Take a look at the two excerpts below. As you read, think about how the language Hurston uses emphasizes the relationship between the place she describes and the period in history she tries to evoke.
Chapter 5, pg. 47
Take for instance that new house of his. It had two stories with porches, with bannisters and such things. The rest of the town looked like servants' quarters surround the "big house". And different from everybody else in the town he put off moving in until it had been painted, in and out. And look at the way painted it--a gloaty, sparkly white.
What historical period do you think Hurston is trying to evoke here? Is it a period of slavery, Reconstruction, or the Harlem Renaissance? If you need help, take a look back at the videos we've watched so far.
Chapter 14, pg. 129
To Janie's strange eyes, everythin in the Everglades was big and new. Big Lake Okechobee, big beans, big cane, big weeds, big everything. Weeds that did well to grow waist high up the state were eight and often ten feet tall fall down there. Ground so rich that everything went wild. Volunteer cane just taking the place. Dirt roads so rich and black that half a mile of it would have fertilized a Kansas wheat field.
What historical period do you think Hurston is trying to evoke here? Is it a period of slavery, Reconstruction, or the Harlem Renaissance? If you need help, take a look back at the videos we've watched so far.