IOP Journal #5

I have finally finished gathering all the information I needed for my IOP. I have written out my outline as well for what I will be saying tomorrow. All I need to do for tonight is make a powerpoint and email it to Mrs. Wecker. Tomorrow is coming faster and faster. I'm really nervous for my speech, I really need to do well. I feel that my points are strong and well supported by evidence. I just hate talking to in front of people especially my peers. I already have a hard time talking and stumbling over my words and I don't want to sound stupid. All I can hope is that I do my best and hope for the best as well! I'm kind of concerned about how I'm finishing my speech. I feel that I'm sort of abruptly ending it but I don't know how else to end it. I know that I will say thank you for listening but I feel that everyone says it and that it's a lame way to end a speech. But i'll come up with something!

IOP Journal #4

After thinking more and asking others their opinions I have found two more effects that southern dialect has on the text. When the reader reads the text they are about to better understand the cultural aspect. When the book was written this was the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Zora Neale Hurston was involved in this time period and her work reflects this. By using southern dialect the author is able to show the reader and others the way in which African Americans act. Many blacks drop of parts of words and with a strong accent this is hard to decipher. The other effect this dialect has on the text is characterization. In addition to understanding the way in which many African Americans act back in the time this book was written, it lets the reader better understand the characters and their roles. For example, Jodie is seen in a higher position in the Eatonville; however, by his speech nobody would ever know it. Jodie still uses a strong southern dialect that allows the reader to know that while he may hold a high position in the town he doesn't show it.

IOP Journal #3

Today I worked on my IOP a lot. I finalized the information I needed to gather in order to talk about the motifs i focused on. I feel that my quotes that I have found support my arguments really well. What i focused on the most was the word choice that Hurston used. She used a lot of forceful words that show the importance of each motif. What i need to work on now is the argument I will have for the style in which Hurston writes. I know that I will be talking about the beginning of several chapters that foreshadow what will happen in the following chapter, but I'm also looking at the dialect. The dialect is southern drawl and for most readers this provides some difficulty. But what I have found is that with this dialect it allows the reader to feel apart of the book and feel as if they are watching the story instead of reading it. But what else does it do?!? I still need to do some thinking.

IOP Journal #2

After working on my IOP now for a couple hours I am finally getting a better understanding of what I will be talking about. I have found two major motifs that appear throughout the book, death and nature. These two motifs have a major effect on the book but I haven't yet found what these motifs do for the book. As they appear throughout the whole book they obviously do something important. I haven't yet looked at the style in which the author writes, but I know that the author uses a lot of imagery and other literary techniques. Hurston especially uses this at the beginning of every chapter when the author continues with the story line. This is a very draining process, I just hope when I'm done with everything I feel confident with what I find.

IOP Journal #1

I'm starting my IOP today and I'm extremely lost. Their Eyes Were Watching God was the first book that we read this semester and I barely remember the plot line. I plan on skimming the book in order to remember what happens in the book. My topic is looking at the motifs and the style the book offers. I'm already aware of the style, the author uses a lot of imagery and also southern drawl. The southern drawl for some readers make the book a tough read and for others an easy read. I think that it depends on where you are from and what you are used to hearing. For me, most of family is from the south so I'm really used to hearing people talk in a southern accent. Therefore, this book was an easy read for me and unlike most people I didn't have to read the dialogue out loud. ...I have a lot of work to do!!

Blood Wedding Journal #3

"What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out?"
In the play Wild Duck drama is almost in every scene. In many tragedy plays there are parts of the story that lead up to the climax. However, in the Wild Duck there are intense scenes throughout. When Gregers is confronted by his father and immediately they bicker. Right off we can see that Gregers has a struggling relationship with his father. The play moves on and the reader knows about Gina's relationship with Old Werle and Gregers intentions with this new found knowledge. Gregers then shares this information with Hjalmar ruining his marriage with Gina. The intenisty continues with the suicide of Hedvig due to her father's misunderstood hatred for her. In this story there are no dull parts; in almost every scene something occurs between two characters or even an internal conflict with one character. The drama filled play applies to this quote directly.
The quote also applies to the play Blood Wedding. In the beginning of the play we (the reader) find the mothers feelings towards knives and we come to the understanding that her husband and son have died. The mother completely resents the idea of knives and never wants the bridegroom to handle knives. The bridegroom then is able to marry the bride, however the bride acts in the most absurd way. She acts as if she is still in love with Leonardo and later in the play the reader finds this to be true. The bride then runs away with Leonardo and because of this the play ends with the death of Leonardo and the bridegroom. The play is filled with drama and tragedy leaving out the dull bits. There is not a dull part of the play keeping the readers attention.

Blood Wedding Journal #2

Narrative structure:
The plot has been constructed through the actions of the many characters in this play. At the end of the second act the reader finds out that the bridegrooms wife has runaway with Leonardo. Up until this point I could tell that something has going on with the bride because she acts very strange and extremely reserved. Even after she has gotten married to the bridegroom and he attempts to hug her she pushes him away and tells him to leave her alone. This seems really weird to me, although it is a new marriage women don't normally act that way towards their husbands. She seems very distant and as if she is still in love with Leonardo.
There are many parts to this story. The mother and how she deals with the thought of knives and being by herself being one part. The other parts are more sub parts of the whole. Leonardo was once engaged to be married to the bride, but is now married to the wife. The maid is aware of the bride's past relationship with Leonardo and tries to stop any communication between the two because she is afraid of what could happen between them. The father just wants his daughter to be happy and for his land to start growing fruitfully. Although there are many aspects of this story, they all seem to be connected in some way.
As i have not finished the play yet i cannot address how effective the ending is and/or if there are unanswered questions. So far in the play it seems that just around two weeks or more likely less time has passed from when the bridegrooms asks mother to ask father till the wedding. Time in this situation seems to not have any significance. With such little time having gone by and so many situations taking place it seems that the characters just want to move fast in life and in some way not enjoy life at all. In today's society planning out weddings to every details makes the day of the wedding more memorable. Many couples may even go years before they decide on an actual date. However in the play the bridegroom announces when he wants the wedding to happen (that next week). This does not leave any time for either the bride or the bridegroom to plan many aspects of the wedding. Indicating that time has no significance in the play what so ever.