IB English Journal entry 3

Here are the 5 literary elements that I was able to locate in Chapter 4 of Their Eyes Were Watching God:

1.
pg. 27
Consonance
"Round dust dark Ah reckon."
I believe that the author did this in order to do two different things. First off, I believe that the author used the "dust dark" consonance in order to convey to the reader that Logan would be getting back to the farmhouse around dusk instead of dark. Now, the main reason why the author doesn't just say "dusk" or "dark" is because by using this consonance, the author is giving the dialect a more real aspect. If Logan just said "dusk" or "dark", it would not have been the same as how the African Americans talked back in the late 1800's, early 1900's.

2.
pg 27
Imagery
"It was a cityfied, stylish dressed man with his hat set at an angle that didn't belong in these parts. His coat was over his arm, but he didn't need it to represent his clothes. The shirt with the silk sleeveholders was dazzling enough for the world."
This imagery matters to the story because it gives us a new look at a new character in the story, Joe Starks. Now the author didn't have to explain what Joe was wearing. She decided to use the Imagery to display certain characteristics about Joe. For one thing, the man is confident, for he is able to walk along a country road without any worry about robbers, which could be a problem for him considering he is wearing such expensive clothing. Another thing that the imagery tells us is that, yes the man is rich, but that he also set out with a purpose. If it were just one of the local rich folk that might have been in the area, they would just take in the scenery on a coach. Instead, you read about Joe going down the path with nothing but the clothes on his back. This means that the man has to be going somewhere.

3.
pg. 31
Simile
"Logan with his shovel looked like a black bear doing some clumsy dance on his hind legs."
This simile adds a little bit of comedy relief to a more serious part of the story. It also provides a little bit of insight about how the reader thinks of Logan. The reason why is because out of all of the clumsy animals the author could have chosen, she chose the strong and powerful black bear. This must mean that even though Logan might have been old and clumsy, he was still proud and strong, and that if he was roused by something, he would release a fury like that of a bear. This reasoning is justified by the death threat that Logan makes later on: "Ah'll take holt uh dat ax and come in dere and kill yuh!"

4.
pg. 30
Juxtaposition
"Ah wuz thinkin'... de way you act."
(Note: This is a long phrase, it was just shortened using the "...")
The author used this passage to point out the differences between Janie and her first husband, Logan. In the story, (at least so far), Janie had only desired to love and be loved in return. This meant that she wanted the person she married to be sweet to her and treat her well, and to be free to do her own will. This is not what Logan wanted to do with Janie. I believe that Logan wanted Janie for one reasons. That reason was to take her and basically make her into a worker, with all of insistence's of coming out and doing all of the farm work, and even going out to get Janie a mule of her own. Logan believed that all of that work would go and "make somethin' outa yuh [Janie]." This kind of thinking conflicted with Janie's free spirit, and helped to highlight Logan's desire to turn Janie into a working woman.

5.
pg. 32
Epiphany
"What was she losing so much time for? A feeling of sudden newness and change came over her. Janie hurried out of the front gate and turned south. Even if Joe was not there waiting for her, the change was bound to do her good."
This passage is very important in the development of the charecter Janie. This passage shows that she figured out that she was not going to be able to handle a life that Logan could provide. To go a bit deeper, it also shows us that Janie isn't going to remember what her grandmother said about marriage and that she can be easily led away by another man if she thinks it is a little bit better than what she had. Take Logan and Joe for example. Logan wanted her to work, and stopped trying to care for her after a certain point, and Janie didn't particularly like that. Then Joe comes around, and even though he isn't exactly what she's looking for, she chooses him over Logan and runs off with Joe.