Silence

To understand how the quest for voice plays a role in Janie's life, it is also important to understand how silence plays a role. Within the first two pages of the book we are introduced to Janie, originally a mysterious figure. She walks right past the ladies sitting on Phoebe's porch, and she does so in silence. How does this silence represent Janie, and in a way, represent her search for voice. The silence we see in the first pages of the book comes to embody Janie's life. She often refused to live her life the way others wanted her to live it, originally with not wanting to marry Logan, which was Nanny's hope. Janie does the same by refusing to stop and socialize with the women on Phoebe's porch. It became a societal expectation for women to gossip together. Whether it was on the porch, or in the living room was simply a matter of the weather. The women want to know about Janie's life and why she didn't return home in her blue dress, or with Tea Cake, and rather than give in to the women, and give the material to gossip about all day Janie refuses to answer their questions. By remaining silent at this moment Janie also lets the women make assumptions. The way the women interpret her silence is completely different from how it characterizes Janie. The women jump to conclusions, many think that Tea Cake took all her money and ran off with a younger girl. This notion then leads the women to judge Janie. Many think she is too old for men like Tea Cake, and that she shouldn't be wearing overalls around town. The reality of the situation is actually much different. In the end Janie left Tea Cake because she could no longer find happiness with him in the everglades. Janie's silence not only defines her as a woman who does what she wants, but a woman who gives in to nothing. She follows no rules, or codes, rather only her heart. Some would argue her heart had led her astray, after all she is returning home alone, but Janie seems to accept this fact, and lives a life where decisions are not made with a guarantee of success, rather with a guarantee of some sort of pleasure. There is a notion that some believe you should speak only when spoken to, and there is also a belief that is better to be silent then to speak and look a fool. Neither is wrong, and neither is right, rather they are both philosophies on how one should act. In the end Janie would follow no one’s philosophies other than her own. She would speak when she wanted, to whom she wished, for any reason at all. This hardheadedness all started under the pear tree, which in reality was the start of Janie’s life.

The first time Janie let herself search for love, or pleasure, or whatever synonym you wish to call it, was when she ventured from under the pear tree to kiss Johnny Taylor. He reason for her searching was due to the events which she watched happen under the pear tree. She sat in silence, and solace, under the pear tree for as long as she could while she was younger. She didn’t ask questions, or speak, she rather let nature live its life, and she be the observer. One afternoon she observed a bee pollinating the tree, an act described in the book as a much more powerful and moving moment. By watching the bee give life to a creature so much larger than its, Janie felt as if her life had new meaning. She was no longer in search of material possessions, and rather was in search of possessions that would fill her with happiness, and joy, and excitement. In her quest to find these possessions, which is hard to say if she did, it started off sexually. She drifted from under the pear tree into the arms of Johnny Taylor. Now certainly there was no love in the kiss, or any real ambitions to follow up the kiss, it was none the less the first step in her journey for love. It followed with many men, Logan, and Jody, and lastly Tea Cake, but none the less it was a journey. The silence to which she gave her nanny after kissing Johnny came to resemble her true desires. She was silent to those who berated her actions of love, and would speak only to those in which she felt would better her in her journey. It was for this reason that she left Logan. While she didn’t respond to her grandmother, nanny took it in a much different way than Janie meant it. Nanny felt that she was truly in search of love and so, she wed her to Logan. She didn’t destroy any love, but certainly didn’t create any either. The thought at the time that for a women to succeed in life she needed a successful husband was a stereotype predating Janie’s beliefs. Her nanny wanted her to be well off, with good reason, and for this she tried to force Janie’s hand into love. Not only was nanny unsuccessful but she only strengthened Janie’s hope for true, pure love. Despite the novel being about finding voice, and love, Janie’s silence is what perhaps builds her up most as a character. It is not her words, but her lack of them that makes her who she truly is.

The Racist Scene

As the 1920’s proceeded to create a sphere of decadence around the lives of American’s, it so too blotted out the struggle seen by the minorities, and working class in America, specifically that of African American’s. The struggle for equality was for a long time, an issue in the government of the United States, but many felt that following the banning of slavery, and ratification of the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th amendments that the U.S would move into a new era. This thought of equality was only crushed when blacks were found to be constantly segregated, and mistreated. The idea of the 1920’s bringing America into the new era certainly left off the idea of equality for all. Even though women won the right to vote in the 1920’s they certainly did not become equals to men, both in the work force, and in the home. Consistent immigration also led to the discrimination of other ethnic groups such as the Italians, and Germans, who the U.S. resented following the end of the war. Throughout the 1920’s blacks were continually abused, refused rights, and forced into unfair work. 

Many people, specifically the rich felt that they should not have to work. This is seen in Gatsby when Tom talks to Daisy and Nick about how the Nordic race should rule over all. This ideal that their money would stay with them even without working for it led to the abuse of many minorities, specifically the blacks who worked for the rich. In a census in 1900 it was found that 35% of black men, and 45% of black women who didn’t work in farm labor worked for whites who made over triple their salary. This statistic is not shocking. Despite the equality found in writing blacks were still given very few opportunities by whites, this included a denial of education to children, as well as a lack of pay. These things kept blacks beneath the whites, for several years. As the blacks began to fight for total equality, the rise of terrorist groups like the KKK arose. Groups like these refused to recognize blacks as people, very much less than as equals. This denial was seen through things like Jim Crow laws in the south. 

As groups like the KKK refused to show blacks their rights, there was a major increase in violence, both towards blacks and from them. Things like unfair representation and other things began to outbreak in the U.S. In the eruption of Tulsa, “It cost the death of fifty white men; of between 150 and 200 colored men, women, and children; the destruction of $1,500,000 worth of property; the looting of many homes, and the everlasting damage to the reputation of the city of Tulsa.” (The Eruption of Tulsa Walter White) This outbreak was due to a claim by a young white woman that she was abused in a public hotel by a black man. Neither the women, nor the man were ever questioned, nor was there ever a public hearing or court appeal. This simple American idea of finding the truth and justice through a court of law was simply overlooked due to the color of one young man’s skin.

As blacks looked to find prosperity and continue to move forward in the 1920’s they often took jobs that gave unfair pay, and very little rights. Things such as being a butler, where they were on the job 24/7 without any breaks. It was found in a study that black butlers were often paid half the salary made by white butlers, and worked twice as hard. This form of inequality was most nearly the saddest and worst form of inequality in the 1920’s. As the country moved into an era of extreme wealth the black community was hoping to find some sort of escape from the poverty that had come to live with, and this form of escape was somewhat seen in the city of Harlem. But as more and more blacks began to search for employment, they were often met with unequal pay and harsh treatment. In the south these treatments were considered legal due to things like Jim Crow laws. 

Pictures

In a period where prohibition, and the law breaking of prohibition, dominated the land, the U.S. saw a huge increase in crime.  In this image your eyes are automatically drawn to the man in the foreground. He is in a suit, meaning he is obviously wealthy, he is holding 2 firearms, leading us to infer one of two things, he is either a police officer, or more likely he is a gangster. The second option is confirmed when you turn your attention to the background. In the background we see a dozen or so boxes, or cases of whiskey, most likely illegally imported from Canada and sold to eager buyers in speak easy’s. The entire picture is equally in focus, showing that each part of the picture is equally important. The man would have no business without the alcohol, and there would be no alcohol without the man’s lucrative business. The entire picture is black, which can lead to a dark or saddened mood. Some would argue this is due to alcohol being bad for you, others would say it is because this man is breaking the law. The image is a perfect example of what became known as the roaring twenties. Many young men and women began to fulfill their happiness through partying and drinking. As this happened the illegal trade and sell of alcohol became hugely popular, leading to gangs, and gangsters such as the man depicted in this image.

In the twenties, wealth, and how wealth was shown changed. Before the twenties the rich lived in exclusion, away from society in their farm houses, or secluded mansions, but as more and more rich began to flaunt their wealth scenes such as the one in the picture above became more popular. In the foreground you see the young man directing a parade of elephants, ridden by most likely the richest in the city. In the background you see the young men and women hoping to one day reach that status looking on in awe. Everything is in focus as the elephant march through downtown New York as it shows that the city was run by the rich, for the rich. The image is crazy for some, disturbing for others as it shows an incredible disparity in wealth, as the rich lived on thrones, literally, while the poor struggled every day to survive. The image further displayed the cultural beliefs of the rich in the twenties, that money should be spent, and shown off, not put in banks hidden away.

The image above is both an image of life style, but also an image of racism. As the wealthy began to grow farther and farther away from the poor, the idea of helping the poor became less and less appealing. Immigrants and specifically blacks began to be discriminated and hated upon by the leading white class. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the white family traveling in their car most likely across America, and then they travel downward to the line of African Americans, waiting in the soup line. The Foreground holds only white family which further enhances the idea of white above black, as the blacks are in the background and below the whites, very similar to how they were treated in society. The words in the picture clarify, and further enhance the idea hoped to be displayed by the photographer, that that blacks were harshly discriminated upon in the twenties. The image further shows the racist ideal that swept the country in the late twenties following the rise of hate groups like the kkk. 

To be Civil

PRO:
     “No country has ever become, or will ever become, happy through victory in war.” Gandhi. It is said that all issues could be solved peacefully. I would not argue against this claim, but I would add that not all violent wars are bad. In his piece, Civil Disobedience, Thoreau argues the fact that the government holds too much power. That it becomes self absorbed and puts itself over the rest of the country. This is seen in when Thoreau writes, "I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward." (Thoreau Page 372 lines 37-38) Through his use of inclusive diction Thoreau is able to attack the readers pathos by making himself one of them, as men, and then as subjects. This tactic is often times the most successful tactic for waging a violent but wanted war. By leaders, whether political of military, creating themselves seem an equal to their subjects they are able to emotionally connect and portray the ideals for which they are fighting. 


     This method was most successfully used in the late 2000's by George Bush and the war against terror. By making himself a U.S. citizen first and president second Bush was able to gain incredible support for the war on terror. The citizens of the US were able to find a common enemy in which a great majority of them wished to defeat in war. The end of the war on terror is not yet here, but there have been great strides in defeating terrorism. The finding and killing of Osama Bin Laden being a huge step for the US and a well celebrated moment throughout the country. Airport security as well as government agencies have limited the size and impact of terrorist attacks greatly as well as foiled a good many.
 

CON:
      "No country has ever become, or will ever become, happy through victory in war.” Gandhi. It isn't hard to see that every war ever fought has ended or involved a great tragedy for any side fighting in it. Thoreau in his piece argues that it is not necessarily about immediate fixes, but the constant struggle for a better world. This idea is displayed in the passage, "I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government."(Thoreau Page 371 lines 21-22) By his use of exclusive diction Thoreau is able to show that it is not the countries desire for no government, but that does not mean that he himself cannot strive for a better government. This idea of one person making a difference, or standing up for what they want is often seen in peace groups that riot wars in modern times.

     The idea of standing up for what you believe no matter what the majority believes is a well thought out, and often times overused statement. The idea that no war makes a country happy is often seen when protests of this kind break out. Great examples of this were riots over the Vietnam war, as well as protests in Tienanmen Square in China. As these protesters fought for peace, or for their rights to be met, they themselves showed their displeasure of their governments choices. To put it in Thoreaus words, "A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority." (Thoreau page 374 lines 160-161) The statement that no country can become happy through war is simply do to the fact that every war will upset someone. The fact that mothers will miss their children and husbands fighting the war, that soldiers will miss their comrades, all lead to the fact that someone will be upset by a war. And it is for that reason that even the smallest group must fight for what they believe in.