‘ vored mw terns een wahpmnewie hon ) Talos! Jordan Gasho Finw% oy die 1st bee Ms, Sokolov Te eae English 9 s/s/ts See he pr ahae Love is on the Horizon: Janie’s Pursuit of Love Through the Symbol of the Horizon 2s" vo Tee ¢ The novel, Their Kyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, centers on the\ wep. : : : : frat Danie life of a mixed race woman, Janie, through her journey to discover her identity racially, Rar spiritually, and as a woman. She often recounts her life as of unknown possibilities in the V2 pen (0 distance, specifically the horizon, but progresses throughout the novel to have the ability ant ane? to end her pursuit of happiness, The novel opens with a metaphorical passage where the How oA am 4 et author eitiques men fr being content with wishes inthe “horizon”, while women in (ei. (VE to contrast work to achieve their goals: “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on Voce oy OMA * board. For some they come in with the time. For others they sail forever on the horizori? Ab Peers never out of sight, never land until the Watcher turns his eyes.... [For women] The dream 29 « ow is the truth. They act and do things accordingly” (1). This passage, which first mentions [perv-A lot ows the symbol of a horizon, foreshadows Janie’s drive to pursue her dreams against the Ne * judgment of her community. Although her dreams remain on the horizon for most of her Te life, by the end of the novel, she reaches contentment and essentially the horizon itself, em & Hor grandmother, Nanny, plays a central role in Janie’s relationships, as she forces Janie < Sars into an early marriage due to her desire for Janie’s security. Consequently Janie enters in ‘two more marriages with Joe and Tea Cake, Through each marriage, Janie’s understanding of herself develops, and she ultimately realizes her goal is not for wf) ie rather, she seeks freedom from men, Hurston employs the symbol of the horizon torepresent Janie’s search for happiness, specifically, her progression from pereeiving love to be her goal to realizing her true need to be alone, After Janie enters into a relationship with Joe, she sees a glimpse of what appears to be the horizon; yet, a lack of the word “horizons” represents the inability for their relationship to succeed. Janie initially perceives a grand future with Joe because he is seemingly opposite from her first husband, Logan, in that he would not make her work in the fields, a job that she detests. After realizing she views a possibility of love with Joe, Janie runs away from Logan with Joe, While on their way to a new town, they rest ° together at duslg “They sat on the boarding porch and saw the sun plunge into the same crack in the earth from which the night emerged” (33). In this quote, the word “horizon” in not directly used. Therefore, from the beginning of their relationship, the author presents the inability of Janie and Joe to succeed as a couple. Atsorinthis-seemethe 5 ‘ve b it-Fanie’s ife-changing-te-a-dark-phese-as-well. The He . word “night” provides a negative connotation to this quote. The darkness represents the pote smmactiving Tesn {dark period Janie has just begun by entering intoa relationship with Joe. Similarly, by YA. , PU pe Plo Janie viewing the sun “plunge” into the earth, rather than set peacefully, the author “He Ape i * evokes the idea that, in this moment, Janie’s view on love changes from success to failure ving = he ares 941 with Joe. She, and her idea of love, is plummfing because she has made the wrong % ee decision to pursue a relationship with Joe. Similarly, the use of the word “crack” Pe. represents the holes in Janie and Joe’s relationship and the problems that they will 225. encounter in the future. Janie and Joe have a “crack” in their relationship, and thus, they Me cannot thrive together. The lack of the physical mention of the symbol of the horizon inJanie’s encounter with Joe represents the ineluctable failure of their relationship and Janie’s wrong choice to pursue Joe. After the death of Joe, Janie matures in her understanding of her search for love as she finally realizes the great extent in which Nanny had restricted Janie’s horizon, her ability to achieve her goals. While Janie desires true love as the catalyst to form her relationships, Nanny’s narrow outlook on love is materialistic in her belief that Janie needs the security ofpusband figure. Due to this principle, Nanny forces Janie into an arranged marriage, in which Logan repeatedly controls Janie. After the man of her second martiage, Joe, dies, she is finally able to understand her true goals and the problems in her search for love. Janie reflects on the past: “She [Janie] had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people... Here Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon...and pinched it in to such a litte bit of a thing” (89). In this passage, Janie’s understanding of herself and Nanny emerges, and she realizes the necessity of true love in her relationships, In her younger years, Nanny “pinched” the endless possibilities of her relationships to only represent the attribute of physically having a husband. Thus, Nanny controlled her life to represent Nanny’s narrow * understanding of love. The powerful verb “pinched” allows the reader to understand -Tanie’s feeling of suffocation under Nanny’s control. However, Janie realizes her aspirations for love and has matured to be ready in her quest, Janie’s realization in this, passage represents her understanding of her needs in a relationship and her ability to improve her life to reach sensual fulfillment. With her third husband, Tea Cake, Janie achieves true love, independence, and she ends her search for horizons freedom of self-expression; however, upon his deatbecause she realizes her goal is not love, rather freedom from men. Tea Cake treats Janie with more respect and affection than both Logan and Joe. Upon meeting Janie, Tea Cake s asks her to play cheokers, and thus, treats her as an equal player. He satisfies J desire of self-expression and allows her to complete her quest for true love. After his death, in which she was forced to shoot Tea Cake because he contracted rabies from a dog while saving Janie, she is able to relax in her room and realize that she found her true Orphan qd goal of freedom from wes pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes. She called in her soul to come and see” (193). Janie finally makes peace with herself and has completes her quest for happiness, which she realizes she achieves through being alone. Throughout the novel, Janie searches for her dream; however, now ‘she is able to “pull in her horizons,” meaning she has reached her dream. With Tea Cake, Janie is able to reach self-expression, sexual fulfillment, and independence. Thus, after feels like she still have access to her horizons because she has progressed his death, Ja from needing a relationship to understanding her want to be fee of men. Hurston develops Janie’s character in the novel through the symbolism of the ty of the unknown and is a benchmark for * horizon, The horizon represents the possi how close or far Janie is from her goals. She matures from Nanny’s harsh control of her life through an arranged marriage to ultimately reaching her true love. Through reaching her perceived horizon, however, Janie is able to understand her happiness when she free of men. Only through the recurring image of the horizon is the reader able to understand Janie’s development of relationships and their meaning to her.Work Cited: Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Kyes Were Watching God. New York: Perennial Library, 1990, Print. Luphold the NCS honor code QL. AS fj LONE OeProposal for Rewriting an Essay Name: jortean Cictsis Date: Sith You must bring a filled-in copy of this form and a printed copy of your essay with your teacher's mguents to a egnference with your teacher with in one week of reeciving your essay back, a af : Twit add mow dSanie “COO! ‘Learnig goals (What I hope to lear by rewriting my essay): KO MOE CearV) MWstTare nee AW ME HOES 1A my OLguinet Progeesaan. ates MOLE CLECULY CXECURE YO ais Cigincd ‘ HAH AdG HOW TEE BOIS KOK (Ore Qo@NngeTona ne coated nix BO were ACtoaNy {OF f1Ledom tor Men Lait) connect Rewaaw Joe aNd BONNY iA HE vay vat THEY, born CessMCied Tanieli doitily make HN Oy ver ong Aaa. Revision strategies (Whet J will do to achieve my goals): “in toe cies Parr aii) OCU : 1 wil ges D ‘ i mu 40 GION LEEK FEaLiD per goals id Of 4148: ron, 0 ae re i Le 8 will CHANG? «YG Fi OPE 4 SOSH as pO tr Sentence ro KNE Boa goe ara ane UeOsset 4 ; AME ACL OF THE WOFeE ORION, MY apie O&M iy ny Giysh ody & 4 4 Ot if —— (aq vee Mons MAY. & sb will oad MOTE peng ter : Vth enange mm Deadline for the revised ess By signing below at the end of my conference with my teacher, Fagrce to do my best io emplay all the listed revision strategies to reach my learning goals and, by the agreed upon deadline, to: ‘hand in a hard copy of my revised essay, ‘hand in a hard copy of my original essay with my teacher's comments, and © hand in a copy of this proposal for revision, understand that if 1 do my best to employ all the agreed upon revision strategies, the grade for my improved essay will the grade recorded in the grade book, If only attempt the easier strategies, my grade for the assignment will remain unchanged. he 5piapjis Be heed Dou wate pat 2a S E a frefis — Teacher's ature Date.It takes a risk, is not obvious, is open | _endea Quality of Topic sentences Clear and interpretive points are drawn from the argument and show a logical uu) progression Quality of Evidence a Supports the point in the topic sentence oa aad is integrated properly with context Quality of Analysis |" Focuses on specific words arid phrases, teases out significant connotations, draws strong inferences that clearly connect to the evidence, and relates to the topic sentence and argument al /Exteriial Organizati ‘Coherent, unified paragraphs Transitions between ideas Transitions between sentences ‘Argument is clear and identifiable ‘Your voice comes through Clarity of sentences Word choice Grammar and Punctuation Spelling and Proofing Present Tense > ee Citations /ork Cited Lis a Fonte ee, MLA Style Sheet) Comments: *. + on — The Sqmtest lhe hovigon is x Gre topic, + soa abe velewerd quetatens,. 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So payhawe _ &Jordan Gasho Ms. Sokolov English 9 sins Tevet on the Horizon: no's Pursuit of Love Through the Symbol of the Horizon The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, centers on the life of a mixed roman, Janie, through her journey to discover her identity racially, spiritually, and as a woman, She often recounts her life as of unknown possibilities in the distance, specifically the horizon, but progresses throughout the novel to have the ability to end her pursuit of happiness. The novel opens with a metaphorical passage where the { {Vote i. Phi, author critiques men for being content with wishes in the “horizon”, while women - cea fase wm ‘om eeabeboppositely work to achieve their goals. This passage, which first mentions the symbol of a horizon, foreshadows Janie’s drive to pursue her dreams against the judgment of her Ga, Nie community, Although her dreams remain on the horizon for most of her life, by the end o of the novel, she reaches contentment and essentially the horizon itself. Her grandmother, Nanny, plays central role in Jani’s relationships, as {ps forces Janie into an early marriage due to her desire for Janie’s security. Consequently Janie enters in two more Woah clog Hale matin? marriages with Joe and Tea Cake. Through each marriage, Janie’s sensuality progresses; however, she only grasps true love in her last relationship. Hurston employs the symbol ity of improvement in Janie’s life and represents her of the horizon to evoke the possi ‘quest to find love within her mariages. “The Auate 4 ev aie is-fow. eptea She Wms cundag WJ/ + ing her coat arranged marriage with Logan, Janie sees a glimpse of the 4: 7 Bod, pe ay Dut m: yet alack = horizon in an encounter vith ultimately views a happier life with akV Faces on Ee the p of a full horizon represents ¢inaiey tir relationship to succeed. Janie initially appreciates Joe because he is seemingly opposite from Logan, in that he would not make her work in the field, ajob that she detests Howere ete rain her decision to leave didath she racaize thi, befor. Se Ming to Aawre, to] bien? Logan for Joe, Janie realizes that he pow possibie love with him. While on their way to at dus © : ‘new town, thayrest togethe> “They sat on the boarding porch and saw the sun plunge J ‘o ise! eta At isnot clear to into the same crack in the earth from which the(ignifomerga (GR Whit Patterns. mp0" Jody (0 patang SE eusde. pluiceing elem ‘—cteartorthe readerthat Janie has love with Joe'in their felationship. The horizon changes tes Jove with Joe in their selatfonship, te ™ dune . yagre to represent her life changing, as well. The use of the powerful verb “plunge” to personify the sun setting emphasizes the life-changing choice that Janie made when Frown vy entering into a relationship with Joe. Clearly, Janie is headed in a different direction and erent rood her path towards unknown possibilities is altered, Likewise, by Janie viewing the sun rt — locate I loge jcate thak she is Sropping n 8 vi “plunge” into the earth, rather than st peacefully, th! author evokes the idea that Janie’s Eather than set peacefully ig conbodiets ie ms Sof te Porcet tnairiage-berreer-hersettand-Logan. Yet, the use of the word “crack” ote, \—~ | oppositely represents the holes in Janie and Joe’s relationship and the problems that they i's nok haan be me from Hats JD Quai j marover , tne will encounter in the future. Clearly, Janie’s relationship with Joe isan improvement P+. 2) 'Yorr- is * from her lack of love with Logan. However, Janie has not fully progressed to find love, Sih A s0e 2 500 and Tea-Cake ultimately stifles her voice. The symbol of the horizon in Janie’s encounter Phe. Ratt 27 fA sees with Joe represents a more promising life; yet, she has not fully matured in her quest for Ses, true love. pri "hevigen "ints oxen or ‘after the deatl of Joe, Janie matures in her understanding of fer search for love as she finally realizes the great extent in which Nanny had rie While Janie desires true love as the catalyst to form her relationships, Nanny’s narrowoutlook on love is materialistic in her belief that Janie needs the security of husband figure. Due to this principle, Nanny forces Janie into an arranged martiage, in which Logan repeatedly controls Janie, After the man of her second marriage, Joe, dies, she is finally abl to understand her tue goals andthe problems inher search fr love, Janie reflects,‘She [Janie] had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people... Here Nanny had taken the biggest thing God ever made, the horizon...and pinched it in to such a litle bit of a thing” (89). In this passage, Janie’s understanding of herself and Nanny emerges, and she realizes the necessity of true love in her relationships. In her younger years, Nanny “pinched” the endless possibilities of her relationships to only represent the attribute of physically having a husband. Thus, Nanny controlled her life to represent Nanny’s narrow understanding of love, The powerful verb “pinched” allows the reader to understand Janie’s feeling of suffocation under Nanny’s control. However, Janie realizes her aspirations for love and has matured to be ready in her quest. Janie’s realization in this passage represents her understanding of her needs in relationship and her ability to improve her life to reach sensual fulfillment, Janie is able to achieve true love, independence, and freedom of self-expression with Tea Cake, and upon his death, she ends her search for horizons because sh hag s not loqiend Te FF achieved her goal. As Tes Tanie's fina-husbandhe treats her with more respect and affection than both Logan and Joe. Upon meeting Janie, Tea Cake asks her to play checkers, and thus, treats her as an equal player. He satisfies Janie’s desire of self- expression and clearly allows her to complete her guest for true love, After his death, in Ahn more Lodesct ; otheruisn i) conabodiets frat he is tare lave — which she was forced to shoot him in self-protection, she is able to relax in her room and ese Fag veh BAS S7a[howe Wore | reli) realize that she found love and peace,,“She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-netPulled it fromi around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes. She called in her soul to come and see” (193), Janie has finally made peace with herself and has completed her quest. Throughout the novel, Janie has been in search of her dream; however, now she is able to “pull in her horizons,” meaning she has reached her dream, With Tea Cake, Janie is able to reach self-expression, sexual fulfillment, and independence; thus, even after his death, Janie feels like she still has access to her horizons. ingen ars : ulie-clearly develops*her character in the novel through the symbolism of the horizon. The horizon represents Janie’s goals and the possibility of the unknown, She ‘matures from Nanny’s harsh control of her life through an arranged marriage to ultimately reaching her horizon, true love, Only through the recurring image of the horizon is the reader able to understand Janie’s development of relationships and their meaning to her. — Library, 1990, Print honor code \ atone y (challenge S* NOV vo be reperatine MOF FO SHAY COM HAL SY “MOF TO vet Foo snucn OF 1 1 Om proud oF; . CIOSE YEA OW “PIUNge” J Jaie's ining FOIA Tay pardgiapn (¢