About Me
Friday, March 27, 2009
disdain thing
The jocks strut through the hallways like they own them. They laugh and talk about the big game on Friday, not realizing that no one, well at least me, cares. The girl flock to them likes wild animals in search of food. These jocks may win and be strong but they don’t have the brains to make it in life after high school. These guys are big time now but in the end they’ll be nothing.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Their Eyes...God Quote
“A man is up against a hard game when he must die to beat it.”(pg 187)
Hurston’s book mainly focuses on the theme of a black woman finding her voice, but she also points out other issues that all blacks face even black men. This quote is in reference to Tea Cakes death, but one can use this quote to emphasize the struggles of a black man. Throughout the story, men treat the protagonist, Janie, awful, but at the same time these men are also dealing with their own issues, and the biggest one they have is being a black man in a white man’s world. All the men Janie gets involved with play only supporting roles, their struggles are overlooked due to Janie’s issue of finding her voice. This quote is can be connected to everyman in the story, and even to all black males in general.
The game that Hurston refers to is the game of life: black men edition. Black men have it hard and sometimes the only way to truly be free from struggle is to die. Tea Cakes had to deal with being black before he had rabies, Jody had to deal with it before his kidney’s failed him, and Logan was dealing with it before Janie ran out on him. These men may have treated Janie the way they did because they had other issues to deal with. Logan, Janie’s first husband, had to works twice as hard to get everything he had; he had to be the successful Negro of the town. He wanted a wife to please, and ease his struggle not create a burden like Janie did. His real struggle will never end until death frees him of it. Jody, Janie’s second husband, probably had the hardest game to play and Death truly eased his strife with being a black man in a white world. He never truly loved Janie as a person, but he needed her to help him accomplish a larger goal. Jody was a man with determination and a plan, so he really had it bad. Jody had a different state of mind from other blacks; Jody was smarter and stronger than the blacks in Eatonville. In order for Jody to be the mayor he had to be demanding and controlling, he had to make himself believe that he was god, better yet; he had to act like a white man. In order for Jody to become a leader he had to act like a white man, and look down upon his fellow black folk. This means that in order for a town to operate successfully, the leader must look down upon the black people like a white slave owner. It’s sad how a true black man can’t even run a black town. Jody’s struggle with being a black male ultimately ended with his death. Janie’s last husband, Tea Cakes, also faced he struggle of being a black man but he didn’t fight back and try to better himself. Tea cakes took up a life of loose activity and wild behavior. He didn’t try to fight for the betterment of his people and race like Jody and Logan, he spent his time enjoying life with other black folk who lived the same way he did. Problems only occurred for Tea Cake when Mrs. Turner was present or when white people were around. Tea Cake wasted precious time, ultimately wasting his life, and living as a lowly nigger, yes nigger but he faced the same fate as Jody, death.
Death seems to ease the pain of everything; it eases the pains of life. Life is a game, it’s a game that everyone plays differently, but it’s always going to be difficult for a black male. Hurston even said it in her novel, “Well u know whut dey say ‘uh white man and uh nigger woman is de freest thing on earth.’ Dey do as they please.” A black man will never have complete freedom while he is alive. The only real way for a black man to beat this game of life is to die.
(to all black males reading this.. dont kill urselves cause i really dont want that weight on yo momma's shoulders... ill b otay about it though.... and yes i said otay)
Hurston’s book mainly focuses on the theme of a black woman finding her voice, but she also points out other issues that all blacks face even black men. This quote is in reference to Tea Cakes death, but one can use this quote to emphasize the struggles of a black man. Throughout the story, men treat the protagonist, Janie, awful, but at the same time these men are also dealing with their own issues, and the biggest one they have is being a black man in a white man’s world. All the men Janie gets involved with play only supporting roles, their struggles are overlooked due to Janie’s issue of finding her voice. This quote is can be connected to everyman in the story, and even to all black males in general.
The game that Hurston refers to is the game of life: black men edition. Black men have it hard and sometimes the only way to truly be free from struggle is to die. Tea Cakes had to deal with being black before he had rabies, Jody had to deal with it before his kidney’s failed him, and Logan was dealing with it before Janie ran out on him. These men may have treated Janie the way they did because they had other issues to deal with. Logan, Janie’s first husband, had to works twice as hard to get everything he had; he had to be the successful Negro of the town. He wanted a wife to please, and ease his struggle not create a burden like Janie did. His real struggle will never end until death frees him of it. Jody, Janie’s second husband, probably had the hardest game to play and Death truly eased his strife with being a black man in a white world. He never truly loved Janie as a person, but he needed her to help him accomplish a larger goal. Jody was a man with determination and a plan, so he really had it bad. Jody had a different state of mind from other blacks; Jody was smarter and stronger than the blacks in Eatonville. In order for Jody to be the mayor he had to be demanding and controlling, he had to make himself believe that he was god, better yet; he had to act like a white man. In order for Jody to become a leader he had to act like a white man, and look down upon his fellow black folk. This means that in order for a town to operate successfully, the leader must look down upon the black people like a white slave owner. It’s sad how a true black man can’t even run a black town. Jody’s struggle with being a black male ultimately ended with his death. Janie’s last husband, Tea Cakes, also faced he struggle of being a black man but he didn’t fight back and try to better himself. Tea cakes took up a life of loose activity and wild behavior. He didn’t try to fight for the betterment of his people and race like Jody and Logan, he spent his time enjoying life with other black folk who lived the same way he did. Problems only occurred for Tea Cake when Mrs. Turner was present or when white people were around. Tea Cake wasted precious time, ultimately wasting his life, and living as a lowly nigger, yes nigger but he faced the same fate as Jody, death.
Death seems to ease the pain of everything; it eases the pains of life. Life is a game, it’s a game that everyone plays differently, but it’s always going to be difficult for a black male. Hurston even said it in her novel, “Well u know whut dey say ‘uh white man and uh nigger woman is de freest thing on earth.’ Dey do as they please.” A black man will never have complete freedom while he is alive. The only real way for a black man to beat this game of life is to die.
(to all black males reading this.. dont kill urselves cause i really dont want that weight on yo momma's shoulders... ill b otay about it though.... and yes i said otay)
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