Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama, on January 7, 1891. Her parents had been enslaved, so after a while, they moved to Eatonville, Florida. Life was much better in Florida, she eventually enrolled at Morgan College and completed her high school studies. She was an active student and helped co-found her school’s newspaper. She then went to Barnard College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology. She dedicated herself to study black culture and traveled to places like Haiti and Jamaica to study their religions.

Her most famous work, Their Eyes were Watching God, shows how much work she put in to her research. It depicts an African American woman named Janie, who goes through 3 marriages. the book explores themes about race, gender, and identity. Her own experiences in African culture inspired and shaped Janie.

In the novel, Janie returned to her home after her third husband named, ‘Tea Cake’, died

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer”

This is a significant quote because it shows how Janie’s years of her personal journey in life can provide an answer for something that came up in an earlier year. This encapsulates the theme of the book, which is finding your personal identity.

Zora Hurston is an incredible writer who broke a norm that I think hindered the inclusiveness of writing. By making a book where the character’s dialogues are even written like how they speak in real life, she showed readers that African culture should not be excluded. Her boldness and writing skills made a book that exemplifies African culture, which is an extremely significant thing.

Zora Hurston did an extremely necessary thing in showing life through an African American woman. I think that her work was necessary, influential, and just. My reaction however is likely shared by many, and most people have positive reactions to people showing their culture.

This question is what Hurston essentially wrote for. Her works showed life through another person’s perspective, which showed that the stereotypes aren’t necessarily true.

African Americans are still stereotyped in culture today, which is an ongoing problem. They continue to face these problems in today’s culture and media.