Quotation Explication 5.0 Name _________________Pd_______ Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Directions: Explain in complete sentences the significance of the following quotations or passages from the novel.

Chapter 1:1. “The men noticed her firm…a hope that she might all to their level some day.”

2. “Phoeby…You can tell ‘em what Ah say if you wants to. Dat’s just de same as me ‘cause mah tongue is in mah friend’s mouf.”

3. “Unless you see de fur, a mink skin ain’t no different from a coon hide.

Chapter 21. “Ah was wid dem white chillun so much till Ah didn’t know Ah wuzn’t white till

Ah was round six years old”

2. “Oh to be a pear tree, any tree in bloom.”

3. “De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see.”

4. “Put me down easy, Janie. Ah’m a cracked plate.”

Chapter 31. “Did marriage compel love like the sun the day?”

2. “Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think.”

3. “Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman.”

Chapter 41. “A pretty doll-baby lak you is made to sit on de front porch and fan yo’ self and

eat p’taters dat other folks plant just special for you.”

2. “The morning road air was like a new dress that made her feel the apron tied around her waist. She untied it and flung it on a low bush beside the road and walked on…”

Chapter 51. “Us colored folks is too envious of one ‘nother. Dat’s how come us don’t git

no further than us do.”

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2. “ She must look on herself as the bell-cow, the other women were the gang.”

3. “…mah wife don’t know nothin’; ‘bout no speech-makin”… She’s uh woman and her place is in de home.”

4. “A feeling of coldness and fear took hold of her. She felt far away from things and lonely.”

Chapter 61. “This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly.”

2. “…You have tuh have power tuh free things and dat akes you lak uh kin uh something.”

3. “The spirit of the marriage left the bedroom and took to living in the parlor.”

4. “She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside to see what it was.”

5. “You gettin’ too moufy, Janie…”

Chapter 71, “The years took all the fight out of Janie’s face.”

2. “When you pull down yo’ britches, you look lak de change uh life.”

3. “So he struck Janie with all his might and drove her from the store.“Chapter 81. “You done lived wid me for twenty years and you don’t half know me atall.”

2. “She tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair.”

Chapter 91. “Janie starched and ironed her face…”

2. “To my thinkin’ mourning oughtn’t tuh last no longer’n grief.”

Chapter 101. “How about playin’ you some checkers?”

2. “So she sat on the porch and watched the moon rise.”

Chapter 111. “You got me in de go-long.”

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2. “He looked like the love thoughts of women.”

Chapter 121. “ It was after the picnic that the town began to notice things and get mad.”

2. “De world picked out black and white for mournin’, Joe didn’t. So Ah wasn’t wearin’ it for him. Ah was wearin’ it for de rest of y’all.”

Chapter 131. “He had never had his hand on so much money before in his life, so he made

up his mind to see how it felt to be a millionaire.”

2. “So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.”

Chapter 141. “ ‘Tain’t no need uh you not knowin’ how tuh handle shootin’ tools.”

2. “After dis, you better come git uh job uh work out dere lak de rest uh de women – so Ah won’t be losin’ time comin; home.”

3. “She got so she could tell big stories herself from listening to the rest.”

Chapter 151. “A little seed of fear was growing into a tree.”

Chapter 161. “She didn’t forgive her for marrying a man as dark as Tea Cake…”

2. “He kin take most any lil thing and make summertime out of it when times is dull.”

3. “Ah got white folks’ features in my face.”

Chapter 171. “He just slapped her around a bit to show he was boss.”

Chapter 181. “If Ah never see you no mo’ on earth, Ah’ll meet you in Africa.”

2. “If the castles thought themselves secure, the cabins needn’t worry.”

3. “They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.”

4. “ White people had preempted that point of elevation and there was no more room.”

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5. “Well,” he said, humbly, “reckon you never ‘spected tuh come tuh dis when you took up wid me, didja?”

Chapter 191. “ Death had found them watching, trying to see beyond seeing.”

2. “This sickness to her was worse than the storm.” 3. “Well, she thought, that big old dawg with the hatred in his eyes had killed her

after all.”

4. “The fiend in him must kill and Janie was the only thing living he saw.”

5. “It was not death she feared,. It was misunderstanding.” 6. “No expensive veils and robes for Janie this time. She went on in her

overalls.”

Chapter 201. “Love is lak de sea. It’s uh moving thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore.”

2. “She pulled in her horizon like a great fish net.”

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