1. Zora Neale Hurston AFAS 160 ZACHARY ROSSI

2. Early Life  Zora was born on January 7 th 1891 in Notasluga, Alabama  Moved to Eatonville, Florida with her family at a young age  Eatonville was the first incorporated black township  Was not brought up in a way that inferiority was not instilled  Zora was able to see evidence of Black triumph  Proud of her father as a Mayor and lawgiver

3. Growing Up  Her family was very supportive  She loved her mother  Always told her kids to “Jump at de sun” so if they miss, at least they would be off the ground  Her mothers death and her fathers quick remarry affected her deeply  “That hour began my wanderings. Not so much in geography, but in time. Then not so much in time as in spirit.”

4. Starting off  Began to work odd jobs  Eventually became a maid for a lead singer in the Gilbert & Sullivan traveling troupe.  After putting her education on hold, she changed her birthdate to 1901 in order to attend high school for free.  Her writing career began after submitting “Drenched in Light” and moved to New York

5. Early Writing  “Spunk” caught the attention of novelist Fannie Hurst who hired her as a secretary and also Annie Nathan Meyer who made it possible for Zora to attend Barnard College.  With a $1,400 grant, Zora was able to write Mules and Men  The first collection of African American folklore to be complied and published by an African American  Tell My Horse contrasted interracial barriers in the Caribbean and in black America

6. Sweat  Story of Delia Jones, a hard-working and providing black women who survives by washing clothes  Delia is in an abusive relationship with Sykes Jones, a cheating and disrespectful deadbeat  Shows a transformation of how Delia begins to grow and become defensive and strong instead of submitting to her husband  An empowering story of a woman who stands up for herself and her home that she has earned with her sweat and hard work

7. Themes from “Sweat”  You reap what you sow  Sykes got what was coming to him from abusing and harassing Delia  Demonstrates what would happen if you defy God  Good things happen to good people  Delia is a strong and faithful Christian woman and empowers herself to switch churches to isolate herself from Sykes  Eventually leads to her freedom from their relationship with his death  The story demonstrates that black culture can stand alone without white influence  Whites are rarely mentioned and demonstrates that justice can come without their influence

8. How It Feels to Be Colored Me  Essay of Zora’s life  Does not feel ashamed of being colored  “There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes”  Demonstrates how she was raised and her opinions on being colored as well as how she handles being around whites

9. Themes from “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”  There is nothing to be ashamed of  Her skin color never held her back  Still wanted to socialize with all  Being in the spotlight makes her stronger  “…I shall get twice as much praise or twice as much blame”  Never feared her position and it made her shine brighter as a person  Color does not have to define who you are  “How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company?”  Zora is strong and unashamed even when discriminated against

10. The Gilded Six-Bits  Story of Joe and Missie May Banks, a young and happy couple who lives in a well kept and beautiful home  Joe is impressed by an owner of an ice-cream parlor, Slemmons, who flaunts gold pieces that he earned in Chicago  Sometime later, Joe comes home from work early and finds Slemmons and Missie May together  Joe kicks Slemmons out  Joe finds out that Slemmons was a fraud and his gold was fake and he eventually forgives his wife  Missie May becomes pregnant and they continue to live together

11. Themes from “The Gilded Six-Bits”  African Americans are not always happy  Joe goes through a major family crisis and faces an act of marital infidelity  They were able to rebuild the trust and love  The white parlor owner at the end is envious of how happy and easy the lives of Blacks are  African Americans deal with the same hardships as anybody  If tragedy and love can happen in the Garden of Eden, why can’t ordinary black experience the same hardships  Provides further equality that Blacks and Whites are all human regardless of color

12. Characteristics of Negro Expression  Zora writes about how African American have impacted society  They have brought culture and have influenced the English language without introducing African words  They have influenced everything from art to language and from dancing to music and these changes are here to stay  Each part of African American culture is unique.  Music, dialect, and writing is all their own culture  Is influenced by others, but is inherently their own adding to individuality and a strong culture

13. Sources  http://zoranealehurston.com/about/index.html http://zoranealehurston.com/about/index.html  The Norton Anthology Of African American Literature Third Edition Volume 1 (1029-1079)  http://www.enotes.com/topics/sweat/themes http://www.enotes.com/topics/sweat/themes