Analytical Essay On Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God Analytical Essay
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. What is the Harlem Renaissance? Sometimes referred to as the Negro Renaissance or the New Negro Movement, this period marks out the years between the end of World War 1 and start of the Great Depression. The Renaissance was based in the city of Harlem, New York. African Americans were turning to new art, music, and literature to develop their own strong culture, during a time when racism and discrimination played a large, negative role in society. Hurston, along with others such as Duke …show more content…
One reason “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is considered a story of the Renaissance was simply because it was written in New York, during this special decade. Common themes of the Harlem Renaissance were the use of folk material and glorifying African American cultural heritage. In chapter six of the novel, Hurston opens with a mule folk tale based on one she had heard growing up. It is significant in that it illustrates the tense relationship with Janie and her second husband, Joe Starks (Hurston, 48-52). Also many authors use jungles, tribal scenes or scenes like the “muck” or “everglades” in the novel to demonstrate a renewed emphasis on African
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. What is the Harlem Renaissance? Sometimes referred to as the Negro Renaissance or the New Negro Movement, this period marks out the years between the end of World War 1 and start of the Great Depression. The Renaissance was based in the city of Harlem, New York. African Americans were turning to new art, music, and literature to develop their own strong culture, during a time when racism and discrimination played a large, negative role in society. Hurston, along with others such as Duke …show more content…
One reason “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is considered a story of the Renaissance was simply because it was written in New York, during this special decade. Common themes of the Harlem Renaissance were the use of folk material and glorifying African American cultural heritage. In chapter six of the novel, Hurston opens with a mule folk tale based on one she had heard growing up. It is significant in that it illustrates the tense relationship with Janie and her second husband, Joe Starks (Hurston, 48-52). Also many authors use jungles, tribal scenes or scenes like the “muck” or “everglades” in the novel to demonstrate a renewed emphasis on African