3/9

What the pear tree symbolizes:
Throughout the book the tree represents Janie's voice. It is a major part of this book is because it's Janie looking for her identity and happiness. While she is sitting under the tree she starts to confuse happiness/peace with romance and relationships (marriage). She thinks happiness comes through a relationship. Later, we realize that Janie does not find happiness through a relationship. The marriage she has it not what makes her happy. She doesn't find her voice through marriage.


Summary of Chapter 3:
In chapter 3, Janie gets married to Logan. Janie does not have any feelings for Logan though. A little while after the marriage, Janie goes to her Nanny for advice. Her Nanny says that eventually she will find love for Logan and everything will be fine. Her Nanny's main reason for Janie to get married off to Logan is so she can be protected. Logan's wealth and status would be able to keep Janie in a good place. A month later Janie's Nanny dies. Time passes by and Janie still doesn't love Logan. Janie thinks that she will never have feelings for Logan.

3/4

3 Important things that I've learned from the Big Read Radio Show is:

1. She wanted to let other people know what it was like to be an African American Women at the time. From the language to the culture. They spoke slang which sounds the way it is written. 

2. She wanted to take a story from an older black women writer and put it in the perspective of a 16 year old girl writing it.

3. The Radio Show mentions that the author grew up in a very black town. They made it very clear that Eatonville wasn't just a "black backside of a white city" it was all a black city. 

3/3

"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men."

1. How are ships compared to man's wish?
Ships are compared to a man's wish by saying they can make their wish come true if they really want it to. But if they don't work for it's like they will "forever be sailing on the horizon," meaning it may not come true. Also it is saying that a wish is never too far away if you want it.

2. Who is the Watcher?

I think that the watcher is the man making the wish.
3. Why is Time capitalized?

I think that time is important in this quote because it is very important. It's important because you only have so much of it.

4. What does resignation mean? Why would the Watcher turn away in resignation?

Resignation is the acceptance of an unpleasant situation. Realizing you can't change it. The Watcher could have turned away because of resignation because he may have realized that his wish is too far out of reach.
5. What does "mocked" mean?

Mocked is to make fun of/tease. Pretending to think someone is foolish or inferior by imitating their behavior.
6. EXPLAIN what these lines mean in your own words.

I think that these words mean, every man has a wish if he thinks it is achievable or not. A man might give up on his wish because he is told he is not able to accomplish it. Life is all about the wishes you make.
7. What do you think this novel is going to be about?

I think this novel is going to be about what people wish they were or what they wish they could be. Maybe about having a hard time achieving your wish and almost giving up.

3/2

1. Why is it important to know something about the author of a story before you begin reading it? What does it help you do? What does it help you understand?

It's important to know something about the author before reading because it can help you understand what you are going to be reading and finding out more about the authors background. It can help you understand why the author is telling the story they are.

Some things about Zora Neale Hurston:

*Born on January 7th, 1891 and died on January 28th, 1960

*She published over 50 short stories, plays and essays.

* She was a writer of the Harlem Renaissance.

* She was the 5th of 8 children

*Born in Notsasulga, Alabama

*She later moved to Eatonville, Florida

* Was sent to boarding school by her step mother after her mother died in 1904.

* Studied at Howard University in 191

8 where she founded "The Hilltop," the school newspaper.

*Later got a scholarship to Barnard College and received her B.A. in Anthropology.

MAJOR WRITINGS and BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

*In 1926 she was part of a literacy magazine called "Fire!" which was about the Harlem Renaissance.

* Her first 3 novels were "Jonah's Gourd Vine," "Their Eyes Were Watching God," and "Moses, Man of the Mountain."

*Most notable novel is "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

*She published the novel "Seraph on the Suwanee" in 1948. It was about 'white trash' women and explores the images of class and gender identities.

AWARDS and HONORS:

*She recieved an Alumni Award from Howard University.

* In 1937he was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship which was to conduct ethnographic research in Jamaica and Haiti.

* In 1989, there was a drama that was aired on PBS that was titled "My Name is Zora" which was about Hurston's life.

*She was listed as one of the 100 Greatest African Americans in 2002 by scholar Molefi Kete Asante.

TYPICAL SUBJECT MATTER/ THEMES

* She mostly wrote to blacks and about blacks

* Never really mentioning the whites

* Themes were art, history and literature

POPULARITY and CRITICISM

* She gained a reputation as a good novelist.

* In 1948, she was falsely accused of molesting a young boy the age of 10. This disrupted her life a lot. 

* For awhile Hurston's work was considered obscured for different culture and political reasons. 

* One critic named Richard Wright criticized her novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God," saying that it had no message or thought to it.