Zora neale hurston was born on january 7, 1891 in nostagula, florida. Stephen pasqualina nevada, zora neale hurston, weak. Zora neale hurstons spunk at actors theatre of louisville. Story takes place in a town that closley resembles hurstons. It is the story of a confident man who steals a weaker mans wife, and how the husband gets his revenge after death. Howard university 19191924barnard college 19251927columbia university 19341935 work experience. Joe has had enough of spunk, attempts to kill spunk but fails and spunk shoots him. Students analyze the various literary elements in the short story. She portrayed racial struggles in the early1900s american south and published research on hoodoo. Being an impoverished africanamerican woman in the 1920s didnt leave you with many choices. Zora hurstons pieces spunk and sweat both feature antagonists who are strong and meanspirited men who eventually face their downfall due to their karma. A journal of negro life, because johnson had published her second story, drenched in light, and recognized her talent. Hurston traveled extensively, documenting the expressions of southern black folk, and her works reflect a lifelong fascination with the black folk communitymost notably her own eatonville, florida, birthplace.
Justice is served at the end of this harrowing tale of a woman trying to survive in some of the most challenging. Gender plays a significant role in both of these stories for both the male and female characters. Do not use prezi or other media with motion, zoom or strobe effects, as these pose. On may 1, 1925, at a literary awards dinner sponsored by opportunity magazine, the earthy harlem newcomer turned heads and raised eyebrows as she claimed four awards. Prezi presented at the 2nd annual meeting of the bronx cuny edtech showcase. A letter to zora neale hurston fifty years after brown. Spunk by zora neale hurston short story magic tricks. Story takes place in a town that closley resembles hurston s.
A literary star of the harlem renaissance, zora neale hurston wrote a number of awardwinning plays, novels and short stories, including the wellknown sweat. She also wrote more than 50 short stories, plays, and essays. This handout accompanies the short story written by zora neale hurston. Zora neale hurstons use of language in her short story spunk allows the reader to become part of the community in which this story takes place. Mostly science fiction and fantasy, also includes some other novels. Litcharts makes it easy to find quotes by character and theme. Written in the 1920s, the story is set in central florida, near orlando. Elijah tells us in the story that spunk sees a black bobcat that looked him in the eye, an howled right at him. Zora neale hurston january 7, 1891 january 28, 1960 was an american folklorist and author during the time of the harlem renaissance, best known for the 1937 novel their. Wolfe and is an adaptation of three stories by zora neale hurston. Zora neale hurston simple english wikipedia, the free. Sweat, a short story written by zora neale hurston depicts the story of delia, a washerwoman who is physically and mentally abused by her husband, sykes.
Hurston set many of her works, including spunk, in her hometown, eatonville, florida. What evidence could spunk have used in court to prove he was acting in selfdefense against joe. Hurstons mastery of biblical themes and styles is reflected in book of harlem and herod on trial in the appendix, a skill she would later put to use in her masterpiece moses, man of the mountain. This set of lesson plans consists of approximately 74 pages of tests, essay questions, lessons, and other teaching materials. Sweat by zora neale hurston it was eleven oclock of a spring night in florida.
The story takes place in a rural, allblack southern town, much like eatonville, florida, where hurston grew up. Zora neale hurston s use of language in her short story spunk allows the reader to become part of the community in which this story takes place. Once everyone is seated, i ask them what they thought of the short story spunk by zora neale hurston. If hurston could have spoken to alice walker as walker searched for her grave.
After a few share their thoughts, i tell them that we are going to watch a short video on the life of zora neale hurston. Cuny, bronx, ny theorize back to conventional research ethics magna cum laude. Sweat tells the story of a domestically abused, religiously devout laundress and her. We assign a color and icon like this one to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below. The beauty of it is the way we really only get the story from the point of view of the. Wolfe won a 1989 obie award for best offbroadway director for spunk external links.
Spunk by zora neale hurston a giant of a brownskinned man sauntered up the one street of the village and out into the palmetto thickets with a small pretty woman clinging lovingly to his arm. In the 1920s, when she was in her early twenties, hurston moved to new york. But she was a washwoman, and monday morning meant a great deal to her. The story is told from the point of view of the characters, and hurston writes the dialogue in their broken english dialect. Reading zora neale hurstons how it feels to be colored me black lit. Commonlit spunk free reading passages and literacy. How it feels to be colored me by zora neale hurston duration.
As hurston explains, delia is a strong, hardworking, calm, brave, and understanding woman who is able to stand with her head held high even through all the troubles she endures. The most popular of her four novels is their eyes were watching god, published in 1937. Becomes minister at the zion hope baptist church in sanford, florida. Delias husband, sykes, does not have a job and is abusive. Zora neale hurston uses symbolism to introduce the reader to the world of voodoo. Two classic narratives about revenge and redemption. Zora neale hurstons spunk 1925 is a story of lust, killing, and supernatural revenge set in rural florida. The symbols of cowardice and true courage in the short. A couple, at the moment are happy, walks through a village going into the woods, away from a small crowd at a general store who are gossiping about the couple.
Sweat, a short story by zora neale hurston, is a female empowerment text about a woman overcoming her abusive husband. Monique a guishard bronx community college academia. Hurston had visited haiti and jamaica in the 1930s and had become very interested in the practice of voodoo. Discussion of themes and motifs in zora neale hurston s spunk. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Nella larsen, zora neal hurston, richard wright, ralph ellison, alice walker, toni. She had been encouraged to come to new york city by charles s. Sweat is a short story by american writer zora neale hurston, first published in literary magazine fire in 1926. In stories like spunk, isis and sweat, she heralds her brilliant novels such as their eyes were watching god and jonahs gourd vine. Johnson, the editor of the national urban leagues influential magazine, opportunity. In spunk, the protagonist, joe, is described as a meek man and is murdered in an attempt to get his wife lena back from joes polar opposite, spunk banks, who is seen by the townspeople a brave, courageous man. The story centres on delia, a washerwoman in a small central florida town. Valerie boyd, a protofeminist postcard from haiti, the official zora neale hurston website, zoranealehurston. Spunk analysis context writers background hurston wrote during a very oppressive time period.
However, as the story progress, spunk begins to breakdown and becomes lesser and. She used the distinctive dialect of the region to create an authentic representation of the culture. Spunk quotes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Following joes murder, the characters experience different forms of guilt, representing hurstons belief that everyone in our world has a conscience. Spunk was only the third short story zora neale hurston published, and it was immediately successful.
Spunk, a short story by zora neale hurston, is a juicy tale about a love triangle that goes terribly wrong. Reading zora neale hurstons how it feels to be colored. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of spunk by zora neale hurston. Awarded to students who have attained a cumulative average of. A giant of a brownskinned man sauntered up the one street of the village and out into the palmetto thickets with a small pretty woman clinging lovingly to his arm. She grew up in eatonville, florida, which was one of the first allblack towns in americathe local government was run by africanamericans as were all of the businesses.
From the time hurston submitted her first story, john redding goes to sea, in 1921 to the stylus, howard universitys literary club, until decades later, when she wrote a query letter to a publisher in the quavering hand of an old woman, zora hurston was a writer. Spunk banks this character is a giant of a brownskinned man and a sawmill worker with flashy clothes, a guitar, and a way with women. Sweat is one of zora neale hurstons worldrenowned short stories. Zora neale hurston was an african american novelist, short story writer, folklorist, anthropologist, and one of the most important figures of the harlem renaissance. Fitzgerald, ernest hemingway, john steinbeck and zora neale hurston. Zora neale hurston has created two characters who have different kinds of courage, so deciding on their relative degree will depend on the readers perspective. Critics have praised its mythic quality achieved by her use of material from folklore and voodoo perry 123, ikonne 18485. So she collected the soiled clothes on saturday when she returned the clean things. Mystery, tension, and the supernatural in zora neale.
Analysis of zora neale hurstons spunk free essay example. In zora neal hurstons sweat, hardworking delia is oppressed by her lazy, twotiming, abusive husband sykes. Community and the folk, in community, the making of. Sweat features delia and her husband, sykes, with their marital strife as. In spunk the antagonist is a man who is intimidating in size, and gives. Analysis of zora neale hurstons spunk essay 880 words. Zora neale hurston, american folklorist and writer associated with the harlem renaissance who celebrated the african american culture of the rural south. Zora neale hurstons 18911960 brief tale spunk originally appeared in the magazine opportunity. Spunk is zora neale hurstons third published short story and helped launch her career. First published in 1942, dust tracks on a road is hurstons personal story, told in her own words. Her notable novels included mules and men, their eyes were watching god, and moses, man of. In this lesson, we will learn more about the characters and the plot and analyze the. The role of guilt in spunk by zora neale hurston in spunk by zora neale hurston, the main character joe kantys death is the tool used to shape the characters in her story. Telling almost the entire story through the viewpoint of the town general store gossip spunk is a great ghost story set in hurstons beloved eatonville, florida.
Any other night, delia jones would have been in bed for two hours by this time. University may be awarded the following honors at graduation. As the characters develop a guilty conscience, they realize just that. Analysis of sweat by zora neale hurston using symbolism. Following joes murder, the characters experience different forms of guilt, representing hurston s belief that everyone in our world has a conscience. He resents the fact that delia has to wash the clothes of white people. Guilt in spunk by zora neale hurston essay 1220 words. As a famous american writer, hurston is known for writing stories that depict real life as it was during the years when she wrote the stories.
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