Their Eyes Were Watching God: Final Journal Entry

Themes:
Curiosity
Concern
Eagerness
Judging
Experience
Time
Racism
Relationships
Frustration
Anger
Disappointment
Jealousy

Racism: People of lighter skin thought it was necessary to put other people with lighter skin in coffins. In the book, they talk about how they only have enough for white people and not people of darker skin.

Relationships: Janie has had a few relationships. She had to go through emotional and physical abuse, but she ended up in a relationship where she cares and loves Tea Cake.

Curiosity: Tea Cake was very curious on what was happening outside of where he was staying after the hurricane. Curiosity got the better of him and he was forced to bury people that died from the natural disaster.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Journal Number Six

Topic Sentence #1:
In this paragraph, it is showing a different characters hardship and how they have passed waiting for something that would never "show up." This was to show how Janie feels that she may be waiting for Tea Cake to come home, but he may never show again.

Topic Sentence #2:
Imagery is the focus on this paragraph. How there are memories around Janie and she can not get past them. This is due to Tea Cake's absence.

Topic Sentence #3:
First person is happening in this paragraph to show how Janie is feeling about Tea Cake's disappearance. The mood becomes distressed, upsetting, and somewhat angering.

Topic Sentence #4:
The mood is quite relaxing but also tense in a way. Uses dark and also light in the same paragraph comparing and contrasting.

Purpose: To show how much Janie cares about Tea Cake and how his disappearance is making her distressed. She is a strong woman and does not want to end up like Annie Tyler. She also does not want to know that Tea Cake, the love of her life, did not feel the same way she did about him.

Their Eyes Were Watching God:Journal Number Five

They put her to bed and sent for her married daughter from up around Ocala to come see about her.  The daughter came as soon as she could and took Annie Tyler away to die in peace. She had waited all her life or something, and it had killed her when it found her.
      The thing made itself into pictures and hung around Janie's bedside all night long.  Anyhow, she wasn't going back to Eatonville to be laughed at and pitied. She had ten dollars in her pocket and twelve hundred in the bank.  But oh God, don't let Tea Cake be off somewhere hurt and Ah not know nothing about it.  And God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me.  Maybe Ah'm is uf fool, Lawd, lad dey say, but Lawd, Ah been so lonesome, and Ah been waitin', Jesus.  Ah done waited uh long time.
      Janie dozed off to sleep but she woke up in time to see the sun sending up spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark.  he peeped up over the door sill of the world and made a little foolishness with red.  but pretty soon, he laid all that aside and went about his business dressed all in white.  But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back. She got out of the bed but a chair couldn't hold her. She dwindled down on the floor her head in a rocking chair.
RED: Words that popped out while reading.
LIGHT ORANGE: Characters in the text.
PURPLE: Point Of View: Changes from third person to first person, then back to third person.
Repeated Words:
  -Her
  -She
  -God
  -Him
  -Don't -Forceful. (Tone)
  -Lawd
  -Ah
  -He

"They put her to bed and sent for her married daughter from up around Ocala to come see about her.  The daughter came as soon as she could and took Annie Tyler away to die in peace. She had waited all her life or something, and it had killed her when it found her."
   -They: Third person point of view.
   -Bed: This word popped out for me because a bed is somewhere you sleep, to rest.
   -Married daughter: A character.
   -Ocala: Setting
   -Her: Repeated word. The narrator is trying to keep the reader interested by repeating.
   -Annie Tyler: Character.
   -Die: Harsh word.
   -Peace: Contrasts with "die." Someone is truly in "peace" when they have passed. (Or so I have been told.)
*This paragraph is before Janie's side of the story. This is told for the reader to know that this was the story that one of her friends from Eatonville shared. It was about how Annie Tyler went off with a younger man and he left her after he was able to get a hold of her money. This is to let the reader know that Janie is nervous that Tea Cake may have done such a thing. She is questioning his faith to her.

"The thing made itself into pictures and hung around Janie's bedside all night long.  Anyhow, she wasn't going back to Eatonville to be laughed at and pitied. She had ten dollars in her pocket and twelve hundred in the bank.  But oh God, don't let Tea Cake be off somewhere hurt and Ah not know nothing about it.  And God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me.  Maybe Ah'm is uf fool, Lawd, lad dey say, but Lawd, Ah been so lonesome, and Ah been waitin', Jesus.  Ah done waited uh long time."
   -Hung: A word that caught my attention. Hung is a word that is descriptive. The reader is able to imagine what is "hanging."
   -Janie: Character
   -She: Point of View=First
   -Wasn't: Harsh word.
   -Laughed: A word that can really hurt someone's feelings.
   -Pitied: Can make a person or character tense. No one wants to have someone pity them.
   -God: Has faith.
   -Don't: Another harsh word. Demanding.
   -Tea Cake: Character
   -Hurt: A word that could really affect someone.
   -Ah: Point of View= First
   -Love: One of the strongest emotions a person/character can have.
   -Fool: Overlooking something.
   -Lonesome: Feeling the need for someone.
*A very descriptive paragraph. The first sentence definitley has imagery. This is about how Janie feels that she has been left. Then she thinks that Tea Cake may have gotten hurt, then she would feel guilty. She is becoming tense and nervous for Tea Cake. She is trying to figure out what she would do if he didn't return. She doesn't want the feeling of being alone again.

 "Janie dozed off to sleep but she woke up in time to see the sun sending up spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark.  he peeped up over the door sill of the world and made a little foolishness with red.  but pretty soon, he laid all that aside and went about his business dressed all in white.  But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back. She got out of the bed but a chair couldn't hold her. She dwindled down on the floor her head in a rocking chair.
   -Dozed: Fell asleep. A word that, to me, means didn't want to sleep, but eventually did.
   -She: Point of View: Third person!
   -Spies: To watch something with out them knowing. Descriptive.
   -Him: Repeated!
   -Dark: Descriptive. Eerie tone.
   -Peeped: Looked over something. Descriptive. Imagery.
   -Foolishness: Descriptive. Feelings.
   -White: Symbolic
   -Dwindled: Descriptive. Imagery. Innocence.
*I was a little confused on this paragraph. Who is the "he"? (I feel uneducated for not knowing.) Again, Janie is questioning Tea Cake's faith to her. She dwindled, showing how she does not have strength to get up. She feels weak with out Tea Cake.

PURPOSE: To show that Janie and Annie Tyler may have the same situation. Janie does not want to be left. She put her faith into Tea Cake, she trusted him. If he has done such a thing, then her friend from Eatonville was right, and she would be ashamed for not listening. In the back of her head she is questioning and feels bad also for questioning him if it is not true.

MOOD AND TONE:
Dark- Eerie
Don't- Forceful. Tense. Stressed word.
Dwindled: Upset. Sad. Lost hope.
Dozed: Fell asleep but not wanting to. Tired. Relaxing (In a way)
Peeped: Curious.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Journal Four

So Christine contemplated Life. Life, The peculiar way with sharp nails that lived farther than the eye could see. The immense concept that existed with out substance. What is the need for Life, what breeze can gust against her? She poises in her elevated home that has a prospect of inspects over great distances. Poise she is, gazing with stillness from sunrise to sunset with her dagger from behind her, bides one time for the prophet to arrive. Been standing patiently upon knowledge of when, where, or then. She was to be accountable to discover a white feather from the  artwork behind her house sometime in the near future. She was distressed and enraged too. Poor pitiful Peter! He should never contemplate by his lonesome. She appointed Jesse to appear, but Peter told the man to not bother with such duties. The medical practitioners were extroardinary with their work, but a situation has occurred, that they will not be able to solve. He tried to stay healthy but he was unsuccessful in the run against death. People came from around the world to see such a sight. So brutal, but yet so peaceful he layed.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Journal Three

"This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn't seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was. He never told her how often he had seen the other men figuratively wallowing in it as she went about things in the store." (55)

Joe is the type of man where he will not show his emotions. It seems to me that the character does not want other characters to know he has weaknesses, it would make him less "powerful". Jealousy is a type of fear, and by being fearful of something, in this case, losing Janie to another man, would be nerve wrecking to the character Joe. Also, by not being able to communicate with his wife, the reader will notice how strong, or in this case, how weak their marriage is. Communication is the key to any relationship, with out communication bonds start to weaken and feelings tend to be hurt. Another note, hair is a sign of youth, and by putting up Janie's hair, it makes the character seem older, may not be physically, but possibly mentally. I am starting to get a little frustrated with this book, because this seems to be foreshadowing the relationship between Joe and Janie, and how it is breaking. I believe Hurston is trying to show that everyone has weaknesses and Joe's weakness is his wife.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Journal Two

In my sixteen years of life, I have come to realize that people don't try to portray themselves as liking another person. Human beings try to stay as civil as long as possible to another until they have had enough. Not only does this action happen a lot in personal accounters, but it also is shown in literature. '"Whut Ah don't lak 'bout de man is, he talks tuh unlettered folks wid books in his jaws," Hicks complains" (49) Hicks is telling other people that he doesn't like how he feels uneducated around him. I can sense from how the story is written, that Hicks feels that he is not that important to Joe Starks. When Joe is talking to the people of the new created town, he portrays himself as superior to them because he is educated. He does not get to know the citizens because he does not feel like he has to, because he is "better" than them. The citizens may feel unimportant, timid, and possibly gloomy due to how they have been treated by the mayor. "Showin' off his learnin'. To look at me you wouldn't think it, but Ah got uh brother pastorin' up roud Ocala dat got good learnin' If he wuz here, Joe Starks wouldn't make no fool outa him lak he do de rest uh y'all." (49) This can make the reader feel frustrated with the character, Joe Starks, for making the citizens of the town feel uneducated. The character Hicks, puts himself superior to the other citizens. By saying "....Joe Starks wouldn't make no fool outa him lak he do de rest uh y'all." Hicks is trying to tell his equals that he doesn't feel the way other's do. But in all actuality he does feel dismal. "Ah often wonder how dat lil wife uh hisn makes out wid him, 'cause he's uh man dat changes everything, but nothin' don't change him." (49) This was spoken by Sim Jones, he is saying that Starks is a man that is stubborn. He goes after something and he will achieve what he wants. His wife, Janie, would never be able to change any bit of him. This could make Jones feel various emotions including frustration, assured, and timid. It sets the tone to matter-of-fact, serious, and wonderous. "You know many's de time Ah done thought about dat mahself. He gits on her ever now and then when she make little mistake round de store."(49) Said by Hicks.  This shows how well maintained Strarks is. He is a person of quality, and with everything he does and is around him, should be of perfection. "Whut make her keep her head tied up lak some ole 'oman round de store? Nobody couldn't git me tuh tie no rag on mah head if Ah had hair lak dat."(49) Instead of proceeding to talk about Starks, they drift their conversation to Janie. Hair is a sign of beauty. The longer and healthier the hair is, the better quality she is. Hair is a sign of youth, so by putting it on top of her head with a rag, shows a little bit of aging. Aging comes with stress and also not having direction of life. This shows some anger and how this character is serious. In my eyes, I find the purpose to show a different side of Starks. Not everyone will think of Starks as a great person. Characters are starting to realize qualities about him, that they do not appreciate. Not only do the citizens see his worse sides, but also Janie. This could become a problem later on in the story.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Journal One

The text talks about people wishing. The paragraph is a generalization to all sailors instead of a specific sailor or person. "For some they come in with the tide" (1) This statement shows to the reader that not every person knows what they want out of life, but someone may figure out what they wish for at an unexpected time. When a wish "...comes in with the tide." (1) I portray the meaning to be that life and realization can come to a person. A human being needs to go with the rythym of life. "For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time." (1) By analyzing this sentence, I realized that it is talking about how a person will have a wish or a dream that they want to achieve, but are not able to achieve before they pass. A person will realize, or believe, the time they had to make their wish come true has run out and they need to stop trying. To give up. "That is the life of men." (1) This is a generalization to all human beings and how no one is able to reach or achieve their goal before they pass.

"Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches." (8) Janie has experienced a lot in her lifetime. "...a great tree..." (8) This part of the sentence symolizes how her life has been good altogether. The better parts of her life overpower the worse. The leaves of the tree are how her life played out. The leaves symbolize everything that has happened, not only the good but also the bad. Each leaf is part of her past and how it helped her become the woman she is today. "...things done and undone." (8) This last part really speaks to me because it shows how people make mistakes, it's natural to, and by doing so, a person learns how to fix these wrongs. Branches are after the base of the tree. The base holds the tree together, but you need braches to have leaves. The base of the tree is who Janie is all together. The branches are her paths she has taken to get to the little decisions she has made that have affected her life. "Dawn" is the beginning of a new day, new everything, but doom overpowers everything. This can make the reader feel the mood of tension, sorrowful, and detatched.

"Have some sympathy fuh me. Put me down easy, Janie, Ah'm a cracked plate." (20) This was spoken by Janie's grandmother. She told Janie about a few of her hardships because she wants her grandchild to end up in a better environment than she was in. "Put me down easy..." (20) She wants to know her grandchild is safe so she can pass in peace.

There are many questions that have been rambling on in my mind while analyzing these few quotations. My thoughts are jumbled and I can not make sense of some of my thoughts or bring them to words. Some of them I can, and I feel as if what Hurston says on wishes, and how she explains that a person can not achieve their wish before it's too late, makes me feel very frustrated. Not only to Hurtson herself, but also to my own self. By her stating "....his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men." (1) makes me want to show Hurtson that people can achieve what they want out of life. Why would Hurston make such a broad generalization? Maybe it is true, but it seems quite unfair to those who have achieved their dream. I feel as if those people, by reading the text, would make them want to reach out to their community and say something on the lines of. "You can achieve your dreams. No matter who says you can not."

To be honest, I am still confused on what this "Oak tree" is about. My thoughts are directed to how tree's have life. This tree could mean that Janie has life and in her life for the most part, is good. I also wonder if the Oak tree will eventually begin to lose it's life or be taken down sometime later in the story. This would show how something in Janie's life has gotten to be worse. Then again, I feel that if this does happen, she will be able to get back up, and make her life grand because she seems to be a strong character.

I have no further questions to the quotes from Janie's grandmother, because I feel that I, for the most part, understand what she was trying to explain to Janie.