Their Eyes Were Watching God Journal #10

 
Theme: In order to make decisions, one must understand their goals in life; otherwise one risks allowing the judgments and wishes of others to dictate how one lives their life.

• This is still a work in progress. I'm not sure if this is what Zora Neale Hurston believes or what I believe. Also, I'm not sure if understanding one's goals allows the to make decisions is the right phrase.

1) "Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly" (1).

2) "Janie had no chance to know things, so she had to ask. [...] Yes, she would love Logan after they were married. She could see no way for it to come about, but Nanny and the old folks had said it, so it must be so" (21).

3) "He had always wanted to be a big voice, but de white folks had all de sayso from where he come from and everywhere else, exceptin' this place dat colored folks was buildin' theirselves [...] He was glad he had his money all saved up. He meant to git dere whilst de town wuz yet a baby. He meant to buy in big. It had always been his wish and desire to be a big voice and he had to live nearly thirty years to find a chance" (28).

• Dialect is used in this passage. Also, characterization of Jody is present as he describes his goals for the future.

4) "'Ah done lived Grandma's way, now Ah mean tuh live mine'" (114).

5) "She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her. But she had been whipped like a cur dog, and run off down a back road after things" (89).

• A metaphor and a similie are used here. Janie has been "whipped like a cur dog". A metaphor comparing her life to a journey is a technique Hurston uses.

6) "'Ah'd feel uh whole heap better 'bout yuh if you wuz marryin' dat man up dere in Sanford. He got somethin' tuh put long side uh whut you got and dat make it more better. He's endurable.'
'Still and all Ah'd ruther be with Tea Cake.'
'Well, if yo' mind is already made up, 'tain't nothin' nobody kin do'" (113).

7) "'Let 'em consolate theyselves wid talk. 'Course, talkin' don't amount to uh hill uh beans when yuh can't do nothin' else. And listenin' to dat kind uh talk is jus' lak openin' yo' mouth and lettin' de moon shine down yo' throat. It's uh known fact, Pheoby, you got tuh go there tuh know there. Yo' papa and yo' mama and nobody else can't tell yuh and show yuh. Two things everybody's got tuh find for theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin' fuh theyselves'" (192).