Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston

The Woman, the Myth, the Legend

Zora Neale Hurston Background

• Daughter of former slaves

  Eatonville, Fl

• Anthropology: Howard University, Barnard College, Columbia University

• African Diaspora, Religions, & Content; Haiti and Jamaica

• Writing Teaching, & Reporting = Hurston's main employment

• Alice Walker found & marked Hurston's grave

Well-known Works

• "Spunk" (1925)- 2nd in lit. comp. Themes: Defining manhood & courage

• "Sweat" (1926)- Themes: Female empowerment, good vs. evil, & work ethic

• "How It Feels to be Colored Me" (1928)- Self-portrait of racial awareness, connections between races, & lit. devices.

• Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)- written in 7 weeks in Haiti. Themes: Defining freedom & independence

• Every Tongue Got to Confess (2001)- Found in Smithsonian archives; published posthumously

Multiple Select

Select all that are TRUE

• Zora researched in Haiti and Jamaica

• Common themes in Hurston's work include freedom, gender and race issues, and morality

• Zora failed out of the only Anthropology program she was accepted to

• Hurston was far removed from slavery

• Alice Walker recovered Hurston's grave and fought to make a gravestone

Context!

Eatonville, Florida- 1st all-black incorportated town in Fl.

Harlem Renaissance- Hurston, Langston Hughes, & Countee Cullen; recognized A-A art & culture

The Black Experience- aka Black Arts Movement- comprehend what it means to be Black (esp. in America)

Southern Literary Traditions- Themes: social interactions, independence seeking, & relationships with nature

Feminist Writing Traditions- Themes: Social norms, female empowerment, unconventional 'happy' endings

Folklore

Anthropology & Folklore

• Folklore highlights morals (a community's truth) and true to life depictions (language, humor, spiritual, & traditional narratives)

• Vernacular- characteristic of Hurston's works; preserves how people speak and sound

• Anthropology- studies human societies, cultures, and development

• Focus: Experiences, interviews, and stories from A-A and African Diasporic community members

• Cultural Contribution: 1st anatomically correct baby doll

Open Ended

The most interesting aspect or topic introduced here is

Hurston & Her Reputation

"Jump at de sun" (Hurston's mother)

Uncle Tom

Preserved Cudjo Lewis's narrative (last known survivor of Transatlantic trade; Middle Passage, capture, enslavement, emancipation)

Worked as a maid; died of heart disease at St. Lucie County Welfare Home

Zora's Legacy

• Alternate versions of agency: different types of women

• Her works are based on a true story

• Themes: impact of geography on identity & correlation between race and class

• Themes of domestic violence and female empowerment link her works with #MeToo

Multiple Choice

Zora Neale Hurston

• was famous during both her life and death

• made extensive amounts of money and donated 70% to charity

• enjoyed some success during life, but she died poor and without family

• died in the same places she researched, Haiti and Jamaica among them

Open Ended

The one new idea I've learned from this presentation is...