The Case With Zora Hurston 's Compilation Of Collected Stories

The Harlem Renaissance marked the coming out of many brilliant black authors and thinkers. Names like Jessie Redmon Fauset, Alain Locke, Ralph Waldo Ellison, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston marked the scene. Hurton portrays many messages in her stories without having to explicitly spell it out. This among other reasons make Hurston's writing so rich. Two of her almost fable-like stories, "Sweat" and "The Gilded Six-Bits", each portray powerful messages individually. In "Sweat," you get a message of "whatever goes over the Devil's back, is got to come under his belly." You will reap what you sow among other messages. In "The Gilded Six-Bits," you learn that time will heal, money is the root of all evil, and other morals. These

Zora Neale Hurston, known as one of the most symbolic African American women during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930’s. Hurston was known as a non fiction writer, anthropologist and folklorist. Hurston’s literature has served as a big eye opener during the Harlem Renaissance, celebrating black dialect and their traditions. Most of her published stories “depict relationships among black residents in her native southern Florida, was largely unconcerned with racial injustices” (Bomarito 89). Hurston was unique when it came to her racial point of views, promoting white racism instead of black racism. Even though her works had been forgotten by the time of her death, now her literature has left a bigger impact to future literature

     Zora Neale Hurston was a phenomenal woman. At the height of her success she was known as the “Queen of the Harlem Renaissance.” She came to overcome obstacles that were placed in front of her. Hurston rose from poverty to fame and lost it all at the time of her death. Zora had an unusual life; she was a child that was forced to grow up to fast. But despite Zora Neale Hurston’s unsettled life, she managed to surmount every obstacle to become one of the most profound authors of the century.

Zora Neale Hurston’s use of language in her short story Spunk allows the reader to become part of the community in which this story takes place. The story is told from the point of view of the characters, and Hurston writes the dialogue in their broken English dialect. Although the language is somewhat difficult to understand initially, it adds to the mystique of the story. Spunk is a story about a man that steals another man’s wife, kills the woman’s husband and then he ends up dying from an accident at the saw mill. Spunk believed that it was Lena’s husband, Joe Kanty, who shoved him into the circular saw, and the people in the village agreed that Joe Kanty had come back to get revenge. The language used by the characters helps to

Purpose- Hurston’s purpose is to demonstrate that she is proud of her color. She does not need the bragging rights of having Native American ancestry, nor does she ‘belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it.’

Informed consent is and was at the time of Scheper-Hughes’ fieldwork an important aspect of ethical research. Scheper-Hughes was criticized by Irish anthropologists for not obtaining the full and informed consent of her participants before conducting her research, and this criticism is warranted (Callahan 311:1979). It is clear from the villagers’ reactions when she returned to Ballybran some years later that this is in fact true. Scheper-Hughes herself remarked that many felt betrayed by her book, and that they initially had no idea what she would publish (Scheper-Hughes 2000:148). Schrag argues that part of informed consent should be to communicate honestly the research objectives of the ethnographer, which

    Comparison of Hurston's life and work is ironic. Though Janie, having passed through dominance and loss, had a 2 story home and money in the bank to come home to, Hurston had none. Hurston's later life was that of the economically disadvantaged-- what Ellison, Wright, and other male black authors penned their novels in protest of. Brilliant, talented, she could not rise above the economic limits imposed on her and thus a talented anthropologist with two Guggenheims ended up buried in an unmarked grave.

Instead of valuing the message one is sharing, society becomes hung up on the formality of the speaker. Hurston’s incorporation of this rough language highlights the hardships members of her community faced to move up in the ranks. They are judged immediately for their voice rather than the content of their ideas. Hurston plays off this stereotype in “Spunk” by recounting the whole story through the idiom of the rural South. Subconsciously, she is spreading awareness of the low economic and social status of her hometown and culture, and then busting the stereotype through the voice of the narrator. The voices of the townspeople mirror Hurston’s origins, and the voice of the narrator illustrates how far she had come in her education and success. Society should not stereotype minority groups because of their lack of resources that hold them back from what they are truly capable of. Unfortunately, critics such as Langston Hughes did not understand Hurston’s intentions. He “accused her of using the dialectic speech and the elements of folklore to degenerate her own people and to please whites, who expected unsophisticated language and behavior from African Americans,” (“Spunk” 296). Hurston along with the many other Harlem Renaissance characters were evidence themselves that the African American culture has unique elements that make it worth celebrating rather than a burden dragging the United States down.

Hurston opens the story with Missy anxiously awaiting Joe’s return home from work. Upon his arrival, they have flirtatious play fights and wrestle in “a furious mass of male and female energy”. Joe always placed candy kisses home to Missy May for her to discover in his pockets during a frantic, yet playful search. Throughout “The Gilded Six-Bits” Joe and Missy May continually refer to each other as “sugar,” “honey”, and other endearing names. After Missy May has exposed her infidelity to Joe she realizes that “with this strange man in her bed, she felt embarrassed to get up and dress…” Joe calmly reply’s “Missy May you cry too much. Don’t look back like Lot’s wife and turn to salt.” Joe does not want his wife to concentrate on the past; he aspires to keep all focus on the future with his wife. This character trait, which Joe shows, can either portray his maturity of moving forward – or it portrays his immaturity trying to ignore the past. Joe and Missy may have an excellent marriage set on a solid foundation of love, caring, and understanding, yet this incident of infidelity threatened to destroy the relationship that they have built up. Going through this incident shows the realness of their relationship, and how both have grown from this hardship.

Nathan faced ethical questions in approaching this research project using an undercover method of observation: Did she lie to people? Was permission given by the university? How to handle the Research Board? Could she record her findings or conversations since she did not disclose her identity? Can an anthropologist really go “undercover”? These are a few of the concerns and criticisms the author faced during

In some of Hurston’s works she acknowledges Eatonville, which was the first all-black community in America that she moved to when she was only three years old (Kimmons, 3). Hurston viewed Eatonville as a place where blacks could ultimately be themselves without having to conform to the norms of a white society (Kimmons, 1). Hurston was protected from the realisms of judgement and disgust towards African Americans; since Eatonville was described to be somewhat safe from lynchings and other violence related to racism. After

Take, for example, the research conducted by Shannon Speed in Chiapas and Monique Skidmore in Burma (Sanford, V. 2006). Both women were in complicated situations where they were privy to the plight of their suffering research subjects, yet inhibited by the watchful eye of a dominating power that would not allow them to completely overstep their bounds. Both researchers are women, mothers and were foreigners in their research community, but would not allow that to deter them from supporting human rights work and attempting to better the lives or at least create awareness of the suffering of the sociocultural group they studied (Sanford, V. 2006). Anthropological activism can aid in bringing about integral political, economic and social change. Attempting to be objective in essence equates to supporting the status quo (Sanford, V. 2006) and as human beings with an interest in humanity, we cannot sit by idly as inequality grows and horrendous occurrences

Chapter Two of William and co-authors’ book–––– Research Methods–––– particularly focuses on the importance of ethics (pg.34). A combination of intentional diction, imagery and narration coupled with an authoritative tone has been used to handle the key issues in this chapter. Deliberate contrast between the traditional and current perspectives of ethics and its evolution has been employed to explain and emphasize the need for ethical research work. Through these literary devices and style, the authors’ emphasis on ethics despite the fact that it is not enforceable by law is made clear. This excerpt analyzes how these authors have landed their points on ethics home.

The American Anthropological Association Ethics Committee Case Studies attempt to bring light to some of the problems anthropologists encounter in the field while distinguishing what’s is right from what’s wrong. Case two concludes by laying a ground rule for the practice of anthropology which states that before any data is collected one must know who the data is for. Furthermore, case five revolves around the dilemma of anonymity. Afterwards, case 22 directs more its focus towards whether or not to reveal information which the “consultants” are opposed to being revealed. I agree with the realization Vaughn made. By determining who the data is for many disputes can be prevented. As far as case five, I think it is important to maintain the identity

This paper will address my personal views on anthropology and ethnography. I identify as a feminist anthropologist because I identify as a woman, and have a great interest in power differentials throughout society. I grew up in a conservative christian middle class home that taught and practiced tolerance and acceptance giving me a well-rounded, if clouded, view of the world. However, I had very little experience with other groups or peoples until I got older and began to travel. I love travelling, and, as I have visited numerous states, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Europe, my understanding has grown immensely. My love for history and culture has only expanded and it grew easier to see things without the moral outline I had when I was younger to compare against.