1. Hurston begins the book with an extended metaphor. Explain

what it means. What are the dreams of men? How are they
different from the dreams of women? Who doesn’t get
disappointed? 
He stated that mens dreams are like ships, sometimes they
come and sometimes they don’t. Mens dreams are different
to womens because women don’t have the same level of
rights and just want to find security and that causes them to
not pursue their dreams. Women don’t get disappointed
because they don’t have the same level of hope as men do.
2. Janie has come back to town after doing what and to whom?
(Pay attention to and remember their description.) 
Janie left and town some time ago, with Tea Cake, money,
and a very nice dress on; however, when she returnerd she
looked poor.
3. What are the porch-sitters compared to? How are they
characterized? What can you infer from that description? 
They are compared to mouths and made to look like
judgmental people. Because of how they are described I
could come to the conclusion that they are jealous and
envious people and start rumors.
4. The first two pages are loaded with figurative language, as
though Hurston was writing poetry in book form. What is the
effect of this? Is it hard to understand? What is the effect of
having to work a little harder to understand all the layers of her
opening pages? 
She wants to prove to the readers she is educated and that
doesn’t speak with slang language.
5. Pay attention to porches. What is the function of the porch in
this chapter? 
The purpose of this chapter is that Janie can be able to hear
all the bad things that people are saying about her.
6. The author makes a big deal about Janie’s black rope of hair.
This metaphor is a central image in the book. What might
Janie’s hair symbolize?  
Janie hair always being up showsthat she is not free because
when she wants to wear it down her husband doesn’t let her.
7. Hurston is careful to give us many of the particulars of Janie’s
life since she left this town. What do we know about her? 
We know that she left the town looking wealthy and came
back in the town looking poor.
8. In the last line of the first chapter, Hurston uses a metaphor.
What is it and what is its effect on the mood of the story? 
"Times make everything old so the kissing,young darkness
became a monstrupolous old thing while janie talked."
Itshows that bad things are going to be happening for a while
9. Briefly discuss the voice in this book. Hurston switches from
dialect to narrative prose. It is difficult to read at first, but it also
has some benefits. Discuss both, as well as techniques which
can be used to make it easier to read.
The voice in the book is written in southern slang spoken
during the time frame. One way to understand istriyng to act
as if your talking during that time and say it outloud.
10. Analyze the first paragraph about ships at a distance. What
do the ships represent? What analogy is the author making?
How do you see the meaning of the first paragraph playing itself
out in the rest of the text? Support your response with evidence
from the text. 
The ships represent the weird difference between men and
women and how it drifts. This draws the idea that life looks
better somewhere else and how for someone another persons
life looks better, because one wants what they cant have.