Reading Response #4 - Zora Neale Hurston, "How It Feels to Be Colored Me, " Informal Essay - Develope Different Way of Seeing

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, also known as the queen of the Harlem Renaissance, contributed to the Harlem Renaissance by writing several works of literature. Hurston didn't take the typical approach of writing

II. (Relevancy Statement) One of the reasons Zora Neale Hurston is an influential person was because of her works at the time of the Harlem Renaissance. This quote combines both the reawakening of creativity and the ambitious push for others to put forth their own creative works.

In the all black community of Eatonville, Zora felt like members of her town saw her for who she was. There were no racial barriers in the community because of everyone’s shared culture, and history. Growing up in her small community, she came to love it and she felt a strong tie to her hometown. She illustrates this by saying, “But I was their Zora nevertheless. I belonged to them, to the nearby hotels, to the county—everybody’s Zora” (Hurston 42). Zora argues that because everyone was of the same color, the community could see past racial labels. A “black Zora” could not exist in Eatonville, and it was not an indicator of who she was because describing Zora as “black” in Eatonville does not do her identity justice. Zora could be Zora, because she felt no race, because she was so comfortable in her skin she could be a part of a community of people. In Eatonville, she did not see people because of racial labels, she had no knowledge of the stereotypes associated with black people. Because of her ignorance, Zora looked deep into people’s character as a young girl.

Zora Neale Hurston created the first strong, independent black woman in a novel to search for her identity and happiness. Janie is a very forward-thinking, powerful female, something very unusual for the time period when the book was published. Although she is a victim again and again of being controlled by a male figure, Janie stands up for herself at several points throughout the novel. Zora represented Janie as the ultimate feminist. I found her being able to overcome any obstacle a man threw at her. Huston also showed strong examples of African American persistence. Every black character she mentioned had a strong mindset and determination level.

This piece of Zora Neale Hurston’s literature is studied because she talks about her views on being black in a way that is not widely practiced and others may see it as criticism of the race. It is very insightful and has a lot

In the text, Zora gives background information about her childhood and family life growing up. The autobiography first took place in Eatonville, Florida, which was known as Zora’s hometown. Zora Neale Hurston was an African American, female who always had a mind of her own even at a young age. Zora was not the average child while growing up, she enjoyed trying new things and she spoke her mind which could label her as deviant to the outside world. Zora also showed early signs of deviance

She wrote about the good things that African Americans did instead of writing about the negative things they did like other writers would. Now people today express whatever they want to express. Most people stopped following the leader because Zora showed them that being themselves is not a

“How it Feels to be Color Me” by Zora Neale is about her growing up and not knowing the negative aspects of being a person of color (Neale 1). Although she acknowledges the hardships her ancestors face and that she still faces today she realizes it should not hold her back and that she can be a powerful woman (Neale 2).

In her presentation of African American characters, Hurston deviated from the conventional patterns and painted the African American as a person who was already uplifted and did not need characters that would be uplift the race. Her rhetoric was that she was interested in human beings, not their race, and through her works sought to present them as people who cry, laugh, work, and do other activities, both evil and good. In my opinion, her works concentrated less on the depiction of the African American and more on the depiction of the daily life and occurrences for humans. Therefore, even though the character choices may be unflattering to an extent, they present an honest depiction of human life, whether black or white.

Zora Neal Hurston, an accomplished African American writer, philanthropist, scholar, and woman’s rights activist born January 7th 1891 and died in 1960. Zora is one of the founding mothers of literature in the African American renaissance. Zora’s writing is one of the most vivid writings’ of its time, her literary descriptions help the reader understand her perspective while giving the reader a “set stage” to envision each scene in the story. “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” dealt with a time period after slavery was abolished, but discrimination and segregation were still present in people’s minds. Through humor, anecdote and metaphor, Hurston addresses her personal experiences as a Negro in the 1900s.

If we compare professions of both William and Fekadu, we see William as a successful businessman with a loving wife and a daughter while Fekadu despite of having a degree in Physics from Oxford drives a taxi in order to make both ends meet. Both of them feel judged and labeled among white people. Similar is the case with Zora when she says, “Sometimes it is the other way around. A white person is set down in our midst, but the contrast is just as sharp for me. For instance, when I sit in the drafty basement that is The New World Cabaret with a white person, my color comes”.

Zora Neale Hurston was a very important woman, and has done a lot for the United States of America. She helped change the way people used to think about each other in that time period. She was an Arthur/ Novelist, Civil Rights Activist, and an Anthropologist. I like to call her super woman because she did a lot to help the world. Plus, she also worked with Martian Luther King Jr. I bet that was the most amazing experience.

Zora Neale Hurston is an African American female, who was born on January 7, 1891. She was born into a family of sharecroppers in Nostagula, Alabama, but she was raised in Eatonville, Florida. Eatonville was the first black incorporated community in the United States. Hurston never finished grade school, but she attended two colleges, Howard University and Barnard College. She is best known as an American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist.