Eatonville
When Joe and Janie get to Eatonville, who does Joe immediately want to talk to?
The mayor, but they don't have one yet.
What does the metaphor "He's de wind and we'se de grass" mean in context of Joe Starks?
The townspeople bend whichever way he blows– they need him and he is leading the town's growth (in a bossy way)
the color Joe paints his house
What is "white"?
Who does this quote describe: "It was a cityfied, stylish dressed man with his hat set at an angle that didn't belong in these parts."
Who is Joe Starks?
Who says "Ah wants to want him sometimes. Ah don't want him to do all de wantin'."
Who is Janie?
How much land did Captain Eaton first give to Eatonville?
What are fifty acres?
Fill in the blank: "They bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again he was all of these things because the town ________________." This is an example of chiasmus.
bowed down
How does Joe respond when Tony asks Janie to give a short speech at the store opening party? Be as specific as possible.
He interrupts and says "She's uh woman and her place is in de home."
How old is Joe Starks? Be as specific as possible.
What is "nearly 30"?
Who says "Mah fust wife never bothered me 'bout choppin' no wood nohow. She'd grab dat ax and sling chips lak uh man. You done been spoilt rotten."
Who is Logan Killicks?
What does Joe do to Henry Pitts and why?
He makes him leave town after he catches Henry Pitts with a wagon load of his ribbon cane (sugarcane)
“The morning air was like a new dress. That made her feel the apron tied around her waist. She untied it and flung it on a low branch beside the road and walked on, picking flowers and making a bouquet.”
Explain how this moment from Chapter 4 is symbolic as well as literal.
Janie is literally untying her apron and leaving Logan – and his domestic expectations for her– in search of flowers and springtime and thus love.
How does Janie like being the mayor's wife?
She feels cold and uncomfortable about it; she feels lonely and disconnected
Explain the context for this quote. Be specific. Who wants this for Janie and why?:
“She must look on herself as the bell-cow, the other women were the gang”
For the grand opening of their store, Joe tells Janie to dress up– she is meant to dress "better" than the other townswomen
Who says that the black woman "is de mule uh de world so far as Ah can see. Ah been prayin' fuh it tuh be different wid you."
Who is Janie's Grandmother or Nanny?
Who is the man who tries to flirt with Janie when she first gets to town, and later proclaims "Dat 'oman ain't so awfully pretty no how when yuh take de second look at her."
Who is Hicks?
What is the Biblical story alluded to that Tony does NOT mention in his speech at the store party?
What is the story of Isaac and Rebecca at the well?
What's the gossip about Janie's appearance at the end?
About why she keeps her hair tied up and covered
Name TWO nicknames or ways that Janie is referred to other than her real name.
What is Alphabet, LilBit, and/or Miz Starks or Mrs. Mayor?
Who says "Dis town needs some light right now."
Who is Joe Starks?
List four things Joe does for or plans to do for Eatonville.
He buys more land, opens a store, plans to open a post office, builds some roads, gets a street lamp for the town, drives from town to town to tell people about Eatonville, becomes its first mayor, wants the town to incorporate, has a town ditch dug to drain the street.
Contextualize this simile from Chapter 5. What is it describing?
"It was like seeing your sister turn into a 'gator. A familiar strangeness. You keep seeing your sister in the 'gator and the 'gator in your sister, and you'd rather not."
how Joe and Janie (especially Joe) as powerful, rich black people –i.e. of the community ("your sister")– make the townspeople feel "that they had been taken advantage of. Like things had been kept from them."
What's some town gossip about Joe Starks?
multiple answers accepted
The name of Pheoby's husband, who in Chapter 5 says "Let colored folks learn to work for what dey git lak everybody else" and defends Joe's way of leading the town
Who is Sam Watson?
Who is Pheoby Watson?