Zoom In/ Zoom Out Paper

Theme: Bravery

Outline:

Intro:
Body 1: zoom-in
Body 2: zoom-out
Body 3: personal
Conclusion:

Intro Maybe? Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the most recognizable novels and is an
excellent example of a bildungsroman, Janie develops morally and psychologically. This novel is
authored by Zora Neale Hurston and tells a unique story about the routine of an independent
youngster who transitions from childhood to adulthood. One of the major themes explored by the
author in Their Eyes Were Watching God is bravery but she continues moving forward in spite of
fear.

Zoom-in maybe? From the start of the novel, Hurston introduces the novel with the metaphor
“ships at a distance” which explains how men and women experience reality in various ways.

Zoom-out maybe? Bravery did not only affect the overall outcome of her daily life but it
especially affected her Journey. The fact that she has never seen her father & mother makes it
harder for her life.

1. Introduction: Write a brief summary of the novel, providing the context for your selected
passage. Then, write a thesis statement.

2. Zoom-In: In a detailed paragraph, discuss the moment you have chosen, looking carefully at
the language used. This is where you note stylistic devices and analyze how they shed light on
the meaning of your passage. Following are some of the techniques you might look for:

diction (word choice)

syntax (structure of a sentence)
structure (e.g., series, contrast, repetition)
allusion (classical or otherwise)
tone (e.g., irony, satire)
sound devices (e.g., rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia)
figurative language (e.g., metaphor, simile, symbolism)
imagery
point of view (e.g., first person, third person, omniscient)

You may also make some observations that do not have to do with style in this section. For
example, you might also speculate about the motivations of the speaker or the intended audience,
the purpose, or the theme(s). The bulk of your writing should be analyzing style, however.

Zoom-in quote: Only use this quote

Joe Starks was the name, yeah Joe Starks from in and through Georgy. Been workin’ for

white folks all his life. Saved up some money—round three hundred dollars, yes indeed,

right here in his pocket. Kept hearin’ ’bout them buildin’ a new state down heah in

Floridy and sort of wanted to come. But he was makin’ money where he was. But when

he heard all about ’em makin’ a town all outa colored folks, he knowed dat was de place

he wanted to be. He had always wanted to be a big voice, but de white folks had all de

sayso where he come from and everywhere else, exceptin’ dis place dat colored folks was

buildin’ theirselves. Dat was right too. De man dat built things oughta boss it. Let colored

folks build things too if dey wants to crow over somethin’. He was glad he had his money

all saved up. He meant to git dere whilst de town wuz yet a baby. He meant to buy in big.

It had always been his wish and desire to be a big voice and he had to live nearly thirty

years to find a chance. (Hurston 28)

subtle imagery is used to paint a picture in the mind of the readers and to give them a glimpse of
Joe Stark’s character. We can see this through his writing style. Also, it is written is 3rd person
point of view. There us also a repetition of the word Joe Starks in the first line. The author uses
diction “colored folks” to illustrate joe Stark differences compared to the rest of the population. This
difference is what particularly made him stand out to the eyes of Janie and the fact that he was
making something out of empty town even though he is black and African American he was able to
be successful and knew how to get out of the norm.

Zoom-Out: In a detailed paragraph, look at how your Zoom-In observations fit into the work as
a whole. In this section, you need to prove your author is in fact interested in the ideas observed
by you in your Zoom-In. You do so by showing that the idea or ideas come up somewhere else in
the work. You should have at least two brief distinct pieces of textual evidence in addition to
your original quote (no block quotes here).

Zoom-out quotes: Choose two quotes that best relate to the theme (bravery)

Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide.

For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the

Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is

the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember and

remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and

do things accordingly. (Hurston 1)

In this particular excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston introduces the novel with
a metaphor “ships at a distance” which explains how men and women experience reality in
various ways. It explains how men can dream and achieve their goals while women on the other
hand it’s harder for a women to follow her dreams than a men. Furthermore, the reader follows
Janie's journey as she discovers herself, takes charge of her own destiny, and experiences genuine
love by observing how she lives her life in accordance with her truth. This forshadows the
exploration of gender roles later in the novel. Also, it is written is 3rd person point of view.

“She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes

arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest

branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She
 had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that

left her limp and languid.” (Hurston 11)

In this particular excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is sitting under a pear tree.
The tree serves as a representation of various aspects of Janie's life and the experiences she has
had. Janie claims that her mother abandoned her when she was a little child and that she has
never met her father. Also, the fact that she is arranged into marriage symbolizes the pain in the
tree. Furthermore, subtle imagery is used to paint a picture in the mind of the readers. We can see
this through his writing style ““sanctum,” “revelation,” “marriage” and “ecstatic.” Also, it is
written is 3rd person point of view. I’ve made a connection between the pear tree and Janie, she
compares Tea Cake, her true love, to a bee to a "pear tree blossom”. The peat tree also
symbolizes Janie herself.

Sometimes God gits familiar wid us womenfolks too and talks His inside business. He

told me how surprised He was ’bout y’all turning out so smart after Him makin’ yuh

different; and how surprised y’all is goin’ tuh be if you ever find out you don’t know half

as much ’bout us as you think you do. It’s so easy to make yo’self out God Almighty

when you ain’t got nothin’ tuh strain against but women and chickens.” (Hurston 75 )

In this particular excerpt from Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is saying this to Joe as well
as the men in the store. Mrs. Robbins had just entered, pleading for food for her children who
were literally starving. When she departs, the men mock and make rude remarks about her
actions, which causes Janie to defend her. Furthermore, this quote is significant because it
highlights the inequalities in power between men and women and foreshadows Janie's capacity to
overcome them. this quote draws attention to one of the book's major themes and symbolism
which in my opinion is the power of language “but women and chickens.” Also, it is written is
3rd person point of view.

How to write the quote in the essay

Personal: In this section, draw a connection between your world and the text. You may share an
anecdote from your personal life that illustrates how you personally relate to the passage or make
a connection between the contemporary world and the issues in the text. You may choose to
comment on the choices of a fictional character or the stylistic choices of your author. What
would you—as either character or author—have done differently? Why?

I’m not sure that I’ve made the right connection

Can you add on the theme of bravery

Soccer is my passion and I’ve been practicing this sport since I was a kid. I played for Wyadad,
Letoile, PSG, WAC, etc. I participated in many tournaments around the world more specifically
the Junior PSG “World Cup”. This tournament took place in France and it was a PSG tournament
where we competed against PSG teams from other countries (India, France, Brazil, Dubai, etc). I
was representing my country, Morocco, we made it to the finals. We went to penalties, and in the
last penalty the coach said “Jalil go, you got this”. I wasn’t confident and didn’t want to shoot
due to the stress. I took a deep breath and walked towards the ball, I shot and scored, making my
team win. I was proud of myself, at first, I didn’t have the courage and was scared but I was
brave enough and knew that I could do it. I can relate this to Janie who didn’t believe in herself
at the beginning of the novel. Towards the end of the novel, she finds her true identity and she
gets independence and freedom for herself, which changes her into a truly brave woman.

Conclusion: