Their Eyes Were Watching God Chapters 1 - 6

Whiteboard Question 1 How do the first two paragraphs introduce a major theme of the novel?: “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. 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 by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly.”

Whiteboard Question 2 Do you agree or disagree with these ideas about gender differences? (in the context of the novel? in your own experience?)

Whiteboard Question 3 Why are the women of the town judgmental of Janie? How does this relate to what we know about Janie?

Whiteboard Question 4 What do the women on the porch reveal about Janie’s background and past?

Chapter 2: Notes ***Nanny born on slavery plantation near Savannah –Emancipation occurred and Nanny was excited to give her daughter a new life *** 1) When Nanny was a slave she was raped by her white master 2) Leafy (Janie’s mother) was a result of this 3) Leafy was then raped by her school teacher 4) Result Leafy pregnant with Janie 5) Janie born and Leafy runs away so Nanny raises Janie

Flowers and Sex? When Janie is sixteen, she often sits under a blossoming pear tree, deeply moved by the images of fertile springtime. She is beginning to understand phenomenon of sex for the first time through her observations of nature around her. While lying out under a blossoming pear tree, Janie witnesses a bee pollinating a pear blossom and describes it as a sexual experience. The whole experience is so beautiful, she’s sure that this is what love and marriage must be like. She envies the tree. Janie happens upon Johnny Taylor, who had never before seemed appealing to her, but in her romantic pear tree daze, he’s a "glorious being."

Close Reading - Chapter 2 It was a spring afternoon in West Florida. Janie had spent most of the day under a blossoming pear tree in the back-yard. She had been spending every minute that she could steal from her chores under that tree for the last three days. That was to say, ever since the first tiny bloom had opened. It had called her to come and gaze on a mystery. From barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds, from the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom. It stirred her tremendously. How? Why? It was like a flute song forgotten in another existence and remembered again. What? How? Why? This singing she heard that had nothing to do with her ears. The rose of the world was breathing out smell. It followed her through all her waking moments and caressed her in her sleep. It connected itself with other vaguely felt matters that had struck her outside observation and buried themselves in her flesh. Now they emerged and quested about her consciousness...

Close Reading - Chapter 2...She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her. She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid.”

Whiteboard Question 5 Is Nanny right to force Janie into this marriage? Why or why not?

Whiteboard Question 6 Part 1:What differences exist between Janie’s ideas and Nanny’s perspective on romantic love? Part 2: Do you think you and your parents have a different perspective on romantic love? Explain

Chapter 3 Why does Janie believe that she will love Logan after she marries him? How does Nanny react when Janie says that she doesn’t love Logan? What is Nanny’s opinion about romantic love and why might she hold this opinion? What does Janie believe causes her to become a woman? (Find the quotation.)

Chapter 4 How does Logan’s attitude toward Janie change as time passes? What do you think causes this change? Describe the first meeting between Joe and Janie. Who causes this meeting to take place? How old is Joe? What is he like and what kind of life does he aspire to? Does Janie think Joe will be her true love? (Find this passage.)

Chapter 4 “Janie pulled back a long time because he did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon. He spoke for change and chance.”

Close Reading 3 – Chapter 4 “S’posin’ Ah wuz to run off and leave yuh sometime.” There! Janie had put words in his held-in fears. She might run off sure enough. The thought put a terrible ache in Logan’s body, but he thought it best to put on scorn. “Ah’m getting’ sleepy, Janie. Let’s don’t tlak no mo’. ‘Tain’t too many mens would trust yuh, knowin’ yo’ folks lak dey do. “Ah might take and find somebody dat did trust me and leave yuh.” “Shucks! ‘Tain’t no mo’ fools lak me. A lot of mens will grin in yo’ face, but det ain’t gwine tuh work and feed yuh. You won’t git far and you won’t be long, when dat big gut reach over and grab dat little one, you’ll be too glad to come back here.” “You don’t take nothin’ to count but sow-belly and cornbread.” “Ah’m sleepy. Ah don’t aim to worry mah gut into a fiddle string wid no s’posin’.” He flipped over resentful in his agony and pretended to sleep. He hoped he had hurt her as she had hurt him.

Chapter 4 Why do you think Janie decides to run away with Joe even though he isn’t everything she is looking for? Do you think Janie made the correct and/or moral decision? Why or why not?

Chapter 5 What does Joe think about Eatonville when they arrive in town? How does the town initially react to Joe’s grand plans for the town? What eventually convinces them that he is capable of fulfilling these plans? Why does Joe marry Janie? What does she represent for him? (Find this passage.)

Chapter 5 “She had her first taste of presiding over it [the store] the day it was complete and finished. Jody told her to dress up and stand in the store all that evening. Everybody was coming sort of fixed-up, and he didn’t mean for nobody else’s wife to rank with her. She must look on herself as the bell-cow, the other women were the gang.”

Close Reading 4, Chapter 5 “And now we’ll listen tuh uh few words uh encouragement from Mrs. Mayor Starks.” The burst of applause was cut short by Joe taking the floor himself. “Than yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home.” Janie made her face laugh after a short pause, but it wasn’t too easy. She had never thought of making a speech, and didn’t know if she cared to make one at all. It must have been the way Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything one way or another that took the bloom off of things. But anyway she went down the road behind him that night feeling cold. He strode along invested with his new dignity, thought and planned out loud, unconscious of her thoughts.

Chapter 5 How do the women of Eatonville feel about Janie and why? In what way does the town have a love/hate relationship with Joe? Why do they value him and hate him at the same time? (Find this passage.) What is Joe and Janie’s house compared to? Do you think Joe’s efforts stem from a sincere desire to improve the town or from a quest for personal power?

Chapter 6 Culture: everything that human beings do that isn’t motivated solely by natural instinct

Chapter 6 Folklore: all the lore shared by a particular folk Folk (or folk group): any two or more people who share at least one significant cultural thing in common Lore: traditional behavior or material shared by members of a folk group

Chapter 6 Elements of Eatonville’s culture: Telling of stories Community gatherings Dramatics Music, song, and dance Gossip

Chapter 6 Why does Joe insist that Janie miss out on some of these cultural events? How does she feel about this? Why does Hurston include the story of Matt Bonner’s mule? (It doesn’t directly relate to Janie’s story)

Chapter 6 “She wasn’t appreciative of his [Joe’s] efforts and she had plenty cause to be. Here he was just pouring honor all over her; building a high chair for her to sit in and overlook the world and she here pouting over it!” What does Joe expect Janie to value? Does this sound like anyone that Janie has encountered in her past?

Chapter 6 Why does Joe slap Janie the first time? What does Janie realize about her relationship with Joe after he hits her? “She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was the image of Jody tumbled down and shattered. But looking at it she saw that it never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just some thing she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over.”

Chapter 7 Janie briefly thinks about running away from Joe but dismisses the thought. Why do you think this is? How does Joe attempt to detract attention from his aging? What event drives Joe and Janie apart for good? (pg. 74) How do the people in the store react to what Joe says? To what Janie says? What is so terrible about what Janie says about Joe in front of the men at the store?

Chapter 7 “Then Joe Starks realized all the meanings and his vanity bled like a flood...Janie had robbed him of his illusion of irresistible maleness that all men cherish, which was terrible...she had cast down his empty armor before men and they had laughed, would keep on laughing. When he paraded his possessions hereafter, they would not consider the two together. They’d look with envy at the things and pity the man that owned them...For what can excuse a man in the eyes of other men for lack of strength.” (pg. 75 – 76)

Chapter 8 Since Joe declines so quickly after Janie’s insult, do you blame her for his death? What disturbing gossip does Phoeby tell Janie? What is the town blaming her for? Turn to page 80 (Joe’s death scene). How would you characterize this final conversation? Who do each of them blame for their poor marriage? Who do you think is right?

Chapter 8 Why do you think Janie waits until Joe is about to die before confronting him about their relationship? Is this confrontation justified or cruel considering the circumstances?

Chapter 9 What is Joe’s funeral like? How is his death similar to his life? How does Janie feel during the funeral? (Janie’s reaction to Joe’s death is similar to what other character we’ve studied this year?) What is symbolic about the head rags/the burning of the head rags?

Chapter 9 What latent feeling does Janie realize she has been harboring toward her grandmother? Pg. 85 Do you think this is fair? After all, Nanny chose Logan (not Joe) for Janie—would things be different if Janie had never run away?

Chapter 9 What does the horizon symbolize to Janie?

Chapter 9 What do the men of Eatonville begin doing a few months after Joe’s death? What does Janie mean when she says, “To my thinkin’ mourning oughtn’t tuh last no longer’n grief”?