https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr connections to ¨Their Eyes are Watching God¨ en-us 2019-01-14 16:40:42 UTC 2019-01-18 01:18:24 UTC hello@padlet.com kyle_gervais https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320725122 This piece defines white privilege as an inevitable power accumulated over time, by white people, and then passed down from generation to generation. It states that recognizing you are benefiting from white privilege is not racist, and white people should accept it exists and use their privilege for the good of all people. An example given is to not let peers get away with saying  things that are problematic, and instead engage them in a conversation about race, hoping to change their mindset. This piece relates to ¨Their Eyes Were Watching God¨ because Janie was living in a time where white privilege was much more prominent than it is today. Janie and her third husband Tea Cake are directly affected by white privilege in this novel many times, one of these instances being when Tea Cake was harassed into cleaning up the dead bodies from the storm by white men. Another instance would be how when Janie and her second husband Joe moved into a new town, they were expecting a lively scene but instead were greeted with an extremely bland and drab place. It was not until later in the book that Joe would put the towns first street light up, when in a white town at this time I don´t think it would be too far off to assume streetlamps and maybe even power were readily accessible.]]> 2019-01-15 12:59:15 UTC https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320725122 kyle_gervais https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320725818 This poem is from a house slave´s perspective, one who most likely witnesses more pain than he or she endures. The poet speaks of the first and second horns in the morning, the sounds of backs being whipped, and the sound of their sisters voice. To drive the point of this never ending hell home, the poet states in the end of the poem that all of this is happening before daylight, and there are many more hours to go before any sort of rest. This relates directly to Janie because although she may have not been a slave, she sure felt like one in the first two relationships she had. With Logan, she was always in the house cooking him food and cleaning up, and he even told her that her place was in the house, which is why she eventually left him for Joe, who was just a little better but not by much. Joe kept Janie from accomplishing anything by herself, and made her take pride in his accomplishments, when really all she wanted was to be an independent woman. She represents a house slave because she does not have the power to go out and do things for herself unless her husband says it is okay or comes along with her, which is not what a successful or healthy relationship looks like.]]> 2019-01-15 13:01:12 UTC https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320725818 kyle_gervais https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320726254 This piece of writing tells the story of a white couple named Anne and Michael and their relationship with their black servants Luther and Mattie. Anne is a painter and Michael composes music, and they are both obsessed with African American culture, however they are not very respectful about their unhealthy infatuation. Luther and Mattie end up leaving their home after an altercation with Michael´s mother, but their leaving can also be credited with being constantly asked to sing or pose for their employers. The last painting Anne was working on was a piece called slave on the block, in which Luther was asked to pose without clothing on top of an auction block, however he left before the piece could be finished. This story connects to ¨Their Eyes Were Watching God ¨
because this was how African Americans were treated in the time period of the novel. America was at a point where it was no longer lawful to discriminate blatantly, however people still did, just in a different way. Anne and Michael described Luther by saying he looked very jungle like, but then were confused on why he and Mattie left. This piece is representative of the white class being blind to their own ignorance.]]> 2019-01-15 13:02:18 UTC https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320726254 kyle_gervais https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320726707 This article shows many statistics on how groups of African American people state they have been harassed or discriminated against. Some data I found interesting was that African Americans who make seventy five thousand dollars a year or more got discriminated against more than those who made twenty five thousand or even less. This is a shame because it shows that the more successful an African American gets, the more racial tension he or she will run into. This relates to Janie´s story because in the end when she unfortunately has to mercy kill Tea Cake, she is free to start a life and try and find success. However, this article shows that the harder Janie try´s to make something of herself, the more obstacles she will face due to the environment around her being plagued by systemic racism.]]> 2019-01-15 13:03:40 UTC https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320726707 kyle_gervais https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320727542 This video takes an in depth look at blackface and how it came to be as well as what it served to do, which was entertain. Not many people in this day and age are entertained by blackface anymore, however every now and then a story tends to pop up about some celebrity ignorantly dressing up as a black athlete or artist, so clearly blackface has had lasting effects on society. An interesting fact I learned in this video was that in order for a black performer to be successful, they had to apply blackface makeup to themselves and play into the white peoples view of their race. This was done so that white people could feel more comfortable while watching the performances. This relates to Janie´s journey because she experiences a big social separation with all the white people she encounters in the novel. All of the places she lives in all three of her marriages are populated by black people only. White people are separating themselves from black people in the novel just as they separate themselves from black people when watching them perform in blackface.]]> 2019-01-15 13:06:14 UTC https://padlet.com/kyle_gervais/zax5o7b913xr/wish/320727542