1. "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others, they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is life of men" (1).

  2. "Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore" (191).

  3. "So she sat on the porch and watched the moon rise. Soon its amber fluid was drenching the earth, and quenching the thirst of the day" (99).

  4. "It is so easy to be hopeful in the day time when you can see the things you wish on. But it was night, it stayed night. Night was striding across nothingness with the whole round world in his hands" (158).

  5. "She has waited all her life for something, and it had killed her when it found her" (120).

^This song was chosen to represent life in the South. It also represents Janie and her overall life journey.

  1. Hurston starts her novel this way to contrast the lives of men and women. In this passage she tells the reader that men do not venture out to their dreams or “ships”, but rather wait for them to arrive. The next passage tells the reader that women have self-control and are willing to chase their dreams. This quotation possibly foreshadows events to come in the novel by hinting to the reader that the novel’s protagonist, Janie, will not conform to the time’s social standards, but try to achieve her dreams despite facing racial injustice in the South. The “Watcher” in this passage is God and “Time” is personified to show the reader that over time men still do not follow their dreams. Will Janie succeed at catching her “ship” and achieving her dream?

2. This quotation is used near the end of the novel, where Hurston's character, Janie, finds herself and can identify with herself and her life journey and experiences. Hurston uses the simile "love is lak de sea" (191) to show that love has endless possibilities and to show the reader that like the sea, one's comprehension of what love is can be vast or deep in thought. Hurston personifies love by saying "it's uh movin' thing" and that "it takes its shape from de shore it meets". Using personification makes the love feel real to us; it makes us feel that we can relate and that we can have this kind of true love too. It gives us a sense of closeness to the novel. I interpret this quotation with the statement that love is different to everyone. There is no true definition of love; it is whatever you want it to be. Love does not care about your past, your wealth, your color, or even your mistakes. Love is here to fit your mold- no matter how crooked or straight that mold may be. I think that this quotation sums up the key themes in the novel: faith and dreaming. Janie's dream, true love, was a dream that she accomplished through faith. Her eyes were watching God, and she believed in Him that her dream might come true. We as readers watch Janie develop over time; we see her hardships and experiences that got her to where she is today. This quotation not only symbolizes love, but the change, growth, and experience that come along with it. What does the shore symbolize? When does love stop spreading or moving? The shore could symbolize love’s true match. No matter whom it is or what it is, love has no eyes. Love can only see the heart.

3. Hurston uses many examples of symbolism in this quotation. The "amber fluid" could be the tea, as tea is a brownish color. Janie herself can be the fluid. As Tea Cake "[quenches] the thirst" (99), that desire for love and a love-filled relationship for Janie. The imagery of the sunset and the moonrise makes the reader associate the meaning of Hurston's words with being beautiful, magnificent, and as vital as a new day. Do you think it is significant that Janie was sitting on the porch during this quotation? When Hurston says "quenching the thirst of the day" (99) I believe it means that Tea Cake satisfies Janie's need for true love and equality.

4. Night is personified in the quotation, giving it a sense of realness and a sense of authority. This quotation means that the daytime gives us security because we can see our dreams and we have nothing to be afraid of, but at night we do not have control of our dreams; we have to leave them up to the night. The comparison between light and day gives the reader a clear understanding of the opposition of feelings. Hurston’s word choice- "striding"- shows that the night was comfortable with our uneasiness. In Janie's case, Janie saw her dream-Tea Cake- everyday. At night when Tea Cake went off with her, Janie felt vulnerable. What could the night symbolize? I think that the night could symbolize vulnerability, evil, doubt, or fear. The night seems to pull you farther away from your dreams.

 5. This quotation explains the biggest fear of Janie's. That "something" is the dream of Annie Tyler's and because it is personified in the quotation--"it had killed her" (12) -- the reader understands that the dream was a living, breathing thing to Annie Tyler and like all living things, it could kill. Hurston reminds the reader that not everything turns out the way they are expected to turn out. The quotation also says that the "[dream] found her", not that she achieved her goal. This is significant because it shows that a dream chooses its dreamer. Dreams are more powerful than ourselves. This quotation proposes one question: Can our dreams lead to our downfall? This is ironic because Annie's story narrows to Janie's story. Could this foreshadow events to come?