Zora Hurston

What are the narrator's favorite books?

Her favorite books are Norse Tales and Greek, Roman tales like The Story of Hercules.

Hurston's unmistakable voice comes through clearly in this autobiography. What is her tone? Does she reveal any bitterness?

Hurston just tells things as they are. She was excited and passionate about books. She wasn't bitter about anything since she never had anything against white people. Her tone is humorous. She celebrated her experiences.

Why is Hurston's grandmother afraid of her boldness?

She is afraid that if she keeps acting so comfortable around white people one of them will hurt or kill her. Her grandmother had lived in slavery and knows about violence.

Why was Zora criticized by other African Americans?

She was criticized by other African Americans because she didn't write about her race's struggles.

What time was Zora in?

The Harlem Renaissance

Which of Hurston's comments give you particular insight into her personality? For example what do you learn from her responses to the story of David in the bible?

Hurston was more interested in being active and not having a dull moment. She only liked exciting stories.

Some other writers of the Harlem Renaissance criticized Hurston for not emphasizing the oppression of African Americans by the white establishment. Is their criticism injust? Instead of the political and social issues. What does she focus on in her autobiography.

I think the criticism is unjust because just because she is African American doesn't mean she has to talk about race. She wanted to show hope and how schooling was important.

What details show that Hurston, even as a child, responded to language and to storytelling?

When she was given her textbooks she read it from cover to cover. She loved stories and literature. She understood what she read.

What details indicate that even as a young girl Zora wanted to get away from the constraints of her small town and see the wider world?

Zora liked to get in people cars and "ride a piece of the way" so for a moment she could feel like she was leaving. She also tells us about how the village seemed dull to her and how she just couldn't see what others saw in the village. She couldn't be like the others. She also loved to read stories about adventure and faraway places.

What was the Harlem Renaissance?

a reflex of African American art

Brazenness definition

boldness

Profound definition

deeply

Caper definition

foolish prank

Avarice definition

greed

Realm definition

kingdom

The setting of a piece of literature is the time and place in which the story occurs. How would the excerpt from Dust Tracks on a Road have been different if it had taken place fifty years earlier? Fifty years later?

-If it took place 50 years earlier the Civil War would have been going on and she wouldn't have had many rights. -If it took place 50 years later she would of had a few more opportunities but there would still be segregation

Where was Zora born?

Alabama

. What do you learn from an autobiography that you probably would not learn from a biography? On the other hand, what can a biography tell you that an autobiography cannot?

An autobiography would give you more incite to that person because they can omit what they want. They can give you a direct inside view. A biography tells about a person's death and other people's perspectives on that person. It can give you a broader look.

Where was Zora raised?

Florida

Where did Zora go to college at?

New York

What is Dust Tracks on the Road about?

The story is about her childhood in an all black school in central Florida in the Early 1900's

What do the visitors send from Minnesota?

The women sent her a huge box packed with clothes and books. They also left her a 100 gold pennies before they left.

Why do you think the two visitors came to Zora's school?

They were curious to see if African American children could actually learn. It was all an experiment they wanted to check.

Who visits Hurston's school?

Two wealthy white women from Minnesota come to see how the experiment of educating the blacks was going.