Journal 6

In the first paragraph, Hurston suggests that Janie is afraid of losing the meaning to her life. When Annie Tyler found what she was looking, she no longer knew what to do with her life. Janie is afraid because she doesn't know what she will do if Tea Cake leaves her.

• The purpose of this is to show the reader that waiting all your life for something may not be as rewarding as you think.

In the second paragraph, Hurston shows that Janie is considering her options by switching the point of view from the narrator to Janie. By going to first person, it shows Janie is becoming confident because she is in control of her thoughts and what she says.

• The purpose of this is to show the reader that Janie will not let life lose its meaning if she loses Tea Cake.

In the third paragraph, Hurston describes the sun as "sending up spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark". This means that Janie has options other just giving up on life. She is in a very dark place inside of her but the sun is a metaphor for her to make something out of what life gave her.

• The purpose of this is to show the reader that Janie is becoming strong. Instead of doing what the men tell her to do, she is figuring it out for herself.

Comments:

Andrew Smelter:

For your bright yellow highlight about a peaceful death, I think the answer to your question might be that the porch sitters would have talked about how they knew they were right and how Annie Taylor was wrong about going out with all those young men. I think Annie Taylor was ashamed about what happened to her and wanted to escape Eatonville.

I like your analyzation of the last line of the text. I didn't think anything of it but it makes sense that she would be worried. It also supports that she is very worried about Tea Cake

Clara Dunklee:

I never thought about how love killed Annie Tyler after it left her. I think I understand the text a bit more now! Also I never realized that she was looking into the future. I agree with your thoughts of the sun symbolizing Tea Cake. I think the sun represents the rebirth of the world after darkness and also the rebirth of Janie after two loveless marriages.

I am not quite sure how Annie's fate is predetermined when she taken to die in peace. If she was dying, being taken somewhere wouldn't have changed her situation. I think she died because she had nothing to live for. She waited for love all her life but when she finally found it, it hurt her. It took her money and left her by herself. Annie's dream was to find someone to love but after she accomplished her goal she had nothing else to live for so I think she gave up and died. Also I just realized that maybe money represents confidence in this book. Joe was very confident and now that Janie inherited Joe's money she becomes confident.

Ethan Johnson:

I like your thoughts about the words associated with death but Janie was not worried with the money aspect of Tea Cake leaving her. She was more worried with whether or not Tea Cake was hurt or if he was with another woman. Janie was also afraid of becoming like Annie Tyler who lost the meaning of her life when she was taken advantage of.

When Janie is praying, I think Janie is begging God to try to make things better. I think she is so desperate because she is afraid of becoming like Annie Tyler. She doesn't know what she will do with her life if Tea Cake never returns.

I never thought of the chair as a metaphor, but when I read what you said I think your right. I think it could mean that "her world is spinning".
Good work!