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Hurston's Sweat

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Recommended: Outline essay of sweat by zora neale hurston

Two themes in Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat" are gender roles and abuse. The story portrays the inequality and oppression faced by women in the domestic realm, as well as the physical and emotional abuse experienced by the protagonist Delia at the hands of her husband.

Two symbols in the story are the washerwoman's sweat and the rattlesnake. Delia's sweat represents her hard work and the physical labor she must endure to support herself, while also serving as a metaphor for the emotional and psychological strain she experiences. The rattlesnake represents the danger that threatens Delia, both in the form of her abusive husband and the venomous serpent that he uses to terrorize her. In Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat," the use of first-person point …show more content…

Lester, Neal A. “The Folklore of Sweat.” Southern Literary Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, Spring 2001, pp. 71-80. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20078197.

This article analyzes the folkloric elements of "Sweat" and how they contribute to the story's themes and symbols. Lester argues that Hurston's use of folklore adds depth and complexity to the portrayal of Delia's experiences of gender roles and abuse.

Johnson, Claudia D. “Racial Politics and Literary Method in Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘Sweat.’” The Modern Language Review, vol. 106, no. 3, July 2011, pp. 700-716. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23014166.

Johnson examines the role of racial politics and literary method in Hurston's "Sweat," arguing that the story represents a shifting of power dynamics between African American men and women. The themes of gender roles and abuse are explored in the context of this power struggle, and the symbols of Delia's sweat and the rattlesnake are seen as representations of this larger social conflict. In Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat," the first-person point of view allows the reader to intimately experience the protagonist Delia's struggle against gender roles and abuse, which are further emphasized through the symbols of her sweat and the rattlesnake. Multiple scholarly sources support the ways in which …show more content…

The use of first-person point of view allows the reader to experience Delia's struggle firsthand, while the symbols of her sweat and the rattlesnake emphasize the physical and emotional strain she experiences. The incorporation of folklore and racial politics add depth and complexity to the story's portrayal of gender roles and abuse. Through her masterful use of literary techniques and symbolism, Hurston effectively highlights the pervasive and damaging effects of gender inequality and domestic abuse on women in African American communities. One of the themes in Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat" is the oppressive gender roles faced by women in the domestic realm. The use of first-person point of view allows the reader to intimately experience Delia's struggle against these roles, while the symbol of her sweat emphasizes the physical labor and emotional strain she must endure to support herself. Delia's sweat represents the burden imposed upon her by society's expectations of her as a woman, and the difficulty of breaking free from these roles. This symbol is reinforced through the sensory details and vivid imagery provided by the first-person point of view, highlighting the physical and emotional toll of this

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"Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston and "Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men" by Zora Neale Hurston are two distinct stories that display the author's writing style and literary devices. Both stories are written in the first-person narrative, which provides the reader with an intimate insight into the characters' thoughts and emotions. However, the language used in each story is different. "Sweat" is written in a dialect that reflects the language spoken by the African American characters in the story, while "Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men" is written in a more standard English language, reflecting the author's education and training.

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Zora Neale Hurston reveals inner self versus outward self through different vocal and lyrical diction. Zora Neale Hurston uses dialect to cause familiarity in her novel and described the struggles as an everyday African American faced in their community. The theme of my novel was gender roles and relationships not as a black woman, but as a human being. Even having the desire for love from different men. The connecting themes were that “Black folks” were proud of their culture instead of being oppressed.

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Name: Lakisha Minnis Instructor: Mr. Compton English 2202-001 Date: April. 24, 2017 Sweat Zora Neale Hurston is a prolific writer famed for numerous award winning plays, novels and short stories. In this paper, I will be elaborating on a character from the novel Sweat. Her novel Sweat was first published in 1926. Sweat is a novel that tells a story about the good, evil, and domestic abusive husband.

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She thinks that women are the mules of the world, women, just like mules are forced to carry around the men’s possessions, but it it not only the white men who take advantage of the black women, it is also black men who make them carry “de load”. Wright may ignore this blatant example of what Hurston is communicating because he doesn't agree with it or he doesn't like how she portrays men. Like mules, women don’t have any say in where they go, what they carry, and when they get there. Women have to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, they are there simply to serve men, just like mules they are the lowest of the low. Everyone treats black women as if they are animals.

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Hurston’s use of symbolism creates a dynamic piece of literature that can be looked at through multiple lenses. The symbolism in Sweat is somewhat overt, making it difficult to not be noticed. There is a heavy use of religious metaphor, tying the story back to the story of Adam and Eve from the Christian bible. This gives the piece a personal touch, showing us that Hurston has a strong spiritual connection. It also helps to add a whole other layer, creating a depth to the story that would not otherwise be accessible.

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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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In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” and her essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” the African American social group is being represented in many ways. The texts have similar ways that African Americans are represented for the time period. The African Americans or “colored people” are represented in an aspect that comes from the author's point of view. The African Americans are represented as being unbothered, growing up in a closed community, playing the game with whites, and optimistic.

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The amount of torment one human can endure is amazing, and Delia Jones in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” isn’t exempt. She manages to hold together a home, work full-time, clothe and feed her extremely abusive husband. The question lingers; how can one continue to live in this kind of situation. It seems that for Delia, God plays a big part in her life, and Zora has appropriately left behind contextual references, symbols and representations in “Sweat”. Faith is a major theme utilized in the short story, while Sykes’ timely end rewards Delia for her priest-like patience.

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Hurston Sweating for Political Racial Awareness with “Sweat” Zora Neale Hurston, novelist, anthropologist, feminist, and short story writer, grew up in Notasulga, Alabama. Her views on the stereotypical African American image in society during her time aligned with W.E.B. Du Bois. She opted for change and wittingly encouraged it through her writing. Her famous short story “Sweat” concerns a washwoman named Delia Jones, who endures her abusive husband’s wrath both physically and socially. Delia is plagued with the fear of snakes, which ultimately leads to the death of her husband, Sykes, after he attempts to pull a dangerous prank on her.

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“Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurtson exemplifies the amount of disrespect and domestic abuse a woman can handle. It also demonstrated how some males view women in a distasteful and unsatisfied way. Gender and sexuality can initiate most of the specific tactics of domestic violence that can dehumanize an individual, especially women. Zora Neale Hurtson’s character, Delia Jones, demonstrates how women can transition from being inferior to becoming superior in a domestic relationship. The story opened with Delia washing clothes for white people on Sunday, and Sykes verbally abused her for dishonoring God because she was washing clothes that belong to white people on the Sabbath day.

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Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston displays countless acts of symbolism through imagery, it partially requires deeper knowledge and understanding. Religion has clearly played a predominant role in Hurston 's life, this is exemplified by the references to a snake and Gethsemane. The symbolism presented throughout the story has a significant impact and in the wake of evaluating it; they give the story more clout while justifying the true meaning behind the title, Sweat. The most obvious symbol in the story is the title. In the narrative it states, “Looka heah, Sykes, you done gone too fur.

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In the short story Sweat written by Zora Neale Hurston, she tells the story of a hard-working woman named Delia Jones and her abusive, cheating husband Sykes. Delia and Sykes are drastically different characters. Delia is an honest, church going woman, who cleans white people 's laundry to make ends meet and Skyes is a low-down womanizer who uses his wife 's income to support not only himself but also Bertha the woman he is having an affair with. After years of putting up with her husband 's mistreatment, Delia finally holds her ground. She defends her job with a skillet.

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Before I began reading, I tried guessing what the story was about. Only knowing that the title was “Sweat”, I thought the story might be about sports or hard labor. Then I opened up the story and the first thing I noticed was that the author’s name was Zora Hurston. I only found out that the author was female once I saw “her” in the section below describing her life and writing career. I found out other important things such as she lived in Florida, she wrote during the Harlem Renaissance (1920s), she died impoverished, and her work was eventually found by the women’s movement.

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During this rough time period, segregation was common and prohibition was recently introduced. Along with this, many other social and political issues played a role in Hurston's "Sweat." Consequently, a historical background of the early twentieth century would be ideal in order for the reader to better comprehend and appreciate the work thoroughly. In this story, Hurston writes about Delia and Syke's work lives. In the early 1900's, approximately sixty percent of African American woman and about twenty percent of men were employed (Mclaughlin).During this time period, men felt that they were vastly superior over women.

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