper examines the drastic differences in literary themes and styles of Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston, two African--American writers from the early 1900's. The portrayals of African-American women by each author are contrasted based on specific examples from their two most prominent novels, Native Son by Wright, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Hurston. With the intent to explain this divergence, the autobiographies of both authors (Black Boy and Dust Tracks on a Road) are also analyzed. Particular examples from the lives of each author are cited to demonstrate the contrasting lifestyles and experiences that created these disparities, drawing parallels between the authors’ lives and creative endeavors. It becomes apparent that Wright's traumatic experiences involving females and Hurston's identity as a strong, independent and successful Black artist contributed significantly to the ways in which they chose to depict African-American women and what goals they adhered to in reaching and touching a specific audience with the messages contained in their writing.
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic eruption that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. Throughout this period, Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, poets, artists, musicians, scholars, and photographers. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement across every form of art, from literature to jazz to painting to drama. Regardless of the fact that Hurston wrote in a particular and geographical area, Hurston held political views that were utterly different from other Harlem Renaissance writers. Their Eyes Were Watching God focuses its plot both on Janie's series of romantic relationships as well as on Janie's individual journey for spiritual nourishment. In the novel, Janie's marriages force her to become aware of what it is that she wants for herself as an individual. This is an important part involving Zora´s writing because she as a person represents the Harlem Renaissance by the story she takes us
What I feel is truly remarkable about this author is that despite all the scrutiny and anguish that she faces like most of her race at the time she does not take a negative attitude towards white people and she actually chooses to ignore the general racial segregation. Her charming wit and sense of humor despite all the hardship is what attracts the reader. Hurston does not let her social disadvantages stop her from trying to achieve her aspirations and dreams. She does not see being colored as a disadvantage, but accepts it as a challenge to excel and be unique.
Zora Neale Hurston was one of the many authors who gained recognition during the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston was raised in Eatonville, Florida and lived there during her younger days. She attended Morgan University, Howard U...
Shortly after in 1935 the second book of the collection “Mules and Men.” “In writing Mules and Men, Hurston not only found a way to make a crucial bridge between her anthropological and literary ambitions but also created a lasting treasure of stories that captured the authentic voices of southern black storytellers in the late 1920’s.” (Magill). The book is broken into two parts. The first part is...
Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. Zora plays an important role for the Harlem Renaissance. Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the titans of twentieth-century African American literature. Despite that she would later fall into disgrace because of her firm views of civil rights, her lyrical writing which praise southern black culture has influenced generations of black American literary figures. Hurston’s work also had an impact on later black American authors such as Ralph Ellison, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison.
Through her use of southern black language Zora Neale Hurston illustrates how to live and learn from life’s experiences. Janie, the main character in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a woman who defies what people expect of her and lives her life searching to become a better person. Not easily satisfied with material gain, Janie quickly jumps into a search to find true happiness and love in life. She finally achieves what she has searched for with her third marriage.
Appiah, K.A. and Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. eds. Zora Neale Hurston: Critical Perspectives Past and Present. New York: Amistad Press, Inc., 1993.
This excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were watching God, is an example of her amazing writing. She makes us feel as if we are actually in her book, through her use of the Southern Black vernacular and admirable description. Her characters are realistic and she places special, well thought out sentences to keep us interested. Zora Neale Hurston’s art enables her to write this engaging story about a Southern black woman’s life.
In conclusion, Hurston was a modernist writer who dealt with societal themes of racism, and social and racial identity. She steps away from the folk-oriented style of writing other African American authors, such as Langston Hughes, and she addresses modern topics and issues that relate to her people. She embraces pride in her color and who she is. She does not hate the label of “colored” that has been placed upon her. She embraces who she is and by example, she teaches others to love themselves and the color of their skin. She is very modern. She is everybody’s Zora.