Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston
Abstract:
The writings of African American women reveal their individual struggles against canonization, imperialism, and sexism. Interestingly, experiences dictated by women contrast sharply with those written by men. The women and their respective works selected for this study have all made significant contributions to the field of literature and as diverse as they are, speak to the heart of the struggles faced by women around the world. Each woman’s unique past is pivotal to understanding its impact on their writing. Zora best represents the transition of power from the past to modern writers like Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Similarly, Morrison continues the tradition of creating writings that speak for oppressed women and against the …show more content…
Hurston is widely recognized for her contributions to the “New Negro Movement”, affectionately referred to as the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston’s diverse literary portfolio includes: Jonah’s Gourd Vine, Mules and Men, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Seraph on the Swanee. Of herself, Hurston notes: “I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes... I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” (Colored 1031). Hurston is a woman whose literary legacy is defined by the idea that a black woman could demand a space in the world; furthermore, she asserts that the woman did not have to do so in fear of her race or …show more content…
The crux of Morrison’s writings stem from her prodigious use of mystical elements in conjunction with her detailing of the African American experience to include: “racial, gender and class conflict” (Dipasquale). Morrison details a unique experience; ranging from the slave narrative of Sethe in Beloved, The Cosey Women in Love, and the troubled youth, Pecola, in The Bluest Eye. Morrison explains that each work must "write for people like me, which is to say black people, curious people, demanding people -- people who can't be faked, people who don't need to be patronized, people who have very, very high criteria” (qtd. in Dipasquale). Therefore, the works of Morrison, have helped to establish the black female voice in a world which continues its attempt to silence
The writings of African American women reveal their individual struggles against canonization, imperialism, and sexism. Interestingly, experiences dictated by women contrast sharply with those written by men. The women and their respective works selected for this study have all made significant contributions to the field of literature and as diverse as they are, speak to the heart of the struggles faced by women around the world. Each woman’s unique past is pivotal to understanding its impact on their writing. Zora best represents the transition of power from the past to modern writers like Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Similarly, Morrison continues the tradition of creating writings that speak for oppressed women and against the …show more content…
Hurston is widely recognized for her contributions to the “New Negro Movement”, affectionately referred to as the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston’s diverse literary portfolio includes: Jonah’s Gourd Vine, Mules and Men, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Seraph on the Swanee. Of herself, Hurston notes: “I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes... I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” (Colored 1031). Hurston is a woman whose literary legacy is defined by the idea that a black woman could demand a space in the world; furthermore, she asserts that the woman did not have to do so in fear of her race or …show more content…
The crux of Morrison’s writings stem from her prodigious use of mystical elements in conjunction with her detailing of the African American experience to include: “racial, gender and class conflict” (Dipasquale). Morrison details a unique experience; ranging from the slave narrative of Sethe in Beloved, The Cosey Women in Love, and the troubled youth, Pecola, in The Bluest Eye. Morrison explains that each work must "write for people like me, which is to say black people, curious people, demanding people -- people who can't be faked, people who don't need to be patronized, people who have very, very high criteria” (qtd. in Dipasquale). Therefore, the works of Morrison, have helped to establish the black female voice in a world which continues its attempt to silence