Oprah Winfrey butchers a classic in her production of Their Eyes Were Watching God to the point that major characters and relationships become unrecognizable from the book. Throughout the entire movie, Oprah changes key aspects in character by weakening, strengthening, or removing all moral fiber in characters. She also alters every major relationship in the movie to further show these changes in character. By doing this, Oprah transforms Their Eyes Were Watching God into something completely distorted from its original. Oprah significantly changes Joe’s character in her production of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Throughout the movie, Joe’s character becomes continually weakened by his actions and the things he allows Janie to do. Joe controls every aspect of both Janie and the people of Eatonville’s lives in the book. “Jody depends on the exertion of power for his sense of himself; he is only happy and secure when he feels that he holds power over those around him...He needs to feel like a ‘big voice,’ a force of ‘irresistible maleness’ before whom the whole world bows” (Analysis). This puts him on a level above the rest of the townspeople and grants him his leadership. In the movie however, Joe does not control or assert himself over the people of Eatonville nearly as much. This lack of power over the people in his life consequently weakens his character. Through the weakening of his character Joe loses a key aspect of his personality in the movie. Oprah changes Tea Cake in the movie through weakening of his character, the loss of his "bad boy" persona, and his increased dedication to Janie. During the hurricane in the movie, Tea Cake continually becomes significantly weakened after he cannot pull himself out of the water and... ... middle of paper ... ...Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 75th Anniversary ed. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2006. Print. Kikaya, Feza. ""Their Eyes Were Watching God" receives mixed reviews." SilverChips. 9 Mar. 2005. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . "LitCharts: Their Eyes Were Watching God: Themes." LitCharts. LitCharts, 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . "SparkNotes: Their Eyes Were Watching God: Analysis of Major Characters." SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . "SparkNotes: Their Eyes Were Watching God: Themes, Motifs & Symbols." SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . Their Eyes Were Watching God. Dir. Darnell Martin. Perf. Halle Berry. Harpo Films, 2005. DVD.
The somber and effusive tone of the selected passage from Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, is shown through its general diction and imagery. Hurston uses skillfully chosen words to enhance the imagery, and both devices contribute to the tone of this scene.
In, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author takes you on the journey of a woman, Janie, and her search for love, independence, and the pursuit of happiness. This pursuit seems to constantly be disregarded, yet Janie continues to hold on to the potential of grasping all that she desires. In, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the author, Zora Hurston illustrates the ambiguity of Janie’s voice; the submissiveness of her silence and the independence she reclaims when regaining her voice. The reclaiming of Janie's independence, in the novel, correlates with the development and maturation Janie undergoes during her self discovery.
Their Eyes Were Watching God is written by Zora Neale Hurston in the year of 1937. In the novel, the main character is Janie Crawford. Janie has been treated differently by others during her life because of how she was raised and the choices she has made throughout her life. The community is quick to judge her actions and listen to any gossip about Janie in the town. Janie is known to be “classed off” from other members in her community in various ways. “Classed off” means to be separate or isolated from other people.
Oprah Winfrey mutilated the classic novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God written by Zora Neale Hurston by turning the movie into a story with no resemblance to the book. Throughout Janie Crawford’s life, love is a dream she wished to achieve. Oprah makes changes to Janie’s character, her marriages, and the differences of symbolism, the change of themes, and the significance of Janie’s childhood which will alter the entire moral of the story. Another difference is the way the townspeople gossip. Oprah changes the point of Janie’s life journey to find herself to a love story.
"SparkNotes: Their Eyes Were Watching God: Themes, Motifs & Symbols." sparknotes. SparkNotes, 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
Wilchek, Deborah. "Made for TV: Their Eyes Were Watching God." AP Central. The College Board, 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006. Print.
Unlike The Odyssey or any other epic tales, Their Eyes Were Watching God has a different perspective of what a hero is. In this novel, Hurston writes a story about an African-American woman named Janie Crawford whose quest is to find her identity and desire as a human being to be loved and appreciated for who she is. Her quest to fulfill those desires is not easy since she has to overcome so many obstacles and challenges in her life. A superiority that her Nanny posses over her to determine Janie's own life when she was a teenager and being a beautiful accessory to the glory of Joe Starks' are some of the experience that she encounters. She also has to make some sacrifices. And yet, just like any other heroes, at the end, she returns to her home with a victory on her hands.
———. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 2006. Reprint, New York: Harper Perennial: Modern Classics, 1937.
Their Eyes Were Watching God provides an enlightening look at the journey of a "complete, complex, undiminished human being", Janie Crawford. Her story, based on self-exploration, self-empowerment, and self-liberation, details her loss and attainment of her innocence and freedom as she constantly learns and grows from her experiences with gender issues, racism, and life. The story centers around an important theme; that personal discoveries and life experiences help a person find themselves.
Racine, Maria J. "African American Review." Voice and Interiority in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God 28.2 (1994): 283-92. Jstor. Black's Women Culture Issue, Summer 1994. Web. Dec. 2013.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston uses a variety of rhetorical devices to show the effect it has on the readers. Which without the particulary words, it would infact would not have the same meaning as the author achieved.
Walker, Kristen. "Feminism Present in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God." 7 February 2007. Yahoo Voices. 27 January 2014 .
In the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, by Zora Neale Hurston there were many contrasting places that were used to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of this work.
This excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were watching God, is an example of her amazing writing. She makes us feel as if we are actually in her book, through her use of the Southern Black vernacular and admirable description. Her characters are realistic and she places special, well thought out sentences to keep us interested. Zora Neale Hurston’s art enables her to write this engaging story about a Southern black woman’s life.