Zora Neale Hurston
"Characteristics of Negro Expression"
See on-line essay
Homework Questions:
55:
-
Explain: "His very words are action words" (55).
-
Explain: "Every phase of Negro life is highly dramatized" (55).
Is this an accurate statement?
56:
-
Explain: "The white man thinks in a written language and the Negro
thinks in hieroglyphics" (56).
57:
-
According to Hurston, what are the "Negro's" 3 greatest contributions
to language?
63:
-
Explain: "While he lives and moves in the midst of a white civilization,
every thing that he touches is re-interpreted for his own use" (63).
65:
-
Explain: "An audience is a necessary part of any drama" (65).
-
Explain: "Love-making and fighting in all their branches are high
arts" (65).
67:
-
Explain: "Musically speaking, the Jook is the most important place in
America" (67).
70:
-
Explain: "Everyone seems to think that the Negro is easily imitated
when nothing is further from the truth" (70).
-
Explain: "There has been no genuine presentation of Negro songs
to white audiences" (70).
Other Discussion Questions:
58:
-
From whence, according to Hurston, does the "need to adorn" arise?
60:
-
Explain: "There is always rhythm, but it is the rhythm of segments"
(60).
61:
-
According to Hurston, how do white and black dancers differ?
-
Explain: "Negro folklore is not a thing of the past. It
is still in the making" (61).