Their Eyes Were Watching God Thesis

The black culture is very diverse in different parts of the world-even in different parts of the state. Janie as moved throughout Florida to places such as West Florida, Eatonville, and the Everglades. Residing in these different places helps develop and define the character of Janie. Throughout Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie experiences many variations of black culture that helps build her character as she travels through Florida.

The “Rock Pile” by James Baldwin and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston are two stories that examined black male resistance to emasculation. The men in these stories lived in patriarchal societies, and they reaped the benefits of a structure that favored men. In both of these stories, the male characters are dominant figures in their households, and when they felt like their manhood was being attacked, they retaliate viciously. In “Their eyes were watching god”

Everyday the future in America looks brighter for the issues dealing with race and identity. Brave souls are not letting racism, class discrimination, or sexism hold them back anymore. Furthermore, the fight for a balanced society that pushes for equality is on the horizon. As we close on an era, based on purely the skin of the person, we need to analyze the impacts of the Ethnicity paradigm and Class paradigm on politics of the 20th century. Race and Ethnicity are used interchangeable in everyday conversation, however; they are not the same.

Throughout the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston exploits and recognizes the certain standards that are set for women. Compared to their counterparts, women are perceived as a group that does not deserve the same daily rights as men. They are seen as “less than,” and are expected to get married and care for their spouse, prepare the dinner every evening, and make sure the house is neat and tidy. The protagonist, Janie Mae Crawford, faces this problem first hand with each of her three husbands. Without an easy fix to these problems, Janie views the horizon as her escape outlet and as a symbol of oppression.

In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie struggles to create a voice for herself and learns when her silence is more powerful than her words. Janie uses her voice at times when she feels powerless or when someone is silencing her. When Janie is in situations where she is being silenced or confronted, she chooses to be either speak out or stay silenced. When Janie is silent, she is able to set herself up in a position of taking her power back from those who try to make her feel powerless. As the novel goes on Janie learns how to be silent at times when her words aren’t as powerful as her silence.

Citizens may choose to ignore the judgement placed on them from other people as they go about daily tasks due to a large amount of pride in themselves. Therefore, if the term ‘race’ becomes retracted, an enormous amount of the population would be upset that they are just another person rather than declaring their background. Along with upsetting people, ‘race’ highlights the amount of diversity present in this world which is another positive aspect of the

The belief was that a hierarchy existed between the “races”, where lighter skinned people were at the top, and also believed to be more intelligent. These hierarchies could be come confusing when looking at mixed races or immigrants such as the Irish, or Italians, who were not yet considered white, but what is clear is that those who were of African descent, or “black”, were always located at the bottom of the hierarchies.

In this new integrated society, colorism has the greatest impact on the African American culture and community. People of color are discriminating against each other due to the fact of their skin complexion. Colorism is a major problem in society and the black community. This vicious system privileges light skinned people of color over dark skinned people in such areas as beauty standards in mass media, self-esteem in social media and education. Passed through generation after generation, it has been taught that light skinned has been the right skin since the 1600’s pre-slavery.

Lightning Lipstick and BLAH BLAH Society often forces biracial and multicultural people identify themselves with one ethnic group by denying the other part of their ethnic background. An analysis of the many scientific studies, literature, and art reveals the complexities of growing up with parents of different races. The tendency to prefer lighter skin effects how biracial children form their identities and often causes them to deny their black heritage. When specifically examining the painting Lightning Lipstick, by the painter Robert Colescott, and the scholarly article, “If you’re half black, you’re just black”:

People justified their reasonings and social inequality based upon the characteristics they attributed. People were who they were based upon their genes. There was hardly anything a black man could say to change the minds of an all white jury. However, ways were being sought to end the discrimination throughout America. Changes were being found in the way white people viewed others from different races with different color skin.

WHY RACE ISN'S AS "BLACK" AND "WHITE" AS WE TIHNK-Brent Staples In 2015, Brent Staples released his new article, "WHY REACE ISIN'T AS "BLACK"AND WHITE" AS WE THINK", to New York Times Magazine. Many New York Times Magazine buyers will come across the opportunity to learn about Staples thoughts on "blacks "and "whites". Whiting this article, Staples explains how he feels about the race as well as his past events throughout this articles Staples shows different types of rhetorical analysis. Staples article teaches the readers how people are born with different forms and color.

She has been a stranger to herself for six years, not knowing about her racial identity. She had never thought of herself as black because she has lived with white people all her life. It takes is one photograph with her friends for her to find out her skin color. In the book it states, “Ah was wid dem white chillun so much till Ah didn’t know Ah wuzn’t white till Ah was round six years old. Wouldn’t have found it out then, but a man come long takin’ pictures and without askin’ anybody, Shelby, dat was de oldest boy, he told him to take us.

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” is a novel written by Zora Neale Hurston. The novel portrays Janie, a middle aged black woman who tells her friend Pheoby Watson what has happened to her husband Tea Cake and her adventure. The resulting telling of her story portrays most of the novel. Throughout the novel, Zora Neale Hurston presents the theme of love, or being in a relationship versus freedom and independence, that being in a relationship may hinder one’s freedom and independence. Janie loves to be outgoing and to be able to do what she wants, but throughout the book the relationships that she is in with Logan,Jody and Tea Cake, does not allow her to do that.

One of the universal themes of literature is the idea that children suffer because of the mistakes of an earlier generation. The novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" follows the story of Janie Mae Crawford through her childhood, her turbulent and passionate relationships, and her rejection of the status quo and through correlation of Nanny 's life and Janie 's problems, Hurston develops the theme of children 's tribulations stemming from the teachings and thoughts of an earlier generation. Nanny made a fatal mistake in forcibly pushing her own conclusions about life, based primarily on her own experiences, onto her granddaughter Janie and the cost of the mistake was negatively affecting her relationship with Janie. Nanny lived a hard life and she made a rough conclusion about how to survive in the world for her granddaughter, provoked by fear. " Ah can’t die easy thinkin’ maybe de menfolks white or black is makin’ a spit cup outa you: Have some sympathy fuh me.

Race is not determined by biology. Instead, it is socially constructed. According to the notes, a social construct; created and maintained through cultural or social practice. A person who is considered African American or black in the United States could be considered white in other countries. How people perceive their racial identity can shift based on experiences, For example, multiracial and mixed-race community.