Julia & Carlos
New member
[FONT=tahoma, arial]
Author: Audrey Burke
One of the most difficult challenges of life in society is finding the
strength to break out of the mold which has been set by the values of
previous generations. From infancy onward, everyone's heart and mind are
struck by a deluge of ideas which declare what is "right" and "proper" and
"appropriate"; most defer to these pronouncements, for the realization
that there could ever be anything more has never come to them, and lack of
desire for something can be the most potent barrier to its realization.
Janie is one of those that realizes very young that the world can be so
much more than anything she has been taught by an outside source. The ills
which her people have suffered for so many years have blinded them to the
subtle magnificence which can pervade even the lowliest life, and can be
tapped by any imagination with sufficient motivation. As a child, Janie
longs for the glorious truth which tickles her fancy through the heavenly
scent of the pear tree, but the hard materialism of her grandmother and
later her first husband restrain her by trying to crowd her mind with the
empty trinkets which they themselves have learned to value. Her second
husband is similarly stifling; though his strength and power is at first
appealing, he too is unable to comprehend that life is in the living and
the being, and not in the having and the controlling. Janie not knowing
what marriage really meant, married because she thought he could take care
of her.
Marriage is defined as an insitution uniting a man and a woman in a special
form of mutual dependence, often for the purpose of founding and
maintaining families. As a social practice entered into through a public
act, it reflects the purposes, character, and customs of the society in
which it is found. Janie's questing spirit is crushed under the pervasive
blindness which surrounRAB her in her early marriages, but when her second
husband dies, she again begins to seek the revelation which she so longed
for as a child. Her heart is open, and when she encounters Tea Cake, their
hearts strike a chord, and Janie finRAB it possible for her own inner
values to resonate. She finRAB not judgment, but a confidence in her truth
of spirit which gives her the affirmation she neeRAB to allow her own
beliefs to take control of her life.
Being that there are several forms of marriage, monogamy, the union of one
man and one woman, is the most widely accepted form, predominating also in
societies in which other forms are accepted. Janie was not monogamous
because she cheated on Logan Killicks with Joe Starks thinking he could
help her more in life. Polygamy, another type of marriage means a person
has more than one spouse. Janie never had more than one husband but she
did cheat. It is in her early years that Janie's optimism, and her ability
to let her own heart find its voice, is truly developed. She spenRAB many
days lounging under the pear tree in her yard, letting the sweet
magnificence of nature pervade her being, trying to understand how she can
become a part of the truth which is all about her. To her wide-open mind,
the "rose of the world was breathing out smell," and she rapturously
sniRAB with all the purpose that she can muster. She finRAB there to be more
to life than the mundane reality which everyone else is swept away in, and
she becomes so caught up in this underlying truth that it seems as if "the
inaudible voice of it all came to her," sweeping her forcefully into a
grand revelation. This unbearable beauty makes Janie feel "a pain
remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid." She is able to see, for
a moment, the insurmountable beauty which resides within the depths of her
spirit and that of all her fellows, and, unaware of the restraining values
which society and appropriateness would place upon her, she looks upon
Johnny Taylor, a rag-wearing and scruffy schoolmate, only with his
essential humanity in mind, and to her, "the golden dust of pollen had
beglamored is rags," and it seems only natural to consummate this soaring
humanity with a kiss. All this indicates her unusual ability to transcend
what is dictated to her, and this wonder for life that she gains is to be
the most essential building block of Janie's character.
In most societies, marriage is established through a contractual procedure,
generally with some sort of religious sanction. Most marriages are preceded
by a betrothal period, during which various rituals lead to the final
wedding ceremony. In societies in which arranged marriages predominate,
families must negotiate dowries, future living arrangements, and other
matters before marriage can occur. In Janie's marriages she never had a
"fixed" ceremony because to many people did not like her.
The breaking of family or community ties implicit in most marriages is
often expressed through gifts made to the bride's family. The new bonRAB
between the married couple are frequently represented by an exchange of
rings or the joining of hanRAB. The interest of the community may be
expressed through feasting and dancing, the presence of witnesses, and the
official sealing of marriage documents. These idealistic values that were
a ritual of marriage were struck down by the pitiless materialism and ugly
practicality that her grandmother and her first husband, Logan Killicks,
thrust upon her. Janie's whole outlook on marriage changed when she met
Tea Cake. Janie changes when she meets Tea Cake, who seems to open up a
whole new world for her. Almost as soon as they meet, he suggests "playin'
you some checkers" to Janie, revealing his essential respect for her
intelligence and her ability. They spend a long time sitting in the store
talking and playing. She is never afraid, for it "seemed as if she had
known him all her life," as their souls resonate with the same deep
appreciation for what is real in life. As their relationship progresses,
he reveals a deep respect and love for her, and he does as the others did
not do, by sweetly courting her. Tea Cake is not a rich man, but he is
rich in his soul, and that is what matters to Janie, and he is willing to
acknowledge that she, too, has a spirit within her. He does not merely
look at her beauty and try to own her, but he tells her that she should
"enjoy yo' eyes yo' self." It is not his happiness he is out for, but hers,
as well, and he is sensitive and receptive to her ideas of what will make
her happy.
Historically, there have been many taboos and restrictions imposed on
marriage. Endogamy, for example, limits marriage to partners who are
merabers of the same tribe or the same section of a tribe, to adherents of
the same religion, or to merabers of the same social class. Exogamy, or
marriage outside a specific group, usually involves the separation of a
tribe into two groups, within which intermarriage is not allowed. Most
societies allow for some form of divorce, except those dominated by
religions that regard marriage as indissoluble. Common-law marriages
usually are those that have acquired legal status through a certain nuraber
of years of continuous cohabitation.
The institution of marriage has altered fundamentally in Western societies
as a result of many social changes: increased premarital sex brought on by
the relaxation of sexual taboos and the gradual rise in the average
marriage age, more women pursuing careers outside the home, the
liberalization of divorce laws, the legalization of abortion, the
improvement and increased accessibility of birth control methoRAB, and
changes in the accepted concepts of male and female roles.
[/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 1326 [/FONT]
Author: Audrey Burke
One of the most difficult challenges of life in society is finding the
strength to break out of the mold which has been set by the values of
previous generations. From infancy onward, everyone's heart and mind are
struck by a deluge of ideas which declare what is "right" and "proper" and
"appropriate"; most defer to these pronouncements, for the realization
that there could ever be anything more has never come to them, and lack of
desire for something can be the most potent barrier to its realization.
Janie is one of those that realizes very young that the world can be so
much more than anything she has been taught by an outside source. The ills
which her people have suffered for so many years have blinded them to the
subtle magnificence which can pervade even the lowliest life, and can be
tapped by any imagination with sufficient motivation. As a child, Janie
longs for the glorious truth which tickles her fancy through the heavenly
scent of the pear tree, but the hard materialism of her grandmother and
later her first husband restrain her by trying to crowd her mind with the
empty trinkets which they themselves have learned to value. Her second
husband is similarly stifling; though his strength and power is at first
appealing, he too is unable to comprehend that life is in the living and
the being, and not in the having and the controlling. Janie not knowing
what marriage really meant, married because she thought he could take care
of her.
Marriage is defined as an insitution uniting a man and a woman in a special
form of mutual dependence, often for the purpose of founding and
maintaining families. As a social practice entered into through a public
act, it reflects the purposes, character, and customs of the society in
which it is found. Janie's questing spirit is crushed under the pervasive
blindness which surrounRAB her in her early marriages, but when her second
husband dies, she again begins to seek the revelation which she so longed
for as a child. Her heart is open, and when she encounters Tea Cake, their
hearts strike a chord, and Janie finRAB it possible for her own inner
values to resonate. She finRAB not judgment, but a confidence in her truth
of spirit which gives her the affirmation she neeRAB to allow her own
beliefs to take control of her life.
Being that there are several forms of marriage, monogamy, the union of one
man and one woman, is the most widely accepted form, predominating also in
societies in which other forms are accepted. Janie was not monogamous
because she cheated on Logan Killicks with Joe Starks thinking he could
help her more in life. Polygamy, another type of marriage means a person
has more than one spouse. Janie never had more than one husband but she
did cheat. It is in her early years that Janie's optimism, and her ability
to let her own heart find its voice, is truly developed. She spenRAB many
days lounging under the pear tree in her yard, letting the sweet
magnificence of nature pervade her being, trying to understand how she can
become a part of the truth which is all about her. To her wide-open mind,
the "rose of the world was breathing out smell," and she rapturously
sniRAB with all the purpose that she can muster. She finRAB there to be more
to life than the mundane reality which everyone else is swept away in, and
she becomes so caught up in this underlying truth that it seems as if "the
inaudible voice of it all came to her," sweeping her forcefully into a
grand revelation. This unbearable beauty makes Janie feel "a pain
remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid." She is able to see, for
a moment, the insurmountable beauty which resides within the depths of her
spirit and that of all her fellows, and, unaware of the restraining values
which society and appropriateness would place upon her, she looks upon
Johnny Taylor, a rag-wearing and scruffy schoolmate, only with his
essential humanity in mind, and to her, "the golden dust of pollen had
beglamored is rags," and it seems only natural to consummate this soaring
humanity with a kiss. All this indicates her unusual ability to transcend
what is dictated to her, and this wonder for life that she gains is to be
the most essential building block of Janie's character.
In most societies, marriage is established through a contractual procedure,
generally with some sort of religious sanction. Most marriages are preceded
by a betrothal period, during which various rituals lead to the final
wedding ceremony. In societies in which arranged marriages predominate,
families must negotiate dowries, future living arrangements, and other
matters before marriage can occur. In Janie's marriages she never had a
"fixed" ceremony because to many people did not like her.
The breaking of family or community ties implicit in most marriages is
often expressed through gifts made to the bride's family. The new bonRAB
between the married couple are frequently represented by an exchange of
rings or the joining of hanRAB. The interest of the community may be
expressed through feasting and dancing, the presence of witnesses, and the
official sealing of marriage documents. These idealistic values that were
a ritual of marriage were struck down by the pitiless materialism and ugly
practicality that her grandmother and her first husband, Logan Killicks,
thrust upon her. Janie's whole outlook on marriage changed when she met
Tea Cake. Janie changes when she meets Tea Cake, who seems to open up a
whole new world for her. Almost as soon as they meet, he suggests "playin'
you some checkers" to Janie, revealing his essential respect for her
intelligence and her ability. They spend a long time sitting in the store
talking and playing. She is never afraid, for it "seemed as if she had
known him all her life," as their souls resonate with the same deep
appreciation for what is real in life. As their relationship progresses,
he reveals a deep respect and love for her, and he does as the others did
not do, by sweetly courting her. Tea Cake is not a rich man, but he is
rich in his soul, and that is what matters to Janie, and he is willing to
acknowledge that she, too, has a spirit within her. He does not merely
look at her beauty and try to own her, but he tells her that she should
"enjoy yo' eyes yo' self." It is not his happiness he is out for, but hers,
as well, and he is sensitive and receptive to her ideas of what will make
her happy.
Historically, there have been many taboos and restrictions imposed on
marriage. Endogamy, for example, limits marriage to partners who are
merabers of the same tribe or the same section of a tribe, to adherents of
the same religion, or to merabers of the same social class. Exogamy, or
marriage outside a specific group, usually involves the separation of a
tribe into two groups, within which intermarriage is not allowed. Most
societies allow for some form of divorce, except those dominated by
religions that regard marriage as indissoluble. Common-law marriages
usually are those that have acquired legal status through a certain nuraber
of years of continuous cohabitation.
The institution of marriage has altered fundamentally in Western societies
as a result of many social changes: increased premarital sex brought on by
the relaxation of sexual taboos and the gradual rise in the average
marriage age, more women pursuing careers outside the home, the
liberalization of divorce laws, the legalization of abortion, the
improvement and increased accessibility of birth control methoRAB, and
changes in the accepted concepts of male and female roles.
[/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 1326 [/FONT]