Let’s take the time to see how the novel translates into film and what, if anything, is lost in translation.
Discussion: How do the effects of the literary elements in the novel appear on screen? Does the scene adequately depict the author’s tone, as portrayed in the novel? What are some aspects of viewing the scene that cannot be conveyed through text? Are the characters in the film depicted on film as you imagined them through reading the text?
You will be asked to blog about this experience and our discussion for homework tomorrow!!!
|
Mr. Johnson will assign literature circles and your task is to try to recreate a scene from the novel. The scene must be:
Acceptable roles for activity: Actor, Director, Writer, or MC (narrator)
|
H.W. Your Homework: Continue reading the novel through chapter 9.
Create a Blog which describes a character from the novel and analyze that character’s actions, personality, and behavior. Be sure to include at least one literary element or rhetorical device.
|
In the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," written by Zora Neale Hurston, Nanny is Janie's grandmother and is the only person who raised Janie from a young age. In Chapter two, the audience is able to see a clear depiction that Nanny hopes the best for Janie due to her harsh upbringing through slavery and having a child, Janie's mother, by a white master. When Janie is seen in an intimate moment with Johnny Taylor, she is angered by this because she does not want Janie to go through the same circumstances that she went through. She hopes that Janie will marry Logan Killicks because he is someone who will keep her safe and protected. Nanny reiterates this over and over again because she just wants to protect Janie from the burden of being a black woman. Nanny's negative experiences make her determined to make life easy for her granddaughter. Nanny says, "Have some sympathy fuh me. Put me down easy Janie, Ah'm a cracked plate" (Hurston 20). Janie ultimately decides to side with Nanny to marry Logan Killicks, choosing safety over true love. However, Janie just does not love him. He is a good provider, and after Nanny dies, Janie leaves Logan Killicks. As a result from Nanny dying, Janie is finally able to break out of her traditional mold as a woman who does as she is told and speaks when she is spoken to. Nanny although a short-lived character is imperative to the novel, she is the prime reason why Janie has tumultuous relationships with various men, not allowing her to take her time to find true love. Thus ironically by Nanny stringently urging Janie to marry a well off man- she allows "break with tradition" to happen .
ReplyDeleteIn “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, almost every character is very developed and brings a strong message to the story. Of these characters, Nanny Crawford stands out for many reasons. As Janie’s Grandmother, Nanny shows great concern for Janie throughout the novel. Nanny is very protecting of Janie because Nanny herself has been mistreated as a slave her whole life and knows how cruel the world can be. This cynical view of society is a large theme in Modernism, which is one of the reasons that Nanny is such a key character. Nanny also represents the values of the old South, which greatly contrast those of Janie. Nanny is concerned that Janie will go nowhere in life if she does not take her life seriously at an early age. However Janie wants to be free and experience the world. A literary element which greatly elevates Nanny is diction. Nanny speaks in the trademark dialect of the old South, saying things like “Lawd have mercy! It was a long time on de way but Ah reckon it had to come. Oh Jesus! Do, Jesus! Ah done da best Ah could.” ( 15) This dialect characterizes her in many ways. It shows her background, it helps us create an image for her, and helps us to understand her overall demeanor.
ReplyDelete“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Hurston is a novel that features many important characters. One of these essential characters is Nanny, Janie’s grandmother. Because her father left before she was born and her mother left shortly after, her grandmother ended up raising her. She is extremely protective of Janie, mainly because she doesn’t want her to end up like her mother. Nanny wants Janie to marry a prominent member of the community, Logan Killicks, so she can have a stable life. At times Nanny is overly protective and very excitable, for instance when she catches Janie is kissing Johnny Taylor. To reprimand Janie, she slaps her in the face, but then, realizing her mistake, she quickly hugs her and apologizes and promises she only wants what is best for Janie. Her actions include arranging Janie’s marriage, warning her about running around with boys who can’t provide for her, and reprimanding Janie when she feels it is necessary. Nanny gives a homily, or a lecture involving moral advice, to Janie on page 14. The gist of the message is that women are subordinate to men and if she marries into privilege she will at least be respected within the community, rather than being treated like a Plebian.
ReplyDeleteThere are many important characters in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, wrtten by Zora Neale Hurston. One of the most importnat characters in the novel is Janie's grandmother, known as Nanny. Since both of Janie's parents passed away, Nanny had to raise Janie on her own. Nanny is very protective of Janie because when she was growing up, she was a slave and she knows that the world can be very harsh and she does not want Janie to be hurt or mistreated. At one point in the novel, Nanny catches Janie kissing Johnny Taylor and decides that she doesn't want Janie going from one boy to the next, like her mother did, and she wants Janie to manny Logan Killicks.Nanny got upset that Janie would kiss a boy that she is not married to, so she slaps her across that face, but soon realizes that she does not want to hurt Janie and hugs her to make up for it. Nanny wants to set up Janie's life for her so that when she passes away, Janie will know how to go from there and will be in safe hands by a good man. "Dat’s what makes me skeered. You don’t mean no harm. You don’t even know where harm is at. Ah’m ole now. Ah can’t be always guidin’ yo’ feet from harm and danger. Ah wants to see you married right away" (31.) Nanny only wants the best for Janie, and Zora Neale Hurston develops her character to show the reader that Nanny wants to share her wisdom, and raise Janie the best that she can.
ReplyDeleteIn "There Eyes Are Watching God" by Zora Neal Hurston there are many important characters. One of these characters are Jody Starks. This is because he starts out being very nice and loving to Janie. He talks to her in poems and in rhymes that make her fall for him at an instant. He then convinces her to run away with him and forget about the man that she had married, Logan Killicks. After Janie leaves her husband for Jody Starks he begins to change everything about him. He changes the way that he talks to Janie and stops talking to her in rhymes. As the novel continues he begins to be just like Janie's first husband and makes her do everything that he does not want to do. She is made to keep care of the store for hours and help people that need it. Jody Starks has contradicted everything that he had told Janie when the two first met. He changed his personality toward Janie drastically. At the end of the 7th chapter he strikes Janie in the face. This is something he said that he would never do. His role in the novel changed in a huge way.
ReplyDeleteIn "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston there are many important characters but none as important as Janie. Janie is a reckless person and her brash actions are the basis of the concern of her Grandmother and many of the characters in the story. Janie has led an interesting life with no parents and being raised by her ex-slave grandmother. You can clearly see Jaine's free-spiritedness through her actions, such as her running off without explanation and returning,expecting everyone to welcome her back. Janie is depicted as a very dishevelled character that defies stereotypes. She defies race and gender stereotypes by flaunting her mixed ancestry and sometimes acting more masculine than other females in the town (e.g she wears overalls). Janie is also a curious character and contemplatesher relation to others and the world. I think that Janie is an ironic character because she was raised on old southern values and was surrounded by "proper" ladies, despite this she broke out of that categoriztion and walks around bare foot and at times acting like a tom boy she even ran off, Janie's behavior was beyond even her closest friends and family.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, each character is significant and helps broaden the story. Janie’s grandmother, known in the book as Nanny plays a key role. She took responsibility and raised Janie after neither of her parents made any efforts too. She shows tremendous concern for her grandchild. She tries her best to protect Janie because as she grew up she was a slave and knows exactly how cruel the world can be and that’s not what she wants Janie to experience. Not only that, she fears that Janie will end up just like her mother. One scene in the novel Nanny catches Janie kissing Johnny Taylor and right then she makes the decision to arrange Janie to marry Logan Killicks. "Dat’s what makes me skeered. You don’t mean no harm. You don’t even know where harm is at. Ah’m ole now. Ah can’t be always guidin’ yo’ feet from harm and danger. Ah wants to see you married right away." (Hurston 31). She wants to make sure that Janie life is all set before she dies because she doesn’t want her to struggle or suffer. Logan Killicks is way more wealthier than Johnny which will give Janie a more suitable life. Nanny just looks out for Janie’s best interest, she’s not trying to take control of her life. Janie however just wants to be a normal teenager and experience life on her own. She wants to have more freedom, she’s not even thinking about marriage. The literary device that can best describe Nanny is diction. Nanny represents the old south and that’s clearly stated by the way that she talks and her dialect. She would say things like, "Yeah, Janie, youse got yo’ womanhood on yuh. So Ah mout ez well tell yuh whut Ah been savin’ up for uh spell. Ah wants to see you married right away." This not only creates an image but also helps give an understanding of her attitude and background
ReplyDeleteThe character Jody in Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is complex. He meets Janie when she is still living with her husband Logan, and she is desperately seeking escape. Jody provides that for her, with promises of a fresh start and a better life. When Jody becomes mayor of Eatonville, it is apparent that he is insecure, and needs to feel like he is better than the people of the town. Jody's feelings about women are revealed in his arguments with Janie. He tells her, "When Ah see one thing Ah understands ten. You see ten things and don't understand one," (Hurston 71). In this statement, Hurston uses parallelism to explain Jody's view on Janie. This parallelism creates contrast, which extends to the contrast between Jody and Janie. The statement is also ironic, because the reader knows that it is Janie who truly understands the deeper questions in life, while Jody doesn't understand enough to even ask the questions.
ReplyDeleteJanie Mae Crawford is the main protagonist in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes were Watching God. Janie’s hair is a symbol used in the novel because it represents a break from tradition. She is an African American woman but unlike the other women in Eatonville, her hair is Caucasian-like and worn long down her back. A look thought to be too young for Janie once she is in her thirties and forties. Janie also goes against tradition by wearing overalls which breaks the gender stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteJanie doesn’t have a place where she completely fits in but eventually comes to terms with it and lives her life unconcerned with it. After Tea Cake is gone she is able to realize she doesn’t need a man to be happy. Janie is finally content with her life now that she is alone. Being with Tea Cake made her happy with herself and even though it was somewhat short lived, Janie is left content and pleased with herself for herself.