TONI MORRISON AND ZORA NEALE HURSTON

Imagine two strong and courageous African-American women who searched to find their own voice and uncovered a gift for being remarkable writers. These two women are the one and only Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston. Both women were successful at what they did and overcame the obstacles that stood in their way. These women not only wrote literature, but also helped to make it what it is today. Both Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston had unprecedented achievement for black American women writers.

“I have never lived an easy life, but struggled on to achieve my ideas.” These words, written by Zora Neale Hurston summarize both her life and career as a writer (Witcover 7). Zora Neale Hurston was born in the small town of Notasulga, Alabama on January 7, 1891. She was the fifth of eight children in her family. Her father was a carpenter, sharecropper, and a Baptist preacher; and her mother was a former schoolteacher (Yannuzzi 3). Within a year of Zora’s birth, her family moved to Eatonville, Florida, which is known as the first incorporated black municipality in the U.S. When Zora was just t

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Their works will continue to have a strong impact for years to come. The early 1920’s marked the beginning of Zora Neale Hurston’s career as an author. It was during this time that Zora began to publish her first stories. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, 1996. Chloe’s father moved north when he was sixteen years old, hoping to escape the racism of the south. Zora was a brilliant, opinionated, and independent woman whose legacy lives on. Born with the name Chloe Anthony Wofford in 1931 in the small town of Lorain, Ohio, she was the second of four children (Kramer 8).

Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison accomplished many things that people only dream of. Hurston’s widely regarded masterpiece, Their Eyes Were Watching God, was one of the first novels ever written about black America (Witcover 97). She attended a multi-racial school where many of the students had difficulty pronouncing her name.

These two powerful women who expressed themselves with their mighty voices will always be remembered as inspiring individuals. Zora Neale Hurston’s literary reputation soared during the 1930’s with the publication of her first novel, Jonah’s Gourd Vine. Toni received the Pulitzer Prize for her work, Beloved, in 1988.

Approximate Word count = 783
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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