In the first chapter, porches are presented as the place where people come to congregate, share stories, and express opinions. We learn in the first chapter that they are also the place where the people sitting on them can feel most natural and most human with each other. All day long they feel like “mules and brutes have occupied their skins,” leaving their skins feeling unnatural to them. At the end of the day when they sit on the porch, their skins feel “powerful and human.” The back porch of Janie’s house is where she tells her story to Pheoby.
Answer the following questions thoroughly:
Answer the following questions thoroughly:
1. What do you think is empowering to the people of Eatonville about porches and porch talk?
2. What can happen on a porch that can’t happen in other places?
3. Where do you go to feel “powerful and human,” either with others or by yourself?
3. Where do you go to feel “powerful and human,” either with others or by yourself?
Students: You must respond to one of your peers response to question #3. This should not be something such as "awesome," "wow," or " I like you response." be specific with your response of your peer you have chosen.
Assignment is DUE Saturday March 24, 2012 at 11:59pm.
Assignment is DUE Saturday March 24, 2012 at 11:59pm.
1. I guess the people of Eatonville feel empowered by sitting on the porch and having porch talk because that's the one place where they feel that they have a voice and the don't have to be something that there not. Also the people probably like it cause its just a nice community place to whine down after all the hard work they've committed to the town.
ReplyDelete2. I am not really sure what can happen on a porch that can't happen any where else , but speaking of the people of Eatonville , maybe its a place where they can think or even share ideas about farming and building with each other.
ReplyDeleteShalise,
Deleteoften times people sit on their porches to "people watch." when I was a littel girl we'd sit on the stoop as a way to stay connected with those who lived in our neighborhood. It was our way of socially networking... we did not have computers and internet then. Another reason was because we did not have air conditioning and most of the time it was much cooler outside than inside...
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Shalise.
3. Me personally , I go outside in front of my house especially at night so I can look at the stars and think about anything. Its where I feel the most calm , "powerful and human" and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteSo you're a Star gazer? I have heard that the night air is good for cleansing the soul... It's almost Magic!
DeleteSame here! I love gazing at the stars at night. They just fill me with such curiosity about what else is beyond the atmosphere of the Earth, and are just enchanting to watch as they twinkle in the twilight. If you ever get the chance to look at the stars outside of the city limits, the view is even more amazing; the site of the stars are not blocked by the glare from the city, and you can even see the bands of the milky way. Just such a wonderful sight to behold... Truely magical.
DeleteI do enjoy nature, nature can provides wonders, joys and feelings to the senses that can't be exactly duplicated. The wonders of nature like the night sky are something very relaxing, reassuring and calming.
DeleteThe sky is magic!!!!!!! It's pretty and peaceful too and the cool air is great for relaxing and thinking.Also its a nice get away from my annoying sister , but lets not get into that.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to look at the sunset personally. I just love how all the colors of the evening sky can bleed so perfectly into different shades of gold, orange, red, green, light blue, dark blue, to deeper blue. From an artist's point of view, it just goes to show you that Mother Nature is the superior paintbrush.:)
DeleteTo the people of Eatonville, the porch is more than just a place to relax after along day at work, its described as a "place of power" because its the one place at the one time of the day where they are actually free to think and feel for thgemselves without anyone telling them otherwise.For that short amount of time, they are their own bosses, free to as they please and express themselves in anyway possible, at least that's how I see it. For me, I personally have more than one place to go if I ever want to feel powerful and human: 1. In the car while either one of my parents is driving with good music playing. You'd be surprised the with the places music can take you when you're as imaginative as me.
ReplyDelete2. In art class when I'm painting, drawing or sculpting. Just a really good way to express my inner most thoughts and feelings without the use of words and terrific for channeling all of my creative energy into the real world.
3. Last, when I'm in the shower. It's amazing how warm, running water can make you reflect upon the day and yet still put you're mind at peace.:)
Kiana, Do you sing in to showere too?
DeleteWarm water rushing over you is quite soothing!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
1. As we work hard during the strong light of the day, we go through countless struggles and our bodies are pushed to sheer exhaustion. However, we relax while being accomponied with our family and friends. To the townspeople who inhabited Eatonville, the porches were where friends and family could express their love towards others, and feel empowered as they spread gossip from person to person. Basically everyone who participated in this form of relaxation, could have a voice and feel loved all at once. In additon, the porches of Eatonville were a place where anybody could relax, and everybody feels great as they take a nice nap; soaking in the twilight hours of the day.
ReplyDelete2. I personally believe that sitting on the porch allows you to become closer with your neighbors. When I sit on the porch, I see all my neighbors working in their yards, and eventually we strike conversation. We talk and share jokes, while gradually growing closer towards each other. And back in the time when Eatonville is staged, they didn't have electronics, so the porch was a way of communication. As friends talked amoung friends, the bond between them grew; something that couldn't really be done anywhere else in Eatonville (besides the porches).
ReplyDelete3. When I sit down and practice my instrument, I feel as if I'm taken over by the music and am taken to a world of everlasting joy. The thrill of expressing my thought through the tonality of the horn gives me such strengh and power, that even if I happen to be in a bad mood before practicing, I'm in a good one at the end. The feeling is like nothing else, and allows me to feel powerful and free.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not play an instrument myself, I completely understand this feeling that you get. I love to listen to music. It is something that can stimulate my mind and relax me.
DeleteMarching shows are pretty amazing especially when everything goes right, playing many musical lines that are supposed to instill awe(sometimes fear) into others is pretty amazing. It surely is an empowering feeling when your blood gets pumping and a very fun or good part is coming up.
DeleteI agree with Jada as well about listening to music, music is a force, a universal one that can stir all kinds of emotions, it is very diverse. It can empower, motivate or relax and calm someone, the power the music has transfers into you when you really listen to it. Listening to my favorite bands and songs is a pass time of mine.
I think what is most empowering to the people of Eatonville about sitting on the porch is the comfort. When you are in a place of comfort you are able to express opiions an feel prou about it. They are sitting among people who feel the same as they o, so they are able to connnect to the ifficulties they may face. Something that may happen on the porch that can't happen anywhere else is simply the expression of their true feelings. These are people that completely understand and relate to what they are going through. My own place of comfort happens to be a plce near Corpus Christi called Rockport. I go there with my granparents to fish and just relax. I feel so amaznig when i go down there because i feel like i can be however i want and there is no one there to judge me.
ReplyDeleteFeeling at peace with your self in a calm self environment where you have to worry about nothing can be incredibly enjoyable. Not being judged and not being worried about things is an amazing feeling.
Delete1. The empowering feeling the people of Eatonville have when they are porch talking comes from a sense of unity and equality. During any other time of the day, they are working and keeping the town running, the difficulty of each job varies thus it sets a minor social status for each person that defines them to some level. This is something one can use to belittle another, as we find out later in the book that Joe Starks used to do this. Mainly I think it deals with socializing, speaking to people about a subject you can all agree on or being sorrounded by those who have similar ideas and feelings towards something. It being a porch makes it a neutral ground where no one that is there participating can be put down, it isn't a kitchen or a bar where men are dominant or woman are dominant. The porch is a neutral social ground especially for a small town like Eatonville where there isn't a saloon to go after work. The porch also serves as a place to share information, you feel like you can bring in your own special bit of knowledge or have your on voice and having one's own voice is power that "porch sitters" or "porch talkers" can experience on a porch.
ReplyDelete2. Porches provide a place to socialize while relaxing, something that Eatonville doesn't seem to have. It also seems to bring a sense of equality, it provides a voice to each individual for they are all on equal ground there literally and figuratively. Being able to talk and share your ideas seems to empower people, being able to speak to neighbors and socialize seems to give people confidence in themselves. This power and confidence is something they don't seem to have when they work because they are divided which is seen in the following chapters.
3. I would actually say that I try to feel less human, to feel different, to be different when I can be different, I feel powerful being on a different "standing" than others. I don't like the norm, it makes me feel a sense of weakness being in the norm, I see this idea of being human as a lesser weakening status then an empowering one. Anyways, to feel powerful, I normally play video games, I love fantasy and worlds I wish existed. I find video games as escapes from the stress and grueling thing that is reality. I can play a video game with a skill that others don't have or begin from scratch on a new world where I get to control what happens. It is very relxing and enjoyable because I can do whatever I want and do something that I love. The control I have, the escape it provides and the different, more dynamic, exciting, magical, lack of reality that the video games I play are is what makes me feel more powerful when I play them.
I feel the same way when I play video games. It's a relaxing way to escape the world around you and go into a new one. It gives me a powerful feeling because I am in full control of something when I play video games.
DeleteEsteban,
DeleteIn regards to your response to Q#1, you mentioned "social status" I wanted to know if you felt that the kinds of conversations that took place on the porches were light-hearted or if major life changing decisions were made?
Also... I totally get how you'd rather be different! so in a way you identify with Janie in that you could care less what the expected norm is - and that you seek to be "YOU" rather than comform to the norm.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
1. I think what is empowering about "porch talk" to the people of Eatonville is an escape from their own lifes and the ability to inject themselves into other peoples lives. The people of Eatonville are held to a certain daily routine and can become bored of it, so that empowering feeling comes from escaping into a different world than their own.
ReplyDelete2. I think that sitting on a porch causes people to think deeper about what they see than they do at any other time of day or place. When people sit on their porch they are in a more relaxed state than the rest of their day, which is speeding by. Being on the porch allows you to think deeper about the things you see and the things around you.
3. When I want to feel powerful and human, I get on my roof. I get a feeling of control up there. I'm also able to see alot of the city because i live on a hill, there also is alot of undeveloped land where i live. The beauty of the sky and the trees behind me make me feel human, while the view of looking down on everybody makes me feel powerful.
Kenneth, Please be careful on that roof! I am so afraid of heights! I like looking at the horizon, you know, watching the sunset, etc. but I have to do it with my feet planted on solid ground.
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts!
1. Sitting on the porch probably feels empowering to the people of Eatonville because it's a time for them to relax and forget about they're own emotional problems and laugh at everyone elses mistakes. Though it may not be on a porch, even people in today's world enjoy a night out with their friends, to laugh at the dumb stuff people do in life.
ReplyDelete2.The great thing about sitting on the porch especially alone, is that it's a self-finding time. To just sit and watch the Earth's natural life helps you to form thoughts about the world. OF course you can just sit and think anywhere you'd like, but to do it outdoors makes it more personal with the world. My mom always tells me how when she was little she'd climb a tree in her yard, and sit there all day watching cows graze in the feilds. I love to imagine her doing that as a child because it seems so peaceful, like those would be the times a person would realize things about nature. And she really seems to love those memories.
3.To feel "powerful and human" I walk to this swing set a few streets away with a friend who lives next door. We just sit and talk about things that have happened in the past, or things we want in the future. It sounds kind of odd that talking to someone can make me feel that way, but it just makes the world seem a little less chaotic and me a little stronger. I let all the stress build up and these park days I let it all out, and it feels a little empowering because it's like I'm saying, "haha world, you can't keep me down!"
1.) what is empowering to the people of Eatonville about porches and porch talk is that they are able to be their self when they have a conversation. they dont have to act like somebody else they are able to be their true self.
ReplyDelete2.) things that can happen on a porch that cant happen anywhere else is that you are able to relax. you are able to calm down and take in the fresh air. other places you constantly have to worry about something.
3.) a place where i go to feel "Powerful and Human" is my bed with my ipod. when im in my bed listening to my ipod im able to calm down and relax and let go of my worries and feel "free".
1.)the people of Eatonville find "porch talk" empowering to them because it is the one place they can feel comfort and relaxation. They dont have to worry about what is going in their life to them it is a time where everything stops.
ReplyDelete2.)some things that can happen on porches which cant happen anywhere else is that you can relax, when I sit there looking into the plain fields hearing nothing but the birds chirping and the wind blowing it soothes my mind of all sadness, depression,and anger.
3.)a place where i go to feel "powerful and human" is my room. When im in my room i can let go of everything bottled up inside me and feel comfortable to be myself
1)the people of Eatonville feel empowered on the pourch because it its something that is part of their daily routine and i guess they always like to catch up and see whats going on around their town.
ReplyDelete2)I think that on a porch people can get to know each other easier because of the weather outside could be a perfect day for people to sit down and conversate about how things have been going with them.Which is kind of hard to do any where else.
3)I feel when I lay on my bed, put my music on and open the window to look outside to see around the neighborhood because it helps me to reflect bck on life and whats going on throughout the day.
This sounds so soothing... Music is so claming, when I have lots of things on my mind I turn music on and start "deep" cleaning the house!
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts.