Chapter 7: The Fall

In this chapter, the relationship between Jody and Janie finally comes to an end. Through out the chapter, Janie describes how as Jody got older he became more violent towards her. She describes times when Jody would verbally attack her and she would just take it. Finally, one day Jody scolds Janie for cutting a piece of tobacco wrong in the store. He starts yelling at her in public and scolding her. Finally, Janie lashes out publicly embarrassing Jody. In her fit of rage she ends up saying that Jody looks like "de change uh life" when hes naked. In his embarrassment, Jody hits Janie and orders her to go home.

In this book, Janie is striving for her happiness and a perfect love. What she had with Jody was not the perfect marriage and did not make her perfectly happy but at the start, when Jody wooed Janie into leaving Logan for him she believed she would be able to be extremely happy with him. This dream failed because Jody let his power get to his head and he treated her like she was a possession. After Janie's confrontation to Jody, I believe there is a chance that Jody may see that Janie does not like how she is being treated and may change his ways. In order for him to do this, Janie has to forgive Jody for his poor treatment of her. So respond to the following quote in terms of Janie's possible forgiveness of Jody.

"To err is human; to forgive, divine." - Alexander Pope

Do you think Janie should be “divine” and forgive Jody for his wrong of treating her badly? In Chapter 8, Jody’s health takes the ultimate toll on him but do you think this change in condition of Jody should affect Janie's decision to stand up and forgive him even if it does not mean they could restart their old good marriage?

What about for Janie's grandmother? Do you think Janie will forgive her grandmother for sending her off to marry Logan and get pushed into marriage and happiness?

Chapter 6: Shattered

"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….She had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petrels used to be. She found that she had a host of thoughts she had never expressed to him, and numerous emotion she had never let Jody know about. Things packed up and put away in parts of her heart where he could never find them. She was saving up feelings for some man she had never seen."

Respond to this passage in Ch. 6. What do you think this means? What are some symbols in this passage that we see throughout the novel? What causes her to think this? Do you believe this is some sort of epiphany for Janie? Why or why not? Could this be foreshadowing for any future events?

Chapter 6: The Victim, The Bully, and The Savior

Throughout chapter 6, Hurston uses various literary tools, including symbolism, character archetypes, and recurring themes to display Janie's feelings towards her situation with Joe and the town, the declining relationship between Janie and Joe, materialism, and feminism.

Each of these tools occur in different parts of the chapter. The mule symbolizes Janie's position and struggles- especially because the mules parallel the way in which her husbands treat her. For example, Logan Killicks works his mule demandingly, as he does with Janie; and Joe Starks buys the mule to display his wealth. The mule also symbolizes her struggles with feminism and slavery by being oppressed. Everyone exploits the mule and her, and they don't have a voice.

Hurston also uses the literary tool of character archetypes. She uses classic archetypes such as the victim, the bully, and the hero. The purpose of employing these archetypes is to highlight Janie's unhappiness in Eatonville by connecting her to the mule because they share the same archetype. The archetypes also highlight the decline in the relationship between Janie and Joe because Joe does not have a definite position and oscillates between "bully" and "savior".

However, Hurston juxtaposes Joe Starks' role in fitting into an archetype. As the story is progressing, Joe gets less and less likable to Janie, and different sides of his start showing, which ultimately is causing the decline in Janie and Joe's relationship. On one hand, Joe could be viewed as a part of the "savior" archetype because he saved Janie from Logan Killicks as well as saving the mule from harassment. On the other hand though, Joe starts treating Janie harshly, as displayed in this chapter.

Which archetype do you think Hurston uses for Joe Starks and why does Hurston do this? In what way does this affect his relationship with Janie?

Gender Roles

In Chapter 7 of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Jody, now in his 50s, has bags under his eyes and a prominent, flabby stomach. Insecure about his own age, he constantly belittles Janie by trying to make her feel old even though he is over 10 years older than her. At first, she thinks Jody does not look well, so she says nothing; however, by the end of the chapter she is determined to speak her mind because of this unfairness from Jody and calls him fat, which wounds his pride and causes him to slap her and drive her out of the store.

This all occurs because of his desire to be, and have, the best. But perhaps even more importantly this happens because Jody is a man, a man who has a lot of power in Eatonville. If Jody were a women and Janie were a man, and they had all the same character traits, it would be a totally different ballgame. Since the men of the town are biased towards other men, if Janie was the man, no one would have cared if she called Janie fat because no one cared about the pride of women in those times.

Nothing else in the book will change except that in Chapter 7, and Chapter 7 only, Janie and Jody switch genders. How would the plot change based on the gender differences? Give a brief summary of what would happen and relate what you thought of to the roles of men and women in society during that time.

Let it Shine, Let it Shine, Let it Shine

In chapter 5 of Their Eyes Were Watching God, Jody and Janie Starks arrive in Eatonville, surprised to find that it "ain't nothing but a raw place in de woods." Jody immediately makes it his mission to fix up the town. As he begins to rise to power in Eatonville, his controlling personality comes to life in his attempts to assert authority over Janie and the town. He quickly becomes landlord, mailman, store-owner, and mayor of Eatonville, and his acting like he owns the town mirrors his beginning to treat his wife as a possession.

This juxtaposition of his patronizing both Janie and the town illuminates an important theme for the chapter: what responsibility does he owe these people from whom he has gained his power? After he exiles Henry Pitts from the town, the people debate on whether this was the right thing to do. "It's a sin and uh shame runnin' dat po' man way from here lak dat," one man argues. "Colored folks oughtn't be so hard on one 'nother."

Another person argues, "Let colored folks work for what dey git lak everybody else."

Joe Starks says that "Dis town needs some light right now." In his showy lamp lighting ceremony, he argues that "All we can do, if we want any light after de settin' or befo' de risin', is tuh make some light ourselves."

What responsibility does Joe have to share his light (a metaphor for his power and possessions) with the other members of the town and with Janie? Should everyone be left to make their own light? Does Joe actually want them to make their own light, or is he going to keep covering it up with a showcase?

Vocabulary, Level 2 Words/ Harlem Renaissance

Saturday Night Street Scene. Archibald Motley Jr. 1936

Write a response to the painting above in which you use at least 5 of the Level 2 Vocabulary Words.

Great Price for a Small Vice

Answer one of the following prompts in a thoughtful comment:

1. Can you find examples in Act IV or V to show how Othello's diction begins sinking to Iago's level? Compare these examples to his language in Acts I and II. How do you feel about this change--both linguistic and psychological--in Othello as a tragic hero?

2. Why does Othello strike Desdemona in Act IV, Scene I? How do other people onstage react? How did you as a reader react? How do you imagine Desdemona responding physically to the blow? Is it part of the play's tragic nature that she takes the abuse here--physical and verbal--without protesting publicly? Why doesn't she defend herself, and how, as a modern audience can we understand this scene?

3. What are Emilia's opinions of the male and female sex? (give textual evidence) How do they differ from Desdemona's? Why do you think Shakespeare includes the "Willow Song" scene between Emilia and Desdemona in Act IV? Which woman do you agree with more and why?