There you go, Twilight fans! Don't say I never did anything for you. As you can see from the bio picture, these are women with style! Anyone who can pull off a hat with a feather is impressive in my book. But, now, speaking of books, what do you notice about Thomas's and Hurston's writing style? As you may have noticed, there is a topic involving comparing Hurston's/Thomas's style to O'Brien's's style. This is a rather broad topic, so I'll try to help narrow it down a bit.
When addressing the style of each author, you may choose to analyze the diction, or word choice, of each. (Is the word choice formal or informal? Does the author write in a way that is imagistic and poetic or rather terse and straightforward?)
Other ideas to consider: Does the author use dialect? Long or short sentences? Lots of dialogue or not so much? Is there anything else that stands out about the author's style? What sort of atmosphere, tone, or mood is each writer able to create? How are the writers similar and different in these areas? Also, what impact or effect does the author's style have on the novel? Does the style help the readers to understand the time period or culture? Does the style tend to alienate readers or draw them in to the story? Does the narrator seem to have a particular bias or philosophy that spills onto the page?
*These are questions to think about for the essay topic. For this post, feel free to stick to Hurston's/Thomas's style and we'll save O'Brien for later. (Unless you've already read both novels...in which case I now appoint you Most Impressive Person of June. Anyone?)
Angie Thomas wrote the book "The Hate U Give" in an informal tone. From Starr's point of view, the tone and style give the reader more information of the culture and time period of Starr. By writing in Starr's perspective, reader can easily make connection with Starr and better understand the culture and feeling of Starr during multiple situations. Like how there are a lot of cursing through out the book, and how Starr is very athletic. The reader also can better understand the fear and rage within Starr when Khalil dies. Dialects are used a lot to to show the culture of Starr's family, like the word "li'l girl", "Ay", "y'all", and "a'ight".(It took me some time to figure out what they were saying) The way how Starr talk more formally in public place shows that it is the time period when African Americans are not slave anymore, but still fighting are not totally equal to Whites.
ReplyDeleteThe novel The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is written in first-person point of view through the main character, Starr Carter. Starr is an African American teenage girl whose tone and style help empathizes Thomas’ purpose of the novel. Thomas wants to address the issues of racism and police violence. She does so by making her readers envision the tragic story of a teenage girl who witnesses her best friend being shot to death through her own eyes. The story continues as it is followed by her journey to fight for his justice. Starr’s point of view sets the tone, including the culture and time period that the novel is based on. The culture and setting of the novel are critical to the story because the reader needs to understand the different conflicts that are presented throughout the plot. Starr is able to give her own thoughts and opinions to the readers, which can directly tell the reader her emotions. This might make the readers feel more connected to the novel. Not to mention, the word choice that Thomas gives Starr helps the flow of the plot as settings chance. When at school, Starr speaks formally and does not use slang, but when she is speaking to her family she is informal. Overall, Thomas empathizes Starr’s experiences to create a powerful message to speak up about important issues we face today.
ReplyDeleteZora Neale Hurston's novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is a story that follows the main character, Janie - an African American woman from the deep South - through flashbacks about her marriages and her struggles throughout them. The narration is given from a third person omniscient view. Most of the story is very dialogue driven, with there being very few breaks within dialogue sections, unless it changes to a new scene or something significant happens while the characters are talking. Hurston wrote this story most certainly in an informal and straightforward way. Right from the very beginning, Hurston's use of dialect is extremely prevalent; the characters speaking in the dialect of Southern African Americans, using sounds such as "Ah" instead of "I" and not pronouncing certain consonants in words ("Should" as "Sho"). With the dialogue and examinations of Janie's emotions, the author creates an atmosphere of longing and despair. All in all, the reader can seriously tell that Hurston incorporated her own voice into the story, and that makes the novel incredibly unique.
ReplyDeleteAngie Thomas' novel The Hate U Give is written in a straightforward way to show the reader Thomas' views of society. Through the novel's main character, Starr, Thomas explains the issues that African Americans, particularly teens, still face today. A major problem that she explains through her tone is how teens have to act different depending on the people they are with. When Starr is at school, she hides her true self. She speaks formally and stays quiet because if she were her true self she would be considered a thug by her peers. When at home, Starr is still hiding a part of herself. While at home she speaks informally like all the people around her. She does not speak formally because if she does she gets out casted by that group of friends. By having Starr talk to the reader about this struggle and showing her interactions with different groups Thomas shows us how she sees societies issues.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston’s uses a very strong southern dialect. The use of this dialect helps to emphasize the setting and warm up the somewhat bleak storyline. This vernacular creates a comfortable yet troubling mood to go with the plot. But this style may alienate some readers as it can become hard to understand at points. Whereas some novels dialogue is pages upon pages of monologues, Hurston uses short sentences which makes each conversation seem more real. Though the point of view is third-person, the amount of dialogue makes the reader feel as if they are standing right next to the characters rather than watching from above.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston writes in a very informal and straightforward style. The book is also in third person omniscient view. Hurston's use of a strong southern African American dialect is extremely prevelent and is often difficult to understand. Most of the story is dialogue but there is a good amount that is not. It is usually a large section of dialogue followed by a large section of narration. The dialogue portions are written using a very strong dialect, while the narration is written in a dialed back dialect, but still in an informal tone.
ReplyDeleteIn Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, she uses an informal dialect. The dialect gives a very southern African American and early 20th century feel, which fits the story well. Hurston uses this dialect to present the novel in a very real atmosphere, so the reader feels like they are a part of the story. The dialect is also used to emphasize the setting and the storyline as a whole. Not only does it give the reader a feel as to how life was back then, it makes the novel incredibly unique.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes were Watching God, Hurston gravitates towards writing in an informal style. The novel follows the life story of Janie Crawford, and through her experiences, the reader is introduced to a variety of characters and settings. Hurston conveys to the reader these details through the use of an African American dialect. By using this device, Hurston is able to allow the reader to delve deeper into Janie's world. Each conversation between characters demonstrates the culture and society in which they lived, giving the novel a sort of uniqueness. Hurston built her protagonist's world eloquently, providing a comfortable and realistic atmosphere and a glimpse into the life of an African American woman in the early 20th century.
ReplyDeleteIn The Hate U Give, Thomas uses an informal writing style to emphasize the protagonist's internal struggle. The central issue of the novel is racism, and this is clearly illustrated by how Starr interacts with different people. When she is around family or friends in her neighborhood, we see a more relaxed side of her. Thomas does this by using slang like "Y'all" and "A'ight", and showing us Starr's inner thoughts during different situations. Even so, she sometimes speaks like this to fit in. When Starr is at school or in a business setting such as the courthouse, she is more weary of how she presents herself. She speaks formally, and worries that if she were to be more casual, she be seen in a bad light. As she grows more confident in using her voice to speak up, we see these two sides of her begin to mesh together. Thomas uses this style to show how Starr finds more a happy medium and stands up for both herself and others. In doing so, Thomas has Starr's dialogue mirror her confidence as it grows.
ReplyDeleteIn The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas writes about Starr Carter's internal and external struggles. Thomas has a unique writing style in this book. Her main character, along with everyone else in the book, speaks informally throughout. I believe Angie Thomas writes this way as a way of connecting with her readers. Thomas also throughout this book is sending a message about racism. She uses her platform to propel the issues that follow in today's world with racism. The atmosphere Thomas creates in this book is one of which is very plausible, and also very easy to relate to especially for teenagers. The last thing that is impressive about Thomas's' style is how she sets a perfect setting, slowly uses the setting and characters in her book to show a great sense of culture, and how the culture responds.
ReplyDeleteHurston’s short, straightforward sentences and Southern dialect in Their Eyes Were Watching God help shape the storyline and setting of the book by using conversations between characters instead of long monologues. The shorter conversations make the story go by faster but the dialect used is difficult to read. The dialect fits into Southern, early 20th century setting and the differences between the three men that Janie marries was shown by the way each of them speak to her. Also, the way Janie feels about each man was shown through how outspoken and comfortable with herself she becomes by her relationship with Tea Cake. In her first two marriages however, it was easy to see that Janie was longing for something more by how reserved she was when she spoke. The third person point of view in which this story was written allows the reader to believe that they are a part of the story by placing them into the setting of this book.
ReplyDeleteIn the Hate U Give, Angie Thomas writes in first person point of view from the perspective of the main character, Starr. Starr is an African American teenage girl who witnessed her friend get killed by a police officer. The use of first person helps the reader connect to the mind of a teenager trying to find an identity for herself. The reader gets to witness her feelings and moods when she deals with different situations. When Khalil is shot and killed we get to see the rage and fear that Starr has. The reader better understands what Starr is feeling and it is easier to connect with Starr because it is being told from Starr’s point of view. Thomas also uses dialect to show Starr’s lifestyle and culture.
ReplyDeleteDialect and perspective play such crucial roles when writing because they have the power to change the way a reader takes in a piece. It was clear that Angie Thomas understood the influence of these when writing “The Hate U Give” because she chose to make her novel first person point of view in a setting with distinct dialects. As a teen, I feel this book was extremely easy and enjoyable to read because we see everything through Starr’s eyes. She is young just like us and goes through a multitude of situations that are relatable to our generation. I can see how some readers would struggle throughout the novel due to its informal speech and use of slang, however, Thomas strategically wrote like that to offer an in-depth approach to the setting. As the book progressed, more emotions are revealed through Starr as her two worlds collide due to the tragic death of her childhood best friend and first love, Khalil. Because the setting of the book was in a neighborhood and time with lots of violence, readers are drawn into the action making it easy to get caught up in the story.
ReplyDeleteHurston writes her novel in first person perspective. Hurston tries to come off like the novel is going to be very interacting because of its style of dialog. She uses heavy slang all through the whole novel, which personal makes it trash. I get where she is coming from and sometimes this can work, but most of the conversation are way too heavy with accents. The reader must constantly reread the same line over and over to make sure it is clear to them. The whole book is in first person but, it is also a big flashback. This is actually Janie telling her friend of her upcoming life that Hurston explained in the beginning. This is no really brought up again which made it confusing and made me forget that this has already happened. I like the thought that this is just told as a big oral story to her friend. I also liked that even though it was hard to read Hurston didn't make to book long and boring read. She writes the novel in a normal template, with moderate lines. Hurston didn't tell the story like a poem with a descriptive imagery so it gives the reader a chance to let it all play in their head from their own perspective.
ReplyDeleteSomething that stuck out to me when I first started reading The Hate U Give was that Starr spoke to us like she was recalling a story to her friends. She did not try to make her words sound eloquent or even use more complex sentences or dramatic adjectives. She was quite informal with her speech, even throwing in the occasional curse word or slang. This made it seem much more real to me because it felt as though Starr Carter, a sixteen-year-old girl, sat down at a computer and began to tell her story. In describing her word choice, I wouldn’t say that it was overly poetic, nor did it seem like it was too straightforward. It felt just as if my friend was telling me a story through text, with personal ideas and perspectives coming through the page. Her use of dialect and slang words only adds to this idea. It also speaks loudly about the culture that Starr lives in; her casual use of the term “Black Jesus” and other phrases would tell us exactly how she lives even if she didn’t explain it to use very clearly at the beginning of the book.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel “The Hate U Give” Angie Thomas wrote the novel in an informal tense. Starr Carter, the main character and narrator, told the reader the story so that teenager could relate. She did not sound super adult like, or formal in any way. I kind of liked the way she did this, it made me want to read the novel more. I say this because it was wrote in a way where teenagers could understand, its more modern of a tone. Angie Thomas also used lots of dialect, that would really show the true story of Starr Carter and what really happened. I believe that the style of writing drew me in more to the story, almost like I was experiencing it myself. i really loved the way Angie Thomas wrote the novel “The Hate U Give.”
ReplyDeleteIn the novel “The Hate U Give” author Angie Thomas uses dialect depending on the setting of the novel. While Starr is at Williamson Prep the dialogue is much more formal. For example, Starr reminds herself that she must use “no” instead of “nah”. While in the Garden she will use slang in order to fit in with the kids that attend Garden Heights. The simple choice of informal and formal words shows how Starr hides her separate lives. Thus showing, the pressure a child can feel to fit in to one or many groups.
ReplyDeleteThe Hate U Give displays what an average teenager in a ghetto neighborhood has to go through every day. The Hate U Give is written in a style that is comparable to an average person's life and allows the reader to notice the differences and/or similarities within their life. Coming from a community where not many bad things happen, I can see the difference in life between me and the struggles of Starr in her life. When Starr goes into the police station to try to get Khalil justice, she struggles with speaking out on what happened the night he died. The loss of Khalil and the way he was killed can be relatable to some readers because they have been through that kind of death and relatable in other ways as other readers realize the blatant racism that takes place within the book and around the world everyday.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Hurston has a very noticeable southern accent during times of dialogue. It makes it informal as there is a lot of dialogue throughout, I think this adds to the novels unique feel. It really allows you to be immersed into the setting the Janie is in. This is most definitely a use of dialect. At the beginning of the book, Janie is talking to her friend and goes onto tell her life story, which is the book, but then at the end it comes full circle back to Janie talking. I really like the way this novel was written and I think the fact that it was a flashback or a re-telling really adds to this novel as a whole. I think that the southern dialect that was used, while it was hard to get into at first, allowed me to really get into this book and have it stick with me. I think it is a very realistic interpretation of how life truly was for the people in this novel.
ReplyDeleteHurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God", can quickly be described as a Southerly located book. the Southern diction and stiff accent make this book full of color and depth, adding to the richness and depth of this enticing book. with the diction comes a very informal tone full of dialect and conversation among the characters. Through slang and cultural references, I found it quite easy to formulate a setting for this novel. Keys like this make a book more enjoyable to read by adding character, individuality, and color to the story. Books that use these keys reflect the determination and passion of the author.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, "The Hate U Give", author Angie Thomas uses an informal word choice. This gives the reader a straight forward idea as to what the main character, Starr, experiences in her daily routine. Throughout the book, both Starr's internal and external struggles are displayed. Starr feels that she has to conform to those that she is around. When she is at Williamson Prep, where she goes to school, she does not use slang and tends to keep quiet. However, when she is in Garden Heights, where she lives, she hangs around with those who go to school there, so she feels like she has to use slang and act like the other teenagers do. An external struggle for Starr was shown at first when Khalil was killed by the police officer, and she didn't want to speak up as a witness, but finally decided that it is what he would have wanted. By using first person point of view, it allows the reader to see exactly what is going through Starr's mind as the story progresses. The setting in the novel is crucial, because it exemplifies Starr's actions and brings the events to life. The author uses Starr's dialect to connect with the readers and to make it easier for teenagers to understand some of the issues that exist in our country today. I think that the author had intentions of connecting with young people and spreading awareness for some of the controversial things that society currently deals with.
ReplyDeleteThe novel, "The Hate U Give", by author Angie Thomas puts on display the ongoing struggles of a African American living in Garden Heights. Throughout the book the author uses a informal style of writing. The story is communicated through first person point of view. The author's style gives us readers a better look into the life style of Starr Carter. The main problem throughout the book is racism and Starr tries to advocate for it to try and end it. This gives readers a connection because Racism is still relevant today.The way that she wrote this story gives people a way to connect and feel as if they are in the situation and having to live through it. The style of this story makes it appealing to people and makes them wanna read it.
ReplyDeleteAngie Thomas wrote "The Hate U Give" as if the main character were sitting in front of you and telling you this story herself. The tone is informal and filled with various colloquialisms and common slang and it makes the story almost an immersive experience, like a friend at school is telling me a crazy story. Thomas also creates fantastic images without breaking this casual writing style. Things like the smoke in the streets of Garden Heights or the smell of the breakfast that Starr's mom was making before they drove her to her Grand Jury trial come to mind.
ReplyDeleteAngie Thomas' "The Hate U Give" does an amazing job at painting a picture of the novel in your head by using informal writing styles. By creating this story to take place in the current times, and using slang that teenagers my age would recognize and relate to, Thomas really made a breathtaking novel that would appeal to young readers and open their eyes to the troubles young people of color are facing. Even though the lifestyle and tribulations that the main character, Starr, has to go through does not exactly parallel my life, I still found myself relating to her daily routines and experiences. It is recognizable that Thomas purposefully wrote in dialect that would attract a teenage audience. However, by using a writing style that really highlighted the main character's setting and culture, this novel is relatable to people of all ages.
ReplyDeleteThrough reading 'Their Eyes Were Watching God', I've noticed the distinct and vibrant style Hurston writes with, which brings the fictional world to whole new depths. Dialect was a prominent style displayed in the book, and it allows the reader the make assumptions of where the setting is. The thick, southern accents allowed me to understand even more than just the setting, but also the nature and time period that comes with it. Understanding all of these essential details can make understanding the book's soul purpose much easier, as the time period and location all plays a key part in uncovering the theme.
ReplyDelete