How could Wallace's theory be applicable to Their Eyes Were Watching God?
Wallace's theory in 'this is water' can be applied in some aspects of 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' as the novel follows the journey of the human experience through the life of Janie Starks and the importance of self-awareness, in which both texts stress the importance of. Wallace in 'this is water' provides a pessimistic view of the monotonous adult life in which he believes the population succumbs to living in their inaccurate thinking of the world and of others. Through this lens, he is able to appeal to its readers through logos as he uses imagery in detailed explanations of very relatable scenarios in which the audience feels that this tedious lifestyle is inevitable unless we follow his theory. His idea is that real freedom is through one's ability to be selfless and empathic towards others as our 'default setting' is to think that the world revolves around us or our thoughts. He stresses the importance of education in teaching us 'how to think' and that we have other options in how we choose to view the world and others. This relates to 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' in some aspects as the text follows the overarching theme of the human experience and the fine line between selflessness and selfishness. Janie is on a journey to find self-awareness and her ideology of the perfect union as referenced to the analogy from the pear tree of the bees with the flowers. Jamie's revelation that love is a mutual act consisting of the two neither harming or hurting the other can coexist with Wallace's ideology as both insist on the importance of understanding and compassion in relationships. However, both texts still appeal to the basic human nature of being selfish as Janie realizes that life is about self-understanding as well as selflessness in relationships and Wallace recognizes it's ability to get what you want out of life.
In what ways could this novel specifically develop empathy and emotional intelligence, as well as contribute to the self-awareness of the reader?
Through the character of Nanny, the audience is able to develop empathy for her and Leafy's life as the story of their mistreating gives an explanation for why Nanny pushes Janie to marry someone for the financial independence she will gain. This forced marriage gives the reader frustration however in the reveal of Nanny's thinking, we are able to understand why she believes that this is the right thing for Janie, however wrong she might be.
Janie also breaks out of the controlling and objectified relationships that she is in which her ideology of the perfect union is destroyed and this can be seen as placing value on her emotions. This demonstrates emotional intelligence in how she recognizes and understands her own needs in relationships and how these unions don't cut it.
These and along with others can contribute to the self-awareness of the reader as through Janie's journey, the audience can experience their own revelations through hers about how love is mutual and how to achieve lessons out of our own occurrences.
Challenge yourself to make connections to Hurston's purpose in how she crafts Janie's journey of self-discovery 'tuh de horizon and back.'
Janie's journey of self-discovery becomes a symbol for the horizon in TEWWG. When Janie is in the pear tree and comes down, this is one of the first instances in which she sees the horizon. When the townspeople are sitting on the porch like they do at the end of the day, the horizon is also mentioned and in how they sit and watch the sunset. When she is going to marry Tea Cake, at the train station she also sees the horizon and in mentioning this, it is communicated to the reader that Janie believes that she will find what she is looking for through her marriage and becomes a symbol for her search for happiness. This relates back to the end of the novel in which Janie concludes telling Phoeby her journey, in which Phoeby then desires her own 'horizon' with her partnership.
Wallace's theory in 'this is water' can be applied in some aspects of 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' as the novel follows the journey of the human experience through the life of Janie Starks and the importance of self-awareness, in which both texts stress the importance of. Wallace in 'this is water' provides a pessimistic view of the monotonous adult life in which he believes the population succumbs to living in their inaccurate thinking of the world and of others. Through this lens, he is able to appeal to its readers through logos as he uses imagery in detailed explanations of very relatable scenarios in which the audience feels that this tedious lifestyle is inevitable unless we follow his theory. His idea is that real freedom is through one's ability to be selfless and empathic towards others as our 'default setting' is to think that the world revolves around us or our thoughts. He stresses the importance of education in teaching us 'how to think' and that we have other options in how we choose to view the world and others. This relates to 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' in some aspects as the text follows the overarching theme of the human experience and the fine line between selflessness and selfishness. Janie is on a journey to find self-awareness and her ideology of the perfect union as referenced to the analogy from the pear tree of the bees with the flowers. Jamie's revelation that love is a mutual act consisting of the two neither harming or hurting the other can coexist with Wallace's ideology as both insist on the importance of understanding and compassion in relationships. However, both texts still appeal to the basic human nature of being selfish as Janie realizes that life is about self-understanding as well as selflessness in relationships and Wallace recognizes it's ability to get what you want out of life.
In what ways could this novel specifically develop empathy and emotional intelligence, as well as contribute to the self-awareness of the reader?
Through the character of Nanny, the audience is able to develop empathy for her and Leafy's life as the story of their mistreating gives an explanation for why Nanny pushes Janie to marry someone for the financial independence she will gain. This forced marriage gives the reader frustration however in the reveal of Nanny's thinking, we are able to understand why she believes that this is the right thing for Janie, however wrong she might be.
Janie also breaks out of the controlling and objectified relationships that she is in which her ideology of the perfect union is destroyed and this can be seen as placing value on her emotions. This demonstrates emotional intelligence in how she recognizes and understands her own needs in relationships and how these unions don't cut it.
These and along with others can contribute to the self-awareness of the reader as through Janie's journey, the audience can experience their own revelations through hers about how love is mutual and how to achieve lessons out of our own occurrences.
Challenge yourself to make connections to Hurston's purpose in how she crafts Janie's journey of self-discovery 'tuh de horizon and back.'
Janie's journey of self-discovery becomes a symbol for the horizon in TEWWG. When Janie is in the pear tree and comes down, this is one of the first instances in which she sees the horizon. When the townspeople are sitting on the porch like they do at the end of the day, the horizon is also mentioned and in how they sit and watch the sunset. When she is going to marry Tea Cake, at the train station she also sees the horizon and in mentioning this, it is communicated to the reader that Janie believes that she will find what she is looking for through her marriage and becomes a symbol for her search for happiness. This relates back to the end of the novel in which Janie concludes telling Phoeby her journey, in which Phoeby then desires her own 'horizon' with her partnership.
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