This theme seems to be the theme of the year...don't quote me on this, but I believe it comes up in every major work that we'll read this year (mainly because we're going to be reading about some oppressive and corrupt societies from which people feel the need to break free...). It is, as you know, a great problem of everyday life as well; what we want to do doesn't always neatly line up with our social responsibilities. For example, I feel like eating four doughnuts but I have a track meet in twenty minutes. Hmmm, what should I do? Okay, not the best example because I also risk stomach upset on a massive scale.
Let's have you come up with the example. Let's say you want to become the greatest [fill in blank of your dream job here] but society, or the powers that be, will not allow you access to this career because you are (too young, too old, too female, too male, etc). What should you do? In this case, we need to ask the question: Who is right in this situation? You or society? Are you a moral person living in an immoral society? If that's the case, what should you do? On the other hand, does society ask us to make sacrifices that are actually beneficial to us in the long run? Is there a middle ground? When living in groups of people, will we always have to make individual sacrifices in order to live together? How do we know when we've sacrificed too much (to society, a community, or a relationship)? Are there some things that should never be sacrificed? Where do we draw the line?
Getting back to our novels, do Janie and Maya do what they want to do or what others or society thinks they should do? Do they make some mistakes? Does this change throughout the course of the novel? How do Janie's three marriage illustrate this theme? When are they happiest? When are they most successful in society's eyes? Do these match up? Hmmmm, what do you conclude from all of this? What is the message, according to Hurston and Angelou? Where do you weigh in on this discussion?
Janie switches between doing what she feels is right and what is expected in society but she does tend to do more for her self. When Janie follows society when Nanny has Janie get married to Logan Killicks, she becomes extremely unhappy with her lifestyle I think that following society was the biggest mistake for her first marriage. Janie's first marriage shows the belief of society on marriage, her second marriage shows the belief of individual preference and societal approved marriage, and Janie's third marriage is that of only individual preference. I think that from her marriages we can see how Janie grows and begins to fight against society and expresses more individual beliefs. The message coming from Hurston is that when you break off from society and go by individual beliefs you will become much happier, and that is a message that I completely agree with.
ReplyDeleteMaya starts off with following society because that is what she grew up knowing. She knew her place in society and stayed there even with everything she went through. Maya is also being taught that education is important which people of the time period could care less about which is going against society in most ways. She showed her strength and rebelliousness in a way she didn't even realize. Later in life, Maya changes society with her poetry and her life's story and finally opens the world into what really happens behind closed doors. In a way, Maya has been changing her life since she could do multiplication problems.
ReplyDeleteMaya lives the first part of her life along the lines of what she is taught, that being to live according to the word of God. This gets her along just fine in the small society of Stamps. In St. Louis, though, if she would have thought that talking about what Mr. Freeman did to her would have caused his death, she probably would have just balled up into herself, but instead she spoke up. Maya could have made a sacrifice of her justice, and it would have saved a life. This is a disturbance Maya deals with for the rest of her life, but it's easy for any audience member to realize that it would have been impossible for Maya to go on functioning normally if she had sacrificed her justice. Maya makes it easy for a reader to understand that certain things cannot be sacrificed for the greater good. Certain things should not be sacrificed if that actions leads to endless pain, like it would have for Maya. Everyone needs to take care of his or herself and that means putting his or her needs first in some occasions in order for him or her to survive.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning , Janie didn't follow her heart. She did everything that fit into the expectations of the society that she lived in. When I got more towards the end, I came to the conclusion that she decided that she needed to be her own person. I believe that Janie understands that her first and second marriages were mistakes. She married Logan to make her grandma and everyone else happy and to fit in. Once she realized that she made a mistake, she married Joe. I feel that her second marriage was still a mistake, because she was still hiding under the idea that she had to marry someone rich and have a very successful life. I believe that Janie started to understand towards the end of her second marriage that she wasn't living the life she wanted to pursue. She was determined to make a change, so she married Tea Cake, which in my opinion was her best move yet. She is so much happier with Tea Cake. She even declares when Tea Cake asks her if she thinks he is trying not to take care of her because he is asking her to pick beans with him that "Ah naw, honey. Ah laks it. It's mo' nicer than settin' round dese quarters all day. Clerkin' in dat store wuz hard, but heah, we ain't got nothin' tuh do but do our work and come home and love." You can obviously tell she prefers this lifestyle much more than her previous lifestyle. In societies eyes, she was most successful when she was married to Joe Starks. These two do not match up. She is happy with Tea Cake but the community wants her to be with Joe Starks. From all of this, I conclude that society doesn't care about your happiness. They want to be happy. It doesn't matter what you want. Hurston's message in this novel is do what makes you happy, because in the end it isn't gonna matter what anyone else thinks. No one else is walking in your shoes. You make your decisions based on what is the best choice for you. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks. I agree with Kyla when I say that Hurston's take on this discussion is 100 percent accurate.
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ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, Janie does what her grandmother tells her to do (following the society). She wanted to please them, especially her grandma because of all that she has done for her. This wasn't necessarily a bad mistake, but she did it because she had a good heart and wanted to make her grandma proud. When she realizes that she cannot please everyone and wants to be happy she goes with Joe. I understand that it's just a book, but why would someone run off with another person when they've only spoken a few times? Seems too risky for me. She enjoys her time with Joe for a little while, but eventually she becomes frustrated that he won't let her do things and she doesn't like the way he treats her anymore. As soon as she meets Tea Cake, you can tell by the way she talks that she enjoys everything more, and is happier in life. No one agrees with her being with Tea Cake because she is "too old" for him, but I believe that you should be able to do what you want if it makes you happy. It's nice to please others, but after some time you will realize that in life you have to stop and ask yourself if this is how you want your life to be, not putting into mind what everyone else's opinions are.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you society shouldn’t have a say in how you live your life. It already influences our decisions enough to where this is a legitimate question; do I do what I want or do I do as I’m expected to? It’s horrible to see Janie struggle in her first marriage because she feels the need to try to make this work to please her grandmother. If someone wants to do something they shouldn’t be stopped by society’s opinions. It’s a pain really to have to ask yourself if you should be yourself or be the person the world wants you to be.
DeleteSacrifice in any aspect of life shows responsibility in an individual's character. Without sacrifice we would all be selfish people with selfish goals and passions, making us no greater than the greediest person we know. Sacrifice in some ways separates us from becoming the people we fear to become later in life, but when we sacrifice our morals and personal values for anything (or anyone) then we can become those people we fear most. In the beginning, Maya was a girl who loved to laugh and be around her brother, and wanted to be accepted by the world around her. Some sacrifices she made herself, while others were sadly made for her. Her desires were as much as dreams as they were a part of her everyday life, which presented her with endless possibilities. I guess what I'm trying to say is that everyone needs a healthy dose of sacrifice and responsibility in there life. Maya made it a personal responsibility to focus on her education because her family believed it to be important. Maya also sacrificed some of her time off her education to focus on just being a kid and having fun. Every individual wants to feel like they have control over their life, even when they don't always have that kind of control. That's why sacrifice and responsibility are important to balance because they help make people feel like they have the power and control to live their own life on their own terms.
ReplyDeleteIn "Their eyes were watching God" Janie never did anything she wanted until Joe died and Tea Cake came around. She always had to do what her husband and others expected her to do. She had expectations beyond any of the other women because she was the mayor's wife. She even said in the book as soon as Joe died she felt sad but for the first time she felt free. Joe was one counting on her to fill her social responsibility. She had those responsibilities because of Joe. With Joe gone her responsibilities were gone to.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Janie was in the middle of society and herself. She did what the society wanted her to do in her first two marriages. In her third marriage, Janie finally lets herself loose. At this point in her life, I believe that Janie did not care what society wanted. She found her love and she wanted what SHE wanted. Janie did not care that everyone in Eatonville thought she was " too old" for Tea Cake. Every single day of our lives we make sacrifices and mistakes, it builds who we are.If everyone followed what society wanted, our world would be full of robots. Yes, we all want everyone to like us, but that is almost impossible if you want to have your own opinions. I think that after Janie left to go with Tea Cake, Janie was a failure in society's eyes. Yes Janie had a big house with lots of money, but what is the use of having all that if you are not happy? Janie was not happy with living in a big house that reminded her of her late husband. Society thought she was crazy because they did not know the inside story. Many people judge on what they know from looking just at the wall, but they do not know what happens through that wall.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya does as she is told by her grandmother with no questions asked. I consider that a part of her life where she let society tell her what to do. As the novel progresses it does not seem like Maya starts to do what she wants until she leaves her grandmother and moves in with her biological mother. There in San Franciso, she takes drama lessons, dance lessons, and then wants to obtain a job when she turned sixteen. Maya wanted the job as a Conductorette but unfortanely at this time society was not letting African Americans obtain such a job. So Maya applied time after time, day after day, not caring that she wasn't "fit" for the job. But then finally after waiting one more day for the interview, she got the job. I feel as though this part in the novel was trying to prove a point, Maya wanted to become a Conductorette. But society told her that she was "a little to much of this, or not enough of that" without looking at the skills she was capable of first or the kind of person she was. How many people keep coming back to wait for an interview that they know may never come? That had to show her determination. So I feel that this was society at a fault. Society should be accepting to every single person. So in other words we are society and so we should be accepting of others. I'm not saying everyone should be best friends with everyone. But that each person just should accept one another and then maybe once everyone accepted the world would be a better place to live in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Claire. Maya used to do what she learned from her grandmother in Stamps because she felt she had to fit a certain way into society's rules and I also believe that she did that because she wanted to be obedient to her grandmother. When she moved back with her mother to San Francisco she was opened up to a new and different environment where she became determined to make an impression. I agree that she was being pulled down by society, but she proved herself to be a hard worker.
DeleteAs previous commenters have mentioned, Maya came into the world learning and believing that she should conform to society's each every whim. At times, she witnessed her elders attempting to be "normal" and not to stand out. One place in the novel where this was shown was when she saw her Uncle Willie trying to act like he was not a cripple to impress a couple. He stood upright and acted as if that task was not immensely difficult for a man in his condition. Maya also tells how she was taught by her grandmother to follow the paths in life that were safer, the paths that every individual with colored skin had taken because it was not risky.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Maya does not seem to make any truly horrible mistakes. However, perhaps a mistake of hers that was never seen as one was the fact that she thought it was best to be treated like trash because she was a woman, a child, and black. Nevertheless, poor treatment is not something that she accepts as easily when she works for Mrs. Cullinan. I believe that during this period, Maya's tolerance for this kind of treatment wears thin. To me, when Maya breaks one of Mrs. Cullinan's dishes, it was symbolic of her newfound self respect and intolerance for discrimination. She begins to develop a sense of self worth and uses it to stand up when she is treated poorly. This is shown later in the novel when she stands up to her father's girlfriend, Dolores.
Maya is seen as successful when she went out and got a job as a Conductorette. She took initiative and strived until she succeeded. Due to this victory, she became the first African American on the San Francisco streetcars. She was happy at her achievement, but she seemed to have felt the same way when she was living in a junkyard with other children. I believe that to Maya, it was not the respect from elders that she yearned for as she became older; she simply learned to find approval in herself. In my opinion, the message that she portrays throughout her book is that happiness can be found in self assurance, not the approval of others.
In the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God", society plays the biggest role in Janie's life. Janie definitely follows society's wishes for her in the beginning of the novel. She does what her grandmother wants for her, which was marrying Logan. This was what society wanted, as gender roles make a woman depend on a husband to survive, as according to society at this time, women are lesser and cannot make good decisions or thoughts on their own. While many people have said that this marriage to Logan in itself was a huge mistake for Janie, I have to disagree. Her choices lead to her marrying Tea Cake, her true love, and even though she was unhappy in this relationship, she still was able to appease others for the time being, and allow her grandmother to be happy before she passed away. As soon as Janie meets Joe, she steps away from society's image for her, and she leaves her husband for this new stranger. Janie is happy for the time being, as she's off to a refreshing new start with a promising, all because she stepped away from society's ideals. As she begins listening to Joe, thus once again forcing her to be what society wants, she feels herself getting unhappy again, as she's thrust into a "perfect housewife" position. When Joe dies, she goes against society once again and falls in love with Tea Cake. A successful woman marrying a poor man ten years younger than her disgusted society, but when Janie was confronted about it, she simply said it was what she wanted and that's all that mattered. And that's true. Although to society, she was most successful with Joe, Janie was truly the happiest with Tea Cake. It's easy to see that being oneself is the best decision, even if it makes society frown. I believe that Hurston's message was simply that the best path for the journey that life gives us is the path that we want to be on. It is not the path that others decide or want us to go on, it is whatever we deem the best and the most suitable for us.
ReplyDeleteIn "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Janie flip flopped back and forth between what she felt was right for her, and what society wanted for her. This is clear at the beginning of the novel when she followed the arranged marriage that Nanny set up for her with Logan. However, once the marriage took its toll on Janie, she broke free from societies boundaries and left Logan for good. When Joe came along, Janie felt that she was on top of her game because she had a man that sent the message of love and support. However, once they got married, Joe confined her into a store and had rags to cover Janie's hair to fit societies norms. Janie broke societies "rules" and did not keep silent on the fact that she was a confined housewife that experienced verbal abuse. Instead, Janie confronted Joe about his behavior towards her at the store in front of him and his colleagues. When Janie married Tea Cake, society disapproved the marriage because he was younger than her, and also poor. Janie followed her heart and married Tea Cake and things began to get better for her until Tea Cake got sick. Janie did not stick by her husbands side for better or for worse, as society pressured her to do. Instead, Janie defended herself for the sake of her safety and shot him. Hurston sent a clear message to readers to follow your heart when she illustrated Janie's life and the positive impacts she had when she followed her heart, and the consequences of how society pressured her. I agree with Hurston to follow your heart because each person only gets to have one life, and nobody should control a person's life except themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn the book "Their Eyes Were Watching God", Janie follows what society wants then does what she wants and then repeats that cycle again. Her first marriage is a big example of following society's standards. She comes to believe what society tells her, marriage makes love. Yet throughout her marriage she never feels love and that is when she realizes that society is wrong. With Janie's second marriage it starts as her doing what she wants but then turns into her doing what society says is right. Her choice to follow Joe is her doing what she wants but that's about as far as her own choices go with that marriage. Soon she is stuck in the store doing whatever Joe tells her which is how society thinks a wife should be. Eventually she kind of comes out of her confinement and talks back to Joe but then she is reprimanded. In this marriage she follows what society's standards are for a wife. Her third marriage is a great example of her doing what she wants and not caring about society. Society was completely against Janie and Tea Cake getting married, one can see it in the way the Eatonville residents reacted, yet Janie decides that she is going to follow her heart. In their marriage Janie and Tea Cake do what they want to do and have a mutualistic relationship. Although Janie and Tea Cake are not rich they are happy together and it's the happiest she's ever been in a marriage. By society's standards she should have been happy married to Joe because they were very successful and had money but she was not. Society's standards are based on a persons outward appearance they do not include how a person truly feels. Janie experiences the difference between doing what she wants and what society thinks and in the end realizes that what she wants is best.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the novel, May starts out following societal views and lives her life as society wants to her to be. She was raised in a devoutly religious home, and to her, the majority of her childhood was religion and learning her gender roles just as society was. She understood her role in society was different because she was both African American and female. When she was in St. Louis, in Court talking about Mr. Freeman, she could have answered that "yes, he did in fact touch me previously," but instead answered "no" because thats what the defense lawyer and a lot of society wanted to hear. She did eventually decide to make individual choices like not talking to anyone except Bailey despite society wanting her to talk.
ReplyDeleteTheir Eyes Were Watching God's society, like any normal society, has social norms. Members of this society are expected to conform to these norms, those whom don't conform are socially deviant. Though this social deviancy can be either bad or good for the person, for example when Janie began disobeying these norms she felt more free than when she followed them. Though it was considered social deviance for Janie to marry Tea Cake, it was better for her then her marriage to Joe which was within social norms. Overall society should not be the judge of what is right or wrong for a person.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings", Maya is born and raised to conform against her personal desire. In my opinion, this was very wrong but also a flaw of the time that the novel takes place in. I personally believe that an individual should be able to express themselves and have some freedom as long as it doesn't cause harm or damage a society and its members. Maya lacks the simple freedom to go against the norms of her society. However, I do not believe that society had a completely negative effect on her. It also taught her values that shaped her into the person she was up until her death. All in all, I believe that the society in "I know why the Caged Bird Sings" caused Maya a lot of personal pain, but also made her a virtuous person.
ReplyDeleteIn the first part of the novel Janie didn't do what she really wanted to do. She did what everyone else thought would be best for her. Which in my opinion deep down she knew it wasn't what she really wanted but she wanted to please others. She married Joe and Logan to please society. She wanted to make her grandma happy. Once she married Tea Cake she realized that she was finally happy. I think one of the reasons she was so happy is because she married him for her own benefit and not because anyone else told her too. It seems that we are always scared of what people are going to think of us and we always want people to like us and thats why we do what society wants.
ReplyDeleteJanie experiences drifts away from trying to fulfill other's wishes and pursues her own desires. In her first marriage she was forced into by her grandmother. Janie was not happy during her marriage but she stayed with Logan for a year for the sake of her grandmother and her responsibility as a granddaughter to make her happy. Running away with Joe was the first major demonstration of breaking away from social responsibility for personal desire. Just like her first marriage, her second marriage is bound by others. After Joe's death Janie feels the responsibility to wear black for the first six months even though she does not want to. She wore black for the sake of others. When Janie meets Tea Cake nine months after Joe's death and decides to run away with him the rest of Eatonville does not agree. They believe that she has moved on too soon, but Janie chose her own personal desire. Hurston's message is one cannot be satisfied if others can not fulfill their desire. Only when someone pursues their personal desires is when they will find happiness.
ReplyDeleteIn the book "There Eyes Were Watching God" Janie does what society sees what is best for her rather than what she sees best for herself. From the outside looking in Janies first marriage was perfect she had a great husband who supported her and she had barely any responsibilities, but Janie wanted more than that, she didnt want to just be a dull old housewife who would never do anything with her life she was much to bright to live a life like that. So when her chance came around she chased after another man, some may say that this was to big of a risk to take and that it was a huge mistake others say that it was a risk worth taking if it meant that she had a chance to do what her heart desired. Her and Joe, her new husband,started off a good life together, they moved town to Eatonsville, Florida and everything just clicked for a while. Janie almost had the best of both worlds, a man who she loved and the respect of society. That would be proven to be to good to be true. Her marriage lasted a long time but once again she became so hung up on how society saw her that she fell back into an unhappy life where she fealt like she was'nt going anywhere. To everyones suprise the third time was charm, by folowing what her heart was telling her, Janie finally found a man who truly loved her and made her feel needed. It is funny how when she seemed to be at her complete low in societies eyes she was actually on top of the world.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were all growing up we probably heard the phrase "don't care about what other people think of you" a million times, but yet we still bother to dress oursleves up everyday so that nobody makes fun of our flaws or we starve oursleves so that nobody says anything about our weightbecause in societies eyes everyone should be skinny and pretty. So in a more minor way we can all relate to how Janie was feeling when she was trying to just go with what soceity said was best for her. To us it was evident that Janie was making a mistake in her marriages but in her eyes it was a huge question. We could all learn a lesson from this book, we don't have a lot of time to spend on this earth so at the end of the day who cares what other people are saying about you because in the big picture the criticism from other will come and go no matter what you do about it.
I want to become the greatest football player but society says I am too small. So i must get faster and stronger and hope that height doesn't matter. I am right society is immoral about size when it comes to athletics. So I must work 2x harder. If I understood society though I wouldn't waste my time trying to do something that is impossible and figure out something good to do with my life, but I could make my dream so there is a middle ground. We will always have to make sacrifices to live with others if not we would hate each other and be very selfish. You know you've sacrificed more to society when you haven't had time for yourself. Good ole fashion me time. Time with friends or family never should be sacrificed for society. Janie wants to have a nice husband and start a family. She makes the mistake of not waiting for the right man. It does change as she marry s Joe it got a little better but was even better when she married Tea Cake. Janie sacrificed her dream by society pressure to get married as soon as possible. Janie is happiest with Tea Cake. She's most successful to society when they started a town her and Joe and have a huge house a store and money. They don't match up, and what i think is don't follow society. The main idea is money doesn't make happiness and i agree 100%.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the way our society works is messed up. The way that some people can't do something they enjoy or join a certain job just because of their gender, looks, or things people do is terrible. For example, A man wants to get a job working at a floral shop because he enjoys planting but he doesn't get a job because he feels that society will frown upon him for working with plants because people will think that the job is "too feminine for a man." Another example is that a woman doesn't feel comfortable wearing dresses and wants to wear other clothes but feels the pressure of society wanting her to be in the norm and "look like a girl." I believe that people shouldn't feel forced to do a certain thing or be a certain thing just because society tells them what's "right" and what's "wrong."
ReplyDeleteBack to the novel, it is shown in the beginning that Janie enjoys wearing overalls. People get upset to see Janie wearing overalls instead of wearing a dress, in which I think is absurd because if Janie is comfortable in overalls, why should it really matter? Janie is shown to give in to society though because she obeys everything that her husbands tell her to do and just goes with it. In her society it is frowned upon for the women to talk back to the men so Janie has the mindset that she cannot talk for herself at some points. In the end though Janie is able to have more freedom in her marriage and is much happier.
I believe that the way our society works is messed up. The way that some people can't do something they enjoy or join a certain job just because of their gender, looks, or things people do is terrible. For example, A man wants to get a job working at a floral shop because he enjoys planting but he doesn't get a job because he feels that society will frown upon him for working with plants because people will think that the job is "too feminine for a man." Another example is that a woman doesn't feel comfortable wearing dresses and wants to wear other clothes but feels the pressure of society wanting her to be in the norm and "look like a girl." I believe that people shouldn't feel forced to do a certain thing or be a certain thing just because society tells them what's "right" and what's "wrong."
ReplyDeleteBack to the novel, it is shown in the beginning that Janie enjoys wearing overalls. People get upset to see Janie wearing overalls instead of wearing a dress, in which I think is absurd because if Janie is comfortable in overalls, why should it really matter? Janie is shown to give in to society though because she obeys everything that her husbands tell her to do and just goes with it. In her society it is frowned upon for the women to talk back to the men so Janie has the mindset that she cannot talk for herself at some points. In the end though Janie is able to have more freedom in her marriage and is much happier.
In Hurston’s novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” Janie stated out doing whatever society thought she should do. This is apparent in her first marriage to Logan. Janie disliked her grandmother’s plan but went through with it to satisfy her grandmother’s wishes to marry Janie off to a wealthy man who would help provide for Janie. After a while, Janie returned to her Grandmother complaining about how she was not truly in love with Logan. Janie’s Grandmother replied that in time Janie would come to love Logan after being married to him for some time. Janie eventually ran away from Logan with Joe Starks whom she later married.
ReplyDeleteThough Janie’s second marriage to Joe Starks was of her choice, she was not satisfied by it. During her second marriage to Joe Starks is when the society around her believed that she should be extremely happy as she was married to successful husband. While society believed Janie should have been happy in her second marriage, it was not until her third marriage that she was truly happy. In her third marriage, she was married to Tea Cake who enjoyed adventure, working for his own lot in life, and just having fun though he had little money or belongings to his name. Society believed Janie should be the happiest in her most successful marriage which does not match up with Janie’s happiest marriage, her marriage to Tea Cake. I conclude from these demonstrations that Hurston was attempting to show that true love comes from fulfilling one’s individual desire and thus one should try to make himself or herself happy.
When society says you can't do something that you really feel you could or want to do, like becoming an athlete or just being the best at what you want then you get a chip on your shoulder and work harder than anyone else, this doesn't really have to do with the book but someone I look up to is Derek Jeter who said " There may be people that have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do." which speaks to me in a way that yes you are going to be challenged at times but there is no reason as to why you should quit because of that, if you get knocked don get back up and fight through the tough times harder, and you will get knowledge just from that.In the case of a revolution small or big if you feel than tyranny is too powerful for people to handle than you should push for a change and it's up to you when to back down. Janie felt that Joe Starks had built up too much power even in their relationship so she called him out on it and eventually broke their relationship until his death, this shows that what she had to say was very powerful and Joe didn't let his ego go to fix their relationship which is a very tough thing to do. You will know when you cross the line when you feel remorse for something you have said or done to affect someone or a group of people. The thing that gets people in trouble too again is their ego, not letting someone else win creates so many problems in the world even the smallest things create huge effects.
ReplyDeleteWhen society says you can't do something that you really feel you could or want to do, like becoming an athlete or just being the best at what you want then you get a chip on your shoulder and work harder than anyone else, this doesn't really have to do with the book but someone I look up to is Derek Jeter who said " There may be people that have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do." which speaks to me in a way that yes you are going to be challenged at times but there is no reason as to why you should quit because of that, if you get knocked don get back up and fight through the tough times harder, and you will get knowledge just from that.In the case of a revolution small or big if you feel than tyranny is too powerful for people to handle than you should push for a change and it's up to you when to back down. Janie felt that Joe Starks had built up too much power even in their relationship so she called him out on it and eventually broke their relationship until his death, this shows that what she had to say was very powerful and Joe didn't let his ego go to fix their relationship which is a very tough thing to do. You will know when you cross the line when you feel remorse for something you have said or done to affect someone or a group of people. The thing that gets people in trouble too again is their ego, not letting someone else win creates so many problems in the world even the smallest things create huge effects.
ReplyDeleteI consider society of people that live together with ideas and goals of resemblance that have preset boundaries to their comfort. As some or most peoples goals may be different or creative, society may say its not possible because as a whole "they cant do it". My goal is to get accepted into the University of Michigan for a degree in law. Most would say that wont work because "your not smart enough", or "only geniuses get to go there". I strongly disagree with both and many statements I'v heard and heard say to others. Because of these preset minds of discrimination, I push myself and urge others to follow. Working hard every day is what counts, not degrading others because society doesn't believe its possible. Everyday I work harder and harder to prove that society has things wrong, anyone can do anything, break the boundaries, be yourself. In the book Anthem society told Equality 7-2521 he was no more than a street sweeper, but instead he broke away and re-invented what society should be. In this case it shows society can be as immoral and wrong as one person or a whole group, we all make mistakes and get the wrong answers sometimes. Janie is shown in society as a black female that will consume a females roll, where she will do as a husband says and live under a male for the rest of her days. As the book progresses she broke that when with tea cake, hunting and playing checkers like a male. According to Joe females cant play checkers cause they are too dumb. In conclusion, you cant let people tell you otherwise or you will tell yourself otherwise. Breaking from negative thought and progressing to personal passion and dreams is what makes the best of people.
ReplyDeleteI believe anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it, even if it seems too big. Yes, people make mistakes but everyone does at least once in their lifetime. The good thing about mistakes is that you learn from them (hopefully). So in 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings' Maya does change once she realizes her mistakes and fixes them. I just think that people don't gt anywhere by wishing and hoping things show up at their door step. I understand that in order to want things you have to be selfish but there is a huge difference between being rude and being respectful. Also like Jacob said, peoples' egos get them in trouble even though they are just going after something they want, just be nice about it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that every person will agree that at some point in their life, they have aspired to do something and have been told by someone, whether it be a stranger, parents, or friend, that they will never achieve their goal. However, many people do not give up so easily on their dreams, and accept the fact that to make it to where they want to be, they might have to let go of some of the people who hold them back.
ReplyDeleteIn Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings', being a black woman in the south, her options for what society believes she can do are incredibly limited, mostly to being the help to some rich white family. Maya, however, moves to California, and defies all social norms to become what she truly wants to, a streetcar conductor. Even in Stamps, she comes close to shattering the idea that males are superior by fighting for the position at the top of her class.
I believe strongly that everyone has a choice in life whether they will let society determine their worth, or whether they will put in the effort to break the standards that are set. It's not always easy, and sometimes your efforts will still not be acknowledged, but you must live for yourself, or you will never be satisfied.
In Maya Angelou's novel "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Maya struggles with the internal conflict of who she wants to be, and who society wants her to be. Maya is said to be gifted with strong intellectual abilities, which is proven when she becomes second in her entire class during her 8th year of schooling. With this ability, Maya has the potential to do great things in life, however, society believes she cannot. As an African American, and not to mention a woman, Maya has her entire life planned out for her by society's clutches. She would grow up to be like the rest of them, a maid, or perhaps a washerwoman. Her hopes and dreams are crushed before her life of adulthood could even begin. It seems in the beginning of the novel, Angelou accepts her fate. She continues on with her life, learning the preparations and lessons every young black woman must learn properly. However, as she lives on, she is faced with many obstacles that influence Maya into who she becomes as an independent individual. For example, after the Mr.Freeman incident, she faces the problem of admitting to the entire courtroom of what "sin" she commits. Maya makes a dreadful mistake and lies upon the Bible, this mistake leads the death of a man. Horrified by her actions, she refuses to speak a word to anyone--with the exception of Bailey--for quite a period of time. This seems to drastically change the course of the novel. Instead of speaking, Maya observes everyone and everything, and comes to a better understanding of life and society. She begins to stand up for herself, seeking adventure and companionship from outcasts in Southern California, to becoming the first colored woman to be hired on the San Francisco streetcars. Even when she gives birth to a child at a young age, while out-of-wedlock, she is pleased with her life. I believe Maya seems happiest when she is not follow along with society's whims, but when she strives for her own individual desires. If society had been successful in manipulating the way Angelou had lived, she would've been considerably less pleased with her life. I conclude that the message of all this is to live the life you want, not the life everyone else wants you to have. Fight to defeat all the odds, and take what's yours. For example, if I were to wish to become a doctor right now, I would hereby fight all the obstacles in my way from reaching that particular goal. The issue of fighting for one's own goal, versus accepting society's image of you, is an issue prevalent in every individual's life. I believe the phrase "Caged Bird Sings" is an analogy for a person being trapped in the cages of society, speaking out to achieve her own individual desire.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Janie doesn't do what she wants. She does what her grandmother wanted her to do by marrying someone she doesn't know. By doing this she is following the society because she wants to please the grandma who had done so many things for her, but not herself. When Janie finally understands that she can't make everyone happy, she runs away with Joe. She had only known him for a couple days, but I feel that she wanted to make her own decision instead of someone else doing it for her. Once she married Joe, she began to realize that he wanted to make every choice and decison for her just like the rest of society. Every man in the book thought woman were only there to please the man, but Janie knew better. So when she met Tea Cake it became natural to her to act like herself again. He helped her see that she could do things the way she wanted and still be happy.
ReplyDeleteIn "I Know Why Caged Bird Sings", Maya Angelou is struggling to find her place in life. She is very worried about fitting into society and struggles with trying to be proud with who she is. She knows she already is at a disadvantage because she is black but also knows that it is still possible to be successful. Maya's mother helped her a lot find out what she is going to do with her life. Maya's mother let her make her own choices, unlike Maya's strict grandmother. Her mother was also more laid back and knew that Maya would learn from her mistakes. Maya was most happy when she was living with her mother. She learned more and also had fun. Even though Maya still had issues while living with her mother such as, thinking she is a lesbian and getting pregnant, she still was comfortable enough with her mom to ask for advice. Also, while living with her mother, Maya gets her first job working on a streetcar, which no colored women has ever done before. In life, people will have to make to sacrifices to get where they want to be.
ReplyDeleteIn "I Know Why Caged Bird Sings", Maya Angelou is struggling to find her place in life. She is very worried about fitting into society and struggles with trying to be proud with who she is. She knows she already is at a disadvantage because she is black but also knows that it is still possible to be successful. Maya's mother helped her a lot find out what she is going to do with her life. Maya's mother let her make her own choices, unlike Maya's strict grandmother. Her mother was also more laid back and knew that Maya would learn from her mistakes. Maya was most happy when she was living with her mother. She learned more and also had fun. Even though Maya still had issues while living with her mother such as, thinking she is a lesbian and getting pregnant, she still was comfortable enough with her mom to ask for advice. Also, while living with her mother, Maya gets her first job working on a streetcar, which no colored women has ever done before. In life, people will have to make to sacrifices to get where they want to be.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in Janie's first marriage, she is simply doing as her grandmother is told and not fufilling her own personal desires. In her second marriage, Janie tries to do what she wants by running off with Joe but then goes right back to her previous marriage status and simply does everything Joe says up until the end of their marriage. When she decides to marry Tea Cake she finally does exactly what she wants to do and disregards what society believes she should be doing. Hurston is showing how if people tend to do more of what they wish to do while still doing their social responsibility they are much happier than simply doing exactly what society says
ReplyDeleteI believe that you should have to make very few sacrifices for society. That is unless your desire pushes society back. When living in society I think there will always be some sacrifices you have to make for the good of the community. In the beginning of the novel I believe Maya does what society thinks she should do. As the novel goes on though I believe she does the complete opposite of what society would want. Specifically, becoming a conductorette, running away, and having a baby at a young age. I also believe that Maya is happier at the end of the novel more so than that beginning showing us to do whatever you want to do.
ReplyDeleteI believe that every person should have the opportunity to live the dreams he or she pleases as long as no one else is harmed, there is absolutely nothing wrong with what a person wants to do. In the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya chooses to do what she wants to do, ignoring racial stereotypes and boundaries, she strays from the norm and follows her own dreams. Like when Maya wanted to be a streetcar conducutor, she was determined to get the job, not because it was an easy job or made a lot of money, but simply because that was her dream job. Maya also didn't let her race get in the way of her dream job. No matter how many times she was told no she continued to try everyday, until she eventually got the job. That shows true dedication and commitment to follow her dreams, and that is something I wish a lot more people had, because I believe then the world would be a much more happier and productive place.
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