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Hurston's Essay 'The Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain'

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The essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” by Langston Hughes applies to my reading of the novel, because it gives a lot of context for Hurston’s purpose, the characters, and their actions. My understanding of Hurston’s purpose for this novel was made much more clear, because I could finally understand what type of image Hurston was trying to portray for black folk. She clearly wanted to show how they too are human, and how they make mistakes. Janie is not perfect, and by portraying all her highs and lows, she showcases how black people are similar to whites in that they face the same problems. Rather than having her compare herself to people of the opposite color for the entire novel, Hurston makes Janie despise things about her
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Hurston employs cause and effect to illustrate how she “left Eatonville” a “Zora” but once at school and far from home, she became “a little colored girl”. Hurston describes how even when she began to learn of the racial inequities in the US, she kept a positive mindset. She illustrates “there is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes,” utilizing personification to illustrate her genuine happiness. Again contrasting her attitude to the “typical” attitude of many blacks, Hurstron illustrates the “sobbing school of Negrohood '' who blame the hand they have been dealt and just feel sorry for themselves. Nonetheless, Hurston believes there is no use fretting about the past because she is “too busy sharpening (her) oyster knife” to worry about what she cannot control.

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Zora Neal Hurston Rhetorical Analysis In American novelist, Zora Neal Hurston’s, How It Feels to Be Colored Me, Hurston’s purpose is that African- Americans should celebrate their individual identity and look towards the future. In order to impress this on her readers, especially all of race-conscious America, Hurston utilizes satire and metaphors in the interest of conveying deeper meaning and implementing her own personality, thus, further developing the effectiveness of her text. Firstly, Hurston incorporates satire into her text, in which she uses humor to expose and criticize people's vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics. Authors take advantage of many aspects of this device, (strong use of irony,

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she is just purely a brilliant writer and 2. The text as a whole is divided into two parts; the first part where she goes to Eatonville and Florida collection folktales and the second part which is where she goes to New Orleans to study on the practice of “hoodoo”. In the first part (Of Mules and Men) her focus of observation is African-American folktales and how they have evolved over time. This is strange to me because usually folktales are filled with so much fantasy that it is difficult to believe them, but she goes anyway to these two places (Eatonville, Florida) and gathers these folktales. Whilst I was in my quest for insight I found out that Hurston actually grew up in Eatonville after her family moved there due to racial complications in the town that (her and her family) were previously living (Alabama), and she supports this when she says “I was delighted.

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Throughout the text, Hurston infers that she's optimistic about being colored. “How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company”(67)? Hurston writes that she feels discriminated against but also feels how could anyone not want to be in her presence therefor She feels optimistic about the future. Hurston recalls that “Slavery is sixty years in the past” (65).

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Hurston used the stylistic techniques of figurative language and point of view to strengthen the tone of wanting more out of a lonely life. A major factor Hurston used to enhance the tone was figurative language. For example, when she included the fact that Janie, the main character, had a starched ironed face and set in the funeral behind her veil there wasn’t really a veil it was just her face but, it was portrayed in such a way so that one would notice it was just a cover up.

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Zora Hurston uses vivid imagery, natural diction, and several literary tools in her essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”. Hurston’s use of imagery, diction, and literary tools in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” contributes to, and also compliments, the essay’s theme which is her view on life as a “colored” person. Throughout “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” Hurston carefully incorporates aspects of her African American culture in an effort to recapture her ancestral past. Hurston’s use of imagery, diction, and use of literary tools shape her essay into a piece of Harlem Renaissance work. Imagery in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” is quite abundant.

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Hurston tells the story of Janie, a black woman who because of her grandmother experiences and beliefs was forced to marry into a loveless marriage with Logan Killicks, a hard-working farmer who had 60 acres of land and could provide for Janie. This marriage ended when Janie ran away with Joe Stark, a man that she fell in love with and thought could give her the love absent between her and Logan. But Janie soon realized that her second marriage wouldn’t turn out better than her first. Joe was just as controlling and degrading as Logan. He hardly expressed his love for Janie and spoke to her like an incompetent child.

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In Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, she presents the idea of love told through protagonist Janie Crawford’s point of view. Janie is an African American girl who lives with her grandmother in the backyard of the Washburn's home. Janie isn't like most African American children, she is more privileged in the sense that she dresses nicer than the other children in her school and also lives in better conditions. She gets ridiculed for this by Mayrella and the other kids at school for living in the backyard of a white person’s home. Hurston conveys the idea that in order to conquer true love, a person must go through trials and tribulations.

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However, she wrote pieces that reflected the culture of African Americans. She accomplished that by writing about events in her life that meant something to her. Also reflected others life within her writing. Hurston illustrates

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As much as a reader might agree with Sherley Anne Williams’ ideas of Hurston’s writing, there are some concepts a reader may question. Although the author, Sherley Anne Williams, was correct in suggesting Hurston including the shield of protection for Janie from her grandmother, Nanny, was not creating a picture of life looking like reality; however, her idea that Janie had an insufficient amount of wisdom about herself as a whole is inaccurate because Janie does have self-awareness as she chose who she wanted to be, even if the ideas were pushed away by others. Sherley Anne Williams includes a quick understanding of how Janie sees herself. Discussing how Janie saw her self for the first time in a picture, notiving she was black. Because Janie

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867 Words | 4 Pages

The horizon, the place where the sky meets the earth, where the sun emerges with soft light and retreats to rest, the first one who let us know that the earth was round and what looks to be the destination of migrating birds. The horizon has been our farthest and yet closest neighbor, teacher, and home and in Hurston’s captivating novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, she uses this powerful symbol to represent in its great expanse, a yearning that keeps restless spirits in flight. No one can see over the horizon and so it remains an ambiguous destination characterized only by the feeling of satisfaction. Though few take up in its pursuit, everyone has their own unique horizon; Janie’s is to find love but not just any love as she comes to learn

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When describing her, Hurston states that, “Mrs. Turner’s shape and features were entirely approved by Mrs. Turner. Her nose was slightly pointed and she was proud. Her thin lips were ever a source of pride. To her way of thinking all these things set her aside from Negros,” (16, 140). Despite being black, Mrs. Turner has a negative view of darker African Americans, showing that the hatred towards other is a learned aspect in people’s lives and can even effect those in the same

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713 Words | 3 Pages

Zora Neale Hurston’s writing in Their Eyes Were Watching God, reflects the Harlem Renaissance through Janie 's individuality, and departs from the Harlem Renaissance with the common recurrence of black woman empowerment. In the novel, Hurston reflects the ideas of the Harlem renaissance with the ways in which Janie rebels and goes against norms for women.

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In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the long-lasting effects of slavery have taken a toll on Janie Crawford. Janie’s grandmother was raped by her master and had a child named Leafy. Leafy, although not born into slavery, endured a similar fate, which led her to run away, leaving her mother to raise her child, Janie. Janie’s appearance, showing strong European features, was both praised and shamed by society. This double standard was created by racism and was able to remain present due to segregation.

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During this time period, Whites did not see African Americans intellectually equal. Hurston demonstrates this by stating how blacks lack confidence, until night time when their master is gone, they be themselves. In the book it states, “The sun

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