TEWWG 17-20

Fissures

Cracks or breaks in a structure

havoc

great destruction or devastation

preempted

taken over

supplication

to ask for something in prayer

justifiable

to be free from blame

delirium

a high fever

joist

supporting beams

Why does Motor Boat stay in the abandoned house?

Because he is tired and doesn't want to continue any further

How does Tea Cake save Janie from the dog? What happens as a result?

Pulling the dog into the water and trying to stab him; the dog bit Tea Cake

bolted

fled

fracas

riot or fight

What do we learn about Tea Cake's bite?

The dog that bit him had rabies.

contended

To hold to be a fact

stolid

showing little sensitivity

What happened in Mrs. Turner's cafe? Do you think it was an accident or something more?

A fight broke out and the majority of the cafe was destroyed No, because I think they did go to her cafe on purpose and they weren't as sorry as they came across.

Why are the men jealous of the way Tea Cake beat Janie? Analyze your thoughts about the men's idea about how to treat a woman.

Because they know that if they even tried to do the same thing to their wives, they would beat them up just as much. They wanted to have power over their wives.

How has Janie's perspective of life and love changed from the beginning of the story?

By the end of the novel, Janie is able to make appropriate decisions based upon what she needs. She becomes a free, independent woman, who is able to look back upon her mistakes and has learned from them.

What do you think Janie means by "Ah was fumblin' round and God opened de door"?

God stepped into Janie's life and brought Tea Cake to her. He let her finally experience the love that she had also wanted.

What reasons does Tea Cake give Lias for not leaving?

He didn't want to leave because the money was really good at the time. He didn't want the others to get it and him to miss out

At least twice in this chapter, Janie refers to Tea Cake as "the son of Evening Sun" This allusion may be referring to a popular blues song called "St Louis Blues" or the short story "That Evening Sun" in which the black protagonist fears that her husband is going to kill her in her sleep once the sun goes down because she is pregnant with a white man's baby. Which do you think is more plausible? Or is it a combination of the two?

He gave her the horizon, night light in her life, he came to see her at night/evening.

What do you think will happen next? Will Janie marry again? Why or why not?

I don't think Janie will marry again because she is finally at peace with herself. She had experienced what love is, so she is satisfied with herself.

How does Tea Cake's personality change once he begins feeling sick?

It goes from easy-going to suspicious, non-trusting, forgetful, and uneasy

What do you think Janie means when she says:" Once upon a time, Ah never 'spected nothing', Tea Cake, but bein' dead from the standin' still and tryin' tuh laugh"?

Janie meant that she spent her whole life trying to seek out what she really wanted. She was tired trying to please all of the men in her life. She never expected that she would experience that joy and happiness she had when she was with Tea Cake.

What does Janie mean when she says "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"?

Janie urges her friend to tell them love is not a single constant thing, but it is like the sea, shaped by the shores it meets.

What is the jury's verdict? How long does it take them to make their decision? Why is this amount of time important?

Not guilty; 5 minutes; it is clear that they don't believe that she is a cold-blooded killer

What makes Tea Cake finally "snap"? What happens as a result?

Tea Cake becomes increasingly and unaccountably jealous when Janie is out of his sight. Tea Cake becomes deranged and pulls a gun on his wife

The "Jim Crow Law" is the law that separated whites from blacks in the US. Under the Jim Crow Laws, schools and other public facilities were segragated. What do you think Tea Cake means when he says "look lak dey think God don't know nothin' 'bout de Jim Crow law"?

Tea Cake suggests that because the segregating Jim Crow law does not exist in heaven, the authorities feel they need to help God recognize who is black and who is white by providing outward signs.

Why does Janie decide to leave the muck? What does she bring back with her? Why?

The Everglades remind her too much of Tea Cake. Janie sells everything in her home except a little packet of seeds, which remind her of Tea Cake. She plans on planting these seeds when she arrives home.

Describe Janie's perspective of the people in the courtroom

The white people in the jury don't know what happened, the judge is a stern white man. The black people are in the back all trying to kill with their words for killing Tea Cake. They are upset.

How are the whites buried? How is this different from the blacks? How do they decide to distinguish between the dead?

The whites are buried in the white cemetery in a wooden coffin, the blacks are thrown into a large pit in the black cemetery They looked at the person's hair.

Finally, the title of the novel appears: "They seemed to be staring at the dusk, but their eyes were watching God.' What does this mean in the immediate sense of the hurricane? What does it mean in the larger sense of the book's themes?

They are laying still, looking to God to see what He will do they are looking to see what God will do and how it will affect their lives

What does the author mean by "Six eyes were questioning God?"

They didn't know who to ask about what was happening to them. There are six eyes watching God. Janie, Tea Cake and Motor Boat all watching to see what would happen to them. Asking God what he had planned.

How do the Tea Cake, Janie, and the others who stayed pass the time waiting for the weather to turn?

They sat around talking, boosting each other's courage; they ate, made jokes, sang songs, danced, slept, and played dice

Where are the Seminoles going? Why?

To higher ground; they paid attention to the signs in nature telling them that a hurricane is coming

What is your reaction to Tea Cake whipping Janie to reassure him in "possession"?

To reassure himself that he still has Janie; shock It is still abuse and it was unfortunately how that way things were back then.

pressed

forced into duty

fetid

having a bad smell

oblique

slanting or at an angle

commenced

to begin