Their Eyes were watching god Essay

Focus on one of the following literary elements in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God: Character, Setting, Symbol, Imagery, or Figurative Language. Connect the author’s use of such elements to an interpretation of the text’s most significant THEME, its larger meaning or message. Questions to consider when formulating your thesis: • Is the author male or female? Why is this significant? • Is the text narrated by a male or female? • What types of roles do women have in the text? • What types of roles do men have in the text? • Are the female characters the protagonists or secondary and minor characters? • Do any stereotypical characterizations of women appear? • Do any stereotypical characterizations of men appear? • What are the attitudes towards women held by the male characters? • What is the author’s attitude toward women in society? Toward men? • How does the author’s culture influence her attitude towards women (or the way women are viewed by men)? • Is feminine imagery used? If so, what is the significance of such imagery? Is it symbolic? Is masculine imagery used? Might it be symbolic? • How do the males in the story conform to or subvert patriarchy? • Do the female characters speak differently than the male characters? Compare the frequency of speech for the male characters to that of the female characters.