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

Fill in the Blanks

One of Zora Neale Hurston's projects included this item popular with young girls.

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...