I choose to use my free blogs as a way to get to know the person of the week. I will give a brief description of the person and then disclose what lessons or new perceptions I have gain from the individual. This week I have chosen Zora Neale Hurston.
Zora Neale Hurston was born without a birth certificate, like many Africans American or Negros at that time, giving her free reign to lie about her age. Her childhood days were spent in Eatonville, Florida. Florida being the setting of most of Hurston Books and Short Stories like Sweat and her most known novel Their Eyes are Watching God. (Wikipedia.com) Hurston wrote her novels that took a reader into the mind set of southern Negros and how they interacted with each other. Blacks, at that time, were furious with Hurston for writing these truthful stories about them. But she is now praised for her creative writings and her rawness shown in her novels and short stories.
What I have learned from Hurston is to do what you believe in, and to not change or cater to those who oppose what you are doing, if what you are doing is right. Like when she did not write for this big publishing company because they told her that the dialect she use in her stories was not English and to change it, but she did and now her Novel dissected in Ivy League universities and colleges. And also to live in the now and hang with the crowd trying to change the world, and up lift Black people. If I do not join in the fight, then I will miss the next Harlem Reissuance. It is like if I did not vote I would have missed the enjoyment in seeing Barack Obama become President. Thank you, Zora Neale Hurston for your inspiration.
Zora Neale Hurston was born without a birth certificate, like many Africans American or Negros at that time, giving her free reign to lie about her age. Her childhood days were spent in Eatonville, Florida. Florida being the setting of most of Hurston Books and Short Stories like Sweat and her most known novel Their Eyes are Watching God. (Wikipedia.com) Hurston wrote her novels that took a reader into the mind set of southern Negros and how they interacted with each other. Blacks, at that time, were furious with Hurston for writing these truthful stories about them. But she is now praised for her creative writings and her rawness shown in her novels and short stories.
What I have learned from Hurston is to do what you believe in, and to not change or cater to those who oppose what you are doing, if what you are doing is right. Like when she did not write for this big publishing company because they told her that the dialect she use in her stories was not English and to change it, but she did and now her Novel dissected in Ivy League universities and colleges. And also to live in the now and hang with the crowd trying to change the world, and up lift Black people. If I do not join in the fight, then I will miss the next Harlem Reissuance. It is like if I did not vote I would have missed the enjoyment in seeing Barack Obama become President. Thank you, Zora Neale Hurston for your inspiration.
Check out these link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_M-PfhgMsg&feature=related
Jessica- I really like your page its simple yet sophisticated. I read both of your blogs and the one that touched me the most was the one abuot Zora Neal Hurston. First off it was very informative-Ive heard about the book "Their eyes were watching God" but I overlooked it I now know who the author is and what the book is about. Hope-Perserverance and the difficulties our people had to overcome.I agree with what you said: People dont want to hear the truth- I commend her for writing the truth she had to write how the slaves spoke she had to allow the reader to develop an understanding of their lifestyles and the only language they knew. Just because it wasnot written in "standard" English they didnot want to publish it? Igonrance is very unattractive-Thats like Hamlet writing Shakespere in "standard" english- it wouldnot be the same the reader would not be able to develop an emotional response. Also I like how you referred to the present- how her act of boldness is inspirational to our people now to let our voices be heard and now that we are apart of history helping Barack Obama into office- our voices are slowly but surley getting heard. Thank you Jessica for this wonderful heartfilling blog. I will be considering getting that book now!
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful book.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston once said, "Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to “jump at de sun.” We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground." I truly believe that this is the truth. If you don't try at all, then you never have a chance at succeeding and that's what I've learned from Mrs. Hurston. Jessica you did a wonderful job at describing her life and expressing what she meant to you and how she inspired you. She was an inspirational woman, who took part in the African American movement by just being herself and growing into her own. She described her childhood neighborhood as, "as a utopia where black Americans could live independent of the prejudices of white society." In class we always talk about how we all still have to deal with the factors of prejudice and how it's a never ending process. I love the fact that she had an opportunity to feel free of racism, even if it was just for a brief moment of her childhood. You referenced to the novel “Sweat”, but the piece of work that caught my eyes by Zora Neale Hurston was “Their Eyes Are Watching God.” It’s a novel about a woman’s love life but it is told by her best friend to the nosey town’s people. I believe I like this caught my eye because in the story she had to go through three men to find the love that she was looking for and it was kind of like it portrayed Zora’s quote. First and for most, you have to try to succeed…and you can’t just give up because you don’t reach the “sun” the first time. All you have to do is pick yourself up and try again, and eventually you will succeed.
ReplyDeleteThere have been shows on tv that portray the African American family has been unintelligent and uneducated, but it is nice to see that there are shows in the past and even now that show a different side of the family. For example, I enjoyed Fresh Prince and The Cosby show growing up. These two shows portrayed the African American family as refined and well educated. Both shows not only had the father figure to be prominent in the society, but the mothers also played roles that were equal to the male figure. I think that the media still portrays good family settings in African American families, but when it comes to police shows, it still portrays a darker side to the African American family (ie, Law and Order, NYPD, etc).
ReplyDelete