Zora neale hurston Persuasive Essay Example

away after a difficult illness. This had a profound impact on Zora and her siblings. After her mother's death, Zora moved between family members. She initially lived with her sister Sarah in Jacksonville but struggled financially, often having unpaid bills. To save money for tuition fees, she took on after-school cleaning jobs and scrubbed stairs on Saturdays. Eventually, Sarah got married and left Zora behind in Palmetto. When the school year ended, Zora's father didn't send money for her trip back home, so the school covered the expenses. Back home, Zora and her siblings were placed under the care of acquaintances and relatives of their late mother. Specifically, she went to live with her uncle Bob and his wife.
Throughout this time, she had to deal with the difficult task of managing inconsistent school attendance and consistent household chores.

Zora encountered numerous challenges but overcame them to achieve success. At sixteen, she enrolled at Morgan Academy (now Morgan University) while working as a daytime waitress and studying at night. She graduated in 1918 and later moved to Washington, D.C., where she attended Howard University and earned an associate degree in 1920. While at Howard, she joined a literary club sponsored by philosophy professor Alain Locke and Montgomery Gregory, where her first short story and poem, "John Redding Goes to Sea" and "O Night," were published in Stylus magazine. At thirty-four years old, Zora relocated to New York as the only black student studying anthropology at Barnard College. During her time in New York, she submitted two award-winning short stories, "Black Death" and "Spunk," to Opportunity magazine. It was also during this time that Zora had the chance

to meet influential figures such as Langston Hughes, Aaron Douglas, Bruce Nugent, Gwendolyn Bennett, and Wallace Thurman. With their support, Zora established Fire magazine dedicated to young black artists; however it was discontinued after just one volume. In 1927,Zora conducted an interview with a former slave which led her to publish her findings in an article titled "Cudjo's Own Story of the Last African Slaves." Most of Zora's writings revolved around black folklore from Eatonville.
After her travels to the Bahamas in 1929 and 1930, Zora's scope expanded to include the Caribbean. During this time, she collected legends and made a significant discovery: a strong connection between African American and African Caribbean folklores. With this newfound knowledge, she skillfully crafted fiction stories that beautifully depicted her childhood experiences in Eatonville. In 1930, Zora collaborated with Langston Hughes, an old acquaintance, on their play Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life. Regrettably, a dispute arose regarding credit for the play, ultimately leading to it remaining unseen.

Zora conducted research on Caribbean voodoo in Jamaica and Haiti, which formed the foundation for her book Tell My Horse in 1938. This work, along with her second to last novel Moses, Man of the Mountain, received criticism for misrepresentation. In 1942, Zora published her autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road, which was a profitable venture but failed to accurately depict her life. She envisioned an ideal world that did not align with reality. Her final novel, Seraph on the Suwannee, released in 1948, narrated the story of a white family in early twentieth-century Florida, and also faced significant criticism although her writing skills were recognized.

Zora, who lived in

a wealthy and isolated black neighborhood, failed to acknowledge racial issues despite the prevalence of racism at that time. Her privileged upbringing significantly influenced her perspective on life, contrasting with the struggles and tireless efforts of most African-Americans for their rights. Throughout her career, Hurston faced criticism for her unforgettable creations, including her failure to address racism and discrimination. Her writing style and beliefs did not align with those of her contemporaries. In 1948, she suffered a tarnished reputation due to allegations of molesting a mentally disabled ten-year-old boy; however, the charges were later dropped by the boy's parents for unknown reasons.
Furthermore, in 1950, Zora further damaged her reputation by penning an article against black suffrage in the south and accusing politicians of exploiting black voters for personal gain. Additionally, in 1954, she criticized the desegregation ruling in Brown vs.Board of Education of Topeka, Ks., expressing her belief in segregating black and white children in schools.Despite facing criticism and being labeled as a traitor,
she continued writing numerous publications that distanced herself from the black community.Zora's unconventional beliefs led her to live out her last years alone and in poverty, working as a domestic until she fell ill and eventually passed away from a stroke in 1960. Nevertheless, despite the controversy surrounding her beliefs, Zora's tremendous contributions to the Harlem Renaissance and remarkable literary works will forever be cherished. Many contemporary writers, like playwright Mari Evans, view her as an immensely influential and inspiring figure. In fact, Evans recently adapted Zora's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" into a play called "Eyes." Zora's unique perspective on life distinguished her from other African Americans of

her time but solidified her place within the Harlem Renaissance. As a result, black culture will continue to receive recognition and admiration for years to come.