ipl-logo

Voicelessness In English Literature

992 Words4 Pages

Choose only ONE of the following topics and respond in a minimum of five paragraphs, using specific examples and details from at least four of the texts we've read this semester. Option #1: One of the major themes we've encountered in our books this semester is the idea of voicelessness--of women who find themselves unable to speak as they wish. Using at least four of our books as your starting point, describe how finding one's voice matters in the books you choose to write about. The books, “The Round House”, by Louise Erdrich, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, by Zora Neale Hurston, “Jane Eyre”, by Charlotte Bronte, and “Americanah”, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, all features women that has suffered from being voicelessness. The women from each books went through many obstacles before they could find their own voice. Despite the hardships, they were able to find their own happiness or solutions to their problems in different ways. In the book, “The Round House”, by Louise Erdrich, Geraldine was the protagonist’s mother and a defenseless victim of rape. It took …show more content…

When she was with Jody Starks, a man who provided Janie elegant things but limited her voice and power. Jody would often restricted Janie from associating with the town members, he would make her hide her beautiful hair, and insulted her by telling her she looks old multiple of times (Hurston 47, 49, 79). After meeting with her true love, Tea Cake, she was able to find her own voice. They went through many adventures and obstacles together. When she came back to Eatonville after his death, she no longer cared about the gossips. She told Pheoby, “Let ‘em consolate theyselves wid talk” (Hurston 192). She no longer remained silence when she needed to voice her own opinion. The girl that was easily affected by criticism now found her own voice and

Show More
Related

  • Janie's Hair In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    269 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was jealous of the looks the other men gave her because “she was there fin the store for him to look at,” On one hand, Janie is “irked” by Jody’s request. As a woman who wants to be her

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Janie In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale

    781 Words  | 4 Pages

    When Janie walks back into the town, she has nothing but overalls on. Everyone sees this and starts to stare in disbelief. By then, people started to talk about her. Asking, “Where’s dat blue satin dress she left in… Where he left her…”(Hurston 18). Everyone is jumping to conclusions.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Their Eyes Were Watching God And Sweat, By Hurston

    1134 Words  | 5 Pages

    Janie doesn’t conform to what she has been told to do after this sudden change in her life. This is also exemplified when Janie gets back from the muck and talks to Phoebe about what happened to her. Janie states, “De Grand Lodge, de big convention of livin’ is just where Ah been dis year and half y’all ain’t seen me” ( Their Eyes Were Watching God 6). This further presents the idea of Janie finding her own freedom by overcoming her past. Janie was muted by others but she has found herself with Tea Cake even when everyone in Eatonville judged her without knowing who or what she really was.

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God Greed Quotes

    891 Words  | 4 Pages

    She endured a lot, and these romances that would inevitably break her didn't help her in the end. Greed is the demise of our society, and Janie's relationships are no exception. Tea Cake, her third husband, is gone for a whole day and when he returns home to Janie; he says, "Don't need tuh ast me where Ah been all dis time, 'cause it's

    Read More

  • What Are The Similarities Between As I Lay Dying And Their Eyes Were Watching God

    665 Words  | 3 Pages

    Janie was the woman who left Logan (rather than being submissive), and did not let Tea Cake control her. She rose from the ashes of mistreatment, and was defined by her

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Their Eyes Were Watching God And A Raisin In The Sun

    1748 Words  | 7 Pages

    Growing up everyone has something called a dream. Some may have dreams as small as creating a lemonade stand and some may have dreams as big as creating a worldwide company. Two characters named Janie and Walter in separate books; Janie from Their Eyes Were Watching God and Walter from A Raisin In The Sun, both had goals and aspirations that they wanted to accomplish. Janie’s ambitions in the novel were summarized by something called the pear tree goal. This goal consisted of sexuality, maturity, marriage, freedom, and family.

    Read More

  • The Central Theme Of Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

    526 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jody is charismatic and ambitious, and Janie is initially drawn to his confidence and vision for their future. However, Jody is also controlling and belittles Janie, refusing to allow her to express herself or engage with the community. Their marriage ends when Jody becomes ill and dies, and Janie is left feeling unfulfilled and stifled. As Janie reflects on her marriage to Jody, she remarks, "She was old before her time. She sat in the house and watched the sun go down" (Hurston 89).

    Read More

  • Janie's Self-Discovery

    530 Words  | 3 Pages

    Janie reacts in different ways to people in her life trying to control her, and this can be seen with Grannie, Jody, and Tea Cake. Grannie forces her to marry Logan, but Janie stands up for herself when she decides to leave him after Grannie dies. Throughout the novel Janie is looking for love, and she

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God Harlem Renaissance

    713 Words  | 3 Pages

    When tea cake shows up janie 's feels something she has never felt before, she is set free but the townspeople don 't think so. “‘Ain’t you skeered he’s jes after yo’ money him bein’ younger than you?’” (Hurston pg.133)Janie is in love with Tea Cake because he loves her for her youthful young side that was forced into hiding for so long because of her previous husbands. However the rest of the community is discouraging her and trying to keep her in the image as a mayor 's wife. They told Janie that Tea Cake was after her money

    Read More

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God Relationships

    543 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the beginning Janie feels as if Tea Cake’s age would effect their relationship. She has strong feelings for him, but on the other hand people are saying he will run off with her money. Janie proves them wrong and runs off and gets married to Tea Cake. He makes Janie feel wanted, she feels like she could be herself. Janie states, "We been tuhgether round two years.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Janie's Relationship With Tea Cake In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    779 Words  | 4 Pages

    For example, just like Jody, Tea Cake also physically abuses Janie to display his authority over her. What makes Janie 's relationship with Tea Cake different from her other relationships is that it is based on a love that runs much deeper than her motivation in staying in her other relationships. Janie married Logan in search of love. She married Jody in search of wealth and his ambition. When both of these relationships failed, she entered into her relationship with Tea Cake with low expectations.

    Read More

  • Illness In Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

    452 Words  | 2 Pages

    Janie, bound to her husband, Jody, and obliged to do as he asked, looked for a way to freedom, but only felt more trapped. Her path to freedom finally appeared when Jody began to have kidney failure. On his deathbed, Janie was finally able to stand up to him, commenting that “ all dis bowin’ down, all dis obedience under yo’ voice- dat ain’t whut Ah rushed off

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Sweat And Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1043 Words  | 5 Pages

    Jody exhibits towards Janie, forcing her to wear a head rag and covering an essential feature that contributes to her self expression. Then, as well as Jody's constant demand for perfection, when he “gits on [Janie] ever now and then when she make a little mistakes round de store”, the townspeople present the inequality of power dynamics in Janie’s relationship (Eyes 49). Janie is depicted as a weak and obedient follower rather than her own person with thoughts. Through their inputs, Hurston entails the heavy baggage the protagonist shoulders from their treatment received in the relationship. By including others'

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Janie's Hair In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Hurston

    750 Words  | 3 Pages

    With Teacake, Janie had the freedom to have her beautiful hair down. He gave her more freedom then she ever had in her entire life. She tells Pheoby, “Ah jus’ loves dis freedom” (93). The outward conformity and the inward Janie was forced to tie up her long hair because her husband did not like the fact that other people were taking a liking to it around the store, “That night he ordered Janie to tie up her hair around the store” (Hurston 55).

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    799 Words  | 4 Pages

    Janie allows men to treat her poorly several times throughout the novel. After Janie and her husband Joe Starks argue in the store about their age, Joe Starks, “struck Janie with all his might and drove her from the store” (80). By not retaliating immediately after being beaten, Janie is not portraying a powerful role model for young readers. After Sop-de-Bottom tells Tea Cake how he’s lucky that he gets to beat Janie, Tea Cake responds with, “Ah didn’t whup Janie ‘cause she

    Read More

More about Voicelessness In English Literature

Open Document