9
January
2009
This poem was very upsetting and shows the reader how miserable life really was for the residents of Spoon River. When a mother and child die during birth it is a sad bitter thing that can leave many people scared. However Elizabeth views it differently, she is in fact relieved that her child did not live as she cannot imagine all the terrible things life has to offer. If you are dead and you cannot look back on the life you led and cannot say at the very least that it was worth it, then there indeed is something wrong with the town you grew up in and called home.
Abel Melveny has a similar story as he compares his life to one of his work tools that was never used.
“I saw myself as a good machine
That Life had never used.” pg. 78
The American Dream talks about reaching out for something, having some form of goal to obtain that you are always striving for. In the other books from this year, many of the characters failed just as the people in Spoon River had. The difference is that many people in Spoon River did not even try to reach that goal or did not notice there was a goal to be reached. Even if Tom Buchanan realizes his life was pathetic and that he was not a very good person, he still can look back and realize that he accomplished something. It is unfair to yourself to say that your life was never used.
Posted under Connections, Spoon River Anthology
7
January
2009
George Grey
“…To put meaning to one’s life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire-
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid…” pg. 30
George speaks of life without meaning and how although it is inevitable, it is also impossible to live through. He recalls different instances of his life where he was faced with a new emotion or a challenge and how he coward away from them. Yet all the while he was thinking about the meaning of his life. This was George’s problem. He thought too much about what he should do and what was coming ahead that he missed all the events in the present.
His metaphor of life and a boat is this. Destiny is not a set path in your future, but like the waves will set you on different courses and on different adventures. If you are on a boat in the middle of the sea you have no choice but to accept your surroundings and make the best of it. However in life you have the chance to walk blind eyed through them, and this is what George believed he did.
On George’s grave stone is a picture of a boat in a harbor. However he recognizes that this is not where he has ended up but that is the story of life itself. Perhaps if he was still living he would have accepted life the way it was and would have “rolled with the punches” destiny flew his way. George is telling the reader to not believe there is a set path in life and thus seize the opportunity if it arises.
This connects with the other books read in class in them, the characters are doing what George is saying. Ahab goes after the whale and Ishmael goes out to sea to have a change in life. Gatsby goes after the girl. Janie becomes a strong women as she follows her heart to different men and life styles. Even in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ben does not let his odd life bring him down but instead he goes out and succeeds. All these characters live life in the moment rather than worrying about what is coming ahead. With this mindset, they all go after their American dream and fight for what they want rather than sit back and expect something to happen to them.
Posted under Connections, Spoon River Anthology
5
January
2009
In many of the stories we have read, a character reaches their goal and it is then taken away, or it is never reached. Several of the poems in Spoon River Anthology follow this same idea. Doc Meyers recalls his life as blessed.
“I was good-hearted, easy Doctor Meyers
I was healthy, happy, in a comfortable fortune,
Blest with a congenial mate, my children raised,
All wedded, doing well in the world.” pg 12
However one night Minerva came into the Doctors office with a problem that Doc Meyers could not solve. From this point on the town forgot about how good a man Doc Meyers had been an instead began writing things and talking about his hand in killing Minerva. This persecution drove Meyers to phenomena and ultimately his death.
Similarly to Janie, Doc Meyers was only trying to live his life the way it had fallen and to both of them, it had worked out quite well. Janie was living comfortably with the man she loved and Doc Meyers had a respected job and position in the town as well as a loving family. However after a series of events the comfort had to come to an end as Janie was forced to kill Tea Cake and Doc Meyers was forced into a sickness after being blamed for a death. For a little while Janie was being blamed for murdering Tea Cake however she got out of punishment when Tea Cake’s condition was learned. Only in Minerva’s testimony do we hear the real side of the story that could have saved his job and therefore his life.
Posted under Connections, Spoon River Anthology
17
December
2008
For the time Janie was living with her Grandmother, many things were were pushed upon her. Janie was forced to marry at the tender age of 16, and was constantly reminded by Granny of the life she could have had if born just a few decades earlier. All parents say, “back in my day….blah blah blah” however after our discussion in class today, i may understand why.
How am I, a Jewish teenager in 2008, supposed to know how lucky i am to be free to practice my religion and even walk outside without fear? How is a black child supposed to know that their college education is a blessing to their grandparents? How is someone supposed to know that the fact that Barack Obama is our 44th president an amazing moment in the world? The answer is a story. Stories have been told and then written down for centuries and they allow the generation of the present to learn about the generation of the past. Stories then allow us to compare our lives today and how our lives would have been if we lived in the previous generation.
It may seem that our system of books is old and not up to date in school and that perhaps our district is living too much in the past. However it is so important for us to learn and understand the past to understand why other things have happened in the future.
By understanding the past we are able to appreciate the present.
Posted under Connections, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
14
December
2008
A lot happens in these few chapters including an attempted intervention by Janie’s friend Phoebe, who we saw in the beginning of the book for a short time. The people of the town cannot understand why Janie would act in such free, outgoing ways, just 9 short months after the death of her husband. However what the people don’t know are the true feelings that existed between Joe and Janie and how she is actually happier without him.
“Ah ain’t grievin’ so why do Ah hafta mourn?” (pg. 113) ~ Janie to Phoebe when Phoebe questions her lack of black clothing and new blue style
Is it true that all families have their own problems? Even the ones we are supposed to look up to and admire, such as a mayor’s family? I think so. Just recently I learned a whole lot of garbage that has been going around a family that i know. I used to think their life was perfect with lots of kids, grandparents, and all living within 20 minutes of each other so a family dinner or activity was a breeze. However my vision is not true. I was shocked when i learned this as i always used to be embarrassed by my own family, believing we were not up to par. I used to be embarrassed with myself as I believed all the other girls my age were too good for me. However there can never be a perfect family, even if they make everything seem fine on the outside. Janie’s family was never perfect, and although they were able to fool the people of Eatonville, she was not able to fool herself.
“…buy Jody wouldn’t ‘low me tuh. When Ah wasn’t in de store he wanted me tuh jes sit wid folded hands and sit dere. And Ah’d sit dere wid de walls creepin’ up on me and squeezin’ all de life outa me.” (pg. 112)
Hurston makes it easy to see the transformation of “sit at home proper women Janie” to “free, fun loving, life loving Janie.”
“He drifted off into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.” (pg. 128)
For the first time in Janie’s life, she is taking direction of her life herself. She is finally happy and content with where she is in life with Tea Cake. And although she will not live in a big house, with plenty of furnishings, and her own little spit cup, she is living happily as her own free women.
Posted under Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
11
December
2008
This group of chapters represents a bitter yet sweet ending. I do not believe Janie ever loved Jody, not even when they ran off together from Logan’s house. She loved the idea of him, the life that she believed was possible if she was with him. However after 20 or so years of silence, hate, and anger, Jody died, leaving Janie with everything he owned, including the store. I also said this was a sweet ending. Janie for the first time in about 30 years was free of a man, and in the first time in her life, free from a guardian at all. The first thing she did when Jody died was take her hair down. It shows that she is no longer bound up and all tied up like her hair was, but she was able to go free, let loose a little, and live life the way she wants to. Some changes include wearing her hair down in a braid, and at night leaving the store to go on the porch and have fun with the rest of the town. Jody’s death will be good for her however with the entrance of Tea Cake, makes me wonder if she will be single for much longer.
“Here Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon-for no matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you-and pinched it in to such a little bit of a thing that she could tie it about her granddaughter’s neck tight enough to choke her. Se hated the old women who had twisted her so in the name of love. Most humans didn’t love one another nohow, and this mislove was so strong that even common blood couldn’t overcome it all the time.” pg 89-90
When Janie talked about her dream being broken in the first few chapters was a bit confusing. However now with this quote i understand. Janie’s dream was love. However with all that has happened with her “parents”, her husbands, and now her grandmother, it is hard to believe in something you have never seen come true. Janie does not trust her grandmothers love as she questions the “old women’s” motives as she believes she has taken the greatest thing in the world and choked her with it. Janie feels dead inside as she cannot feel love, or see love anymore.
Janie says she has a jewel inside of her that wants to shine however it has been stifled by the store (a symbol of constraint and “mislove”). Her jewel is her love and thus when Tea Cake comes and sweeps Janie off her feet, she can feel the Jewel shinning as she begins to believe as she did when she was a little girl. She begins to believe in love.
Posted under Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
10
December
2008
Every great book has a symbol. In Moby Dick, the doubloon symbolized hope for many of the men. It represented religion and everything the men were fight for on the Pequod and off. In The Great Gatsby the green light symbolized something so great that you can never have. It showed your dreams and goals always two steps ahead of you. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, I found that the porch in front of the town building represents a different culture. There people go not only to gossip but to have fun. They do not have any bars or parties to go to, there is no cineplex or restaurant to spend some time. Instead they meet up at the porch every day at about the same time. The Porch was not always there. It was created by Stark when he moved to the town and demanded a central point. It shows the progress the people have made in the town and how they can all live together in peace and guidance.
The people of this town are fine with having the porch as a central spot. HoweverJanie is not. She is too restless in her position of running the store. The porch is stable and will not move. It is contained and will never grow any more or become broader. This is how Janie feels being married to Stark. She feels trapped in a life she believed she wanted for herself. Howevershe learned the harsh truth as she did not feel free enough as a woman and as Starks wife. She wants to grow and move around the town and get to know things, however her husband is holding her back. He is too interested in being the perfect mayor, or at least the perfect man. That is why he gets so upset when Janie crosses him at the store.
“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.” (pg. 80)
Janie and Jody are two verystrong individuals. Janie knows her place as a woman and is fine with doing the cooking and such, however cannot stand being told what to do. She needs her own voice and her own freedom. This is something she only had as a girl growing up that ended with her first marriage. Jody is an extremely strong man. Although i believe he means well, he is to certain on the image he has for himself, his wife, and his town, and thus any little disappointment or change will not suit him. Seeing as people are NOT perfect, it is very hard for others, especially Jamie, to follow his ideals.
Posted under Connections, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
9
December
2008
These chapters show the inevitable. Janie was too unhappy with her husband so when a well-dressed, wealthy stranger came down the road one day, she was more than swept off her feet. Janie’s new husband, Joe Starks, is a restless man who is looking for the opportunity to be involved with the creation of a new, all black, town. When they arrive, they see that the town is in total ruin as they do not even have a mayor. Joe talks about bringing things to the town, such as a post office, which some of the local men find difficult to comprehend.
“Us talks about de white man keepin’ us down! Shucks! He don’t have tuh. Us keeps our own selves down.” (pg. 39)
It is hard to believe this however when one of the towns men says it, the other agrees. This town is so old and full of people who do not see a future for themselves. However with the arrival of Joe Starks, they begin to see and help with the change that is occurring in their town.
With all leaders, good or bad, there are bound to be people who disagree with the current leadership. However in this town, the people have never encountered a strong leader before and thus feel threatened by Starks. The men talk about how they feel pushed around and how the mayor has so many benefits while the others work. From my stand point Starks is a great leader however the people have never seen something like this before and thus immidietly identify him as a threat. Although Joe does seem to be drawn to power, so does every other leader in history. Hopefully Joe will realize this mistrust coming from the towns people or else i fear for his job, his home, and his life. And now that Janie is his wife, there is much more at stake as he is responsible for more than just himself no matter what.
“They bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again he was all of these things because the town bowed down.” (pg.50)
Posted under Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
7
December
2008
The purpose of the first two chapters was to give an in site into who our main character, Janie, is and where she comes from. We learn about her difficult life of being raised by her grandmother and being the product of a rape. In class we discussed how many African Americans who read this book were offended however we could not understand why. I do not believe the reason for this hostility was based on the language used in the book as many of the words are slurred “Ah takes dat flattery offa you, Pheoby, ’cause Ah know it’s from de heart.” pg 5. Instead the harsh feelings come from the story behind the people. Just from the first few chapters it seems like the only thing these people do is sit and gossip about another person in the town. From Janie’s story about growing up, we only see a story about a young women whose daughter was raped and had a child. The women who was raped became a drunk and left her baby in the hands of her mother. And in the present day, no one knows where she lives, and if she is even alive.
The core story of the book so far is not flattering at all for the people who live that life. All these characters are African American which could explain why the black community was not thrilled with the publication of this book.
Just as in The Great Gatsby and Moby Dick, there is a person (Nick/Gatsby and Ishmael) who go into a situation, or new society they are not familiar with (West egg and the Pequod). We see this pattern again in Their Eyes Were Watching God as although Janie lives in this town with the same people as before she left, they see her in a different light now as she returns in dirty cloths and man-free. It will be difficult for Janie to continue her life here as there are so many people who already know her past, but do not know what has happened since she left the town with a younger man.
Posted under Connections, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
25
November
2008
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – last page, last sentence
This sentence brought up some discussion in class and when i stated my opinion about it, it was contradicted by another student. I hope that in this blog i am able to explain my opinion and defend my interpretation of the this quote.
The first part of this sentence may seem optimistic, “so we beat on.” It shows that although this summer was full of questions and drama, people are able to continue their lives and still push to reach the “green light” or the “American dream.” Fitzgerald knows it will not be easy and thus “boats against the current” suggests that the dream will not just be given out, like we saw with the other characters in this book. However the last part of the sentence puts a melancholy outlook onto the expression. “Borne ceaselessly into the past.” The characters (that have lived through the current events) are able to move on from what happened to the Wilson’s and Gatsby, however maybe too soon. Characters such as Tom and Daisy have proved to not care about others feelings and will mess things up, leaving the ruins for other people. Tom certainly has forgotten Gatsby as he did not value his life. Gatsby’s one friend, the man who threw the baseball game, could not attend the funeral because he was afraid of what people would say and another man could not go because he was going to be on a picnic. People of West and East egg have no souls to mourn over a loss that occurred brutally. This has a negative outlook on how these people will continue their lives and brings up the question of how many more times events like these will occur.
The characters are receding back into the past. A time when nothing was said and everything just swept under the carpet. It was a time when Daisy was miserable in a life that she believed she was too smart and aware for. It was a time when Tom would go off, have affairs and there was nothing Daisy could or would do. It was a time without parties, without a social life that brought people together. And with the great depression approaching, it was the last glimpse of hope for many of the people. It is impossible to go back into the past. We saw this with Gatsby as he wanted to re-create the past during a time when Daisy loved him. We saw this with Wilson as he attempted to fulfill a dream of Myrtles when they first got married, before Tom may have entered the picture. So when Fitzgerald writes, “borne ceaselessly into the past” it will not be the same past in any way. Although they try not to be affected, it is impossible to erase Gatsby from their memory, and it is impossible for Tom to forget what Daisy said that night in the hotel room.
The characters in the Great Gatsby were miserable before Nick came. And now with the events that took place behind them, there is even more to be hurt about. So when a classmate said that the last sentence was optimistic, that perhaps the inhabitants of West and East egg were going to be able to continue on toward their dreams, i ask, how are they going to move forward toward this dream if they were not able to express their feelings before all these problems occurred. Tom and Daisy and Jordan will not be able to move toward their dream as they must move forward in order to do so. Instead they are receding, going back into their old habits of being rich and doing nothing.
That is why i think the last sentence of the Great Gatsby is fearful for the lives ahead of the remaining characters, as Fitzgerald and Nick alike know that nothing will ever change.
Posted under The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
