Their Eyes Were Watching God

1. Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston

2. About the Author • Read and annotate the handouts “A Brief Biography” and “Jim Crow”– take notes on significant information from the handouts

3. Historical Background • Novel published in 1937, during the Harlem Renaissance • Harlem Renaissance: 1920s-1930s, cultural movement in NYC– African American racial pride expressed through art, music, and literature • Notable artists include: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, W.E.B DuBois, Harlem Globetrotters, Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, etc

5. Novel: Key Facts • Bildungsroman= coming-of-age novel • Setting= early 20th century, rural Florida • Major Premise: Janie, an African American woman in the early 1900s, learns who she is as a person as she faces various obstacles (relationships, society, nature, etc) • Significant Characters: • Janie Crawford • Jody Starks • Tea Cake • Logan Killicks • Pheoby Watson

6. Frame Story • Definition: A narrative structure in which a story is enclosed in another story, a tale within a tale

7. Symbols • The horizon • The porch • Janie’s hair/headrags • Mule(s) • The gate • The pear tree • The hurricane

8. Dialect • Definition: A way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area • Activity: Using the section you read for today, record 5 passages (with page #s!) written in dialect in your notes. Underneath each passage, “translate” the dialogue into standard English. • Why would an author choose to use dialect in her writing?