Journal #2- Animals As Characters

Once upon a time, there was a jungle that did not have very nice animals living in it. They were always very mean, and they were very rude when it came to manners. The animals in the jungle did not get along with one each other, either. Each kind of animal always stuck together, but they did not get along with someone that was a different kind than them. For instance, the monkeys did not get along with the toucans and the frogs did not get along with the tigers. They always fought, because each animal always thought they were right and they did not ever like to work together. They all wished they could get along, but they were never able to figure out how to work things out. One day though, they were expecting a new gorilla to move into the area. No-one really knew what to think about having a new member to their jungle, but at the same time they were excited about their new addition. They made sure everything and everyone was in their place for the time of the gorillas arrival. When the gorilla arrived, he introduced himself to everyone, and his name was Dan. Everybody loved Dan and they always got along with him. Dan did not really like how the jungle did not get along with everybody though, and he knew that he was the person to change this about the jungle. He held a meeting for the whole jungle, and told every animal that things were going to be changing around there. He taught everyone how to treat others, how to work together, and how to always have good manners. The jungle really changed after that and everyone started getting along, and they also started doing things for one another. The monkeys got along with all of the cheetahs and toucans, and the lions were always nice to the parrots and frogs. Dan, the gorilla, had changed so much, and they knew they could never thank them enough.

Journal #1- Native American Culture

I do not know very much about Native Americans. I do know that they are called Native Americans, because they were born and raised in America. They are also what we would call Indians. Not very many people know of them as Native Americans. When you hear the name Native Americans, people usually do not know what that person is talking about. You have to think about it first, and then you realize that they are talking about Indians. When Mr. Langley assigned this I was kind of confused, but then I realized I did know some things about the Native Americans. I know that that is what the Pocahontas movie was based on. Pocahontas is not really true about the life of Pocahontas. She actually did have thing for John Smith, but she ended up moving back to England and marrying a guy named John Ralph. Native Americans were also in the Twilight Series. There are Native Americans that live in a town called La Push, and they are main characters in the book. Jacob, a Native American, is the most popular one and a very important character. He falls in love with Bella Swan. When Jacob got to a certain age, he got to the point to where he was part of a pack that turned into wolves. They turned in to wolves whenever they were angry or wanting to protect someone. Jacob always made sure he was protecting Bella. I do not know a lot about Native Americans, besides what I know from movies, but I do know a little about them. I know that they were the ones that were always living in America, and we have never been quite sure how they got here. I also know that they had groups. Also, they lived in tee pees. I think that they are interesting to learn about, but it seems like we do not learn much about them, and they are the ones that were here in America before anyone.

Symbolism in the Summer Readings

The main book that had symbolism in it was The Old Man and the Sea. The whole book was based on a christian background, and most things that happened had a double meaning. When Santiago was fishing, a lot of things happened that represented what Christ went through. For instance, when he cut his hand that was supposed to represent Christ when he got nails through his hands on the cross, and also when Santiago let out a scream when he was fishing was supposed to represent when Christ would yell out in pain. At the end of the book, Santiago was very weak and passed out on his bed, and Christ never did have much energy at the end and especially on his walk to Calvary. Steinback, the author of The Old Man and the Sea was a religious man, so talking about these things was comfortable to him, and that is what he loved.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- As the Reader

Their Eyes Were Watching God was my favorite book out of the three that I had to read over the summer. I liked seeing some of the things that happened after the Civil War, the slavery, and I also liked seeing he different things that went on during that time. Janie went through a lot with her family like not having her mom when she was born, being raised by her grandmother, and also being raised as an African American in that time. Her grandmother, Nannie Crawford, taught her a lot from all of the things that she went through while being a slave. It was sad to see Janie go through her first marriage with Logan Killicks who did not treat her good at all. Then, she got married to Joe Starks. I really liked Joe, and I thought he was a great guy. He was so good to her, but then he became the mayor, and after awhile it all got to him and he got a little cocky and started treating Janie wrong. He ended up passing away and Janie got married to a guy named Tea Cake. Tea Cake was the love of her life. He was always good to her, and they taught us how a relationship should really be. They never got sick of each other, always treated each other good, and stuck together. It was sad, as the reader, to see that Janie had to kill Tea Cake in self defense because of his mad dog disease. I wish it would have not had to end that way. I really loved this book, and never got bored reading it. Once again, Their Eyes Were Watching God was definetaly my favorite book of the summer. I liked learning how the African Americans were treated in that time, and seeing how different it was for them then, than it was now. I really liked learning all about the early nineteen hundreds.

The Old Man and the Sea- As the Reader

The Old Man and the Sea, was really a pretty good book in my eyes. There was not anthing that I did not like about this book. It was a very well written book, I would have to say. I liked all of the things that this book represents. One of the things it represented that I really liked was relationships. The Old Man and the Sea showed us how to get good relationships and to take care of them, so you would have them forever. Santiago had a relationship with Manolin was one that was never going to be broke. They were best friends and were really good to each other. They always took care of each other. The other thing that I loved that this book represented well was it's religious similiarities. A lot of things that happened in this book were supposed to represent some of those things that Christ went through himself. The whole time that Santiago was fishing, things happen to him that symbolized some of the things that God went through on the cross. For instance, when Santiago cut his hand while trying to fight his fish, Santiago let yells out like Christ did on the cross, and Santiago did not have much energy when he got back home and collapsed on his bed. All of these symbolized Christ and when he got hurt, and his walk to Calvary that was unbearable for him. I thought that was pretty cool that they had something like those symbols in a book like this. I really enjoyed this book. I actually liked all the books we had to read. I liked how The Old Man and the Sea always was interesting, and I liked how Santiago was tired and never gave up when he was fighting for his fish. That really showed us that we should never give up. This book really taught us a lot, and we really could learn from this book.

Grapes of Wrath- As the Reader

As the reader, I thought Grapes of Wrath was pretty good. I am glad I got to read this book, and I really learned a lot. There was a lot of things I liked about this book, and really nothing at all that I did not like. I think it is good to read about what people went through back then, like the Joad family. We need to see just what they really went through. Not only did we get to see what they went throught, but we got to get every detail, and we got to see just how it really was. At times, it could get pretty graphic and you could not believe just what they really went through. I also liked how this book showed us how important families are. The Joad family showed us how important it was to always stick together as a family, no matter what you are going through. Even though sometimes it gets ruff, and it would be easy for you to split up you got to stick it out and stay together. Another thing that I liked about this book, was it seemed like everybody was always worried about someone else before they were worried about themselves. Ma Joad was always taking care of everyone else, Rose of Sharon breast fed a man dieing of starvation, and Tom and Al were always fixing their car and other people's cars. We can not forget what they went through in the Great Depression. We tend to forget things like that, and that affected us forever. Once again, I am glad I got to read it, because if I did not have to read it for this class I probably would have never read it. I learned a lot through reading it, and I will remember reading it forever. I recomend other people to read it to, because you get to see just how it was in history in a way that you probably have not before.

Grapes of Wrath- It Seems So Real

The Grapes of Wrath seemed so real, and some of the things that happened in this book were just really hard to believe. Steinback, the author of The Grapes of Wrath, was really an amazing author and I think did a really good job in writing this book. The setting is what is so brutal to us. We got every little detail on their living situations at all times. Everything that the Joad family went through was just crazy. I could not imagine living in that time. They got everything taking away from them. They lived in such bad situations. During that time, dust, starvation, death, suffering, and poverty were just a few of things that they saw everyday. The Joad family not only saw those kinds of things, but they went through it. They lost all of their crops from dust, they did not have much money, their grandparents passed away, and they never had that great of living situations. It was during the Great Depression, and that was just how it was, and people were used to it. The author of this book, Steinback, was a good person to right about something like this. Steinback was just a real kind of guy. He was not afraid to provide the readers of his books with the honest details, and that is just what he did in this book. We got every single detail, and maybe some that we did not want such as knowing about how they buried Granpa when he passed on the way there. All the details he gave made the book seem so real, like you were living right then. The reason they seemed so real though was because all that happened during this book, really did happen in the early nineteen- hundreds. They went through some dramatic, real, and very heroic things. Steinback really knew how to write a book like this, and did a great job. I think he needs a lot of praise for writing a book like this.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- In the End

Their Eyes Were Watching God came to a sad end, and one that you would never really expect. Janie's last marriage, her third one, with Tea Cake came to an end, because Tea Cake passed away. Janie actually was the one that killed Tea Cake, too. Janie really only killed him out of self defense, because Tea Cake had a gun on her too and might have killed her too. Janie was very upset about all of this, and did not know what she was going to do. She was put on trial that same day, but they proved her not guilty after she got to give a long testimony about her love for Tea Cake, and how she only did it to protect herself. Janie was still living in the Everglades, and she did not really like it. She could not stop thinking about Tea Cake, because everything reminded her of him. She knew she was going to have to get out of there, because she could not handle the thought of him much longer. He was the love of her life, and you could tell she loved him very much, but the way he was before he died scrared her. Janie ended up going back to Eatonville, where she lived when she was married to Joe Starks. When she returned, people would talk about her and wonder where she had been and what had happened to her husband Tea Cake. Janie did not really care what they had to say though, and her good old friend Pheoby Watson stuck up for her when everyone was talking. Pheoby and Janie had not seen each other in awhile, but they sat down together and talked. Pheoby told her what had happened while she was gone, and Janie told Pheoby what had happened while she was gone. They were friends again already. I really enjoyed reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, and I think it had a lot of meaning behind it, and also had a lot in it that we could learn from.

The Old Man and the Sea- Religious Symbolism

The Old Man and the Sea has some religious symbolism when you start to understand the reading. There a lot of meanings hid in this book that you may not get from reading, but if you study it you can see all of them. Most of the religious symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea occurs when Santiago is trying to kill his big marlin after catching it. While Santiago was fighting the huge marlin, his hands got cut up pretty badly. This symbolizes how Christ got his hands cut and screwed to the cross. I know that what Christ went through was way worse, and nothing will ever compare to that. Santiago would have gave his life for that marlin, and he just about did, like Christ did for us. Santiago really loves the water and the fish, and that is all he cares about, and that is also what his life revolves around. Christ loves this earth and all of the people in it, and he would do anything for each and every one of us. Also, while fishing Santiago lets out a loud yell, or scream, in pain. This yell is supposed to represent the screams that Christ let out when he was getting nailed up to the cross. I did not realize how much this book really represented all of the things Christ went through, and when I did I thought that it was pretty awesome. When Santiago was back to shore he struggled walking up the hill to the village, and this is also supposed to represent Christ's hard walk to Calvary. Then, when Santiago gets home, he collapses on his bed and his arms are out, palms up, and this represents Christ while he was on the cross. Santiago was really struggling in the end just like Christ did. Hemingway, the author of this novel, really wanted to link Santiago to Christ in many ways. This book really had some great religious symbolism.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Significance of the Title

Their Eyes Were Watching God, actually has a big meaning in the book, and it really does mean something. The title starts off with the word Their. Their is a plural word, which represents the community and partnership during the book. It represents how the three people at the end of the book had to work together to fight off the big hurricane that was coming through the Everglades. Tea Cake, Janie, and Motor Boat stuck together for awhile and try to fight the storm. Tea Cake and Janie later have to leave Motor Boat though. The other big word in the title is God. This word in the title is a big deal in the book. They show us in the book that God is all powerful, and always wants to make sure that people know that he is in control at all times. Janie and Tea Cake knew that the hurricane was coming, but Tea Cake thought that they would be just fine, and they could make it throught the hurricane together. Tea Cake got way too confident, and thought he was a big guy on the muck, and he could make it through it. I think God wanted to show him that he should have listened to the other people for once. So God put him through the storm, and Tea Cake eventually left the mucks and got to safety in fear of the storm. The whole time they were always looking up to God for safety, because at times they did not think they were going to make it. While reading this book, you got little clues on the title, but the biggest one is just what God put them through during the hurricane. God kept them safe, but he just wanted to show them that he was always in control, and at any moment can create a storm, like the hurricane he created. I think that this title really showed up a lot in this book, and really had a good meaning to it.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Nanny

Nanny was a main character in the beginning of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Her name was Nanny Crawford, and everyone loved her. She was like a grandmother to everyone, and that is why they called her "Nanny." Nanny was all Janie had her whole life. Nanny was not only her grandmother, but her mom pretty much too. Janie's real mom, Leafy Crawford, ran away after giving birth to Janie, and Nanny took over from there. Janie never got to meet her real mother or father. Nanny had been through slavery, and all of her experiences as a slave affected her everyday, and she taught Janie a lot from her experiences. Nannie was always worried about money, and also being respected as a African American. Nanny thought about all the slave things she went through everyday. She went through a lot while being a slave, and when Janie was sixteen she heard about it all. Nannie actually got pregnant with Leafy when her slave master raped her. The master's wife wanted Nannie whipped to death for getting pregnant by her husband, but Nannie escaped and hid in swamps with Leafy until the Civil War was over. She then lived with the Washburns, and she worked for them. Nannie dreamed of a better life for Leafy, but that ended when Leafy was raped by a school teacher. That was when Leafy ran away. Nannie raised Janie playing with the Washburn kids. They were white though, and Janie thought she was a white kid, until she saw a photograph of herself one day. Janie always got made fun of at school for living with white people, and playing with them. Nanny was so good to her, that she bought a new house just for them, so Janie would not have to worry about being made fun of anymore. Nanny was such a good woman. She taught Janie a lot, and Janie always had Nannie in the back of her mind. Janie was always thankful everyday that she had a grandmother like Nanny to take care of her. She was glad Nanny teached her all she did, and always hoped and was thankful that she never had to go through all that Nanny did.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Pheoby Watson

Pheoby Watson in Their Eyes Were Watching God was a big character while Janie lived in Eatonville. Janie called Pheoby her best friend, and she really was. Janie did not know of Pheoby until she moved to Eatonville, where they became best friends. Pheoby was a nice lady, and she was married to Sam Watson. They lived in the town together before Joe and Janie got there. Pheoby always helped Janie out when she had a problem or needed help. They would always get together, and they would talk each other through their problems. For instance, there was a time when all of the town's people were talking very badly about Janie, so she went and talked to Pheoby about it. Pheoby made her feel better, and told her that she did not have to worry about it. I did not think they were always the greatest friends, because you did not seem to hear a lot about Pheoby. In chapter nine though, Pheoby and Janie did not really agree. This was right after Joe Starks had passed away. Janie was very upset about Joe's death, but after six months she thought it was ok to wear white again. She knew herself that she would never forget Joe, and she remembered how bad he treated her towards the end. She thought it was ok to wear white, but all of the townspeople thought she was just forgetting Joe, and was ready to have new men in her life. Pheoby thought that too, and when she talked to Janie she said how the townspeople would probably think that she was not sad. Janie did not really care what anyone had to say though. Janie told Pheoby "I do not care what the town thinks because I should not pretend to be sad if I am really not." I do not think Pheoby was that great of a friend, because she was not very understanding. Janie would have been sad without her though, because she needed a woman in her life like Pheoby.

The Old Man and the Sea- Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio was one of that main characters in my eyes, but he never really was in the book. He was just talked about a lot by Santiago and Manolin. Santiago really adored Joe DiMaggio. Santiago thinks that Joe DiMaggio represents strength and commitment, and he really worships him for that. Joe DiMaggio played for the New York Yankees. DiMaggio even had a painful bone spur that would have crippled most players, but he went on to have a very outstanding and unforgetable career. He was the New York Yankee's center fielder from 1936 to 1951. Joe was also considered the best all around to ever play that position. Whenever Santiago is down, not feeling well, or can not doing something he wants to while fishing, he immediately thinks about Joe DiMaggio. When Santiago thinks of him, it helps him want to be stronger just like DiMaggio was. The whole time Santiago was fishing for his big marlin, he was always thinking about DiMaggio and what he would do if he was there. When Santiago was not on the water though, he was always reading newspapers to check up on DiMaggio. He always thought if he was not playing that they woud do better because of DiMaggio. It did not say anything about this in the book, but when I got to studying Joe DiMaggio, I learned that him and Santiago actually had something in comman. One of the most significant and outstanding relationships between DiMaggio and Santiago is the fact that both men grew up in a rough situation involving poverty and a life that is similar to each other. However, there finals success stories may be different, but Santiago has characteristics of heroic attributes like that of the great Yankee slugger, DiMaggio. I think that is why Santiago did like him, because they had something in common. DiMaggio showed Santiago that you can be involved in poverty during life, and you can still have great success in your life.

Grapes of Wrath- Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon is the oldest daughter in The Grapes of Wrath. When you read this novel, she is kind of the more annoying character. She is one that you do not really care if she is in the next scene or not. Rosasharn, her name towards her family, is usually just worried about herself. She was not ever too worried about what others might need. In this novel, she was a young newly-wed. Rosasharn and her husband really got along well, and were always happy. They traveled along with the whole Joad family all the way to California. Rosasharn was pregnant along the trip, but things turned for the worst on her way to California. She ended up losing her baby along the way. At first, losing the baby was a big deal, but it actually made her a better person in the end. Rosasharn did not necessarily need to lose her baby, but when she did lose her baby it made her realize that she needed to be a better person. She did not have her baby, but her body still looked and acted like she did. She still had breasts full of milk, that she had no use for. She decided since she had no baby to nourish, she was going to help out people that needed it more than she did. She saw a man dieing of starvation, so she offered him her breast milk. Rose of Sharon ended up saving his life, and he was very thankful. She was an example of how strangers can come together, work together, and make a difference. She thought she was making a difference in his life, but little did she know that he was also making a difference for her in her life. He made her a different person. Rose of Sharon was now not as worried about herself, but the needs of others also. She also was more helpful and loving towards others.

Grapes of Wrath- Pa Joad

Pa Joad was one of the main characters in The Grapes of Wrath. We did not seem to hear a lot about Pa, because he was kind of quiet compared to everyone else. Pa's farmland got destroyed from a period of no rain, which cause dust, and a lot of wind. He did not know how he was going to take care of his family without his farmland. The family was forced to move away from their home, after the big "Dust Bowl" went through .When they moved from their home in Oklahoma, it really changed Pa.He had lived their his whole life, and was beginning to raise a family there. He did not want to live anywhere else but there. Pa always seemed like he was out of it. He would always be thinking, and never really would have much to say, because he was hard on himself about providing for his family. Pa was always the leader of the family, until they lost their land, and he seemed to change in many ways. Pa seemed to let Ma be more of the leader of the family. Ma was very good at it, but Pa should have stepped up a little more. Pa was just so ashamed of himself, and he was to hard on himself. He did not need to be that way though, because it was not his fault that a depression like this was happening. Pa was really not like that deep down. He was a strong and courageous man, that knew how to take charge if he needed to, especially for his family. If you were in his place, during that time, I think you could really see what made him act like he did. Farms were all that men had then, and thats what they relied on to provide profit for the family, without them they did not have much. Pa was a really good man, that just really took the depression hard.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Setting

Their Eyes Were Watching God took place in the rural area of Florida in the early 1900's. Slavery was a big deal then, and the book actually started off with saying the slaves had just been set free. The first setting was at Janie's, the protagonist, grandmothers house. Janie grew up in her grandmother's home her whole life, because her mother left her at birth. The setting at her grandmother's house was kind of strict, and she had her rules. Grandmother raised her really well though, and Janie was always treated well, and she was average when it came to class. After her first marriage not working, she got married to Joe Stark, and they moved to Eatonville. Eatonville was the setting for the main part of the book. Janie and Joe became the mayor and mayor's wife of the town. They built a store there, and Janie ran that. The house they built and lived in, was a really big and nice house. Janie and Joe always had money, and they had whatever they wanted. They were African American, so they were very high class, because most African Americans did not have that much in that time. Janie did not really care about all of that stuff though, because the more money they had the worse Joe treated her. When Joe passed away, Janie ended up getting re- married again to Tea Cake. They moved to the third little setting, which took place in the Everglades area of Florida. They did not have a very big house, and they did not have a lot of things. That was where Janie was the happiest though. She did not care for money and big homes. She just wanted to be happy, and she was with Tea Cake where they were. Janie really always lived in a good setting. She was not always treated the best, but that changed when she found Tea Cake. Tea Cake ended up dieing, so she was a widow again by the end of the book.

The Old Man and the Sea- Setting

The Old Man and the Sea took place during the late 1940's. The story was located at a small fishing village near Havana, Cuba. A lot of the setting took place on the sea, which was along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing was a big deal in that area, at that time. Most people that lived their were fishers, or at least had it in their family. People pretty much relied on what they catched that day. They obviously had other things to eat, but they tried to catch something so they could feed their families. Santiago kind of lived in a very pressured environment. It seemed like people were really just catching big things, so they could be the best fisherman. Santiago, for instance, wanted to prove to his former assistant, Manolin, that he could g0 far out, and catch a big fish. When he got back after three days, and showed Manolin his marlin, Manolin pledged to go back to fishing with Santiago. The community they lived in was driven on how good you fished, and the better you fish the more people like you and accept you. The other setting, besides the water, was at Santiago's house. Santiago did not have a big house, because he was the only one who lived there, and he was just a fisherman. I do not think his house was always the cleanest, because he lived by himself, and he was getting to the age where he could not do as much. While at home, it seemed like he did not have much to do besides rest, eat, and read the latest articles in the paper about baseball. He also had a boy, Manolin, that was his best friend forever. Manolin was there a lot, and they always were talking. Those two went through a lot together, and would do anything for each other. Santiago was in a pretty safe environment, and had someone who loved him.

Grapes of Wrath- Setting

The Grapes of Wrath took place in the beginning of a huge depression in Oklahoma. There had been no rain for a while now, and there was dust everywhere. Winds were picking up, causing dust to be blown everywhere. Men's crops were being destroyed because of the winds. The crops were the only thing that made families money then, and with all of their crops being destroyed by the winds and dust, they did not have much of an income. They became very poor, and were later made to move off of their land. Most people, like the Joad family, were forced to travel to California, because they would be able to get some jobs there. After being forced out of their home, while their son Tom was in prison, they traveled first to their Uncle's house to figure things out there. The setting at their Uncle John Joad's house was a little more comfortable. They just had to have a place to rest and sell their things, so they could be on the road to California. When they got on the road, the main setting was all along the Rt. 66. The family were forced to all have to fit in their vehicle, that was not supposed to hold as many people as it did. They saw their grandparents die along the way, and they saw other people fighting for survivle. They got images along the ride that would last forever. When they got to California, they tried to find a good place to work. They did not find a lot of luck, because California was not as great as people thought. It was better than Oklahoma, because it had jobs, but it was definetaly not as clean. While leaving in California, their way of life, or setting, was not as great as they thought it would be. It was dirty, and people were dieing for food for their family. It just really was not safe, and not a place you could call home.

Grapes of Wrath- Bulldozer

The families living in that time thought that the only thing that would be hard was selling all of their land to the banks. They did not know all of the destruction that the bank was going to cause. Only a day after they would sell the land to the bankers, tractors would arrive to their land. The tractors were their to bulldoze. They would bulldoze anything that was in their way, and they did not care what it was or how much it meant to the people that lived there. They would even bulldoze right through people's homes. They were not going to stop for much. I could not imagine being the person bulldozing people's land, and just not feeling bad about it. I would feel so bad about myself. I guess that during that time though, any job you could get you would take. In the book, when the people saw their lands getting bulldozed, they recognized the driver of the bulldozer. They recognized him because he was a son of one of their neighbors. The people never knew why someone could do something like that. They asked the driver how he could just put everybody he knew out of their homes like this. They did not get how someone you knew your whole life, could just run a bulldozer through their homes like that. Everybody was devistated in that time. Even though they were all going to move away and would not have to think about it, they still were upset to have to leave their homes the way they did. The only reason the guy ran the bulldozer was because the bank was paying him three dollars a day, and he had a family to take care of. While reading this book, this was probably one of the sadest moments. I could not imagine living then, and having to go through what they did. I wish that I could live a day during that time, just so I could see what they were really going through.

Grapes of Wrath- Banks Taking Land

The Grapes of Wrath was set in a time that money was an issue, and a time where the bank had to take over everything. Representatives were hired to do the hardest part in that time. They were hired to go tell the people that owned the land, or tenants, that they had to leave their land. I could not imagine what people were thinking when they heard this news from the representatives. It would be so hard to leave the land that you had lived on your whole life, and you did not know of anything or any place else. The banks were forced to buy most of the land, because at that point in history sharecropping was not profitable anymore. After buying the land, the banks would then farm all of it. I do not know how some people did it. They got their land taking away, and then the banks just did whatever they thought was best for it. I think it would be very depressing to watch that go on. The representatives from the bank were always ashamed of what they had to do, and they would hate for that to happen to their families. They would always blame what they were doing on the bank. When I thought about this, I realized that the representatives in that time could have just stopped everything that was going on, because they were the ones who were really in control of the bank. They could have changed everything they were doing. The banks never even tried to make deals, they would just say they were sorry, and then take everything. People did not want to hear "sorry" at that point. It was their land! I could not have been a bank worker in that time. You had to be such an unheartful person. I could not take so much land away from these people. I have to look at it and understand that they did it because of the economy, and they did not have any other choice.

Grapes of Wrath- Lucky Tom

Tom was not the nicest guy in the world, I mean he had commited homicide. He went to McAlester State Penitentiary for it. He was lucky that he only had to serve four years of his seven year sentence. He was a very well behaved prisoner, and they let him go with three years still left to go. He was very lucky for getting that, because not many prisoners are allowed to get away with that. He was very thankful for it though. I could not really believe that, I thought it was kind of crazy that they let a guy who commited homicide out in four years. A lot has changed since then. Tom also got lucky on his hitchhike home from the state penitentiary. He stopped by a diner on his way home, and sits on a truck running board, to get his shoes all ajusted for his lon journey ahead of him. The driver comes out, and he asks for a ride. Tom gives him a guilt trip, and he finally convinves the man to give him a ride. This is another example of his luck, because not many people would give rides, and they would even have signs on their cars. Tom was just a likable guy in my eyes, and I think it was hard for people to turn him down. He then got a ride all the way to the road his family lived on, where he got off. Tom was a good guy, but sometimes I think he needed a little less luck because of all the things he had done in his life. He later towards the end of the book got lucky again because Casy turned himself into authorites instead of Tom. Tom always had a lot of luck, but I do not know if that was really a good or a bad thing with Tom. Sometimes, even though he was going through a really ruff time, he needed to get in a little more trouble.

Grapes of Wrath- Chapter 1

The chapter one in Grapes of Wrath, was a pretty significant chapter, and one that I thought deserved to be wrote about. In chapte one, it begins with all the details on the "Dust Bowl." It was early May in Oklahoma, and there was no rain to be seen or any in the future for awhile. There was dust surrounding anything that could move. It was a really sad time for most people. Every once in awhile there would be a rain cloud, but it never gave them anything but a couple drops of rain. People were really not sure how to take it, and never really knew just quite what to do. The dust eventually got so bad, and the wind picked up, so people started to wear handkerchiefs around their faces, and they would also wear goggles around their eyes. It was a really bad time, and conditions like this could really hurt someone. You really had to be careful. The wind was also killing all the corn, and causing it to be very wind damaged. Everyone was just really praying that the wind would die down, so that they could save their crops. The wind finally did die down, but not in time. All of the crops were ruined. The men were not as upset as everyone figured they would be. They just figured out how to deal with all the corn that was ruined. This chapter is a really important one, because it explains to the readers what started the moving of everyone to California. This chapter is also the one that foreshadows all of the themes that we would be seeing, reading the book. Chapter one was kind of a sad way to start a book, but it was a very realistic chapter, and chapter one showed us all that really happened to start off what we call today the Great Depression. A lot of people were devistated and shocked at this time, and never knew what was going to happen next.

Grapes of Wrath- Meeting the Wilson's on the Way

The Joads were on their journey to California, and they stopped on the way to camp out for the night. They ended up helping a Kansas couple with their car, wheen they saw that they were pretty close to them. Their names were Ivy and Sarah (Sairy). Sairy was actually very ill, like Granpa, but she still was very nice and welcoming to the Joads. The Joads were really worried about Granpa. The Wilson's saw that he was not feeling good at all, and they offered him a tent. I thought that that was pretty awesome. They were going through a ruff time, but they still were really nice and could offer someone their tent. They always thought about others first, it seemed like to me. Granpa had a stroke though, and ended up dieing that night. This was a very sad moment for the Joads. They loved him so much, and knew it would be hard without him. They did not know what to do with his body, though, which was a big deal right then. They knew that the they were required, by law, to report his death, but they knew it was an extra forty dollars they would have to spend. The Joad family was going through a time were money was tight, and they did not have the extra money to spend. They ended up just burying him where they were. The Wilson's were also nice enough to give them a quilt of their's to wrap him up in. The Wilson's also gave the Joad's a blank page from their bible to write a note to say why they did this, if Granpa's body was ever found. The Joad's helped the Wilson's out with their car, because the Wilson's could not afford it. Tom and Al wanted to do it thouugh, because they had done so much for them. Meeting the Wilsons, was a good time for the Joads. They also ended up driving along to California together, Ma offered, even though the Wilson's were not for sure at first they did.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Theme

The theme in Their Eyes Were Watching God, was harder to find then it was in Grapes of Wrath or The Old Man and the Sea. When I started thinking about what theme was in this book, I thought that it was a woman should be treated good. I think that some men do not treat women the way they needed to be treated, and that is not right. Women should not be treated wrong, and sometimes they might be wrong, but that does not mean you can treat them wrong. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie went through a lot when it came to men. She had a lot of men treat her wrong, and she had men treat her good. Her first marriage was with Logan, and that was not a good one. He abused her physically and mentally. Men should never do that to a girl. If she makes you mad, just leave her, dont try to hurt her. Janie was a good woman though, and she knew how to stick up for herself. Then in her second marriage with Joe Starks, he started out really good, but he ended up being not that nice. Their marriage did last for awhile, though. Joe started to bose her around, and make her do things that she did not want to do. This book showed that men do not just get to boss women around, or the woman will just fall out of love with them. Janie finally found someone that treated her right in her third marriage. Tea Cake was always good to her, and they could never get enough of each other. The theme showed us that that was how a man was supposed to treat a woman. I think that this was a great theme, and I am glad that Janie could stand up for herself when a man was not treating her right, and she could finally find a man that treated her how she was supposed to be treated.

The Old Man and the Sea- Theme

I thought that the Old Man and the Sea had a good theme, too. The Old Man and the Sea was a pretty simple and understanding book to read. I did not think finding the theme in this book was that complicated. While reading the book, I realized that the theme they were trying to show us was that hard work will eventually pay off. Also, you might not always get what you want, right when you want it, but if you wait a little you will eventually get it. Santiago always worked hard everyday to catch a fish. If Santiago did not get a fish one day, he did not let it ruin his day, and he never would give up either. For example, Santiago did not get his big marlin, until the eighty- fifth day that he was out on the sea. He could have gave up on any of the eighty- four days before that. Also, it took Santiago a long time, and he had to work really hard just to get the marlin dead, so he could bring it back to the docks. The marlin was a really big fish, and he had to fight it for a really long time in his boat. He had to fight it for almost two days. He had to sit in his boat in a really uncomfortable position, and fight the fish for forever it seemed like to Santiago. Santiago was also an old man too, it was not easy for him to have to fight this fish. It took all he had to fight this fish. He never once comlained or gave up, and he finally got the marlin killed. He not only had to fight the marlin to die, but on the way back to the docks, he had to fight a bunch of sharks that were trying to eat the dead marlin. Santiago showed us that we never need to give up, even though at sometimes it would be very easy to give up. He eventually got the marlin back to the docks. He finally got a big catch, and he was so proud of it. I liked this book's theme, because if you work hard it does eventually pay off.

Grapes of Wrath- Theme

I think that the Grapes of Wrath had a really stong theme. A theme that you could really notice while reading the book. I think if you got a bunch of people together, and you all had to decide the theme, I think that everyone might have a different answer. I think there was more than one theme in this book, but the theme that stuck out the most to me was how strong a family can be. The theme should America, that a big family can go through hard times, and also go through the Great Depression and still stick togeter. They not only stuck together, but loved each other a lot.The Joad family was such a strong family even though they had to pack up everything and move to California, their son Tom had been through prison, and they were losing people that really mattered in their life. I think that is amazing that a family can stick together, and they can love each other so much even though the worst things ever are happening to their family. Also, they were living during the Great Depression, and it would have been easy to give up, and everyone just split up and do whatever they want to look for jobs. Ma Joad was not going to allow anyone in their family to leave, ever. She always wanted them to stick together, even when times got really ruff and at times it would have been easy to split up, she would not allow it. We have families now a day that think it is ruff, but they should have tried to live during the Great Depression, they would not know what to think. I really liked the the theme in this book, and I think if people saw this theme too they would realize it is a pretty good book. I wish families were more like the Joad family. I do see some like the Joad family, and I think those are so awesome.

Grapes of Wrath- Hitchhiking Home

Tom had killed somebody once in his life, and was in a state penitentiary for that. We did not get to see how it was in prison for him, we just saw him on his way back from the penitentiary. He had to hitchhike all the way home. I thought it was kind of sad how he had to walk so far, but he really had no other choice. His family would have loved to pick him up, but they had no idea when he would even be getting home. His only choice was to walk. He did get one ride on his way, and got a little farther down the road, but the guy had to go a different way so he got off then. As he was hitchhiking home though, he ran into someone he knew from his childhood. The man he ran into was Jim Casy, a preacher from his childhood. As they go to walking and talking, Tom found out that Casy was actually no longer a preacher. I think Tom hearing this, just showed him how much things can change while you are gone and also how much people can change too. Tom Joad and Jim Casy really got to know each other on their walk. They told each other a bunch of things, and Jim caught Tom up on what had happen lately, and everything that had changed while Tom was gone in prison. Casy ended up just walking with him everywhere. They were headed to Tom's home, but they were really dissapointed when they got there. Tom's old home was abonded. Muley Graves, a neighbor of the Joad's, shared with Tom and Casy that the Joad family had moved to Tom's uncle Joad's house. Tom and Casy began walking again, and walked all the way to the Uncle's house, and they found his family. I know Tom was very happy then, but he was probably sad that so much had changed, and he could not even live in the house that he grew up in.

Grapes of Wrath- My Thoughts

Grapes of Wrath was a pretty good book. At first, I could not really get in to it. I thought it was kind of boring at the beginning, and I barely wanted to read it. Then, I just stuck it out and read it all, and I ended up really liking it. I really thought it was an interesting book, and one that I really enjoyed. I liked what this book had to say. It showed us lessons that they went through, that could help us too. The Joad family was a really strong and loving family, and I really liked that about them. You could really learn a lot as a familiy, through the Joad's family. A lot of families in America are splitting up just because times are getting ruff, or they can not get along. The Joad family went through a lot such as having to pack up everything and move, take care of dieing familiy members, and stick together even though times were ruff in the Great Depression. They went through a lot, and could have easily gave up, but they did not. Another thing that I liked about Grapes of Wrath, was it showed us how people really lived during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time that was really awful and ruff, and American never wants to have to go through that again. I am glad that this book was based on this time, because we do not want to forget about this time. We need to realize how lucky we are for what we have and the jobs we have, because during that time they did not have much. I think that this book has a lot of great themes in it. While reading this book, we can really learn a lot. I did not think this book was going to be as good as it was, and I am really glad I got to read this book too.

Grapes of Wrath- Ma Joad

Ma Joad was a very good mother and wife. She was a very strong woman. The Joad family definitely needed her. She kept the family in line when they needed it, and she always kept them together. She was very set on the family's unity to never be broken. In my eyes, the Joad family would have never lasted without her. On their ride to California, they were about to split up. When the other family they were with car broke down, Tom thought it would be a good idea for some of them to go on, and for some to stay beside. Ma Joad was not going to have that, though. She was smart, and knew it was not worth it. She had lost Tom once, and knew what it felt like for him to not be there. She did not want him to be away from her, unless he had to be. She got her way too. They got the car fixed, and they all left together. I think it was smart for Ma Joad to do this. She knew her family would fall apart if she did not do it. She was always taking care of everyone. She was a good woman. She took care of Granma Joad on the way to California, as she was dieing. Ma Joad had such a big heart. She would always make sure everything and everyone was doing good and running smoothly, before she would ever worry about herself. While leaving at their third camp, she had to make Tom move away for the safety of him and the rest of the family. It hurt her to have to do it, but she knew what was best, and she needed to do it. I knew she was a very strong woman when she did that. She was really a good woman, and someone that we would all like to be like. Ma Joad always knew what was best, and I really liked that.

Grapes of Wrath- Jim Casy

Jim Casy was one of the main characters in the book Grapes of Wrath. He was a former preacher. The Joad family actually knew him well. Tom met up again with him on his journey back home. Casy decided to go on the journey with him, and leave his bad area. Jim Casy was a preacher, but he said in the book he decided not to be one anymore. He said that he still believed in the Holy Spirit, he just had lost his calling. While reading, he seemed like he was a crazy man to me. He was always talking about women, and how he would lie down with them in different places. It did not really seem to me that Jim Casy acted like a preacher, but I guess that is why he decided to not be one. He said he did not really believe in organized religion, but i do not really know if he did know what he believed in. He confused me sometimes. Jim Casy believed that the Holy Spirit was love for everyone, not just God. He was a good guy though, and he always had good intentions it seemed like to me. He saved Tom from going back to prison even, when they were in California. He turned himself in, just so Tom would not get in trouble and have to go back to prison. He started up a stike, which later got him in a lot of trouble, that then caused his death. The authorities sneaked up on him, and one of the men hit him on the head causing him to die. It was sad when he died, because he did not deserve it. Jim Casy had done a lot for other people, he did not need to be dead. Even though he was not a preacher anymore, and was not quite sure what he believed in, he was still so good to people. I could tell that at one point he was a preacher.

Grapes of Wrath- Family Without Tom in the End

While reading Grapes of Wrath, I really thought the Joad family was a strong family. They always stuck together. They would leave a camp, just for Tom, because they wanted him to be safe. They always loved each other no matter what, even when it was hard to love. They went through a lot as a family. They went through situations that most could not. After being at their third camp though, they had to make Tom leave for his safety. I could tell that they did not really want to see Tom go, but they had to keep the rest of their family safe. Tom was causing everybody to feel unsafe. His younger sister Ruthie, who was twelve, would brag if she got in fights that her brother had killed two people. Ma Joad could not handle that, so that is when she decided to have him flee away. The rest of the Joad family seemed to be doing pretty good to me, though. When they moved to their third work camp, they ended up sharing an empty boxcar with the Wainwright family. The Joad and Wainwright family became really close, and really got to know each other. I knew they would be family friends forever. Tom's younger brother Al, who was sixteen, actually got married to Agnes Wainwright, who was also sixteen. Just when everything was getting good, the Joads and Wainwrights got a rain that flooded everything, like their boxcar. The Joads and the Wainwrights decided to move to a place with higher ground. It was kind of sad reading this, because they had been through so much. It seemed to me that their problems never stopped. They were going through a hard time in America, though. Every other family was having the same problems, too. It just seemed the Joad's was worse, because of Tom. The Joad family was a good family, and even though everything else was going wrong, they stuck together.

Grapes of Wrath- Tom Hiding in California

We learned in one of the first parts of the book the Tom Joad had killed someone. He was paroled from the state penitentiary though, and hitchhiked home. He made it home, and his family was moving to California, so he went along with them. Tom was still a trouble maker, and he showed us that when they stopped at the first camp in California, looking for work. Tom witnessed a cop trying to accuse a man of something he did not do, so Tom tripped the cop, and Casy kicked him. After awhile, the cop regained concious and realized what had gone on. Casy knew that Tom could get in big trouble if he turned himself in, so Casy turned himself in. When I read this in the book, I thought that was really nice of Casy, because Tom would have had to go back to prison, if he would have got caught. I was happy the Joad famlily, including Tom, got away to look for a different camp, because the cops would have later figured out what Tom had done too. Tom behaved for a little bit, but later got in trouble again. Tom was picking peaches, and he wondered out and met up with Jim Casy. He saw some authorities kill Jim Casy for running the stike. Tom got upset and beating the man that killed Casy. He ended up getting his nose broken. Tom escaped, and his whole family had to too. They escaped to another camp where Tom had to hide in a cave. Tom was a good guy, at heart I thought, he just liked to help people when he really was hurting someone else. He ended up having to leave the third camp to flee by himself because, he was not safe anywhere. He could get his family in trouble if he were to stay. I thought it was nice of him to be able to leave his family, because he wanted to keep them safe.

Grapes of Wrath- The Hard Move to California

The Joad family thought the hardest part of moving to California would be selling all of their things and packing up. They never knew the ride there was going to be that hard. The Joad family at first did not know if they were going to take the preacher, Jim Casy, but they ended up letting him join. Everybody was ready to go on the long trip, except for Granpa. He did not really want to go at all, so they had to give him some drugs before they left on their journey. The Joad family finally got on the road by dawn. Everything was going good on the trip for awhile, until they came across a famliy who's car had broken down. The family they met were called the Wilson's. The Wilson family was so happy that the Joad family stopped to help, so they offerred Granpa a tent because he had a stroke. Granpa ended up dieing that night though. They did not think that the trip could get any harder. The Joad's made it to New Mexico, and the Wilson's car broke down again. Finally, they got back on the road and reached a desert in California. When they got to the desert Sairy Wilson got very ill, so the Joads decided to leave the Wilsons behind. The Joads knew that was what was best, and they knew the Wilsons would be ok. The Joads got back on the road through the dessert. Granma got very sick too, because of Granpa's death. She later died, while going through the dessert. The Joad family was so tired and sick of all that was going on. They did not want to lose any more people in their family. They hoped it would not get any harder. The Joads finally found the camp they wanted to work at, after seeing two camps before that. They settled down, and made a home. Their journey to California was finally over. They were sad that they had lost some family members, but at least they all were still alive and able to work.

Grapes of Wrath- Deciding to Move to California

When the Joad family decided to move to California, they knew that there was going to be some hard work involved. They had to sell a lot of their belongings that they had had for their whole life. They sold heavy tools, beds and springs, implements, and everything that was movable in their house. The only thing good that came out of selling their things was that they would hopefully get a lot of money back from it. They wanted to have a lot of money, so that when they got to California they would be able to start all over. The father, Old Tom, had two- hundred to start off with, and then they could add whatever money they made from the sell. Starting all over for the Joad family meant a lot of things. They would need a house for all of their family to live in. They would also need to buy things so they could live there, such as furniture, food, and bathroom necesitities. They did not really know what to think about moving and starting all over, but they knew that was what was best for their family. They wanted their kids to be in a safe place, where you did not have to worry about how you were going to make it through the day, every day. In California, the men would be able to get jobs, so that they could support the family. Getting jobs was the main reason they moved to California. During this time, no- one could even get jobs unless they went there. This time was called the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time where jobs were hard to get, you had to pay more to purchase things, and people were moving everywhere. This depression affected us forever, and is not something we want to go through again. The Joad family was very thankful that they had all of their family together, and that they could all move to California.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Summary

Janie was the main character In Their Eyes Were Watching God. Janie was an African American, whose families had been recently freed from slavery. Slavery was a big deal then. Janie had a grandmother that raised her, because her mom left her right when she was born. Janie got married for the first time when she was young to a guy named Logan. Their marriage did not last very long, and she fell in love with a guy named Jodi, who treated her so well. Her and Jodi moved to an all African American town called Edinburg, and became the mayor and mayor’s wife. They opened up a store together, and Janie would run the store. Janie loved this lifestyle until Jodi did not treat her the same way he always did. He started getting stressed and would boss her around. They never spent any time together, and always wanted to be far apart. Jodi ended up passing away, and Janie was sad but at the same time relieved. She knew he was not the one. She met a new guy, not long after, named Tea Cake. Tea Cake was always good to her, and he never treated her wrong. She figured out later that he was the one. They moved to the Everglades together, and were both very happy. Tea Cake ended up getting the mad dog disease while trying to save Janie’s life. Seeing Tea Cake go through this was very sad for her. He carried a gun around, and always was doing something that scared her. One day though, he pulled a gun on her, but she was ready and had a gun too. He ended up not getting her, and she shot him. Tea Cake died, and Janie was very upset. She did not know what she was going to do. She loved him dearly, and only killed him out of self defense. She knew she would never find another man like Tea Cake, and she did not even want another man anyways.

The Old Man and the Sea- Summary

Santiago was the protagonist in the Old Man and the Sea, and he had not been having very much luck lately when he went fishing. Santiago loved the water, and he could never get enough of it. He just wanted something to brag about. He had a best friend that was a young boy,named Manolin, who was always cheering him on, and helping him out with anything he might need. Manolin was the only thing Santiago had, besides fishing. The boy meant a lot to him. When Santiago and Manolin were not talking about fishing, they were talking and arguing about baseball. Santiago loved the New York Yankees. Finally on the eighty- fifth day, which is Santiago’s lucky number, Santiago went out on the Sea. He decided to go farther out than normal, because he knew that was where all the big fish were. Santiago was out there for awhile, and finally something big got on his line. He never knew what it was till the fish jumped out of water, and it was a big marlin. Santiago was very excited and could not wait to tell everyone about it. Santiago had to fight the fish so it would die. The big marlin finally died, and he tied it up, and he let it float. On the way back to land though, Santiago got caught up in a bunch of sharks. By the time Santiago got back, there was not much left to the marlin besides his bones. Everyone saw it and could not believe how big it was. Santiago was so upset though. He had caught such a great fish, and did not even get to brag about it. He was glad to be home and get some rest though. Santiago was so worn out from fighting the fish to death, and fighting off all of the sharks that tried to attack. The young boy, of course, took care of him and made sure he got his rest.

The Old Man and the Sea- Relationships

When I was reading Old Man and the Sea, I saw that the old man, Santiago, had two main relationships in his life. He would do anything and everything for those relationships, or to be with those relationships. His first relationship that I noticed was with the young boy, named Manolin. The young boy and Santiago were best friends. They did not really ever want to be apart. They each did all they could for each other, and they always made each other happy. Santiago and Manolin would talk about everything from baseball to fishing. The boy also took care of Santiago, towards the end of the book, when he was getting to where he needed help. Manolin never wanted to leave his sights, and Santiago was always thankful for that. He knew he would not be able to manage without him. The second relationship that I saw while reading this book, was the relationship between the water and Santiago. Santiago loved the water, and it was probably one of the most important things in his life. The water meant the world to him and he could never really get enough of it. When Santiago was near or on water, and especially the sea, that was when he was the happiest. He could stay on the water and do the same things for hours, and he would never get bored. I liked seeing the different relationships in this book. Relationships are a big part of life, and without them we would not be much. Everybody has to have different kinds of relationships. While reading this book, it really showed me how important relationships are, and when you find someone or something to take care of them. Santiago really worked on his relationships. He would drop anything for the young boy, Manolin, and that is how everyone is supposed to be when you find those certain people in life. You could really learn a lot from reading this book, and especially to have relationships like Santiago.

Grapes of Wrath- Reuniting

The man character in the book The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad, got released from prison in the very beginning. He had not seen his family in a while, and he was wanted to see them. His family missed him dearly too. When he got out of prison, all he cared about was getting to his home as soon as possible to see his family, and let them know that he was ok. He hitched a ride that got him going on his journey, but for the most part he was walking. He made it all the way to his home just to see that it was abandoned, and crops were growing up all around it. He was very upset, but luckily he met people along the way that told him his family had moved into his uncle’s house. He was very tired, but he kept on moving forward and finally made it to his uncle’s house. The first person he saw was his dad. His dad did not have a big reaction, he just asked if he was really out or if he escaped. Tom told him he did not escape, and he was just on parole. Tom’s mom was the one that was most excited to see him. She did not think that they would ever get to see him again when they moved to California. She was so glad to see him, and glad he was coming with. The grandparents were also very excited to see him too, and were running to the house. Tom’s siblings it seemed like never really had a lot to say. The family just seemed like they were all normal again. Tom was the missing piece, and with him everything felt normal again. Tom being there did not make them stop thinking about what was really going on in the country, but it sure did make them feel a lot better. Tom was so happy to be back with his family.

Grapes of Wrath- How It Was Then

The Grapes of Wrath took place during the early 1900s, just like the book Their Eyes Were Watching God that we read. The Grapes of Wrath was pretty much a book on the years of slavery before the Civil War. The time period in this book was one that American will remember forever. The novel showed us just how it was during the Great Depression. It was a pretty horrific time then. A lot of things when on that affected America forever, and we never want to go through what we did then, again. This book was actually kind of sad to me when I thought about it. It was sad to see the main family in this book, the Joads, go through what they had to go through. They first had to move from their home to their uncle’s home to stay, because people were taking over their home. Then they had to totally move away from everything and everyone they knew in Oklahoma, to California. The reason they moved away during the Great Depression, was to find jobs. They could not find anything where they live, and to survive they knew they would have to have a job. The Great Depression was something we never want to happen again. It would be sad for anyone and their families to have to move away. When I was reading The Grapes of Wrath, I realized just how bad it was back then. I can only imagine what that was like. I liked reading this book, though. When reading this book, it really made me open my eyes. I never really knew just how bad it was to be alive during that time. People who did not have money would lose everything. I enjoyed reading this book, because I think it is good for us to not only learn what happened back then, but to see it and really picture what families went through. The Great Depression will affect us forever.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- How It Was Back Then

Their Eyes Were Watching God was during the early 1900’s. The big thing that was going on in this time was the slaves were being freed. This meant that African American’s would have more freedom, and would be able to have more things. The slaves being free had a big affect on everybody. The African American’s would never be the same, but in a good way. As years go on they would get more and more freedom. The whites were still always against the African Americans, and never really wanted anything to do with them. The whites also never really trusted African Americans back then. There were places that only whites could go in, and there were also cities and towns that only white people could live in. We saw this in Their Eyes Were Watching God, when Janie and Jodi moved to a town just for blacks to be the mayors. There were no whites, and it was not because they were not allowed, it was because they did not want to be there. I always have wondered what the African Americans were really thinking back then. Did they really care? I think that they did, and they got their feelings hurt every day. If African Americans back then saw how it was now, I think they would be pretty jealous, but at the same time mad. They would be mad because they would wish that it would have been the same way back then. Things have changed a lot since then, and definitely for the better. Whites are around African Americans all of the time. We live in the same towns together now, we can eat at the same restaurants, and most importantly we can stand to be around each other and treat each other good. Sometimes I wish we could go see how it really was back then, and go through all that they had to go through. I am glad it is much better now.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Men Treatment towards Janie

In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie got treated in many different ways when it came to men. She had men that treated her well, and men that did not treat her very well. Her first two marriages were the ones that were not that great, and her last marriage was the one that she got treated very well. In her first marriage we did not get a lot of details, but Logan did abuse her physically and mentally. Then in her second marriage, everything started out great and Jodi was so good to her. Jodi later got caught up in his work as a mayor, and forgot how to treat a woman. He would keep bosing her around all the time, and wanted her to obey him at all times. If Janie did not listen to just exactly what he said to do, he would be upset with her. Janie did not like this at all, and eventually got tired of it. They just fell at of love it seemed like to me. Janie got so upset, because she knew what kind of a guy Jodi could be and just wished he would be that way again. She wanted him to be the guy she fell in love with again. Janie's third marriage was the best by far though. Tea Cake was the name of her third husband. He was so good to her, and it was not fake. He always meant what he said and did. He never acted in different ways, like her previous husbands. He fell in love with her again, each and every single day. He could never get enough of her, and wanted to be with her at all times. They were so in love. They worked together everyday. Janie always loved how she could do what she wanted, and not have to worry if she was going to get in trouble by someone. She liked being able to go out and have fun. Tea Cake was so good to her, and she would not trade her for anything. She did not know a husband or any guy could treat her so well. She had been so mis- treated by other men that she just could not believe it. She finally found a man that treated her right.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Being a Mayor

When Joe and Janie got married, they moved away right off, because Joe wanted to be a mayor and start his own town. Being a mayor had a lot of responsibilities, but Joe thought he could handle it and Janie supported him. While being a mayor, you also had a lot of people looking up to you and relying on you. There was always a lot of stress in Joe's life when he became a mayor. Joe decided to open a store in his new town also that he figured Janie could run, and she did. Adding the store, was just another burden they had. Joe and Janie were never short on money though, they actually were very rich. Being a mayor though, kind of made Joe a different person. At the begginning of the marriage between Janie and Joe, he was very nice and treated her great, but then when he became mayor he started to get a little bossy. He always wanted Janie to do just what he told her to do, and he always had something for her to do. He always got to have fun with everybody else in his town, but he always wanted Janie to stay home or work in the store. Nobody else really knew how he treated her, and they really could not tell either. Everyone in the town just loved him, and would do anything for him. Everyone liking Joe, made him a little too confident in himself and made matters worse. This mad him cocky, which made him treat Janie worse. Being a mayor really brought out the worse in him. He was such a good guy, and a good to his wife before he had all of his responsibilities as a mayor and had everyone looking up to him. He was also always stressed because if he made a mistake, everybody would notice. He did not like that feeling either, so he was always kind of stressed out. I never did feel sorry for him while reading it though, because he knew how it was going to be going into the duties of a mayor.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- My Thoughts

I really enjoyed reading Their Eyes Were Watching God. I think that this book was probably my favorite book of the summer, and the one that I understood the most. I liked seeing how people lived right after the end of slavery, and how African Americans lived then. Different races back then was kind of a bigger deal. I also liked seeing how some things back then are still the same now. For instance; when Janie's first and second marriages did not work out, it seemed like she had a new guy right when it was over. It did not take very long for her to fall in love with another guy. I did not like some things in the book. There were also things that you saw reading this book, that are a lot different now. An example of a big difference is, woman were treated a lot different back then, and money was also very different. Woman were supposed to stay more at home and do the work that needed to be done there. They were also supposed to listen to what the men told them to do, and would get in trouble if they did not. Woman now go out and work, and they also have a lot more freedom it seems like. Money was also valued a lot more back then it seemed like to me while reading Their Eyes Were Watching God. Money lasted a lot longer because everything was cheaper. Also, money meant a lot more to people then, and they were a little tighter with their money. I would really encourage people to read this book, because we need to see how things were back then, and also see how different races and your sex got treated differently. I think it is important to learn different ages, and now how it could of been for us if we lived back then, and also how lucky we are to be able to live in the time we do now. I would definately read this book again, and I am glad it was one that we got to read.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Joe

Joe was the second husband of Janie. Jodi was an African American. He was one of the main characters for most of the book. He was a very opinionated, confident, and independent man. Joe was also a man that wanted to be very successful in life, and he would do anything to get there. He met Janie while she was married to her first husband, Logan. He was very sweet and Janie did not really like Logan, so she was ready to move on to a new man. They ended up falling in love, and later on getting married. Then Joe moved with Janie away from her home town to a new town called Edinburg. Joe always had the idea that he was g0ing to start up a new and strong town for the African Americans. That was his whole goal in life it seemed like while reading this book. He really liked Eatonville, and after talking to some of the people that lived there, he decided that that was the place he wanted to start a new town. He became the mayor and was always very confident and opinionated. He always thought he was right all of the time. He wanted things to go his way or no way at all. Joe in the beginning was also a very good husband, but as the book went on, it kind of went down hill. He started getting mean, and always trying to boss Janie around like she was his slave almost. He always made her work in his store. Joe also never allowed Janie to be any part of the conversations with the people that would hang out outside of the store. If Janie were to get involved, he would then yell at her later. Janie did not really like the way he treated her. He was very strong with his opinions, and that was definately one of them. Joe did not even care about his marriage, all he cared about was his duties as the mayor. Janie was always really sad, and at the end of their marriage they barely were even together. Joe was not very old when he died, leaving Janie a widow.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Tea Cake

Tea Cake, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, was a very nice man. He was also an independent man, and he did his best to be a successful man. He knew how to treat a woman. He knew how valuable woman really were, and if you got the right one you needed to treat them right. He met Janie when her previous husbad, Jodi, had just passed away. She was still upset about the whole thing, but he knew Jodi had not treated her right. So he knew if he did treat her good, he would be able to get her as his. He knew she was the one right away. He was such a good guy, and he wanted Jodi very much. He did all he could to make her fall for him. He would suprise her and do the little things that she just loved. He was a very thoughtful man. He would work hard and try to make money for Janie, so that they would later be able to move away and start a life together. He was always trying to impress her. He got enough money for them to move to the Everglades together. Janie told him she had a lot of money from Jodi and also being a widow. You could really tell then that he did not like her for her money. He did not even want to use her money, he wanted to show her that they could live off of his money, not hers. Janie was really impressed when this happened, and she knew then that he really did love her. He always wanted to be with her, and he loved her so much. He not only tried to keep Janie happy, but he tried to keep everybody happy. Everybody loved Tea Cake. They never really had anything bad to say about him. He was a good person to everybody. He was a hard worker, and did a lot for himself to be successful. If he was a single man, he would do just fine because he was so independent. He had Janie though, and he knew he was lucky to have her.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Janie & Tea Cake's Marriage

Janie and Tea Cake met after Janie's second husband Jodi passed away. Tea Cake was so good, and treated Janie better than any man had ever treated Janie. She could never get enough of him, he always made her so happy. He would stay at the house that Jodi and Janie had lived in. He would suprise her sometimes, and always did the little things for her. Janie would make him home cooked meals and they fell in loves so fast. When Janie and Tea Cake got married, they moved to the Everglades together. They both were able to work there, and they were very happy there. Janie was so happy that she got to work in the Everglades, instead of staying in the house and working like all the other woman. Janie and Tea Cake always were so in love. They could not ever get enough of each other, they were always together. Then everyone heard a hurricane was coming through their town. Most people got out of the town as soon as they could, but Janie and Tea Cake decided to stay there. Later on when the storm was getting closer, they decided to get out to a safer town where the storm was not coming. On their journey Tea Cake saved Janie from a dog, but ended up getting bit by that dog. They finally got to go back to their home in the Everglades after the storm had passed. Everything they had was pretty much gone. They got to move into their home again though. He later on suffered from the mad dog disease. It was a very scary experience for Janie. Tea Cake was a whole different person. It really scared Janie. Later on Tea Cake ended up suffering and pointed a gun at Janie. Janie ended up killing him with a gun because she was so scared. Janie was very upset. She knew she would never find a man like Janie. No-one would ever treat her that good she thought. She was a very strong woman though, and she knew she would make it through. She was a widow for the second time.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- The Three Marriages

Janie was in a total of three different marriages in her life. Her second marriage was the longest, but not necessarily the best. The first two marriages did not work out as good as the third one did. Her first marriage was with Logan Killicks. When she got married to Logan, she was not really ready to be married, her grandmother kind of made her. Her marriage with Logan did not last very long because he was not very nice to her. He abused her verbally and physically. While she was married to Logan, a man named Joe Starks met her, and they fell in love. Joe was very nice to her, so she left Logan. Joe told her he wanted to move away and start a new town themselves. They moved away together, to a town called Eatonville, and Joe became the mayor, and she became the mayor’s wife. They really enjoyed it for awhile. They also ran a store there. After a while though, Joe was not being very nice to her and Janie did not love him as much. Joe ended up dying not very much longer after. She was not a widow very long, and met a guy named Vergible Woods, who everybody called Tea Cake. Some people did not really like this, because she had not been single for very long. She did not care though, because no one’s opinion mattered but hers. She married Tea Cake, and together they moved down to the Everglades, so they could work. They were so happy, and so in love with each other. A big hurricane came through, and they had to run away. They also had to swim through some parts. During one part, they were swimming and a dog tried to attack Janie, so Tea Cake saved her an ended up getting bit by the dog. He later on got the mad dog disease from it. He did not live through it, and it was a very sad experience for everyone. Janie really took it hard; because that was the man she was in love with.

Their Eyes Were Watching God- Janie

Janie, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, was a very strong woman, and did not let people treat her wrong. She was in a total of three different marriages, and the man in the third marriage finally treated her right. Janie went through a lot in her life, but that never stopped her. In the beginning, she was left by her parents, because they did not want to take care of her. Her grandmother, who everybody called Nanny, raised her. Anyone who is not raised by their parents becomes a lot stronger in life. Also, being an African American she seen and knew of slavery. She saw all the affects slavery had on America, and what all it did to her family. Her first marriage, with Logan Killicks, did not end well. He treated her wrong, and she left him for a man, Joe Starks. Joe was a lot nicer she thought. He ended up trying to boss her around all the time, so she then married a man named Vergible Woods who they called Tea Cake. Through all of the men that treated her wrong, she stayed strong and finally found the right one. Tea Cake was always good to her. Janie never had any kids in her life, and I always figured that she never really had the time to think about kids because; she always had something else to be doing. She was a hard working woman, and was always doing something. She never had “lazy days.” If anyone ever needed anything she always was there to help. Just like when she was working the store, in Eatonville, she was always their helping people with their purchases, and always had long hours. Janie was also a very sociable woman, and loved to be involved in conversations, even though Joe never really let her. For instance, when they owned their store and all the men and women were outside talking, she wanted to go outside and join in, but Joe never let her. This is why Janie, later on in life, was sociable and tried to do whatever she wanted.