The end of teh Renaissance for us...

I believe that studying the Harlem Renaissance in the 21st century is not only worthwhile but also necessary. I have taken so much information away from this class not just about the time period, but also about the people that influenced it and why. When we were reading the Brownies book a mother wrote in asking the editors to publish stories about African American heritage because no only did text book not include African American’s but she didn’t know the history herself to pass on to her child. This is how I feel about the Harlem Renaissance. In high school we learned briefly about slavery, but even then there was not much information presented about the movement of African American’s into society. In English classes we did not read McKay, Toomer, Hurston, and Larsen; instead we learned about Shakespeare and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby. So by making a class like the Harlem Renaissance Literature it allows for people to really understand what things were like during this Renaissance and why these authors wrote so deeply and emotionally. Not only were they getting the story across to whites and blacks of the time, but they were also laying history in black and white for people to read and remember for years and years to come.

Their Eyes Were Watching God...

I can’t believe that Tea Cake hit Janie! I really thought he was going to treat her differently than Jody. It seems that the men in her life insist on controlling her and try so hard to keep her submissive. As Tea Cake states that he needs to show Janie and the Turner’s who is boss because, “tuh bait Janie in and take her away from me.” So he decides to beat Janie to compensate for his jealousy and need to control her. The crazy thing is that is exactly why she stopped loving Jody because he treated her with overwhelming and bearing control. Maybe Mrs. Turner sent her brother to meet Janie because she felt he would treat Janie the way women should be treated. I wonder if this story is based on Zora’s relationships. As we talked in class many critics had much to say about her romantic preferences and situations. It sounds like Zora may have been in relationships with men like Jody and Tea Cake and this was her way of reflecting on her own life.
It seems that the three novels that we have read the authors depict very tumultuous relationships. In Auto biography the narrator didn’t have any real romance until the end and even then it was a very strained and uncertain relationship that had many secrets and shadows. In Passing Clare and Irene have a relationship that is based on happiness, sadness, jealousy, revenge, and anger? At no point is their relationship healthy and productive. And, now in Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie has been through three relationships that have not been surrounded and based on love and romance, instead they have centered on jealousy and control.I don’t think that this is a scenario simply relevant to the Harlem Renaissance; instead I think that these authors are writing about life in general and how relationships are so unpredictable at times no matter what your race or heritage is.