Journal 11

The following is how I am going to tab The Stranger.  I'm going to tab the mersault's expectations, spots where I think Camus is expressing existentialism, motif of sleep, motif of time and also I'm going to tab spots where Meursault's importance is placed mostly or totally on physical ideas or things.  Lastly, i'll also tab where emphasis is put on certain parts.

Yellow: Meusuralt's expectations of those around him (reactions)
Orange: Examples of how certain parts are given subtle emphasis.
Large Yellow with explanation: Existentialism with detail
Blue: Motif of sleep
Green: Motif of time

Journal 10

Theme: In any case of societal oppression the effects are elongated and caused in equal part by the oppressed as the oppressor. 
(I may clarify types of societal oppression (sexist, racist,)
I will not be referring completely to slavery because while touching on it in Their Eyes Were Watching God, I believe Hurston was talking about all types of oppression, whether it be between husband and wife or slave and slave owner. 

1.  ""Us colored folks is too envious of one 'nother.  Dat's how come us don't git no further than us do.  Us talks about de white man keepin' us down!  Shucks!  He don't have tuh.  Us keeps our own selves down."" [39]

2.  ""So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don’t tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule ud de world so fur as Ah can see."" [14]

3.  "Six months back he had told her, "If Ah kin haul de wood heah and chop it fuh yuh, look lak you oughta be able tuh tote it inside. Mah fust wife never bothered me ‘bout choppin’ no wood nohow. She’d grab dat ax and sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten."  So Janie had told him, "Ah’m just as stiff as you is stout. If you can stand not to chop and tote wood Ah reckon you can stand not to git no dinner. ‘Scuse mah freezolity, Mist’ Killicks, but Ah don’t mean to chop de first chip."" [26]

4.  ""You behind a plow! You ain’t got no mo’ business wid uh plow than uh hog is got wid uh holiday! You ain’t got no business cuttin’ up no seed p’taters neither. A pretty doll-baby lak you is made to sit on de front porch and rock and fan yo’self and eat p’taters dat other folks plant just special for you."" [29]

5.  "Janie got up with him the next morning and had the breakfast halfway done when he bellowed from the barn.  "Janie!" Logan called harshly. "Come help me move dis manure pile befo’ de sun gits hot. You don’t take a bit of interest in dis place. ‘Tain’t no use in foolin’ round in dat kitchen all day long…" "You don’t need mah help out dere, Logan. Youse in yo’ place and Ah’m in mine." "You ain’t got no particular place. It’s wherever Ah need yuh. Git uh move on yuh, and dat quick." [31]   6.  "This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. But Jody was set on it. Her hair was NOT going to show in the store. It didn’t seem sensible at all. That was because Joe never told Janie how jealous he was. He never told her how often he had seen the other men figuratively wallowing in it as she went about things in the store. And one night he had caught Walter standing behind and brushing the back of his hand back and forth across the loose end of her braid ever so lightly so as to enjoy the feel of it without Janie knowing what he was doing. Joe was at the back of the store and Walter didn’t see him. He felt like rushing forth with the meat knife and chopping off the offending hand. That night he ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store. That was all. She was there in the store for him to look at, not those others." [55] 7.  ""I god, Janie," Starks said impatiently, "why don’t you go on and see whut Mrs. Bogle want? Whut you waitin’ on?"  Janie wanted to hear the rest of the play-acting and how it ended, but she got up sullenly and went inside. She came back to the porch with her bristles sticking out all over her and with dissatisfaction written all over her face. Joe saw it and lifted his own hackles a bit. [70] 8.  ""Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho don’t think none theirselves." "Ah knows uh few things, and womenfolks thinks sometimes too!" "Aw naw they don’t. They just think they’s thinkin’. When Ah see one thing Ah understands ten. You see ten things and don’t understand one."" [71] 9.  "He wanted her submission and he’d keep on fighting until he felt he had it.  So gradually, she pressed her teeth together and learned to hush. The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor. It was there to shake hands whenever company came to visit, but it never went back inside the bedroom again."  [71] 10.  "Janie did what she had never done before, that is, thrust herself into the conversation. "Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He told me how surprised He was ‘bout y’all turning out so smart after Him makin’ yuh different; and how surprised y’all is goin’ tuh be if you ever find out you don’t know half as much ‘bout us as you think you do. It’s so easy to make yo’self out God Almighty when you ain’t got nothin’ tuh strain against but women and chickens." "You getting’ too moufy, Janie," Starks told her. "Go fetch me de checker-board and de checkers.""  [75]

Journal 9

The dark ominous clouds drifted above.  Rain struck the roof of the nearby shack, as Walton and Sarah passed through the field.  Sarah squinted her grim eyes as rain drops splattered on her blue-green puddles. 
"Stay outside," Sarah told Walton, and he did just that, setting up a camp about 200 yard from the shack.  Smoke billowed out of the brick chimney which protruded out of the rain-soaked roof.  Sarah approached and a warm feeling of remembrance shot through her veins.  But as she knocked on the old wooden door, the impact reminded her of the present situation.  No answer, Thunder roared.  Sarah desperately tried again, she was in dire need of the listening ear of her old friend.  The door creaked and Sarah was welcomed by a smiling face. 
"My, it has been years!" Mae exclaimed, "In, in!"  Sarah stepped in the house.  The humid air blanketed her on all sides, and the elegant red and purple room was the same of her childhood. 
"What brings you all this way my dear Sarah?"
"It's about Walton."
"Oh what is it, marriage advise?  Oh my!"
"No Mae sadly I have made up my mind, I seek not suggestion simply reinforcement that I am not crazy."
"What troubles you?"
"Two years ago I was on track to graduate college in the big city, and I was happy as can be.  I was going to be the first in my family.  Then one day Walton came home talking these big words about providing for me and me not having to work a day in my life.  The sincerity in his eyes drew my naive self and I thought I had it made.  But come about five months ago, I asked for some money to go buy our big city friend Krista a birthday present, and he said he was tired of giving me money I didn't earn for things I don't need.  Ever since that day, he only supports me financially and emotionally in buying the weekly groceries.  I've lost my freedom, and I have no way of going back to school, because I have no money."
"So what is your plan?"
"I have to get rid of him Mae."
"Where is he at?"
"Right outside."
"Do do what you need to do."
As Sarah stood up to walk outside, she noticed the pitter patter of rain on the shack roof had stopped, and tension on the old shack seem to be released.  She opened the door and greeted the grey sky with an indifferent face.  She approached the newly set up tent.  Little rain drops grazed her shoulders anew.
"Walton?"
Walton stepped out of the tent.
"Yes?"
"We need to talk."
"Here? Now?"
"Yes.  I have nothing.  You've taken over my physical life, and my emotional life, and that's not ok."
"Your crazy"
"I'm leaving you Walton"
Walton pulled back, anger spread on his face.  As Sarah watched the closed fist and its source, she felt pity and sorrow.  Pity, for what the once great man had become, and sorrow for the loss of them.  The loss of what she viewed as love.  Impact was imminent.  The rain had picked up, Sarah squinted her eyes as the fist connected, bloodying her face.  She lay on the ground, not sobbing, not laughing, straight faced.  Thunder roared.

The theme I used was that if there is not an equal sharing of power in a relationship, time will break that relationship.  And the techniques I used are:

• Dialogue-  Hurston uses dialogue to show changes in the relationships between characters.  I did this by showing that at one point Walton was nice and conscious of the language he used with Sarah, and now he could care less.
• Tone-  I mostly set the tone with the ominous sky, elegant room, and the changing of the weather.  By using connotations of different elements of nature, Hurston often sets a tone simply by the scene the characters are in.  This can lead to other techniques like foreshadowing, as mine did. 
• Confidant-  Mae serves as a confidant for Sarah here.  Hurston uses Pheoby as a confidant so the antagonist can share a more detailed opinion on the relationship developments and plot line, while fitting smoothly into the plot line itself, and not causing an abrupt stop in the story.  Here Sarah tells Mae how she was naive and that lead to her misjudgement. 

Journal 8

""We got a rich man round here, then.  Buyin' passenger trains uh battleships this week?" 
"Which one do you want?  It all depends on you." 
"Oh, if you'se treatin' me to it, Ah b'lieve Ah'll take de passenger train.  If it blow up Ah'll still be on land."
"Choose de battleship if dat's whut you really want.  Ah know where one is right now.  Seen one round Key West de other day."
"How's you gointuh git it?"
"Ah shucks, dem Admirals is always ole folks.  Can't no ole man stop me from gittin' no ship for yuh if dat's whut you want.  Ah'd git dat ship out from under him so slick till he'd be walkin' de water lake ole Peter befo' he knowed it."
 [101]

This is a conversation between Tea Cake and Janie on Tea Cake's second visit to the store.  The conversation is a joke about how Tea Cake will spend all his money that he has earned from his job.  The first thing Hurston is doing here is using a dialogue between the antagonist and a main character.  This serves to provide a slight comedic relief to the story, but mostly to show character development.  Because Janie had intentions of being cold towards Tea Cake, this creates a more "true love" feel between the two, because of the fact that Janie simply couldn't help but have a friendly conversation as they hit it off.

Another thing this does is sets a tone for not only the scene that follows the conversation (where Janie and Tea Cake have a extended night and go midnight fishing) but sets a tone for their relationship in general.  As stated above, Janie had all intentions of being bitter towards Tea Cake because she believed she was being made a fool of, but that quickly changed once the chemistry between them set in.  In effect, Hurston used this to change the relationship (at least in the mind of the antagonist) from mean and unforgiving to joyful and passionate.

""Jody classed me off.  Ah didn't.  Naw, Pheoby, Tea Cake ain't draggin' me off nowhere Ah don't want to go.  Ah always did want tuh git round uh whole heap, but 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 der wid de walls creepin' up on me and squeezin' all de life outa me.  Pheoby, dese educated women got uh heap of things to sit down and consider.  Somebody done tole 'em what to set down for.  Nobody ain't told poor me, so sittin' still worries me.  Ah wants tuh utilize mahself all over"" [112]

Here Janie is describing to Pheoby the relationship between her and Joe, and why it did not work out, and also, defending Tea Cake.  By telling her deep emotions about how Joe oppressed her because she was a women and how she hated sitting tending the store, Janie is using Pheoby as a confidant.  Hurston uses the confidant to help reestablish the emotions and feelings of the antagonist on a more personal level than the third person omniscient narrator.  Another reason Hurston could have used a confidant is to show that Pheoby is really the only person Janie trusted completely, the only person with whom she knew she was safe from judgement.

Journal 7

Then Josiah began to evaluate pity.  Pity, that two sided creature with the tender, loving heart that abides in the moral.  The fantastic entity residing in the depths of our souls, in a barred cage.  Why does pity need a lock, and what chains can keep it down?  He lingers in his cage, contemplating the events around him.  Scratching at the bars anticipating constantly with his gracious heart outreached, remaining until the jail keep sets him free.  Breathing prior to the creation of the universe, before there where minutes or people to count them.  Josiah was likely to spot a track from his paws in his snowy trail very soon.  He was also dejected and aghast.   Ill-fated Lenny!  He shouldn't have to face this by himself.  He summoned Trisha to mention a donation, but Lenny declined.  The money bearing well wishers assisted on the surface, but knew not the pain below.  He'd survive once the surprising chaos of the situation had run its cruel course.  He wasn't forever separated from them after all.  Rather, that's what he thought.  But Trisha told Josiah otherwise, and he was informed.  Had he not been, in the following weeks he was destined to notice, for sorrow began to show upon Lenny's face.  The perpetually subdued sadness had trickled uncontested out in a gradual, agonizing stream.  Just puddled and lingered.  Sorrow, that cold hearted serpent had suffocated his soul.

I related this to a tragic loss a friend of mine had just endured, the loss of his two children in a car crash.  I used Hurston's style and structure to convey sometimes subtle and sometimes obvious emotion that was relevant to what I felt for my friend, pity.  And also about the inevitable sorrow that comes along with it.

Journal 6

"Death, that strange being with the huge square toes who lived way in the West. The great one who lived in the straight house like a platform without sides to it, and without a roof. What need has Death for a cover, and what winds can blow against him? He stands in his high house that overlooks the world. Stands watchful and motionless all day with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger to bid him come. Been standing there before there was a where of a when or a then. . She was sad, and afraid too. Poor Jody! He ought not to have to wrassle in there by himself. She sent Sam in to suggest a visit, but Jody said No. These medical doctors wuz alright with the Godly sick, but they didn't know a thing about a case like his. He'd be alright just as soon as the two-headed man found what had been buried against him. He wasn't going to die at all. That was what he thought. But Sam told her different, so she knew. And then if he hadn't, the next morning she was bound to know, for people began to gather in the big yard under the palm and china-berry trees. People who would not have dared to foot the place before crept in and did not come to the house. Just squatted under the trees and waited. Rumor, that wingless bird, has shadowed over the town." [84]

1.  Hurston's use of the question "What need has Death for a cover, and what winds can blow against him?" shows that Janie recognizes the helplessness of the situation, that there is no thing humans can do about death.  She is expressing that by stating that death needs no cover to hide under, and nothing can stop it, that by living, you basically buy a ticket for death.

2.  Hurston uses wings, feathers, and birds throughout the book, and twice in this sections, although each is used separately. 

• "She was liable to find a feather from his wings lying in her yard any day now."  This shows that Janie is expecting Joe to die.  What I find weird is that she is referencing Joe as a bird.  I think she is comparing him to an animal to show that rather than feeling angry that Joe treated her disrespectfully, Janie feels sad because she feels pity for Joe (like he is a lesser being).  The man she once saw with associated with great ambition and aggressive goals, was now lying sickly in a bed, fighting a useless fight.
• "Rumor, that wingless bird, has shadowed over the town." This is where my animal/pity comparison both strengthens, and weakens (based on two ways of looking at this).  It strengthens if you look at this as rumor being a pathetic thing, told by pathetic people.  Almost like Janie is frustrated with the rumors the she was responsible for killing Joe.  However, it weakens because the pity view would have to switch awkwardly from person to concept, and I'm not sure Hurston would want to do that.  Alternatively, Hurston could have referred to rumor as a wingless bird because as things lose their wings (at some points in the book) they are considered to have died.  So, by doing this, she could be saying that people who spread the rumors are "dead" on the inside.

3.  Hurston only uses one word in dialect "wuz".  This is because this passage is mostly just the narrator making an insightful statement about death in relation to the setting.  Although throughout the book the narrator is omniscient, it is still necessary to make the distinction that this is Janie's thoughts.

4.  Hurston says "The great one who lived in the straight house like a platform without sides to it, and without a roof." in reference to death.  I think she does this to differentiate death from people even further, that it does not have a house, but rather, like god (referenced as the Watcher earlier) "overlooks" humanity from above.  This connects in my mind the standard idea of "god" and the standard idea of "death".  While god created life, with it he created death, and because it is his creation, it is on the same level as him, in the manner that it is above humanity an out of human control.

5.  Hurston repeatedly refers to death as a "he".  This could be because death has influence over the society, just as men do, so this further extends the role of gender in society.

6.  Capitalization of the word No in the sentence "She sent Sam in to suggest a visit, but Jody said No." is used to show Joe's emotion in the situation, believing that Janie has poisoned him.  But also this is used to even further the disrespect Joe is showing her, and I believe this is supposed to show the gender oppression in more of a wife vs. husband role.  She had to send a MAN in to see if she could go in, even though she was his wife.

Journal 5

Zora Neil Hurston uses the motif of "Time" to express an opinion that with unlimited exposure over time things and actions tend to lose their exciting or unusual qualities.  Additionally, the motif is used to highlight the pursuit of dreams, and the two possible outcomes, achievement and disappointment.

Journal 4

3 Patterns:

1.  Clothing- Zora Neale Hurston uses clothing as a symbol of judgement.  The first thing the people in each individual town described in chapters 1-6 do is look at Janie's (and in one case Jody's) clothes in order to form their first impression.  Two examples of this from the book are:

• The first dialogue in the book itself, "What she doing coming back here in dem overhalls? Can't she find no dress to put on?  Where's dat blue satin dress she left here in?" [2]  I see this as the author's method of showing characterization (development) in reference to judgement of Janie's change from dressing like a traditional women to becoming more independent and wearing clothes more commonly worn by men, in essence ignoring the gender barrier.
• The second was when Janie and Jody were exploring Maitland, "They stared at Joe's face, his clothes and his wife." [35]  Along with other things, Hurston uses clothes once again as one of society's indicators of general "status".

2.  Questioning- Hurston uses questioning to show Jody's perseverance and aggressive intent to obtain power.  Through the constant questioning (especially shown in chapter 5) Jody is showing that he has no fear of and will stop at nothing to talk to the mayor.

• ""Just like Ah thought," Joe said.  "A whole heap uh talk and nobody doin' nothing'.  I god, where's de Mayor?" he asked somebody.  "Ah want tuh speak wid de Mayor.""[34]
• ""Where is de Mayor?" Starks persisted.  Ah wants tuh talk wid him"" [35] Notice the italicized him, again touching on the gender bias.

3.  Time- Hurston is very obvious and peculiar with her use of this motif, as "Time" is always capitalized in the book.  Two examples:

• My personal favorite use of the motif is on the first page of the book, "his dreams mocked to death by time" [1].  I like this because it is saying that men either achieve their dreams, or are teased by it as time goes by.
• "Time makes everything old so the kissing, young darkness became a monstropolous old thing while Janie talked." [7]  I also like this one because I have noticed that time does make things old not just in the obvious physical sense, but in the sense that when one has unlimited supply and there is no will or push behind obtaining something, that thing gets old in the sense that it is no longer interesting, fun, or worth one's Time. 

Journal 3

Duke Ellington was an African American composer who not only lead big bands, but also played in them.  He wrote over 1,000 multi genre songs and played (mostly) trumpet and piano.  His popularity translated into writing movie scores and world tours.  He also didn't refer to his music as a certain genre but called it "American music". Before he died, Ellington won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award along with many other awards that displayed his contributions to music.  Some of his passion for writing songs was because he was fueled by competition from other musicians of the time.

Pronunciation:

1. "oo" sound changes to "ah".
2. "ee" sound changed to "eh".
3. "th" changed to "tuh'".

Grammar:

1. All words starting with s end in "ranop".
2. Possessive formed "Coffee of Ronald" instead of "Ronald's Coffee". 
3. When expressing opinion, all caps used to indicate yelling. 

Vocabulary:

1. "Fruit looping" means eating in a restaurant.
2. "Rough landing" is an expression of dislike towards something.
3. "Playing weatherman" means lying.

Beth (Ben's foreign date) walked through the door, while Ben held it open.
"SUREANOP IS A GAHD DAY FOR FRUIT LOOPING," Beth said.
 "Agreed buttercup, have you ever been to Olive Garden?" Ben replied. 
"No, but tuh' fahd of my mother is just like it according to my dad, but tuh'ere is a rough landing for meh wituh' him is the opinon of our counselor".  Ben looked confused,
"Oh I'm sorry, how is your father?".
 "LAST I HEARD HEH IS GAHD" she replied.  Ben looked even more confused,
"Your father is god?" he asked.
 "NO, HEH IS GAHD AND HAPPEH" she stated. 
"Oh yes, yes of course my love, my mistake," Ben said acting as if the culture barrier did not effect him.  "What are you going to order?" Ben asked.
 "I TUH'INK TUH' CHEHSBURGER LAHKS GAHD" Beth yelled.  As Beth yelled some of the surrounding people gave her some questioning looks. 
"Sugarplum there is no cheeseburger on the menu," Ben said quietly, embarrassed. 
"YAHR PLAYING TUH' WEATUH'MAN, THE BURGER OF OLIVE GARDEN IS RIGHT HEHR," Beth said drawing more stares.  Ben took the menu and glazed it over.
 "Right hehr," Beth pointed. 
"Gumdrop that is a picture of a wine bottle," Ben said with a tone of sharp annoyance.  Surrounding kids started snickering with laughter.
"What is tuh' humor of you?" Beth asked them.  The kids promptly looked away.
"TUH'IS LAHKS GAHD," Beth said, pointing to a fork on the table.  Ben's face reddened and he said,
"Why don't we just get some of those Fruit Loops you were wanting?".

Journal 2

"It was a spring afternoon in West Florida.  Janie had spent most of the day under a blossoming pear tree in the back-yard.  She had been spending every minute that she could steal from her chores under that tree for the last three days.  That was to say, ever since the first tiny bloom had opened.  It had called her to come and gaze on a mystery.  From barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom.  It stirred her tremendously.  How?  Why?  It was like a flute song forgotten in another existence and remembered again.  What?  How?  Why?  This singing she heard that had nothing to do with her ears.  The rose of the world was breathing out smell.  It followed her through all her waking moments and caressed her in her sleep.  It connected itself with other vaguely felt matters that had struck her outside observation and buried themselves in her flesh.  Now they emerged and quested about her consciousness."  [10-11]

• Repetition of question "How?", makes reader think how scene was affecting Janie.
• Repetition of question "Why?", makes reader wonder why scene is having this effect.
• Sentances are short and choppy in comparison to surrounding paragraphs.
• Use of verb "steal" implies that she is not supposed to be outside.
• Tranquil imagery developed.
• Blooming is repeated, possibly to signify character development.
• Pear tree is personified
• "Called her" implies she is being influenced.
• Words involving touch are repeated.
• B aliteration "barren brown stems" along with "buds".
• "Rose of the world", poetic language.
•  Wording having to do with nature: "snowy","blossoming".
• Use of virginity to relate to contrast in innocence from early character stage to late.
• Music theme repeated, "singing", "flute".
• "breathing out smell", nature and her senses combining.
• All throughout paragraph setting is still being devloped after describing Janie's actions.
• Idea of gentle sleep adds to relaxation tone.
• Has a good flow because of sentance structure.

Journal One

If I was to tell my life story to someone, I would tell it to someone I could help improve their own life by sharing my experiences.  So, naturally the first requirement would be someone who has not experienced some of the major events that I have, someone younger than me.  It would also have to be someone I could trust so that I could include as many things as possible in my story keeping it as accurate as possible, probably someone who I do not know well or meet in passing.  Ideally, this would be someone who is of the age of 12-15 so they could comprehend what I was saying more efficiently.  

There are a couple places where I could start my story, but I would probably start it from the event that most changed my life, the death of my father.  When my dad died, my life changed drastically (although a description of the change this made to my life is incomplete, as it continues to alter it to this day).  One immediate change it made was a early maturing, which for a 12 year old can be very uncommon.  I'd also say this had a large impact because it has lead to me becoming somewhat conscientiously emotionally hardened.  I also was forced to comprehend one of life's biggest mysteries and tragedies at the same time, and that is an unusual thing I could express personal views on through my story.