Thursday, November 19, 2015

Tentative Essay Questions

The Road


1) One man they meet on the road says "There is no God and we are his prophets." What does he mean by this? Explain the role of God and faith in The Road. As always, use direct references to the text as your proof.

2) Describe the relationship between the boy and his father.  What do they feel for each other? How do they maintain their affection for and faith in each other in such brutal conditions? How do they support each other during the tougher times of the novel?

3) What does The Road ultimately suggest about good and evil? What separates the “good guys” from the “bad guys”? How do we as readers know this?

4) Use the idea that the boy is symbolic of a religious figure or “the one” and explain how his role changes over the course of the novel.
Their Eyes Were Watching God

1)

In what ways does Janie violate typical gender boundaries? How could some of her words or actions be seen as masculine? How did the men in her life react to this?

 
 
2)

One of the universal themes of literature is the idea that children suffer because of the mistakes of an earlier generation. Examine the development of this theme in Their Eyes Were Watching God by analyzing the story that Nanny tells about her life (14-20). Discuss Nanny’s interactions with white men and women. How did growing up in slavery impact her worldview? How has her past impacted her relationship with her daughter and granddaughter?


3)


Joe is the most ambitious character in the novel, determined to take his destiny into his own hands. How does he assert his will in Eatonville? On Janie? Does Joe succeed in achieving his goals?

4)
The novel’s title is taken from a line describing the hurricane that hits Belle Glade: “They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God”(160). How does Hurston develop the idea of God? What role does God play in the world of the novel?
 5)
How did slaves’ positions as a sub-class, those not considered human at all, affect Nanny’s outlook on life? To what social class does she aspire to be included in? What are the defining characteristics of this class? How does she impose this perspective on Janie?
 
6) 
Consider Janie’s description of the day she realized that she was not white (pages 8-9) and compare this description to Zora Neal Hurston’s essay, “How It Feels to be Colored Me.” (Link Below) In both texts, the speaker’s explanation of her awareness of race refers to more than an awareness of skin tone. What does Hurston mean when she writes about “realizing she was colored”? What does Janie become aware of when she views the photo? How would you describe Hurston’s view of racial identity?
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA01/Grand-Jean/Hurston/Chapters/how.html
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 




 

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Their Eyes Were Watching God

http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/folklore-zora-neale-hurstons-their-eyes-were-watching-god

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=WBNuLxTzzwMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=their+eyes+were+watching+god+&ots=KAzRr1Ma0_&sig=mxqil9lKNLCWkG8Ycj1Jvc6N2_k#v=onepage&q=their%20eyes%20were%20watching%20god&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RuGMORXyF4YC&oi=fnd&pg=PA155&dq=their+eyes+were+watching+god+critical+&ots=I9gN-e64o7&sig=fZIDfaYqwb2NZjUuQPtX5rGQAsk#v=onepage&q=their%20eyes%20were%20watching%20god%20critical&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=DjQMg8gTzygC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=their+eyes+were+watching+god+critical+&ots=iRe-22X1m-&sig=SNAVAwSdsHW_WfsojBWRQlGiupA#v=onepage&q=their%20eyes%20were%20watching%20god%20critical&f=false

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/464063?sid=21105518868921&uid=2&uid=3739256&uid=3739808&uid=4



Tuesday, October 27, 2015

No Class Tuesday Oct 27

Hello Class,

I will not be in today so we will finish up the film on Thursday Oct. 29. We will move into Their Eyes Were Watching God next week.

Prof. O'Connell