Question

Explain the significance of the line as it pertains Janie’s neighbors “ these sitters had been tongueless , earless , eyeless conveniences all day long”

Answer 1

Hurston writes that they waited to see how nature would determine their fate: “They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.” With this line, the characters recognize the lack of control they have over their own lives, and realize they can only be spared from the cruelty of nature if God sees ...

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

In Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," the line "these sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long" refers to Janie's neighbors. This statement is a metaphor for how Janie's neighbors see and treat her. They regard her as a quiet and passive object, unable to talk, listen, or see. They want her to adapt to their standards without providing her with a voice or agency.

This sentence emphasizes the novel's topic of the oppression of black women and their fight to discover their own voice and identity. Janie's neighbors exemplify the greater society's expectation that black women adhere to established gender norms and repress their individualism. Janie, on the other hand, is determined to defy expectations and live her life on her own terms.

The statement also symbolizes the novel's topic, which is the value of self-expression, self-discovery, and self-empowerment, which Janie pursues throughout the novel despite society's limits.

In short, the line is a strong metaphor that depicts Janie's social expectations and limits, as well as how her neighbors reduce her to a passive object devoid of agency and voice. It emphasizes the novel's topic of the oppression of black women and the significance of self-expression, self-discovery, and self-empowerment.