Tea Cake, with the sun for a shawl. Of course ... he wasn’t dead. He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking. The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall.
this quote means that Janie comes to an understanding of death that is not one of utter emptiness and sorrow, but – as her life has shown her – a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Tea Cake will always be alive for her as long as she can resurrect him with her fond memories and love. Janie, then, learns that love transcends even death.
Janie stood where he left her for unmeasured time and ... thought. She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered. But looking at it she saw that it never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just some thing she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over. In a way she turned her back upon the image where it lay and looked further. She had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be.
this quote means that the first time Joe beats Janie, her ideal and illusion of him is shattered. She realizes that his goodness was all an illusion to her, that Joe in reality "never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams," instead, she had just convinced herself that he was the man she wanted because he was a better alternative to Logan. This is an example of what we learn about women on the first page of the novel (1.2): women imagine their lives the way they want to see them, dismissing hints and experiences that indicate that their life isn’t congruent with their dreams. It takes Joe hitting Janie for her to realize that she was deluding herself. Now her vision for her future with Joe is dark and unpleasant, instead of holding "blossomy openings dusting
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
chapter 19 quotes
"Aw you know dem white mens wuzn’t gointuh do nothin’ tuh no woman dat look lak her."
this quote means that The black male speaker implies that the men of the jury are inherently biased towards Janie for her beauty. Is it true that the male jury is doing favors for a pretty lady, or is the male speaker just belittling Janie’s because of his own sexist notions about a woman killing her own husband? Or neither?
And twelve more white men had stopped whatever they were ... doing to listen and pass on what happened between Janie and Tea Cake Woods, and as to whether things were done right or not. That was funny too. Twelve strange men who didn’t know a thing about people like Tea Cake and her were going to sit on the thing. Eight or ten white women had come to look at her too. They wore good clothes and had the pinky color that comes of good food. They were nobody’s poor white folks. What need had they to leave their richness to come look on Janie in her overalls? But they didn’t seem too mad, Janie thought. It would be nice if she could make them know how it was instead of those menfolks. (19.155)
this quote means that In a strange moment of identification, Janie feels a kinship with the white women who have come to listen to her trial. By pure fact of their womanhood, she feels they would understand and sympathize with her more than would the jury of men.
this quote means that The black male speaker implies that the men of the jury are inherently biased towards Janie for her beauty. Is it true that the male jury is doing favors for a pretty lady, or is the male speaker just belittling Janie’s because of his own sexist notions about a woman killing her own husband? Or neither?
And twelve more white men had stopped whatever they were ... doing to listen and pass on what happened between Janie and Tea Cake Woods, and as to whether things were done right or not. That was funny too. Twelve strange men who didn’t know a thing about people like Tea Cake and her were going to sit on the thing. Eight or ten white women had come to look at her too. They wore good clothes and had the pinky color that comes of good food. They were nobody’s poor white folks. What need had they to leave their richness to come look on Janie in her overalls? But they didn’t seem too mad, Janie thought. It would be nice if she could make them know how it was instead of those menfolks. (19.155)
this quote means that In a strange moment of identification, Janie feels a kinship with the white women who have come to listen to her trial. By pure fact of their womanhood, she feels they would understand and sympathize with her more than would the jury of men.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
chapter 18 quotes
They huddled closer and stared at the door. They just ... didn’t use another part of their bodies, and they didn’t look at anything but the door. The time was past for asking the white folk what to look for through that door. Six eyes were questioning God.
this quote means that The act of turning one’s eyes heavenward in a prayer to God is an act of faith, or, in this case, suspended faith. The question in their eyes is an expression that hinges on God’s response; it can lean either towards hope or despair. Watching, in this case, is akin to asking or pleading for divine mercy, begging for a reason to have faith.
In a little wind-lull, Tea Cake touched Janie and said, ... "Ah reckon you wish now you had of stayed in yo’ big house ‘way from such as dis, don’t yuh?"
"Naw."
"Naw?"
"Yeah, naw. People don’t die till dey time come nohow, don’t keer where you at. Ah’m wid mah husband in uh storm, dat’s all.
this quote means that Janie recognizes that she’s had free will in her life, and is happy with the choices she’s made. However, she also recognizes an element of fate when she essentially sys that people die when it’s their time to die, storm or no storm. It’s like she believes in a predetermined time of death. If this is her time to go, then she’ll die in the storm, if not, she’ll be fine.
this quote means that The act of turning one’s eyes heavenward in a prayer to God is an act of faith, or, in this case, suspended faith. The question in their eyes is an expression that hinges on God’s response; it can lean either towards hope or despair. Watching, in this case, is akin to asking or pleading for divine mercy, begging for a reason to have faith.
In a little wind-lull, Tea Cake touched Janie and said, ... "Ah reckon you wish now you had of stayed in yo’ big house ‘way from such as dis, don’t yuh?"
"Naw."
"Naw?"
"Yeah, naw. People don’t die till dey time come nohow, don’t keer where you at. Ah’m wid mah husband in uh storm, dat’s all.
this quote means that Janie recognizes that she’s had free will in her life, and is happy with the choices she’s made. However, she also recognizes an element of fate when she essentially sys that people die when it’s their time to die, storm or no storm. It’s like she believes in a predetermined time of death. If this is her time to go, then she’ll die in the storm, if not, she’ll be fine.
chapter 17 quotes
When Mrs. Turner’s brother came and she brought him over ... to be introduced, Tea Cake had a brainstorm. Before the week was over he had whipped Janie. Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession. No brutal beating at all. He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss.
this quote means that In a strange perversion of Joe’s act of beating Janie, Tea Cake strikes her, not to inflict fear, but to reassure himself of possession over her. Read in one way, this makes Tea Cake just as misogynistic as Joe, but read in another light, probably Janie’s way of thinking, his beating is simply an expression of love for her and thus acceptable. This is kind of a freaky and twisted passage by modern standards. It’s strange that the narration makes it seem OK for him to possess her or be the boss of her. What happened to all of that gender equality we thought he symbolized? Anyway, we don’t recommend imitating Tea Cake as you express your affection to your family, significant other, or pets – they won’t appreciate it.
[Mrs. Turner]: "What kinda man is you, Turner? You see ... dese no count niggers come in heah and break up mah place! How kin you set and see yo’ wife all trompled on? You ain’t no kinda man at all. You seen dat Tea Cake shove me down! Yes you did! You ain’t raised yo’ hand tuh do nothin’ about it."
this quote means that Mrs. Turner castigates Mr. Turner in a rather domineering masculine tone. She accuses him of effeminacy. By her rants, readers can discover what exactly in this novel is considered effeminate in a man – silence and passivity.
this quote means that In a strange perversion of Joe’s act of beating Janie, Tea Cake strikes her, not to inflict fear, but to reassure himself of possession over her. Read in one way, this makes Tea Cake just as misogynistic as Joe, but read in another light, probably Janie’s way of thinking, his beating is simply an expression of love for her and thus acceptable. This is kind of a freaky and twisted passage by modern standards. It’s strange that the narration makes it seem OK for him to possess her or be the boss of her. What happened to all of that gender equality we thought he symbolized? Anyway, we don’t recommend imitating Tea Cake as you express your affection to your family, significant other, or pets – they won’t appreciate it.
[Mrs. Turner]: "What kinda man is you, Turner? You see ... dese no count niggers come in heah and break up mah place! How kin you set and see yo’ wife all trompled on? You ain’t no kinda man at all. You seen dat Tea Cake shove me down! Yes you did! You ain’t raised yo’ hand tuh do nothin’ about it."
this quote means that Mrs. Turner castigates Mr. Turner in a rather domineering masculine tone. She accuses him of effeminacy. By her rants, readers can discover what exactly in this novel is considered effeminate in a man – silence and passivity.
chapter 16 quotes
[Janie to Mrs. Turner]: "Naw, mah husband didn’t had nothin’ ... but hisself. He’s easy tuh love if you mess round ‘im. Ah loves ‘im."
"Why you, Mis’ Woods! Ah don’t b’lieve it. You’se jus’ sorter hypnotized, dat’s all."
"Naw, it’s real. Ah couldn’t stand it if he wuz tuh quit me. Don’t know whut Ah’d do. . He kin take most any lil thing and make summertime out of it when times is dull. Then we lives offa dat happiness he made till some mo’ happiness come along."
this quote means that Turner wants to turn Janie’s eyes and affection away from Tea Cake and toward her brother. She thinks her love for Tea Cake is but a sort of hypnosis that is only effective because Janie has not met men of real quality yet. But Janie is staunch in her love and loyalty to Tea Cake.
[Mr. Turner to Tea Cake]: "Ah reckon you ain’t [seen ... their children] ‘cause dey all passed on befo’ dis one wuz born. We ain’t had no luck atall wid our chillun. We lucky to raise him. He’s de last stroke of exhausted nature."
this quote means that Mr. and Mrs. Turner’s lukewarm love life is reflected in their sex life. Mr. Turner, nagged to death by Mrs. Turner’s brash and incessant words, can only emit enough passion to produce one healthy child.
"Why you, Mis’ Woods! Ah don’t b’lieve it. You’se jus’ sorter hypnotized, dat’s all."
"Naw, it’s real. Ah couldn’t stand it if he wuz tuh quit me. Don’t know whut Ah’d do. . He kin take most any lil thing and make summertime out of it when times is dull. Then we lives offa dat happiness he made till some mo’ happiness come along."
this quote means that Turner wants to turn Janie’s eyes and affection away from Tea Cake and toward her brother. She thinks her love for Tea Cake is but a sort of hypnosis that is only effective because Janie has not met men of real quality yet. But Janie is staunch in her love and loyalty to Tea Cake.
[Mr. Turner to Tea Cake]: "Ah reckon you ain’t [seen ... their children] ‘cause dey all passed on befo’ dis one wuz born. We ain’t had no luck atall wid our chillun. We lucky to raise him. He’s de last stroke of exhausted nature."
this quote means that Mr. and Mrs. Turner’s lukewarm love life is reflected in their sex life. Mr. Turner, nagged to death by Mrs. Turner’s brash and incessant words, can only emit enough passion to produce one healthy child.
Monday, April 19, 2010
chapter 15 quotes
"[After Janie finds Tea Cake messing around with Nunkie:] It ... wasn’t long before Tea Cake found her…and tried to talk. She cut him short with a blow and they fought from one room to the other, Janie trying to beat him, and Tea Cake kept holding her wrists and wherever he could to keep her from going too far."
this quote means that Even though Janie is justifiably angry with Tea Cake for flirting with Nunkie, she transgresses traditional gender boundaries by daring to hit Tea Cake. Because he loves her, Tea Cake does not retaliate but he still "keeps her from going too far;" in other words, he keeps Janie from engaging in too much of this all-too-masculine violence.
"They fought on. "You done hurt mah heart, now you ... come wid uh lie tuh bruise mah ears! Turn go mah hands!" Janie seethed. But Tea Cake never let go. They wrestled on until they were doped with their own fumes and emanations; till their clothes had been torn away; till he hurled her to the floor and held her there melting her resistance with the heat of his body, doing things with their bodies to express the inexpressible; kissed her until she arched her body to meet him and they fell asleep in sweet exhaustion"
this quote means that means that Sex and love, as highlighted here, share much common ground with rage; both are to some extent founded on mutual overwhelming passion and a desire to express that passion physically.
this quote means that Even though Janie is justifiably angry with Tea Cake for flirting with Nunkie, she transgresses traditional gender boundaries by daring to hit Tea Cake. Because he loves her, Tea Cake does not retaliate but he still "keeps her from going too far;" in other words, he keeps Janie from engaging in too much of this all-too-masculine violence.
"They fought on. "You done hurt mah heart, now you ... come wid uh lie tuh bruise mah ears! Turn go mah hands!" Janie seethed. But Tea Cake never let go. They wrestled on until they were doped with their own fumes and emanations; till their clothes had been torn away; till he hurled her to the floor and held her there melting her resistance with the heat of his body, doing things with their bodies to express the inexpressible; kissed her until she arched her body to meet him and they fell asleep in sweet exhaustion"
this quote means that means that Sex and love, as highlighted here, share much common ground with rage; both are to some extent founded on mutual overwhelming passion and a desire to express that passion physically.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
chapter 14 quotes
Janie stayed home and boiled big pots of blackeyed peas ... and rice. Sometimes baked big pans of navy beans with plenty of sugar and hunks of bacon laying on top. That was something Tea Cake loved so no matter if Janie had fixed beans two or three times during the week, they had baked beans again on Sunday. She always had some kind of dessert too, as Tea Cake said it give a man something to taper off on. Sometimes she’d straighten out the two-room house and take the rifle and have fried rabbit for supper when Tea Cake got home. She didn’t leave him itching and scratching in his work clothes, either. The kettle of hot water was already waiting when he got in.
this quote means Janie’s devotion to Tea Cake is all-consuming. She sets about showing her love in the only way she knows how – by making the home as welcoming as possible. She caters the dinner menu to his taste, cooking his favorite dishes and making sure to always have a hot bath drawn for him when he comes home.
Tea Cake made her [Janie] shoot at little things just ... to give her good aim. Pistol and shot gun and rifle. It got so the others stood around and watched them. Some of the men would beg for a shot at the target themselves. It was the most exciting thing on the muck. Better than the jook and the pool-room unless some special band was playing for a dance. And the thing that got everybody was the way Janie caught on. She got to the place she could shoot a hawk out of a pine tree and not tear him up. Shoot his head off. She got to be a better shot than Tea Cake.
this quote means that The idea of a woman handling weapons is a scandalous idea in the post-Civil War South. Its shock value draws many bystanders to witness this breach of gender barriers. By wielding a gun, Janie is taking on a definitively masculine role since she can now attack others and defend herself. The fact that Tea Cake teaches her how to shoot shows that he, unlike Joe, is not afraid of Janie becoming more independent than the average woman.
this quote means Janie’s devotion to Tea Cake is all-consuming. She sets about showing her love in the only way she knows how – by making the home as welcoming as possible. She caters the dinner menu to his taste, cooking his favorite dishes and making sure to always have a hot bath drawn for him when he comes home.
Tea Cake made her [Janie] shoot at little things just ... to give her good aim. Pistol and shot gun and rifle. It got so the others stood around and watched them. Some of the men would beg for a shot at the target themselves. It was the most exciting thing on the muck. Better than the jook and the pool-room unless some special band was playing for a dance. And the thing that got everybody was the way Janie caught on. She got to the place she could shoot a hawk out of a pine tree and not tear him up. Shoot his head off. She got to be a better shot than Tea Cake.
this quote means that The idea of a woman handling weapons is a scandalous idea in the post-Civil War South. Its shock value draws many bystanders to witness this breach of gender barriers. By wielding a gun, Janie is taking on a definitively masculine role since she can now attack others and defend herself. The fact that Tea Cake teaches her how to shoot shows that he, unlike Joe, is not afraid of Janie becoming more independent than the average woman.
chapter 13 quotes
[Janie]: "Still and all you went off and left me ... all day and all night."
[Tea Cake]: "Twasn’t ‘cause Ah wanted tuh stay off lak day, and it sho Lawd, wuzn’t no woman. If you didn’t have de power tuh hold me and hold me tight, Ah wouldn’t be callin’ yuh Mis’ Woods. Ah met plenty women before Ah knowed you tuh talk tuh. You’se de onliest woman in de world Ah ever even mentioned gittin married tuh. You bein’ older don’t make no difference. Don’t never consider dat no mo’. If Ah ever gits tuh messin’ round another woman it won’t be on account of her age. It’ll be because she got me in de same way you got me – so Ah can’t help mahself."
this quote means that Tea Cake declares his love and faithfulness to Janie. He comes out and states that Janie’s age is of no consequence to him. Tea Cake’s last sentence renders love as some sort of inexplicable force that mortal men cannot resist. Janie should be especially responsive to this because she has been swept away by passion before, first under the pear tree of her youth and now by Tea Cake.
He [Tea Cake] drifted off into sleep and Janie looked ... down him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.
this quote means that The image of Tea Cake sleeping brings on a wave of nurturing, maternal love in Janie. This love is so overwhelming and selfless that it is "self-crushing" and it puts to rest any fears Janie might have of the intensity of her love. So this makes it safe for her battered soul to "crawl…out from its hiding place" and make herself vulnerable to Tea Cake.
[Tea Cake]: "Twasn’t ‘cause Ah wanted tuh stay off lak day, and it sho Lawd, wuzn’t no woman. If you didn’t have de power tuh hold me and hold me tight, Ah wouldn’t be callin’ yuh Mis’ Woods. Ah met plenty women before Ah knowed you tuh talk tuh. You’se de onliest woman in de world Ah ever even mentioned gittin married tuh. You bein’ older don’t make no difference. Don’t never consider dat no mo’. If Ah ever gits tuh messin’ round another woman it won’t be on account of her age. It’ll be because she got me in de same way you got me – so Ah can’t help mahself."
this quote means that Tea Cake declares his love and faithfulness to Janie. He comes out and states that Janie’s age is of no consequence to him. Tea Cake’s last sentence renders love as some sort of inexplicable force that mortal men cannot resist. Janie should be especially responsive to this because she has been swept away by passion before, first under the pear tree of her youth and now by Tea Cake.
He [Tea Cake] drifted off into sleep and Janie looked ... down him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.
this quote means that The image of Tea Cake sleeping brings on a wave of nurturing, maternal love in Janie. This love is so overwhelming and selfless that it is "self-crushing" and it puts to rest any fears Janie might have of the intensity of her love. So this makes it safe for her battered soul to "crawl…out from its hiding place" and make herself vulnerable to Tea Cake.
chapter 12 quotes
"[Pheoby about Janie]: "Still and all, she’s her own woman. ... She oughta know by now whut she wants tuh do."
this quote means that Pheoby, being a woman, recognizes that women are intelligent and know what they want out of life and out of their men. She sees that independence in Janie and thus awards her friend with the title of being "her own woman." This sense of self-ownership and self confidence is usually reserved for a man. Thus, this can be seen as one instance of Janie crossing the traditional boundaries between men and women.
[Janie to Pheoby]: "Ah’m older than Tea Cake, yes. But ... he done showed me where it’s de thought dat makes de difference in ages. If people thinks de same they can make it all right. So in the beginnin’ new thoughts had tuh be thought and new words said. After Ah got used tuh dat, we gits ‘long jus’ fine. He done taught me de maiden language all over."
this quote means that Disregarding her and Tea Cake’s substantial age difference brings Janie back to something of a childhood phase, where everything feels new. This rebirthing stage requires "new thoughts tuh be thought and new words said." While her first two marriages stripped Janie of her innocence, when Janie’s with Tea Cake she feels like a child again, her innocence and maidenhood are restored, as evidenced in the "maiden language" she learns.
this quote means that Pheoby, being a woman, recognizes that women are intelligent and know what they want out of life and out of their men. She sees that independence in Janie and thus awards her friend with the title of being "her own woman." This sense of self-ownership and self confidence is usually reserved for a man. Thus, this can be seen as one instance of Janie crossing the traditional boundaries between men and women.
[Janie to Pheoby]: "Ah’m older than Tea Cake, yes. But ... he done showed me where it’s de thought dat makes de difference in ages. If people thinks de same they can make it all right. So in the beginnin’ new thoughts had tuh be thought and new words said. After Ah got used tuh dat, we gits ‘long jus’ fine. He done taught me de maiden language all over."
this quote means that Disregarding her and Tea Cake’s substantial age difference brings Janie back to something of a childhood phase, where everything feels new. This rebirthing stage requires "new thoughts tuh be thought and new words said." While her first two marriages stripped Janie of her innocence, when Janie’s with Tea Cake she feels like a child again, her innocence and maidenhood are restored, as evidenced in the "maiden language" she learns.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
chapter 11 quotes
Tea Cake]: "Things lak dat [age] got uh whole lot ... tuh do wid convenience, but it ain’t got nothin’ tuh do wid love."
this means that Tea Cake does not care about social prescriptions over such trifles as age differences when there is real love involved. And the fact that he has the courage to address such a touchy subject directly to Janie further endears him to her.
"So he didn’t come that night and she laid in ... bed and pretended to think scornfully of him. "Bet he’s hangin’ round some jook or ‘nother. Glad Ah treated him cold. Whut do Ah want wid some trashy nigger out de streets? Bet he’s livin’ wid some woman or ‘nother and takin’ me for uh fool. Glad Ah caught mahself in time." She tried to console herself that way."
this quote means that Janie knows what it feels to be jealous for the first time. Because she has established a strong, positive connection with Tea Cake, she feels betrayed when he doesn’t immediately come visit her again. To soothe her spurned heart, Janie pushes her anger onto Tea Cake, writing him off as unfaithful and a "trashy nigger." This last phrase is reminiscent of Nanny’s reaction to Johnny Taylor; without being conscious of it, Janie is slowly letting her bitterness transform her into the narrow-minded woman that Nanny was.
this means that Tea Cake does not care about social prescriptions over such trifles as age differences when there is real love involved. And the fact that he has the courage to address such a touchy subject directly to Janie further endears him to her.
"So he didn’t come that night and she laid in ... bed and pretended to think scornfully of him. "Bet he’s hangin’ round some jook or ‘nother. Glad Ah treated him cold. Whut do Ah want wid some trashy nigger out de streets? Bet he’s livin’ wid some woman or ‘nother and takin’ me for uh fool. Glad Ah caught mahself in time." She tried to console herself that way."
this quote means that Janie knows what it feels to be jealous for the first time. Because she has established a strong, positive connection with Tea Cake, she feels betrayed when he doesn’t immediately come visit her again. To soothe her spurned heart, Janie pushes her anger onto Tea Cake, writing him off as unfaithful and a "trashy nigger." This last phrase is reminiscent of Nanny’s reaction to Johnny Taylor; without being conscious of it, Janie is slowly letting her bitterness transform her into the narrow-minded woman that Nanny was.
chapter 10 quotes
He (Tea Cake) set it (the checkers) up and began ... to show her and she found herself glowing inside. Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural for her to play. That was even nice. She looked him over and got little thrills from one of his good points. Those full, lazy eyes with the lashes curling sharply away like drawn scimitars. Then lean-over-padded shoulders and narrow waist. Even nice!
this quote means that Because Tea Cake treats Janie like an equal and intelligent person, Janie finds herself more attracted to him. His classy treatment of her opens the door for love. Where Janie would have normally overlooked him as another suitor and continued happily in her widowhood, Tea Cake’s behavior sets him apart from the other self-absorbed men and presents Janie with a chance to finally experience the love she has pursued all her life.
"Yuh can’t beat uh woman. Dey jes won’t stand fuh ... it. But Ah’ll come teach yuh agin. You gointuh be uh good player too, after while."
"You reckon so? Jody useter tell me Ah never would learn. It wuz too heavy fuh mah brains."
"Folks is playin’ it wide sense and folks is playin’ it without. But you got good meat on yo’ head. You’ll learn."
this quote means that Tea Cake differentiates himself from Joe by assuring Janie that women are just as smart as men and have just as much potential to better themselves. Tea Cake’s sense of gender equality is unprecedented and Janie basks in his praise.
this quote means that Because Tea Cake treats Janie like an equal and intelligent person, Janie finds herself more attracted to him. His classy treatment of her opens the door for love. Where Janie would have normally overlooked him as another suitor and continued happily in her widowhood, Tea Cake’s behavior sets him apart from the other self-absorbed men and presents Janie with a chance to finally experience the love she has pursued all her life.
"Yuh can’t beat uh woman. Dey jes won’t stand fuh ... it. But Ah’ll come teach yuh agin. You gointuh be uh good player too, after while."
"You reckon so? Jody useter tell me Ah never would learn. It wuz too heavy fuh mah brains."
"Folks is playin’ it wide sense and folks is playin’ it without. But you got good meat on yo’ head. You’ll learn."
this quote means that Tea Cake differentiates himself from Joe by assuring Janie that women are just as smart as men and have just as much potential to better themselves. Tea Cake’s sense of gender equality is unprecedented and Janie basks in his praise.
chapter 9 quotes
"Womenfolks is easy taken advantage of. You know what tuh ... let none uh dese stray niggers dat’s settin’ round heah git de inside track on yuh. They’s jes lak uh pack uh hawgs, when dey see uh full trough. What yuh needs is uh man dat yuh done lived uhround and know all about tuh sort of manage yo’ things fuh yuh and generally do round."
this quote means that Ike Green tries to feed Janie the idea that women cannot function on their own, without a man. However, readers recognize that Ike is one of the "hawgs" that he is so quick to condemn. Janie also isn’t as dumb and easily duped as Ike thinks either. She recognizes Ike’s tactics and calls him a "pee-de-bed."
Besides she liked being lonesome for a change. This freedom ... feeling was fine. These men didn’t represent a thing she wanted to know about. She had already experienced them through Logan and Joe. She felt like slapping some of them for sitting around grinning at her like a pack of chessy cats, trying to make out they looked like love.
this quote means that Having experienced horrible failed marriages with Logan and Joe, Janie enjoys her single status for the first time in a long time. Now she knows what she wants out of a man and she definitely knows what she doesn’t want – pretense of love. Now that Janie has learned what love is not, she will soon learn what it is.
this quote means that Ike Green tries to feed Janie the idea that women cannot function on their own, without a man. However, readers recognize that Ike is one of the "hawgs" that he is so quick to condemn. Janie also isn’t as dumb and easily duped as Ike thinks either. She recognizes Ike’s tactics and calls him a "pee-de-bed."
Besides she liked being lonesome for a change. This freedom ... feeling was fine. These men didn’t represent a thing she wanted to know about. She had already experienced them through Logan and Joe. She felt like slapping some of them for sitting around grinning at her like a pack of chessy cats, trying to make out they looked like love.
this quote means that Having experienced horrible failed marriages with Logan and Joe, Janie enjoys her single status for the first time in a long time. Now she knows what she wants out of a man and she definitely knows what she doesn’t want – pretense of love. Now that Janie has learned what love is not, she will soon learn what it is.
chapter 8 quotes
Why must Joe be so mad with her for making ... him look small when he did it to her all the time?
this quote means that Janie recognizes and laments an unfair double standard: men always put down women and expect them to take it while the reverse does not hold true; women cannot possibly insult their men without drastic and often public consequences. There is a sexual double meaning here, with "small" meaning both Joe’s reputation and his actual manhood.
[Janie]: "But Ah ain’t goin’ outa here and Ah ain’t ... gointuh hush. Naw, you gointuh listen tuh me one time befo’ you die. Have yo’ way all yo’ life, trample and mash down and then die ruther than tuh let yo’self heah ‘bout it. Listen, Jody, you ain’t de Jody ah run off down de road wid. You’se whut’s left after he died. Ah run off tuh keep house wid you in uh wonderful way. But you wasn’t satisfied wid me de way Ah was. Naw! Mah own mind had tuh be squeezed and crowded out tuh make room for yours in me. "
this quote means that Janie makes plain to Joe one way that men try to keep women down – by silencing their voices (often by speaking louder than their women or ignoring their pleas). Because a person’s words are a direct product of their mind, Janie recognizes that Joe’s attempts to silence her are an intrusion on her very thoughts.
this quote means that Janie recognizes and laments an unfair double standard: men always put down women and expect them to take it while the reverse does not hold true; women cannot possibly insult their men without drastic and often public consequences. There is a sexual double meaning here, with "small" meaning both Joe’s reputation and his actual manhood.
[Janie]: "But Ah ain’t goin’ outa here and Ah ain’t ... gointuh hush. Naw, you gointuh listen tuh me one time befo’ you die. Have yo’ way all yo’ life, trample and mash down and then die ruther than tuh let yo’self heah ‘bout it. Listen, Jody, you ain’t de Jody ah run off down de road wid. You’se whut’s left after he died. Ah run off tuh keep house wid you in uh wonderful way. But you wasn’t satisfied wid me de way Ah was. Naw! Mah own mind had tuh be squeezed and crowded out tuh make room for yours in me. "
this quote means that Janie makes plain to Joe one way that men try to keep women down – by silencing their voices (often by speaking louder than their women or ignoring their pleas). Because a person’s words are a direct product of their mind, Janie recognizes that Joe’s attempts to silence her are an intrusion on her very thoughts.
chapter 7 quotes
[Mixon teasing Janie about her lack of skills with a ... knife]: "Looka heah, Brother Mayor, whut yo’ wife done took and done." It was cut comical, so everybody laughed at it. "Uh woman and uh knife – no kind of uh knife, don’t b’long tuhgether." There was some more good-natured laughter at the expense of women.
this quote means that Knives and weapons of any kind are usually considered a product of a masculine realm and Janie’s clumsiness with the knife is caused by a female venturing into male territory – or so they assume. Everyone assumes that women cannot do what men do and thus they laugh "at the expense of women."
[Janie when Joe implies she is old]: "Naw, Ah ain’t ... no young gal no mo’ but den Ah ain’t no old woman neither. Ah reckon Ah looks mah age too. But Ah’m uh woman every inch of me, and Ah know it. Dat’s uh whole lot more’n you kin say. You big-bellies round here and put out a lot of brag, but ‘tain’t nothin’ to it but yo’ big voice. Humph! Talkin’ ‘bout me lookin’ old! When you pull down yo’ britches, you look lak de change uh life."
this quote means that Both Joe and Janie try to get under each other’s skin by attacking each other’s sexuality. Joe, by suggesting Janie has become an old hag, implies that she has lost her characteristic beauty. Janie retorts by directly insulting Joe’s manhood and stripping him of his pride in front of his peers.
this quote means that Knives and weapons of any kind are usually considered a product of a masculine realm and Janie’s clumsiness with the knife is caused by a female venturing into male territory – or so they assume. Everyone assumes that women cannot do what men do and thus they laugh "at the expense of women."
[Janie when Joe implies she is old]: "Naw, Ah ain’t ... no young gal no mo’ but den Ah ain’t no old woman neither. Ah reckon Ah looks mah age too. But Ah’m uh woman every inch of me, and Ah know it. Dat’s uh whole lot more’n you kin say. You big-bellies round here and put out a lot of brag, but ‘tain’t nothin’ to it but yo’ big voice. Humph! Talkin’ ‘bout me lookin’ old! When you pull down yo’ britches, you look lak de change uh life."
this quote means that Both Joe and Janie try to get under each other’s skin by attacking each other’s sexuality. Joe, by suggesting Janie has become an old hag, implies that she has lost her characteristic beauty. Janie retorts by directly insulting Joe’s manhood and stripping him of his pride in front of his peers.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
chapter6 quotes
She wasn’t petal-open with anymore with him [Joe].
i think that this quote is saying that Janie falls out of love with Joe after he strikes her and her violent disillusionment is described in terms of Janie’s pear blossoms. She is no longer Joe’s flower with her petals open to tell him all her secrets; after his violence towards her, Janie’s petals and love have closed.
Janie could see Jody watching her out of the corner ... of his eye while he joked roughly with Mrs. Robbins. He wanted to be friendly with her again. His big, big laugh was as much for her as for the baiting. He was longing for peace but on his own terms.
i think that this quote means that Thought: After their argument, Joe wants to make up with Janie but is too proud to say it outright. Instead, he hints at it with sidelong glances and his big, irresistible laugh. He wants love, but without making any sacrifices himself. Can there really be love without both parties making sacrifices?
i think that this quote is saying that Janie falls out of love with Joe after he strikes her and her violent disillusionment is described in terms of Janie’s pear blossoms. She is no longer Joe’s flower with her petals open to tell him all her secrets; after his violence towards her, Janie’s petals and love have closed.
Janie could see Jody watching her out of the corner ... of his eye while he joked roughly with Mrs. Robbins. He wanted to be friendly with her again. His big, big laugh was as much for her as for the baiting. He was longing for peace but on his own terms.
i think that this quote means that Thought: After their argument, Joe wants to make up with Janie but is too proud to say it outright. Instead, he hints at it with sidelong glances and his big, irresistible laugh. He wants love, but without making any sacrifices himself. Can there really be love without both parties making sacrifices?
chapter 5 quotes
"Tony Taylor when Joe is made mayor]: "And now we’ll ... listen tuh uh few words uh encouragement from Mrs. Mayor Starks."
The burst of applause was cut short by Joe taking the floor himself.
"Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but nah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home."
i think that this quote means that Joe, like many men, think that women do not have the intellectual capacity of men and should not be allowed to speak. He cuts short any chance for Janie to make herself heard because he considers a woman’s place not in the public eye, but in the privacy of the home. Joe jealousy guards Janie and wants her all to himself because he fears losing her.
"She [Janie] had never thought of making a speech, and ... didn’t know if she cared to make one at all. It must have been the way Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything one way or another that took the bloom off of things. But anyway, she went down the road behind him that night feeling cold. He strode along invested with his new dignity, thought and planned out loud, unconscious of her thoughts."
i think that this quote means Thought: The first sign of trouble in Janie’s second marriage comes when Joe completely cuts Janie off when she is invited to speak publicly. Though Janie does not really want to speak, she resents Joe for not even giving her the chance to reply. This quick silencing of Janie takes "the bloom off of things" or takes the romance – represented by Janie’s pear blossoms – out of the moment. This leaves her feeling "cold" when she should be flushed with warmth for love of Joe.
The burst of applause was cut short by Joe taking the floor himself.
"Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but nah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home."
i think that this quote means that Joe, like many men, think that women do not have the intellectual capacity of men and should not be allowed to speak. He cuts short any chance for Janie to make herself heard because he considers a woman’s place not in the public eye, but in the privacy of the home. Joe jealousy guards Janie and wants her all to himself because he fears losing her.
"She [Janie] had never thought of making a speech, and ... didn’t know if she cared to make one at all. It must have been the way Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything one way or another that took the bloom off of things. But anyway, she went down the road behind him that night feeling cold. He strode along invested with his new dignity, thought and planned out loud, unconscious of her thoughts."
i think that this quote means Thought: The first sign of trouble in Janie’s second marriage comes when Joe completely cuts Janie off when she is invited to speak publicly. Though Janie does not really want to speak, she resents Joe for not even giving her the chance to reply. This quick silencing of Janie takes "the bloom off of things" or takes the romance – represented by Janie’s pear blossoms – out of the moment. This leaves her feeling "cold" when she should be flushed with warmth for love of Joe.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
chapter 4 quotes
"Long before the year was up, Janie noticed that her ... husband had stopped talking in rhymes to her. He had ceased to wonder at her long black hair and finger it. 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."
i think that this quote means that Nanny’s prophecy comes true and Logan stops "kissing Janie’s feet," stops bowing down to please her, and begins expecting her to pull her own weight. Janie learns that her physical charms cannot hold a man’s interest for long and that he soon stops sweet-talking or "talking in rhymes" to her when he finds that she has little to offer in return. Any illusion Janie had of love with Logan is destroyed.
"Janie pulled back a long time because he [Joe] did ... not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon. He spoke for change and chance."
this quote means that Janie is wary of giving herself over too quickly to Joe because, though he is far more romantic than Logan, he does not really remind her of the ideal of love conjured by her beloved pear tree’s "sun-up and pollen and blooming trees," but he does fill her mind with all the possibilities that the "far horizon" symbolizes.
i think that this quote means that Nanny’s prophecy comes true and Logan stops "kissing Janie’s feet," stops bowing down to please her, and begins expecting her to pull her own weight. Janie learns that her physical charms cannot hold a man’s interest for long and that he soon stops sweet-talking or "talking in rhymes" to her when he finds that she has little to offer in return. Any illusion Janie had of love with Logan is destroyed.
"Janie pulled back a long time because he [Joe] did ... not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon. He spoke for change and chance."
this quote means that Janie is wary of giving herself over too quickly to Joe because, though he is far more romantic than Logan, he does not really remind her of the ideal of love conjured by her beloved pear tree’s "sun-up and pollen and blooming trees," but he does fill her mind with all the possibilities that the "far horizon" symbolizes.
chapter 3 quotes
"Janie: 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. Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant. It was just so. Janie felt glad of the thought, for then it wouldn’t seem so destructive and mouldy. She wouldn’t be lonely anymore."
But anyhow Janie went on inside to wait for love to begin. The new moon had been up and down three times before she got worried in mind.pg. 21
i think that Simply because Nanny tells her so, Janie assumes that marriage entails love. She assumes that after she marries Logan, she will magically wake up one day and love him. Some might read this as a defense mechanism, something to help her justify the obvious unfairness of being forced to marry someone she doesn’t love. However, when love does not come after three months, Janie begins to doubt.
"Nanny] "Well, if he do all dat whut you come ... in heah wid uh face long as mah arm for?"
"Cause you told me Ah wuz gointer love him, and, and Ah don’t. Maybe if somebody was to tell me how, Ah could do it."
"You come head wid yo’ mouf full uh foolishness on uh busy day. Heah you got uh prop tuh lean on all yo’ bawn days, and big protection, and everybody got tuh tip dey hat tuh you and call you Mis’ Killicks, and you come worryin’ me ‘bout love."
i think that this quote means that Janie still considers the idea of love essential to a marriage and she thinks that because she still doesn’t love Logan, something has gone wrong. She earnestly wants to love the man and make the marriage work, but Nanny brushes her worries off as frivolous. In Nanny’s eyes, Janie should be happy simply with her property and status as a respectably married woman; love is irrelevant.
But anyhow Janie went on inside to wait for love to begin. The new moon had been up and down three times before she got worried in mind.pg. 21
i think that Simply because Nanny tells her so, Janie assumes that marriage entails love. She assumes that after she marries Logan, she will magically wake up one day and love him. Some might read this as a defense mechanism, something to help her justify the obvious unfairness of being forced to marry someone she doesn’t love. However, when love does not come after three months, Janie begins to doubt.
"Nanny] "Well, if he do all dat whut you come ... in heah wid uh face long as mah arm for?"
"Cause you told me Ah wuz gointer love him, and, and Ah don’t. Maybe if somebody was to tell me how, Ah could do it."
"You come head wid yo’ mouf full uh foolishness on uh busy day. Heah you got uh prop tuh lean on all yo’ bawn days, and big protection, and everybody got tuh tip dey hat tuh you and call you Mis’ Killicks, and you come worryin’ me ‘bout love."
i think that this quote means that Janie still considers the idea of love essential to a marriage and she thinks that because she still doesn’t love Logan, something has gone wrong. She earnestly wants to love the man and make the marriage work, but Nanny brushes her worries off as frivolous. In Nanny’s eyes, Janie should be happy simply with her property and status as a respectably married woman; love is irrelevant.
chapter 2 quotes
"Through pollinated air she saw a glorious being coming up ... the road. In her former blindness she had known him as shiftless Johnny Taylor, tall and lean. That was before the golden dust of pollen had beglamored his rags and her eyes.
In the last stages of Nanny’s sleep, she dreamed of voices. Voices far-off but persistent, and gradually coming nearer. Janie’s voice. Janie talking in whispery snatches with a male voice she couldn’t quite place. That brought her wide awake. She bolted upright and peered out of the window and saw Johnny Taylor lacerating her Janie with a kiss." (2.16-17)
i think that Janie’s pseudo-sexual experience under the pear tree changes her attitude towards boys. It makes her aware of her own body and her own budding sexual desires. This leads her to romanticize a boy whom she once ignored. Nanny, on the other hand, has a much more cynical vision of males. She considers men, especially unmarried ones, dangerous – as demonstrated by her use of "lacerating" to describe Johnny’s kiss for Janie.
"Nanny: "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." pg. 14
i think that this quote means that a Black women, as far as Nanny can see, get the worst lot in life. While white men are highest in the hierarchy and look down on black men, the black men in turn drop the burden on the shoulders of their women. Everyone treats black women like animals.
In the last stages of Nanny’s sleep, she dreamed of voices. Voices far-off but persistent, and gradually coming nearer. Janie’s voice. Janie talking in whispery snatches with a male voice she couldn’t quite place. That brought her wide awake. She bolted upright and peered out of the window and saw Johnny Taylor lacerating her Janie with a kiss." (2.16-17)
i think that Janie’s pseudo-sexual experience under the pear tree changes her attitude towards boys. It makes her aware of her own body and her own budding sexual desires. This leads her to romanticize a boy whom she once ignored. Nanny, on the other hand, has a much more cynical vision of males. She considers men, especially unmarried ones, dangerous – as demonstrated by her use of "lacerating" to describe Johnny’s kiss for Janie.
"Nanny: "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." pg. 14
i think that this quote means that a Black women, as far as Nanny can see, get the worst lot in life. While white men are highest in the hierarchy and look down on black men, the black men in turn drop the burden on the shoulders of their women. Everyone treats black women like animals.
quotes from chapter 1
"These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long. Mules and other brutes had occupied their skins. But now, the sun and the bossman were gone, so the skins felt powerful and human. They became lords of sounds and lesser things. They passed nations through their mouths. They sat in judgment."chapter, 1.pg.2
i thing that this quote means that the novel centers around the life of a beautiful woman named Janie Crawford with long flowing hair and a mind of her own. While young and at the insistence of her grandmother, she marries an older man she hardly knows and barely likes. He expects her to work harder than she wants to work. He expects her to work beyond the kitchen and do things that seem beneath her. She does not do what he tells. Even more, when she meets a sweet-smelling young man named Jody Starks she sees the promise of a life far more satisfying and so she runs off with him without ever looking back.
"Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. ... For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.
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." (1.1-2)
i think that according to Hurston, men are more practical than women; they know that their dreams are unattainable, as illustrated by the distant ships that rarely come onto shore. When they realize that their dreams are unrealistic, men become resigned to their fate and live on. On the other hand, women close that metaphorical distance by failing to distinguish between dream and reality. Their dreams are their reality and thus they live far more idealistic lives.
i thing that this quote means that the novel centers around the life of a beautiful woman named Janie Crawford with long flowing hair and a mind of her own. While young and at the insistence of her grandmother, she marries an older man she hardly knows and barely likes. He expects her to work harder than she wants to work. He expects her to work beyond the kitchen and do things that seem beneath her. She does not do what he tells. Even more, when she meets a sweet-smelling young man named Jody Starks she sees the promise of a life far more satisfying and so she runs off with him without ever looking back.
"Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. ... For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.
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." (1.1-2)
i think that according to Hurston, men are more practical than women; they know that their dreams are unattainable, as illustrated by the distant ships that rarely come onto shore. When they realize that their dreams are unrealistic, men become resigned to their fate and live on. On the other hand, women close that metaphorical distance by failing to distinguish between dream and reality. Their dreams are their reality and thus they live far more idealistic lives.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
hopes/dreams for the future
One of my hopes/dreams for the future is to be a game designer because i love to play games in my spare time or if i want to zone someone else out because that's me and i can't help it. when i see a game i just got to have it, some people call me a crazy game freak but i dint care because its true in some ways. besides loving games the reason why i want to create games for my dream for the future is because games can be exciting but it can also help you out to find strategies on how you can beat your rival in your favorite game or just to understand the game better.
Games can also be a good and bad there, the reason why games can be bad because if you play it to much then your brain will turn into mush like applesauce, but games can be good for you because it can make you think and if that's not enough infofrmation i will prove it.Imagine an alternate world identical to ours save one techno-historical change: videogames were invented and popularized before books. In this parallel universe, kids have been playing games for centuries—and then these page-bound texts come along and suddenly they’re all the rage.Reading books chronically under-stimulates the senses.
Unlike the longstanding tradition of gameplaying—which engages the child in a vivid, three-dimensional world filled with moving images and musical soundscapes, navigated and controlled with complex muscular movements—books are simply a barren string of words on the page. Only a small portion of the brain devoted to processing written language is activated during reading, while games engage the full range of the sensory and motor cortices. games have for many years engaged the young in complex social relationships with their peers, building and exploring worlds together, so that's why i want to become a game designer because it can help kids learn the ways of the games and i love games.
my plan is to go to school and lean as much game information as possibe because without games, it will not be nonething to do and the world will be in total chaos.the only thing that stops me for forfilling my dream is me because without me my dream will not come true
Games can also be a good and bad there, the reason why games can be bad because if you play it to much then your brain will turn into mush like applesauce, but games can be good for you because it can make you think and if that's not enough infofrmation i will prove it.Imagine an alternate world identical to ours save one techno-historical change: videogames were invented and popularized before books. In this parallel universe, kids have been playing games for centuries—and then these page-bound texts come along and suddenly they’re all the rage.Reading books chronically under-stimulates the senses.
Unlike the longstanding tradition of gameplaying—which engages the child in a vivid, three-dimensional world filled with moving images and musical soundscapes, navigated and controlled with complex muscular movements—books are simply a barren string of words on the page. Only a small portion of the brain devoted to processing written language is activated during reading, while games engage the full range of the sensory and motor cortices. games have for many years engaged the young in complex social relationships with their peers, building and exploring worlds together, so that's why i want to become a game designer because it can help kids learn the ways of the games and i love games.
my plan is to go to school and lean as much game information as possibe because without games, it will not be nonething to do and the world will be in total chaos.the only thing that stops me for forfilling my dream is me because without me my dream will not come true
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