Preview

Examples Of Power In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
220 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Examples Of Power In Their Eyes Were Watching God
Power. Something so simple and so luring that it has been a part of life since its beginnings. Animals, plants, and people have done many things in order to have power of some sort. And the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is no exception to demonstrating the allure of power. The main character, Janie, is constantly pressured into power struggles to reinforce her own will. Hurston uses Janie's love interests and relationships to demonstrate that the strongest power for a person is their own will. This is demonstrated by her short relationship with Logan Killicks, her relationship with Joe Starks, and her forcefully ended relationship with Tea Cake. While Logan's marriage with Janie was short, it provided a solid foundation
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Summary Of Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Summary Of Their Eyes Were Watching God

    In chapter five of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston tells the readers about Jody and Janie arrive in Eatonville, Florida to find that it consists of little more than a dozen shacks. Jody introduces himself to two men, Lee Coker and Amos Hicks, and asks to see the mayor; the men reply that there is none. After buying land, Jody announces his plans to build a store and a post office and calls a town meeting. Jody hires Coker and Hicks to build his new shop and quickly becomes mayor after recruiting new residents and rebuilding the town.While this was happening, Janie is told to not speak in front of crowds and feels alone because of her husband.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    An Overview Of Their Eyes Were Watching God Summary
    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages

    An Overview Of Their Eyes Were Watching God Summary

    In “An Overview of Their Eyes Were Watching God¨ the author Lynn Domina discusses the voice of the character Janie Stark. Janie Stark is the main character of the story, and the story line basically depicts Janie relating the story of her life to her best friend. In her lifetime, Janie had been married three times and with each time she gained more clarity regarding the goals she wished to accomplish in life. The author then goes on to explain the differences in her three husbands because they all had unique characteristics that led Janie to either love or despise them. Her first husband was determined to make a working girl out of Janie, although Janie was not fond of the idea, nor was was she thrilled about the marriage.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God: Summary
    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God: Summary

    In the story of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie's grandmother, Nanny who was a former slave arranged Janie’s marriage to successful farmer named Logan Killicks. Nanny wants a good life for Janie feels with his wealth he could give Janie a stable secure life. Nanny feared that if Janie didn’t marry Logan she would end up like Janie’s mother, Leafy, which was raped by her teacher and ran off. Nanny wanted to live to know that Janie would be ok once she passes away. Janie decides to marry Logan after she hears stories Nanny tells her about what her life was like years ago. Janie then finds her marriage to be lonely and disappointing. anie never is attractive to Logan and notices the marriage isn’t like anything Nanny told her it would be.…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Does Janie's Role In Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What Does Janie's Role In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    Janie’s first experience with marriage was not what she had intended it to be like at all. Her nanny, who was an extremely influential person in her life at one point, forced Janie to marry an elderly man, Logan Killicks, simply for his social…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Summary: Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary: Their Eyes Were Watching God

    In a way, it seems as if Janie was always in competition with someone, whether it be with her grandmother, Logan, Joe, or Teacake. “Naw, Jody, jus’looks lak it keeps us in some way we ain’t natural wid one ‘nother. You’se always off talkin and fixin’ things, and Ah feels lak Ah’m jus’markin time. Hope it soon gits over” (Hurston 46). “But Nanny, Ah wants to want him sometimes. Ah don’t want him to do all de wantin’” (Hurston 23) . “But anyhow, watch yo’self, Janie, and don’t be taken advantage of. You know how dese young men is wid older women. Most of de time dey’s after whut dey kin git, then dey’s gone lak uh turkey through de corn” (Hurston 113). There was never any separation between the initial problem between Janie and the other characters and the motivation behind the problem. “One…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Themes In Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Themes In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    Janie is a blossoming flower coming into the intense world of womanhood. Even though she is physically a woman, her emotional needs are not fully completed until the very end of the book. She had pests who tried to poison her roots and trim her stems and pick the flower that is Janie. In the book, Janie is constantly looking for the bee that will make her flower bloom. There are three main themes of the natural world that present themselves in this book: A pear tree, the horizon, and the hurricane. These three natural occurrences represent her relationships throughout the book. Nature comes into play as well when defining who the “God” in the title of the book is referring to. The human body is made of organic material, thus coming from nature as well, so Janie’s physical appearance, more…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God - Finding the Woman in Janie
    • 921 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God - Finding the Woman in Janie

    Throughout the story Hurston uses different men to portray the continuum that men fall into in their society. Janie's marriage to Logan Killicks seems like the first stage in her development as a woman. She hopes that her forced marriage with Logan would end her loneliness and desire for love. Right from the beginning, the loneliness in the marriage shows up when Janie sees that his house feels like a "lonesome place like a stump in the middle of the woods where nobody had ever been" (Hurston 20). This description of Logan's house seems symbolic of the relationship they have. Janie eventually admits to Nanny that she still does not love Logan and cannot find anything to love about him. "She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman" (Hurston 24). Janie's prayer seems like her final plea for a change in her life. She says, "Lawd, you know mah heart. Ah done de best Ah could do. De rest is left to you" (Hurston 23).…

    • 921 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Tree Analysis
    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Tree Analysis

    Janie’s concept of marriage is unique in her own, sixteen year old, eyes. “Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches.” (pg. 8) Janie saw her marriages like bees who visit the beautiful blossoms of the pear tree, her life was formed around this tree because of the experiences she had underneath it. She experienced love and life that she wants to replicate. Janie also knows that her life and loved ones would bring her joy and suffering and not everything would be what she hoped for. Joe Starks to Janie was the opposite of her pear tree---he was the suffering. Just like Logan, Jody did not give Janie her ideal pear tree image. “Janie pulled back a long time because he did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon.” (pg. 29) Hurston uses the word “sun-up” to symbolize hope and “pollen and blooming trees” to symbolize sex and new life, but Jody did not give her these things he only gave her fortune. Janie's relationship to Jody was also very poor because there was a lack of communication between the two and too much…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston: Character Analysis
    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston: Character Analysis

    Janie is a young adult and just now figuring out who she is and what kind of woman she is. She is forced to marry him by her Grandma simply because he was rich. But Janie didn’t want to be with a man just because he has money, she wants to be in love. After her experience under the pear tree, Janie is looking for a marriage filled with affection. "Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think” (Hurston 24). She gives the relationship a chance, but there’s just nothing there. Life with Logan is dull and he treats her like she is his property. Like she is a farm animal and even puts her to work in the fields. Her marriage with Logan made her have many realizations. The experience with Logan made her realize that she didn’t want to be with someone just because he has money. She was also looking for an exciting man, one that would treat her with respect. She begins to look for this love for the remainder of the…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Thier Eyes Were Watching God
    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Thier Eyes Were Watching God

    In “How to read literature like a professor” Thomas Foster shows different techniques to analyze themes and ideas that are presented in literature in an amusing manner. It explains about the analysis and symbols a story or an article can have other than their literal definition. There are some chapters in the book that are greatly significant to the ideas presented in “Their eyes were watching god” by Zora Neale Hurston. There chapters that really stand out as a connection between the two books are ‘Is That A Symbol”, It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow” and “Every Trip Is Quest”.…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Allegory In Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Allegory In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    Hurston notes that women are not watchers, but are driven toward their goals. In Janies case, she seeks peace and takes many bold moves to get there. Through her trials she was able to discover who she is. Her needs, desires, and personal satisfactions. By the end of her journey, she was able to return home with a restful sense of accomplishment, giving her the same peace first experienced under the pear…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Quotes
    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Quotes

    Chapter 2Voice 1: Janie's grandmother was born during slavery. Black people, and especially women, could not voice their opinions. Nanny always wanted to make a great speech, but no one would listen. She wants Janie to be able to speak and have people listen.|“And, Janie, maybe it wasn’t much, but Ah done de best Ah kin for you. Ah raked and scraped and bought dis lil piece uh land so you wouldn’t have to stay in de white folks’ yard and tuck yo’ head befo’ other chillum at school.” Pg. 19|…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Power Analysis
    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God Power Analysis

    Janie’s romantic life in the novel is very disordered, as it appears she rushes to find someone to love. This behavior begun once Janie’s grandmother, “Nanny”, decides to arrange a marriage for Janie, so she could live a life of happiness and wealth…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Their Eyes Were Watching God

    “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” Outlines many motifs authors use to enhance the text, such as irony, allusion, setting, and so on. These Ideals for writing found in the novel “How To Read Literature Like A Professor” by Thomas Foster can be found in the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. This essay will focus on the quest, weather, symbolism, and religion, and how these elements are used to make “Their Eyes Were Watching God” a timeless story.…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Their Eyes Were Watching God
    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Theme Of Their Eyes Were Watching God

    This quote is said by Mrs. Turner on page 135 of Their Eyes were Watching God and it shows her disdain for black people with a darker skin tone. Mrs. Turner is African American herself, however she claims to be better than others because of her features that resemble that of a white person. This dislike for darker skinned people also puts Tea Cake in contempt in the eyes of her. The reason why this is significant is because it shows the struggle and discrimination in one’s own community that prevents people from coming together when they have to face a grander problem that forces them to do so.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics