Stranger Journal 7

Camus decides to split the book into two parts to better show how Meursault has changed throughout the different parts. Meursault seems to begin having various throughts and emotions, at one point during his trial, he had his first urge to cry in his life. Meursault, through his changing philosophy of his emotional and physical life, is shown as being a dynamic character through Camus' decision to split the book into two parts and his developing thoughts in part two. Also, Camus writes longer and more descriptive sentences in part two than he does in part one, while the pace of part two is also faster than the pace in part one.

Stranger Journal 6

Part 1

1. Word Choice

• The language used throughout the book is rather basic and easy to understand.
• Question: Why does Camus use such simple wording throughout the story?

2. Sentences

• The sentences Camus writes are very simple as well as short and to the point.
• Question: Why does Camus write in such short and simple sentences when narrating for Meursault?

3. Images

• The narrator oftentimes says its hot while talking of Meursalt and uses the sun a lot to convey this.
• Question: Why does Camus use the imagery of the sun so many times throughout the book?

4. Symbols

• Some symbols which stand out in the book are the symbols of the sun and the crucifix.
• Question: What is Camus trying to convey through the use of a crucifix as a symbol?

5. Figures of Speech

• Camus uses irony throughout the book when showing how when Meursault commits murder he doesn't seem to care, but seems rather annoyed.
• Question: What is Camus trying to get the reader to realize through his use of irony?

6. Rhetorical Devices

• The juxtapositioning of Meursault's character and those around him.
• Question: Why does Camus include such different characters in his book?

7. Patterns

• Camus uses the motif of heat and cigarettes.
• Question: What is Camus trying to convey to the reader when he uses the motif of cigarettes?

8. Narrator

• Told through 1st person with the main character being Meursault.
• Question: Why does Camus make Meursault's character seem so non-caring?

9. Structure

• The pace of the book as it progresses becomes increasingly faster and more stuff is happening in a seemingly shorter time period.
• Question: What effect is Camus trying to build with the increasing speed of the story as it progresses?

Part 2

Question: "Why does Camus make his characters seem so simple?" (Harbolt)
Thesis: Camus makes his characters seem so simple to show how their lives are not important emotionally, but rather physically.

Question:"Why does Camus use simple vocabulary to describe a book that is formal?" (V)
Thesis: Camus uses such simple vocabulary throughout his book to highlight how seemingly meaningless Meursault's life is.

Question: "Why doesn't Camus just use long sentences to describe things in detail?" (Britni)
Thesis: Camus uses shorter sentences throughout the book to show how Meursault does not seem to care much of his situation.

Question: "Why does Camus describe the appearance of people so much more than anything else?" (Connor)
Thesis: Camus describes the appearance of people more than anything else of a person to show how the physical life is more important than the mental life.

Question: "What is Camus's purpose through portraying the sun?" (V)
Thesis: Camus uses the symbol of the sun to show how Meursault is oftentimes making bad decisions when under pressure and the heat of the sun.

Question: "Does Camus intend for his irony to create comical scenes?" (Harbolt)
Thesis: Camus, through his use of irony, tries to depict the differences in his characters he uses throughout his book and juxtaposes them with each other and their different beliefs.

Question: "Why does Camus make Meursault awkward around others?" (Harbolt)
Thesis: Camus makes Meursault's character always awkward when around others to show how they have different beliefs and act differently according to their philosophies towards life.

Question: "Why does Camus almost never describe specific physical details of other important characters?" (Britni)
Thesis: Camus almost never describes physical details of others because he wants to show how these characters live their lives in accordance to their emotional rather than their physical life.

Question: "Why does Camus use these different speeds in the passage of time?" (Harbolt)
Thesis:Camus uses the different speeds in the passage of time to show how the conflict between Meursault and other characters increase.

Stranger Journal 5

My personal philosophy affects the way I read the book because I am more likely to like the characters which share my thoughts and beliefs than those who don't. I begin to form different thoughts of characters and my opinion of them will change through the differences in our beliefs. I also tend to like the books and characters that follow my beliefs and philosophy.

Stranger Journal 4

The Sun

• "Once out in the street [...] the day, already bright with sun, hit me like a slap in the face." (Camus 47) - This passage shows how the sun and the day are almost his enemy and are bullying him around.
• "Out in the deeper water we floated on our backs and the sun on my upturned face was drying the last of the water trickling into my mouth." (Camus 50) - This shows how the sun was drying up Meursault, and could symbolize how the sun is dry like Meursault, or is making him dry.
• "The sun was shining almost directly overhead onto the sand, and the glare on the water was unbearable." (Camus 52) - Meursault is starting to become more annoyed with the sun shining off the water and bearing down on him.
• "By now the sun was overpowering. It shattered into little pieces on the sand and water." (Camus 55) - Again, the sun is almost portrayed as a god and is overpowering Meursault. It is also inescapable since it is bouncing off of everything.
• "I was walking slowly toward the rocks and I could feel my forehead swelling under the sun. All that heat was pressing down on me and making it hard for me to go on. And every time I felt a blast of its hot breath strike my face, I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists in my trouser pockets, and strained every nerve in order to overcome the sun and the thick drunkenness it was spilling over me." (Camus 57) - The personification of the sun could symbolize god always looking and breathing down on you. Meursault also does not like it and seems to always want to be escaping it.
• "The sun was the same as it had been the day I'd burried Maman, and like then, my forehead especially was hurting me, all the veins in it throbbing under the skin." (Camus 59) - The sun seems to be in Meursault's everyday life and it seems to be always hurting him.

Smoking/Cigarettes

• "I didn't have to explain to them, so I just shut up, smoked a cigarette, and looked at sea." (Camus 54) - Smoking seems to be something that Meursault always does when he doesn't want to think.

Journal 3

Dahamadra

• There is no superior being controlling or messing with our individual lives - This is important to me because i believe that life is a game of choice and not of submission. You are able to make your own decisions in life where there is no "superior being" telling you what to do. This principle developed in me after my realization that nothing is really helping you out when you need it and ask for it unless you yourself do something about it.
• There is no afterlife, you live in the moment - This dawned on me when i asked myself what happens to you and your thoughts after you die. I believe this because I think life was created to enjoy what is happening during it and not after it.
• Happiness is the ultimate goal in a person's life - Without happiness, life is generally not worth living. This is why I think it is the ultimate goal in one's life. People strive during their lifetimes and work very hard to gain happiness, not to lose it, and it is the one goal everyone in the world works towards to achieve.
• To lead a just life you must seek to aquire a good will - Seeking to acquire a good will allows for people to seek happiness in their life. This is important because by trying to do good, you may live a just and meaningful life. This happened to dawn on me after I thought of happiness and how it could be achieved.
• Life and the world is based on good rather than evil - All life is based on good, not evil, because if it were not, the world would destroy itself. Nature maintains a balance because of how life is based on good rather than evil, as seen through humans and their ability to coexist peacefully in many different areas of the world.
• Humans have a materialistic mindset towards life - This is because to survive, people need different possessions. They also strive toward this mindset in order to achieve happiness, and therefore, to achieve their ultimate goal in life.
• There is no such thing as fate - I believe this because I believe people have ultimate control over their lives and how they choose to live it. I don't believe in a superior being, nor do i believe in fate because people have choices and is a necessity for life and happiness.

Stranger Journal 2

Meursault's activities during the first two chapters are not too interesting. The story is written without much explanation or insight of what is happening to him at different parts of the novel and gives the reader only a very brief explanation into what Meursault is doing or thinking at the time. Meursault also does not seem to think too much but is fully in control of his thoughts and what he does throughout the beginning of the book. Camus creates a character like Meursault to better show the reader how the philosophy of existentialism is created through the personalities and thoughts of his protagonist.

Stranger Journal 1

Both passages seem to set the same tone and mood of the scene but are written differently. In the first one, the sentences are much shorter and get right to the point, while in the second one it gives the reader more context and talks more of what is happening throughout that part of the story. The first story also shows a lot more uncertainty in the way the main character thinks. He includes words such as could, some, should, and perhaps to show how he is not too sure of things. The first translation also has contains a more formal tone, using phrases such as "The Home For Aged Persons" compared to the second translation, which says "The old people's home". These differences allow for the reader to contrast the two versions and may allow for them to relate to one more than the other.

Journal 9

The structure of the story is very significant to the readers interpretation of the story. Oftentimes throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, chapters begin or end with a sentence or paragraph that uses figurative language or highlights a symbol. These often make the reader try and pay more attention to the beginnings and endings and to what Hurston is trying to convey to them. Also, the ending of the book is a great example of one of these types of endings Hurston often uses. She fills the ending with a deep passage which talks of how perfect Tea Cake was, and a reader could easilly pick out themes from the closing paragraphs of the book.

Journal 7 & 8

Mrs. Turner’s relationship with her husband makes her feel more powerful. Mr. Turner does not seem to be too powerful or confident which was apparent in Chapter 17 during the bar fight at their restaurant where he did not step up and stop the fight or help his wife while she was on the ground after being knocked down. Mr. Turner also tells Tea Cake, when confronted by him about Mrs. Turner hanging around at his house, that his wife does anything she wants to because she is so strong headed. This causes him to take a lower role in their marriage, while Mrs. Turner makes most of the decisions in their relationship. Their relationship compared to Janie and Tea Cake’s is very different. While both Janie and Tea Cake take on very important roles in their relationship and stand up for each other and hold power within their relationship, the Turners are the complete opposite with only one person doing most of the work and holding most of the power within their relationship.

The title, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is significant because it tells us how many of the characters, such as Janie, view religion and nature. During the hurricane in Chapter 18, the characters trying to escape God’s wrath oftentimes are questioning God and looking up to Him. It shows how many of the characters rely on God and how they are never fully in control of anything. The title talks of how the characters in the book will always be looking to God for answers and to show them their next step in life as well as to show that nature and God are always in control of their lives.

Journal 6

Personification

-"The train beat on itself and danced on the shiny steel rails mile after mile." (Hurston, 116)
-Hurston uses this personification of the train dancing on the rails to portray the happiness of the scene. Janie, who was on the train, was happy that she and Tea Cake were finally going to get married and by using this personification, it brings out her enthusiasm and joy.

Simile

-"But, don't care how firm your determination is, you can't keep turning round in one place like a horse grinding sugar cane." (Hurston, 118)
-This simile, used to describe Janie's fading determination to find her money she had had in her pocket, also helps give the reader an insight to Janie's character. She realizes that if you are stuck in one place, you will not find what you are looking for no matter how long you look for it. Janie represents this because when she was tied down into her marriage with Logan and things were not the way she had wanted them to be. But later, when she meets Jody, she becomes happy for the time being because she changed up the way she thought and acted. She did this again when she moved on to Tea Cake and is now happier then she was before. Janie, throughout the story, seems to be happier when she is constantly changing up her life.

Metaphor

-"A little seed of fear was growing into a tree. Maybe some day Tea Cake would weaken." (Hurston, 136)
-This metaphor is used at the beginning of chapter 15 to show how Janie is becoming worried of Tea Cake. Tea Cake has been hanging around with another woman, Nunkie, and Janie is becoming increasingly fearful of Tea Cake possibly cheating on her with Nunkie. A seed was growing into a tree, meaning that she was beginning to become more concerned of their love for each other as time went on and maybe Tea Cake was beginning to give in to someone else's love.

Journal 5

Janie's motivation throughout chapters 11 and 12 is to become who she truly is. Without Jody to be there and impose his will on her, Janie becomes more like her true self. With the arrival of Tea Cake, she has been able to come out of her box and be herself whithout being controlled like she was under Jody. Tea Cake allows for Janie to be herself and have fun, unlike Jody or Logan, who felt like they needed to control her and give her work to distract her from being herself. Tea Cake, in Janie's eyes, resembled what love truly was, and on page 106, she says, "He looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom - a pear tree blossom in the spring." What she means by this is that he is meant for her. Her symbol throughout the book has been the pear tree, and Tea Cake, symbolized by the bee, is trulyright for her style of life.

Journal 4

Then Alex began to recall pride. Pride, that boastful figure with a stout frame who walks in confidence. The Outspoken one who lives in each and everyone of us like a welcome infection with unlimited boundaries. What need does pride have for a shut chest, and what ill ointment can work against him? He sits in sight of all seven seas, overlooking all people. Sitting on his throne, ruling with an iron fist, waiting for an emissary to summon him. He has sat on his grand chair ruling fair above the world, to bear the weight of entirety for as long as the stairway into heaven has been open. Alex was bound to find that eagle perched above him one day. He was scared, yet delighted. Poor Drew! He ought not have shut out that eagle of his. Alex asked Andrew to go in and suggest to allow for a meeting, but Drew answered No. The counselors wuz all right with the Devilish good Drew was shutting out, but could not figure his reasoning. He'd be fine as long as he decided to begin riding the high horse. He wasn't going to cower down. That is what he believed. But Andrew had told him differently, realizing there was nothing to be done. Even without Andrew's comment, he was going to find out the next day, for fellow students began to occupy Junior Hall between tall rows of lockers and between classrooms. Students who before felt threatened by the stretch of hallway allowed themselves to take a peak into the unfolding event. Positioned themselves close to the edge of the hall and paused. Power, that great dictator, had shadowed over the hall.

Journal #3: Chapter 4 Literary Techniques

1: Pg. 27, Simile


-"Logan held his wad of tobacco real still in his jaw like a thermometer of his feelings while he studied Janie's face and waited for her to say something."


-The author uses this simile in the book to more meaningfully show Logan's character. Logan seems to be portrayed in the chapter as hot-headed. By using a thermometer within the passage, it shows that Logan get get easily tempered and shows that his thoughts and feelings can very easily change with different situations. The passage also focuses on his stillness and him waiting for Janie's response. This simile shows how Logan can be somewhat unpredictible like the weather.

2: Pg. 27, Imagery

-"It was a cityfied, stylish dressed man with his hat set at an angle that didn't belong in these parts. His coat was over his arm, but he didn't need it to represent his clothes. The shirt with the silk sleeveholders was dazzling enough for the world."

-The author includes this imagery in the passage to create a vivid picture of the man he is describing. She wants to show the reader that the man is rich and was an unusual site in Janie's town. The imagery also wants us to discover why Janie was so attracted to this man.

3: Pg. 29, Symbol


-"Janie pulled back a long time because he did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon."


-The author uses the symbols of the sun-up, the blooming trees and the far horizon to show how Janie felt about Jody Sparks. Jody did not represent the sun-up, the pollen, and the blooming trees because he did not seem to display change or bring in new life, but rather represented the far horizon, a symbol for far-off dreams. Janie hesitated about being with Jody instead of Logan, but in the end, decided that even though Jody did not represent some of the things she wanted in a man, he did offer the hope of accomplishing dreams, which Janie admired.




4: Pg. 31, Personification


-"The sun from ambush was threatening the world with red daggers, but the shadows were gray and solid-looking around the barn."


-The personification of the sun acting like a soldier waiting in ambush with red daggers is used to indicate an unpleasant mood. The author is trying to set up a tense scene full of conflict between Janie and Logan. The personification of the sun and the words used throughout the passage is not only used to make the point that the sun is becoming very hot, but also to create an increasingly fiery tension between Janie and Logan.

5: Pg. 32, Epiphany

-"A feeling of sudden newness and change came over her. Janie hurried out of the front gate and turned south. Even if Joe was not there waiting for her, the change was bound to do her good."

-In this passage, Janie suddenly realizes that she needs to make a change in her life and needed to escape her current life. Through the epiphany, the author is showing us how Janie is a dynamic character that begins to change throughout the story. Janie is becoming increasingly unhappy with her marriage with Logan and realizes this after their fight and opposing views of working. Janie decides in this passage that she would probably be better off with Joe and a new life rather than with Logan and her current life.

Journal 2

The story Zora Neale Hurston wrote takes place in West Florida not long after the civil war had ended, at a time where African-Americans were treated unfairly and oftentimes mistreated by people in the South. This setting allows for the reader to see how and where characters in the book were raised and gives some of the characters their personalities. The setting builds on the Southern atmosphere and gives the reader an insight to a close-knit community in the South where the protagonist is from and her history.

Journal 1

The narration differs from the dialect in that they are written in almost two different languages. The dialect is spoken and written in a Southern accent while the narration is written in a more formal manner. The effect of this difference is that it it highlights the Southern accent throughout the book and allows for the reader to experience the story and its setting as well as its atmosphere more vividly. It makes the reader feel closer to the book and its events and creates a southern atmosphere through the juxtopositioning of the language used in the narration and that used in the dialect.