Pre-University Paper from the year 2014 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 15, , language: English, abstract: African American English (AAVE) was first brought to the attention of linguists when in the 1960s, the government realised that African American (AA) children from urban ghettoes were worse in school than white pupils. To counteract this, it financed compensation programmes in which AA children should be taught Standard English (SE) “by means of structural drills and techniques adopted from foreign language learning”. When this approach failed, linguists suggested that AA children only spoke a different dialect than white children and that consequently, it would be necessary to teach them SE as an additional dialect. However, this approach also failed because the failure of AA children in school seems to be a result of a cultural and social divide between AA and white American society, of which separate dialects of English are only a symptom. It will therefore be the aims of this paper to prove this belief wrong and prove that AAVE is indeed a rule-governed language, to investigate its origins and its use in Zora Neale Hurston’s most famous novel, Their EyesWereWatching God.

The rediscovery of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, first published in 1937 but subsequently out-of-print for decades, marks one of the most dramatic chapters in African-American literature and Women's Studies. Its popularity owes much to the lyricism of the prose, the pitch-perfect rendition of black vernacular English, and the memorable characters--most notably, Janie Crawford. Collecting the most widely cited and influential essays published on Hurston's classic novel over the last quarter century, this Casebook presents contesting viewpoints by Hazel Carby, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Barbara Johnson, Carla Kaplan, Daphne Lamothe, Mary Helen Washington, and Sherley Anne Williams. The volume also includes a statement Hurston submitted to a reference book on twentieth-century authors in 1942. As it records the major debates the novel has sparked on issues of language and identity, feminism and racial politics, A Casebook charts new directions for future critics and affirms the classic status of the novel.

Unlock the more straightforward side of Their Eyes Were Watching God with this concise and insightful summary and analysis! This engaging summary presents an analysis of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, which follows the beautiful, intelligent Janie as she attempts to find love and freedom in the Southern USA of the early 20th century. Her first two marriages, to the much older and determinedly unromantic Logan Killicks and the ambitious but self-centred and hyper-critical Joe Starks, both fail to bring her happiness. It is not until she meets Tea Cake, a much younger man with little money to his name, that she finally finds true love with a man who cares about and truly values her. Zora Neale Hurston was one of the most significant African-American writers of the 20th century, and her writing has inspired numerous later authors, including Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Find out everything you need to know about Their Eyes Were Watching God in a fraction of the time! This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you: • A complete plot summary • Character studies • Key themes and symbols • Questions for further reflection Why choose BrightSummaries.com? Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time. See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!

Discusses the writing of Their eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Includes critical essays on the work and a brief biography of the author.

Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God highlights the vitality of African American culture. This casebook demonstrates how African Americans fashioned themselves individually and collectively to combat racism, classism, and sexism. With provocative documents that contextualize the complex issues of the novel, Lester provides an excellent resource for students and teachers first approaching the excitement and cultural flavor that define Hurston's novels. The casebook is an encyclopedia of African American folk culture that simultaneously presents historical, political, and social commentary on the relationships between men and women and between blacks and whites in America. Documents include interviews with people living in the South at the time of the novel's publication, poetry, rap, folktales, and sermons. Also included are original materials on ebonics, minstrel songs, the blues tradition, the novel in theatrical and dance performance, and materials on Hurston's hometown of Eatonville, Florida.

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, Hawai'i Pacific University, course: 20th Century Women Writers of Color, language: English, abstract: Nora Zeale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" can be considered "one of the sexiest, most 'healthily' rendered heterosexual love stories in our literature" (Walker, "Zora Neale Hurston" 88). This paper provides information about the outer contexts of the novel, as well as inductive analyses of the novel. The first part of the paper (Ch. 2-5) reveals information about the author and the historical and literary context of the time in which Hurston's novel was published. The second part of the paper (Ch. 6-7) starts off with an analysis of the plot and characters of Their Eyes Were Watching God, and then focuses on the theme of Otherness as it occurs in Huston's novel. The examinations of the concept of "Otherness", alongside with other terms such as "Dichotomization" and "Stigma", will be based on the concepts that Rosenblum and Travis describe in their work The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class and Sexual Orientation.

Knowledge about one’s linguistic background, especially when it is different from mainstream varieties, provides a basis for identity and self. Ancestral values can be upheld, celebrated, and rooted further in the consciousness of its speakers. In the case of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) the matter is not straightforward and, ultimately, the social implications its speakers still face today are unresolved. Through detailed analysis of the four building blocks phonology, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary, Sophia Huber tries to trace the development of AAVE as a literary dialect. By unearthing in what ways AAVE in its written form is different from the spoken variety, long established social stigmata and stereotypes which have been burned into the consciousness of the USA through a (initially) white dominated literary tradition will be exposed. Analysing fourteen novels and one short story featuring AAVE, it is the first linguistic study of this scope.

From “one of the greatest writers of our time” (Toni Morrison)—the author of Barracoon and Their Eyes Were Watching God—a collection of remarkable stories, including eight “lost” Harlem Renaissance tales now available to a wide audience for the first time. New York Times’ Books to Watch for Buzzfeed’s Most Anticipated Books Newsweek’s Most Anticipated Books Forbes.com’s Most Anticipated Books E!’s Top Books to Read Glamour’s Best Books Essence’s Best Books by Black Authors In 1925, Barnard student Zora Neale Hurston—the sole black student at the college—was living in New York, “desperately striving for a toe-hold on the world.” During this period, she began writing short works that captured the zeitgeist of African American life and transformed her into one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Nearly a century later, this singular talent is recognized as one of the most influential and revered American artists of the modern period. Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston’s “lost” Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales reflective of the cultural currents of Hurston’s world. All are timeless classics that enrich our understanding and appreciation of this exceptional writer’s voice and her contributions to America’s literary traditions.

An analysis of the literary values of Hurston's novel, as well as its reception--from largely dismissive reviews in 1937, through a revival of interest in the 1960s and its recent establishment as a major American novel.