Down Goes Hurston
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's is a great time for black artists; it is a rebirth of art, music, books and poetry. In Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie, the protagonist, is treated kindly for a black women. She does not go through the torment of black culture during that era or the previous eras. Throughout the book Hurston "fibs" about racial oppression. Janie gets respect by the white people she encounters. Hurston makes the reader imagine that African-American life is easygoing. Richard Write's critique of Their Eyes Were Watching God is accurate and therefore, the book should not be included in the Harlem Renaissance.Hurston breaks several of the themes of the Harlem Renaissance. One in particular is to make other Americans aware of the African-American experience. Richard Write states, "Their eyes, as a novel, exploits those quaint aspects of Negro life that satisfied the tastes of a white audience. It did for literature what the minstrel show did for theater, that is, made white folks laugh"(1). Write, as a critic, fulfills his duty to critique literature truthfully. In Hurston's novel she rarely states anything about the reality of the South at that time.
Another passage that shows the reader that Hurston refuses to state the truth about life is, '"But Nanny, Ah wants to want him sometimes. This whole book contains more fiction than non-fiction. For the duration of the book Hurston does not write to protest racial oppression. Janie is treated like a white woman of the time. Ah don't want him to do all de wanting"'(22). His tone and diction is very mellow. Hurston does not include any evidence of racial oppression. She neglects to mention any information to protest racial oppression. '"Brothers and sisters, since us can't never expect tuh better our choice, Ah move dat we make Brother Starks our Mayor until we can see further"'(40). The reader thinks that Janie is really lucky. Hurston takes no time to include these three major themes of the rebirth. In that south at the time, people were not accepted into towns if they were new to the area. Therefore critiques should ignore this book in the Harlem Renaissance. This does not sound like Hurston has written the truth about the South. Jody, Janie's second husband, takes charge and becomes the mayor.
Common topics in this essay:
Harlem Renaissance,
Tea Cake,
Richard Write,
Cake Ah,
Woods'179 Janie,
Life Janie,
God Janie,
Janie Janie,
Jodie Janie,
Mis' Starks,
harlem renaissance,
racial oppression,
tea cake,
watching god,
eyes watching,
protest racial,
eyes watching god,
protest racial oppression,
black people,
americans aware african-american,
white people,
cake respect,
book hurston,
themes harlem renaissance,
aware african-american experience,
|
Acceptance Essays
