Preview

Zora

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
579 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Zora
ZORA NEALE HURSTON

In the excerpt from Dust Tracks on a Dirt Road: An Autobiography by Zora Neale Hurston, she uses powerful diction allow readers to get a good, clear sense of her culture during her childhood. Also, she uses manipulations of points of view to present the differing opinions within her household, which give the readers another strong sense of her childhood. Instead of generalizing those early years, Hurston elaborates on specific highlights of her childhood that were imprinted into her mind. We see Zora Neale Hurston's use of diction really come out when she talks about the rarities that were in her life. Hurston mentions many things that were "too common", but only briefly. She recounts the blooms of Cape jasmine bushes on the sides of the walks and the big chinaberry trees "shading the front gate." She remembers the "fleshy, white, fragrant blooms" of the bushes like it were yesterday. Hurston's clear memory of her yard is instilled in the reader, allowing him or her to get a clear, visual representation in their minds by triggering the senses. The reader is able to smell the fragrant blooms and actually see the big trees. Hurston uses imagery when she describes the recollection of the leftover eggs and grapefruits that were used as missiles and hand grenades against the neighbor children. A battle scene with grapefruits and boiled eggs flying everywhere can be depicted in the mind of the reader. When read, Hurston's friendly egg battles and her greatly foliated outdoors have readers think of the fun it must have been back then; it makes them want to jump right into her story and have fun too. Throughout the passage, readers see Hurston describing the little things from her youth, such as the kind of grass outside of her big barn. These descriptions are the ones that enrich our sense of her culture and her childhood. Language between her and her family is a key aspect in Hurston's cultural life. Readers see that language

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Poetry

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The first literary device that is used in this poem is a metaphor. The poem “I finally managed to speak to her” is about a young man sitting across from a young girl on a bus. They are driving through New York City, and he would like to talk to her. He says “The trees look so much greener is this part of the country. In New York City everything looks so drab.” Although he is referring to the trees, Sirowitz uses the trees as a metaphor for him. Despite the fact that he has written about the trees you have to look deeper and the meaning and decipher what is trying to be said. Since the metaphor is really talking about him rather than the trees it really brings out the meaning of the poem. In an interview Sirowitz said “she was too self-involved. Or to put it in nicer terms, she wasn 't into me.”(Interview) When he said this what I got is that when he wrote that she said “when you find another one let me know” is that she didn’t really want to talk to him so she is finishing the conversation. The metaphors in this poem are outstanding and really give you a glimpse into the author’s life. Until you actually really take a deeper look into the poem and realize what he is trying to say you may think that he is literally talking about the trees in different parts of the country.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The forests between our house and the full-banked river were very beautiful. The wild cherry and the dogwood were in full bloom. The squirrels were leaping from tree to tree, and the birds were making a various melody.” She truly appreciated every aspect of her time with her father, the imagery shows that.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When Hurston uses colloquial speech in the story, she characterizes people who are poor black citizens in the South. The colloquial speech used is taken from Hurston's own experiences growing up and, in doing so, helps Hurston use it more effectively. The main characters are poor blacks who live in the southern part of the country.…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hurston continues to implement diction as a method enrich the reader's knowledge of her childhood. The author begins to mention the multitude of fruits which her family grows on their large farm complete with five…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The way that some authors write show where they are from, Zora Neale Hurston writes in a way that shows her upbringing in the south.Being born in Notasulga Alabama, she developed an accent and shows that in her writing, specifically her dialogue. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, Hurston uses a type of diction and voice that reveals her background and…

    • 66 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zora Neale Hurston was an anthropologist and novelist during the Harlem Renaissance. Growing up in the small town of Eatonville, Florida, she experienced what it was like to live in an all African American township. Despite early struggles in high school, she managed to graduate Barnard College in 1928. Her most influential work was the novel she wrote in 1937, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” (Springboard, 369). In spite of her writing this novel during a specific era, Hurston held views quite different from other writers during the Renaissance. Although it did extend beyond Harlem Renaissance themes, parts of her story were based off the thoughts and ideas of the time period.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As t he sun begins to set, and the evening nears closer and closer, you can hear the screeching of dining room chairs making their way onto the front porch. The boiling pot of secrets just about to spill over from the loose lips of the porch’s gazers, which are salivating over the thought of discussing the news of the town; that of which spread like quick fire . Not stationary to their porches the gazers are like investigate reporters, just waiting, to find a new story to talk about. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God , the importance of group discussion and bond forming bonds between women was essential to make it through the struggles and battles that the women faced. The concept of a “Strong Black Woman” was proven to be true in , but it also proves that even being a strong black woman, having another woman to talk to is a powerful force all in itself.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    nurture”, as well as God’s role in human everyday life and whether or not it is significant. From the text, we can see more than just the dialog printed on the page. These two are common southern folks in the 1960’s so, obviously they are not too smart or educated. The mangling of the English language makes that quite clear. However, the conviction and the matter-of-fact way they are talking and getting across their opinions, you can tell they truly are in belief of their stance and are very passionate about their ideas and arguments. This gives depth to two minor characters in a way that only Hurston can write, using the unique style she has carved out in the…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “How to read literature like a professor” Thomas Foster shows different techniques to analyze themes and ideas that are presented in literature in an amusing manner. It explains about the analysis and symbols a story or an article can have other than their literal definition. There are some chapters in the book that are greatly significant to the ideas presented in “Their eyes were watching god” by Zora Neale Hurston. There chapters that really stand out as a connection between the two books are ‘Is That A Symbol”, It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow” and “Every Trip Is Quest”.…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The argument Hurston is presenting is that gender roles in the 1930’s were unfair. Women were mistreated and in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston is trying to show that even though there are obstacles in life, it is important to follow your dreams/ conquer your goals even when there are hard times. During the time this novel was written, in the 1930’s, society was well influenced on the thoughts that men were superior to women and that women need men in order to have a successful life. (1930’s American Society) In this novel, Janie proves society wrong and follows her dreams instead of reality.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hurston also used figurative language to display how feminism is present in our lives, though it may not seem crystal clear. The most prominent figurative language displayed in Their Eyes Were Watching God was symbol. Throughout the entire novel, a road or fence has always been present in the significant parts of Janie’s life. Every time she needed to make a very conscious decision that affected her happiness, a road or fence was involved. Hurston writes:…

    • 1605 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Zhopa

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Colonists were justified in their reaction to British taxation and policies regarding the American colonies. The colonies did not have a say in the laws that Britain was enforcing on them. Even though the British did not do anything unreasonable, it was time for the Americans to fight for their freedom. The colonies themselves were large growing. I believe that it was time for them to break out of Britain’s control and start to fight for their freedom like they did.…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zeno

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Zeno, a Greek philosopher, was known as the Father of Stoicism. Multiple philosophical systems have claimed that this is the best of all of the possible worlds but Stoicism was among the first.…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zaara

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Apart from Zara, Inditex also owns international labels Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarious, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Zorba

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Two minor characters in the novel provide examples of living in the pursuit of sacred awe, but each appears to have a flaw when compared to Zorba's zest for life. The first is Zaharia, a monk from a monastery in Crete. In many ways, Zaharia is similar to Zorba, as he takes delight in worldly pleasures. However, as a monk, he does not allow himself to partake in his sensual impulses. Instead, he "refuses his own instinct by longing for heaven instead of the earthly pleasures to which he is more disposed." Zaharia's natural urge for sacred awe eventually shines through, as he burns down his monastery and feasts on forbidden meat. Zaharia's problem is similar to that of the narrator: he has imposed rules on himself in the search for sacred awe instead of following the impulses that come naturally to him.…

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays