“Sweat” and Laundry Icons by Barbara Ryan Essay Example

as indications of the predominantly white world and as the foundations of her rise to power. Hurston is regarded as a hero among black female scholars, causing many to view her as a moderate (Spencer 30). Anthropology provided Hurston with a means to define and express rural experiences in a manner that would not allow them to be ignored. Guided by the ideas and methods she acquired from Boas, Hurston's writings clearly valued what anthropologists labeled as "primitive" society while also presenting an alternative to the prevailing racial movements.

Zora Neale Hurston, renowned as both a writer and a legendary figure, is well-known for her full spread print books and her association with the Harlem Renaissance. Her dressing, works, lifestyle, and the various small jobs she undertook all contribute to her reputation. Furthermore, she wrote articles expressing her opposition to the Brown vs. Board of Education case. In his book titled Zora Neale Hurston, Literary Biography, Robert Hemenway acknowledges that despite spending years and traveling extensively to gather materials, he has not managed to create a definitive biography. According to Hemenway, the task of writing such a book remains to be accomplished by a black woman (Sale 152).

Zora's writings demonstrate the same qualities of modesty that Hemenway possesses: a diligent quest for evidence, careful and prudent organization, and respectable, useful writing style. Hemenway becomes fascinated by Zora's life and her influence on her homeland, as well as comparing his own work to hers. Zora also includes what is referred to as black talk, a language that many black writers struggle to represent. Her work is often juxtaposed with Joel Chandler rather than Richard Wright. The enchantment

of Zora's writing originates from her exceptional skill in incorporating both her good fortune and past experiences.

Joanne Braxton carried out a survey in Eatonville, Florida on African-American women and their culture. Eatonville, being mostly black, was distinct from the nearby white town of Maitland. It had its own legislation and influence over the local economy. Braxton's survey is a significant asset for individuals interested in Literature, History, and Women's Studies.

Joanne Braxton argues in her presentation for a redefinition of African American memoirs, connecting women's experiences with their diaries, memories, narratives, and magazines to promote healing and feminist intellectual engagement. She examines the continuum of these works from slave narratives to contemporary life accounts and considers them alongside writings by black and white authors (Braxton et al. 4). These memoirs represent a new era of African American female autobiographers who did not have direct contact with former slaves but transformed the initial struggle for survival depicted in earlier works. The essay on African American women's literature explores both personal and historical aspects of this significant literary tradition.

The article highlights the acknowledged character of African-American women's experience and their relationships with each other. It emphasizes that their writing is rooted in the struggles and achievements of the lives they led (Braxton et al. 6). The article, written by Vivian Gornick, focuses on Zora Neale Hurston's early life. It examines her life as a complex existence, particularly in relation to her work "Their Eyes Were Watching God".

The author shares her childhood experiences in Florida, where she resided with a family of eight siblings, an unassertive mother, and a dominating father (Gornick 6). Although she was bright and rebellious,

she also possessed a powerful spirit of self-reliance that occasionally transformed into animosity when unable to express herself genuinely. Even as a young girl, she fearlessly remained true to herself, at times irking others. Regrettably, her mother passed away prematurely and her father subsequently remarried, resulting in conflicts with her stepmother within their home.

Afterwards, Zora led a self-sufficient existence. In her adulthood, Hurston pursued writing books, actively participated in politics, and made both friends and enemies through her encounters with various individuals. She persistently wrote and published articles during the period of the Harlem Renaissance (Gornick 7). A former landlady from Harlem accused her of sexually abusing a ten-year-old boy whose story had once been featured in the black press, ultimately damaging Hurston's reputation.

After being cleared of a false charge, she left New York and returned to her Florida home, where she endured a life of suffering until her death.