Summer Reading Assignment, Their Eyes Were Watching God: all levels
FOR COMPOSITION AND INTERMEDIATE COMPOSITION STUDENTS:
Part 1: Annotations
Please refer to the website for guidelines and strategies on annotating your text. All students must do the annotations assignment.
Part 2: Blog Posts
Throughout the process of reading, you should respond to the novel by posting comments on the English Department Blog (accessible through the Maybeck website and at http://hurstonzn.blogspot.com). Responses may vary in length, but the cumulative total should be between 1½ and 2 typed, double-spaced pages in 12-point Times New Roman font. Your posts may include analytical responses to particular passages as well as your general impressions, feelings, and questions about the novel. In addition, please feel free to respond to one another. This is a place for a dialogue about the novel so that summer reading is a communal experience. Also, you will need to spread out your posts to cover various points in the novel; you may not write one long entry. In order to receive credit, you must submit a total of 6 posts on the following schedule:
DUE DATE: NUMBER OF POSTS:
July 15th 1 or 2
August 1st 1 or 2
August 15th 1 or 2
September 1st 1 or 2
If you are in 9th Grade Composition, please contact Nina at ninal@maybeckhs.org with any questions.
If you are in Intermediate Composition, please contact Katie at katief@maybeckhs.org with any questions.
FOR LITERATURE AND ADVANCED ENGLISH STUDENTS
Part 1 Annotations
Please refer to the website for guidelines and strategies on annotating your text. All students must do the annotations assignment.
Part 2 Blog Posts: 4 substantive posts + 8 brief posts
Throughout the process of reading and annotating, you will engage in a dialogue about the novel with other members of the Maybeck community by posting comments on the English Department Blog.
Six substantive posts
As a way to synthesize your thoughts on the novel and to spark discussion, you are to post at least four (4) substantive blog entries in which you cite and discuss a specific passage from the novel. Each of these posts should be about 150-200 words, according to the following due date schedule:
Blog Entry # Due Date
Blog Entry #1 July 15th
Blog Entry #2 August 1st
Blog Entry #3 August 15th
Blog Entry #4 September 1st
Your posts may include analytical responses as well as general impressions, feelings, and questions about the novel. Be sure that each of your blog entries addresses quoted material from the text along with page numbers. Keep in mind that for these longer blog entries you will need to spread out your posts to cover various points in the novel; you may not write one long entry.
Eight brief posts
In addition, you are also to post a total of eight (8) brief blog entries that comment on issues raised in one another’s blog postings at any point throughout the summer. Remember that the blog is a place to dialogue about the novel so that summer reading is a communal experience. You may post more than eight brief entries if you wish.
If you are in Literature and have questions on any aspect of this assignment, feel free to e-mail rosemaryd@maybeckhs.org
If you are in Advanced English and have questions, please feel free to email Michael (michaeld@maybeckhs.org), Nina (ninal@maybeckhs.org), Katie (katief@maybeckhs.org), or Rosemary (rosemaryd@maybeckhs.org).
Lehna Cohen
ReplyDeleteJuly 4th, 2011
I have never been one for a prolonged story. After flipping and skimming through numerous pages I was ready to put the book down and take a nap. But instead I kept my eyes glued to the page. For every book I read I always have a very full formed opinion as to why I either like it or dislike. Furthermore, I will explain to anyone who is reading why this is not a book I would have finished reading in normal circumstances.
After coming to the first few pages I had come to observe that the way Hurston writes is with great amounts of detail. I have always been one to appreciate straight forwardness in an author, for example Octavia Butler. While both respected authors, I did not appreciate Hurston's technique. The story, in my opinion, did not flow nor did it paint a picture inside my head of the happenings in the book. Instead, I found myself rereading a couple paragraphs to be sure of the concept Hurston was trying to display. Though I did find the comparison of buttocks and grapefruit to be amusing, I did not enjoy the book until the second chapter. It was then I had more of an understanding of who Janie is and what her environment seems to be. Furthermore, the characters in the story began to blossom. The dialog, though difficult to understand was colorful and fulfilling. I still have a lot of questions waiting to be answered, most corresponding to the fact that I have a hard time comprehending the text. I look forward to understanding the message Zora Neale Hurston is trying to display.
I am really sorry if this is not the right place to post. I didn't see any alternatives but if I am mistaken I will correct it as soon as I can. It is always awkward being the first one to post.
Michael Ritchie
ReplyDeleteSummer reading
7/15/11
Advanced English
In the early chapters of the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston the character Jaine talks about the gossiping of women and how romance is the single largest part of their gossiping.. While Jaine is hiding from her chores beneath a blooming pear tree in her grandmother’s back yard she comes to a notices a bee going to one of the blooms, “she saw a dust bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace” (P11). In the previous chapter a group of gossiping women also focused on the aspects of Jaine’s romance with the no-face character of “tea cake”. Both the gossiping women of the port-town near Jaine’s house and the pear tree blossoms look into the romance despite the fact that it isn’t necessarily their business. Even if the two are similar, they are different, while the plants look on as sisters and are happy for the primary bloom, the gossiping women try to take the romance and turn it into something wicked and evil for their own malicious reasons.
I also hope this is the right spot, since it is un-labeled as to where the blogposts go.
Mack Goldstone-Hersch
ReplyDeleteJuly 15, 2011
I believe that this novel is a great way to learn about the culture of the time. The dialect was hard to understand at first, but I quickly grew accustomed to it. When Janie's grandmother tells her that she must marry Mr. Killicks, I can understand why she would not want to go through with it. I do not understand why Janie was so open to leaving her husband for a man she just met, but it may be because she never wanted to marry Logan in the first place.
Benjamin Abbott
ReplyDeleteJuly 15, 2011
(I am very sorry for the late post. I had the post ready yesterday and was going to post it this morning but I slept in very late after the HP7 premier last night.)
When I first picked up my copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God I must say I was a bit hesitant about reading it. I usually appreciate a more direct style of writing than Hurston's and after reading the epilogue and first chapter I was slightly worried about whether or not I would enjoy the book.
The first chapter was slightly discouraging with not much character development and somewhat strange dialogue. After the first chapter the book gets more interesting and very much more enjoyable. I still find the way the dialogue is written to be a touch frustrating when I read it. The over all writing style seems a little drawn out but pretty nice. I greatly enjoyed the characters once their personalities became more developed. I do enjoy the humor of the book greatly. So far the book has been enjoyable and a nice read, and I'm hoping it continues to get better.
(I am hoping this is the right place to post this)
Mack Goldstone-Hersch
ReplyDeleteAugust 1st, 2011
I think that, although he is trying his best, Mr. Starks s not a very effective mayor. One of the most important things about being a mayor is having the support of the people, and I do not think that he has that. Most of the people think he should not build a post office, or have more land. I understand that these things are important, and should be in the town, but I think that Mr. Starks should try to convince people that what he is doing is right, before he does it.
When we reach the small black-only town in chapters 4-10 we learn about a strong willed man named Joe Starks. While he may not have the full town support he does however in fact have a dominating control over the villagers. The only exception to his dominance is his wife later on in the village chapters, but early on Jaine is very separate and sheltered. Joe tries to keep his wife out of the affairs of others and more often than not sends his wife to run the store or make up some miniscule notations that are more for getting out of the way than actually being useful. When she does not do as he exactly pleases though, he makes sure to point it out and uses it to lower her standing in the eyes of others as well as to re-assert Joe’s dominance over Jaine. The Incident involving the cutting of a plug of tobacco is a prime example of Joe’s attempts to assert his dominance when Jaine is just beginning to cultivate a temper and attitude towards Joe.
ReplyDeleteMack Goldstone-Hersch
ReplyDeleteAugust 13th, 2011
The changes in the character of Mr. Starks, and how he treats Janie, are incredibly noticeable. He starts out wanting her to be happy, and promises to buy her beautiful dresses and let her sit at home all day while he works. When he becomes a mayor, however, he starts treating her with worse and worse, and she grows increasingly unhappy. He excludes her from his conversations, and hates it when she talks to the townspeople. Eventually He becomes frustrated at Janie, and slaps her. I think that this is when she realizes he is not treating her the way she deserves to be treated.
Mack Goldstone-Hersch
ReplyDeleteAugust 14th, 2011
Janie’s husband Joe Starks is a large influence on how she matures. He convinces her to not speak out of turn, and to do as he says no matter what. Eventually, Janie decides to stand up to him, and verbally abuses him in public. She points out how old he is, and how he should not be commenting on how she has aged. Soon afterwards, Mr. Starks discovers that he is having kidney failure, and seeks the help of any doctor he can find. Janie, hoping to make peace with him before he dies, tries to talk with him about their marriage. He realizes he will not survive, and, soon after, he passes.
Mack Goldstone-Hersch
ReplyDeleteAugust 29th, 2011
After Mr. Starks dies, Janie continues to work at the store, and participate in the town. One day, when she is working in her store, a man who calls himself Tea Cake walks in. They quickly become friends, and the two are eventually married. Janie moves away with Tea Cake, but soon after he disappears, taking her money with him. As she begins to believe that he ran off with her money, he returns and recounts his day to her. She is still slightly upset that he took money from her, so he promises to make it back by gambling. Tea Cake returns successful, however a man with a knife had wounded him, and goes to his bed to rest.
Mack Goldstone-Hersch
ReplyDeleteSeptember 1st, 2011
I think that the ending of the book is very tragic. Even though I knew that Tea Cake was going to die, it was still surprising when it happened. It seems especially depressing that he survived the storm, and the dog attack, only to be killed later on. I understand that Janie did what she had to do, and that he would not have survived anyways, however I feel like he deserved much better. It was unclear what happened to Janie when he bit her, but, as she was still alive after several months, I assume she never contracted rabies.
The ending of the book is two things, sudden and unusual. the death of Tea Cake is an unusual thing being that it had no leading signs except a minor notation of the dog actually biting him. I feel that the author did not emphasis the severity of Tea Cake's biting well enough to get the audience's attention and make them wonder about it. To be honest I only realized what had happened to Tea cake after going back to read the circumstances surrounding the hurricane and the dog several times. Another minor notation to be made despite it's lack of importance is that Tea Cake died only because of Jaine's incapability to swim.
ReplyDelete