Blog Topic #2
From the novel of “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” Hurston writes, “It was spring afternoon in West Florida. Janie had spent most of the day under a blossoming pear tree in the back-yard. She had been spending every minute that she could steal from her chores under the tree for the last three days. That was to say, ever since the first tiny bloom had opened. It had called her to come and gaze on a mystery. From barren brown stems to glistening leaf-buds; from the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom. It stirred her tremendously. How? Why? It was like a flute song forgotten in another existence and remembered again. What? How? Why? This singing she heard that had nothing to with her ears. The rose of the world was breathing out smell. It followed her through all her waking moments and caressed her in her sleep. It connected itself with other vaguely felt matters that had struck her outside observation and buried themselves in her flesh. Now they emerged and quested about her consciousness.
She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in all the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when inaudible voice of it all came to her. She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom the thousand sisters –calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid” (Hurston, p.10).
- Students read the passage above, which is also found on page 10 of your novel. Take a closer look at what the passage is really saying.
- Annotate the passage above in your book thoroughly (I will check).
- What does the “pear tree” symbolize? Answers should be well thought out, detailed, descriptive, and written free of grammar and punctuation errors.
- Respond to the following questions by writing a detailed response. Have you ever had problems because of gossip? What would you do if someone gossips about you? If no one at your high school had ever gossiped, how would your school be different?
- Students: You must respond to one of your peers response to question #3. This should not be something such as "awesome," "wow," or” I like you response." be specific with your response of your peer you have chosen.
Due Saturday March 31, 2012 at 11:59pm
NOTE: For future readings, I want to see annotations in or from your book, if you do not want to write in your book because you want to return it to Half Price Books, J then you can annotate on a separate sheet of paper. Keep track of the chapters and write the page number of the section you are annotating.
2. To Janie, the pear tree is a place of refuge. A place wher she can go to let her thougts flow free.
ReplyDelete3.No I don't think I've had any problems with gossip. Personally, if someone was to gossip about me I wouldn't do anything. That's ther problem not mine. If there was no gossip at my school then there would probably be less fights.
Think of the pear tree as it being Janie. Read a little closer, and pay attention to the figurative languge being used. Analyze the text carefully.
DeleteIm exactly the same way! i have the same mind set "thats their problem not mine"
Delete2. The pear tree symbolizes the life that Janie imagines to be the real world. She watches the transformations on the blossoming tree and she becomes content, because she sees that there is nothing to harm the blooming of the flowers and that's how she wants her life to be. Content and nothing getting in the way of that.
ReplyDelete3. Yes, I have had many problems because of gossip. It caused me to lose friends and other people that I was close to. If someone were to gossip about me I'd ignore it, what good would it do to act upon the gossip and just make matters worse? If nobody at school gossiped, I think tensions would be high and tight between a lot of people. I don't think it will stop all the fighting or anything, but I do think it could cause more problems because of all the tension kept inside one another.
Think of the pear tree as it being Janie. Read a little closer, and pay attention to the figurative languge being used. Analyze the text carefully. From your response, yes it has it does symnolize the life of Janie, but what else ?
Delete2.) The pear tree, to Janie symbolizes the way she wants her world to be like. The questions that come to her thoughts as she watches it, the tree blooming, the mysteriousness, this is the way she feels how the outside world should be.
ReplyDelete3.) Yes, I have had several conflicts with my "friends" that gossiped about me. I feel if you are not mature enough to tell me your thoughts or problems with me, we should not be friends. I dont feel the need to entertain them with the drama. If high school did not have gossip many people would be able to enjoy their high school experience more.
I can see where you're coming from. When you gossip you're just being inmature and it shows you' re insecure.
DeleteThink of the pear tree as it being Janie. Read a little closer, and pay attention to the figurative languge being used. Analyze the text carefully.
DeleteI agree, it's easy to talk behind someone's back, but directly addressing the person takes a lot more guts. Spreading false information or speaking on something or someone you don't know really shows your level of maturity.
Delete2.)Janie feels that the pear tree is a place that she can think about life. She can relate things in life to the pear tree.
ReplyDelete3.) I have had many problems with gossip in the past. I try to let gossip roll of my shoulders but, if it really bothers me than I will confront the person or people. I beleive that you can always work things out by talking about it. If no one ever gossiped about one another, I think that school would be a more friendly enviornment. I think that people would actually try to get along.
Gossip has been a problem for me to ignore too. I simple don't understand how some people can do it. It's always like someone is talking behind your back whether you're a good person or not.
Delete2. The Pear Tree holds many truths within itself. It symbolizes what surpasses Janie’s current understanding of life. The tree possesses so much power, but yet it is undermined and overlooked by others. The importance of the tree derives from its ability to obtain the essence of life. Janie and the pear tree can be synonymously compared in the sense that each blossom, leaf, and branch represents an aspect of growth. Each step taken in her life influenced her maturity. Janie sought refuge in the presence of the pear tree simply because it gave her an understanding of herself in comparison to the world around her.
ReplyDelete3. I’ve had a few experiences with gossip and rumors. I feel as if high school is the melting pot of it all. We hear it all the time and even subconsciously spread it amongst our peers. Whenever I’m faced with rumors and gossip regarding me I try not to feed into them. Even so, I admit, some of them are hard to ignore but gossip is something that is always going to be present in life and sometimes we just have to deal with it. The act of spreading rumors happens so often that it becomes routine. A school without gossip would be unrealistic, but if there was none it would affect communication as a whole. Just merely speaking about certain people or topics can be considered “gossiping”. Rumors are mainly associated with a negative connotation, but not all gossip is necessarily bad.
Yeah i agree with not all gossip is bad,many people get confused with that now days "all gossip is bad"! Then when that happens real drama starts because people take things the wrong way. ASSUMING is what you can call it.
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DeleteI agree with you when say gossip will always be present and a school or anywhere else in general without it would be unrealistic. Gossip is usually targeted to hurt people, but all we can do is ignore it because it will eventually come back to the person who started the gossip or rumor and hurt them in the end.
DeleteI agree, I believe you cant really escape from hearing about gossip whether its about you or someone else . Gossip isnt always bad and it sometimes changes a person for the better when they hear others peoples opinion.
DeleteDefinitely agree with this. A school without gossip would definitely be unrealistic and impossible. I think gossip is always gonna be around, but like you said, not all gossip is necessarily bad.
Delete2.) The “pear tree” symbolizes life to Janie, and how she views things. As you picture when she is under the tree in the book, and in the movie you get a since of her thinking about where she is at in life and how much more she has to live. Kind of like when a tree's leave falls off another one grows back in a matter of time. That's just like life, you may fall down or mess up, but you still have to get back up and grow from that experience and live.
ReplyDelete3.) To be honest i have had problems with gossip, but it never has gotten to the point to where i couldn't handle it. In a situation like this i would tend to not feed in to what is said about me because 9 out of 10 times its not true. So for me to sit there and dwell on it would be a waste of time in my eyes, because if "whoever" started the gossip or rumor saw you doing that in their eyes they have won. That's just adding fuel to the fire. If gossip and rumors weren't in our school it would be real different. I may be wrong for saying this but it would be kind of boring lol!
-x.hill-
I totally agree with this! Like I said in my response, I believe highschool needs gossip, not just to make it 'fun' but to help teach us the 'real' world. I also agree with you when you say not to dwell on it because dwelling on it can eat you inside.
Delete2. The pear tree symbolizes Janie's youth and freedom. She comes here to think about life and love in particular. She feels relaxed when she's here and feels as if she's in her own little world. No stress. No problems. Just a one on one session with her and nature. No worries about working, stressing and getting old. Here she feels free to do whatever.
ReplyDelete3. Yes I've had problems with gossip but the gossip has never gotten to me, because its usually something someone has made up out of envy or jealousy. If people gossip about me I pay them no mind because they obviously have no life and need a friends, lol. I don't let it phase me. If there was no gossip at school there would be less drama, more smiles, less fights, more unison.
2. The "Pear Tree" shows many different aspects that both Janie and how women mature in life. "...the leaf-buds to snowy virginity of bloom", is the same as Janie "blooming" and growing up, she is a beautiful women surrounded by dangers in the real world such as the "Pear Tree". Yet as soon as this tree is in bloom ready to become everything i can be a bee comes by and takes that away, this is the same as when Janie first meets Johnny Taylor. Johnny Taylor is the bee that takes Janie's blossoming innocence away causing her to grow up and become a women.
ReplyDelete3. I've have many conflicts with gossip, added to my pessimism I've always overreacted to any bit of gossip I heard that had anything to do with my social life. Once before i was told that my love would simple leave me for someone else causing me to go in a depression for a short bit. After confronting her with the issue i learned that nothing like this would happen. Gossip had certainly affected me in a big way at times. I've learned to ignore it nowadays though. If anyone at our school never gossiped, I'm sure there would be an immense amount of drama caused by the students not being able to vent out in anyway at all. Gossip isn't all bad and it's a away certain "aggressive" individuals take out their anger.
2. The pear tree symbolizes Janie's youth and innocence. The tree was young just like Janie when she first experienced it. Then it began to bloom just as she began to grow up. The bee, which she perceived as marriage and bondage and love also proves her innocence. She didn't really know much about the subjects before, but this way her way of opening up or 'blooming'.
ReplyDelete3. I believe everyone has had problems with gossip, gossip itself usually isn't a good thing. I've never had any truly hard experiences when it comes to gossip, but I have been with a friend when they've gone through gossip.
1.At first the pear tree represents youth, and Janie's dreams. Than the tree begins to symbolize Janie's growth as a woman. She matures physically,mentally and emotionally as the tree blooms.
ReplyDelete3. Of course I've had my experiences with gossiping, as well as probably everyone else my age. Highschool is a giant world of 'he said she said.'Thankfully gossip hasn't affected my life with too many problems. If someone has 'gossiped' about me, I make sure to just talk it through, untill it all clears up. Although gossip has a negative reputation I believe it has an important role in highschool. We're able to learn from it, and it helps us grow into mature people.
I agree, learning to live life with gossip through high school prepares us for the real world, where much more crueler things are said. Also, we may have a situation where somebody gossips about one of us and it's so bad that it can teach us not to gossip as we grow into young adults.
DeleteHey elise i agree we do very well leanr from it and even talking through it may help clear it up. However, i don't believe in talking it out unless i need to beacause if that person is spreading something about me, and those pawns are dumb enough to beleive it i owe thm nothing even if they are my closest friends. But that's a good mind set to have. Not bad Carrasco. Octopuse out.
Delete2) The pear tree is a place for Janie to go and relief all her problems and thoughts. "It connected itself with other vaguely felt matters that had struck her outside observation and burried themselves in her flesh"(pg 10-11). Because the women of Eatonville were oppressed, I feel like the pear tree was a place where Janie felt a sense of freedom.
ReplyDelete3) Yes I've had problems, because of gossip. If random person were to gossip about me I really wouldn't care, but if somebody who I considered my friend was talking about me then I would confront them about the situation. If nobody at Wagner gossiped lunch would probably be much more quieter, and less fights would occur.
I agree ,if a friend was talking about me that`s a different level of gossip.It crosses into betrayal ,rather than harmless gossip.
Delete-& Wagner without gossip , is silence :)
2-The pear tree symbolizes relationships and Janie takes it as a great view of marriage. The tree has relationships with the weather and enviroment around it in a perfect harmony that she dosent seem to have in her own life. Janie saw this an realized that her marriage isn't actually a marriage.
ReplyDelete3-Yes I have had problems with gossip.When people have gossiped about me i try to let it pass because nobody knows the real you but you.If people would never gossip at school there would be alot less drama all around. Alot more people would get along easier if gossip wasnt spread around.
2. In my opinion the pear tree in this book symbolizes Janie becoming a women and maturing. As the tree grows in bloom so does Janie and all the aspects and things taking place in her life.
ReplyDelete3. Gossip has always been a problem for everybody and with me also. But most of the time things like that never bother me because i know what true or not so i usually dont do anything about. If high school never had gossip, it'll probably be a better enviorment with less violence.
I agree, because the thing about gossip is that you never really know what's true or not so what would be the point of making things into a bigger issue if you're not even aware of what the full story may be.
Delete1. This tree reprents a place for her to let go and be able to relax and ruminate about her marriage. Which brings me to this. It also represents her fantasy or perception of what she wants marrriage to be like. She is young when she married him so she still hasn't yet grasped true love and wonders how to get there. This tree is a symbol of her dreams of love and how she wants it to be. Again i reiterate she is young and she want to experience what she has seen before with maried couples. But she is smart enough to understand that what she is going through now isn't what true love is. So yes a symbol of her concept or perception of love.
ReplyDelete2. I understand that it is quite unreal for a teenlike me but, i haven't struggled with gossip because of such a painful childhood. I always knew how to avoid it and ignore it. Now i do indeed always hear gossip about me in some ay or another, but i have a strong immunity to it because i don't really care what people think enough to start something catasrophic. If this school were to be a gossip free zone, like Imari said its unreal. There's always someone talking about something or someone that doesn't involve them so i really don't know what this school would be like without gossip. The best i could say is kinda dull. most gossip not all may stem from negativity, but you got to admit it is amusing sometimes.
2. In "Their Eyes Were Watching God", the pear tree is symbolic as a metaphor on the life and youthful ideas of both Janie and young women in general. Just as Janie and other women do, the pear tree blossoms at a point in its life, reaching its fullest potential until later dropping its blooms to go through another phase, all over again. Janie would go through the phases of life 'blooming' at momentary points of happiness until later dropping it all to start over again, but all the while still growing stronger and taller. Her youthful ideas of love are what almost every young woman hopes for in life, to be blissfully happy and be loved by someone who you are also deeply in love with too. The pear tree was not only a place where Janie could express her thoughts, but a being that represented her as a person.
ReplyDelete3. I believe that every high school student has had some sort of experience with gossip, either directly or indirectly. Personally, I have not had any serious problems with gossip because I had to come to the realization that not everyone is going to like you, no matter if you've ever done something wrong to them or not. No choice you make will make 100% of the people around you happy, and it is truly a pointless effort to try and do so. So, if someone gossips about me I'll either leave it alone or address the issue if it's something that I feel is relevant, because at the end of the day you have to come to a point where you just can't let the childish actions of others affect you. It takes more out of you to be the bigger person and walk away than it does to sit and spend time talking about others. Either way, if people were to gossip or not there would still be issues because opinions would still be had, but the difference would be that they would now either be spoken openly or not at all which would probably make situations better because it is much easier speaking behind closed doors than it is to directly speak to someone.
My first thought is much like everyone else , the pear tree is a place Janie can go and feel free to be her self . But as i thought further into the meaning of the quote i understand that Janie is the pear tree itself. When Janie was a teenager her life was just blossoming.She was free to be Janie , but as Janie grew older she began to see the world in a new light and obstacles came into the picture.Janie started to dream about how her life would be when she was older .Janie married Logan because of guilt, all though she tried to be optimistic the end result was unhappiness.When she married Joe she thought she finally found a life long love . Joe ended up oppressing Janie taking away her voice , confidence ,and womanhood(ex:hair).Janie`s place of peace was lost ,she could only now dream of being by her pear tree , feeling the freedom she once had. Once Joe passed that place of peace returned .
ReplyDeleteHonestly EVERYONE gossips .Whether its intentional or unintentional. Gossips effects everyone in one way or another.I am a victim of gossip and a offender.There were a few times where I have over heard comments about me and there were a few times when I`ve heard things through the grape vine . I try not to let gossip get to me. I am not always successful in doing that , but it will never last long. I don`t think gossip about me is worth my time I don`t care to much about other opinions.If high school was gossip free it would be boring and I`m pretty sure there would be a higher percentage rate of passing . For example students wouldn't worry about their outer apperence as much because no one would talk about them.Gossip brings a lot of stress at times for some , with stress comes a lack of focus. So overall school would be a better place education wise if it was gossip free but boring for a social life.