Chapter 17 Quotes

"A great deal of the old crowd were back. But there were lots of new ones too."

Throughout the whole book there has been doubt about Tea Cake and Janie relationship. When Janie states the quote above she is talking about all the people that comments on their relationship, but now there is more than it already was in the begginning. Janie notices that the comments about their relationship are going to continue, but yet she ignores it.




"Uh person can see every place you hit her. Ah bet she never raised her hand tuh hit yuh back, neither."

One of the men thinks that Tea Cake beats on Janie. The reason I choose this quote is because it made think that if someone thinks that you beat your woman just to get her to listen, then most men did that back in the day. Also the man stated that he has to beat most of his woman as well.

Chapter 16 Quotes

"Naw, mah husband didn't had nothin' but hisself.He's easy tuh love if you mess round 'im. Ah
loves 'im."


Everyone seems to think that Tea Cake is such a bad man and Janie steadies takes up for him. Janie knows her husband well and says that he is easy to love. I think the reason she says this is because he doesn't give her any demands or complains about anything. I also think she says it's easy for her to love Tea Cake because Tea Cake is what Janie been looking for all her life, so she easily in love.

"Shucks! If dat's her notion she's barkin' up de wrong tree. Mah hands id full already."

Janie friend thinks that she is after nothing but land and money. Everyone believes that there is no way Janie relationship is love, they believe that either Janie is out after Tea Cake or Tea Cake is out after Janie. I even noticed that she recommended a certain man to go after for land which brought to my attention that if she trying to tell Janie to go after him just for land then she must look for men with lots of land, not for love.

Chapter 15 Quotes

"Don't keer how big uh lie get told, somebody kin b'lieve it!"

I believe in this quote myself because a lie can go on and on if you keep up with your lie. Most people believe anything they hear. This quote relates to the real world because a lot of people believe that lien can get you through life, and like i just said most people will believe anything that sounds good.

"Mis' Woods, Ah have often said to mah husband, Ah don't see how uh lady like Mis' Woods can stand all them common niggers round her place all de time."

In this quote Janie is basically being acknowledged for putting up with all the men that comes over after work. It's obvious that she can't deal with it but Janie can't, and also Janie actually enjoys the company because she see Tea Cake having a good time.

Chapter 14 Quotes

"Dis ain't no game fuh pennies. Po' man ain't got no buisness at de show."

In this quote Tea Cake was explaining to Janie that the dice game is not a game for poor men. You can lose all your money playing the dice game, you don't play with pennies either. I think Janie thought about playing but Tea Cake told her not to, and she didn't

"Sometimes Janie would think of the old days in the big white house and the store and laugh to herself."

Janie was thinking back to EatonVille and how she Think they would react to her new lifestyle. If they could see the clothes she is wearing and the her surroundings they would really have something to gossip about. Janie also compared her new lifestyle to EatonVill, like all the arguments on the porch and all the arguments while playing the dice game.

Chapter 13 Quotes

"Looka here, folks, Sister Woods is 'bout tuh quit her husband!"

Tea Cake shows a since of humor after Janie thinks he ran off with another woman. Tea Cake was simply going to work picking beans. The reason I choose this quote was because even though Janie thought Tea Cake was cheating he still had a since of humor even though he was being accused of cheating.

"Tea Cake, if you don't hurry up and tell me, Ah'll take and beat yo' head flat as uh dime."

I found this statement funny, which is the reason I choose it. Humor isn't really strong in this book and when I read this statement it made me laugh so it was good to see a little humor. However, Janie said this to Tea Cake because he refused to tell Janie something.

Chapter 12 Quotes

"It a shame. Done took to high heel slippers and a ten dollar hat! Looking like some young girls, always in blue because Tea Cake told her to wear it. Poor Joe Starks. Bet he turns over in his grave everyday."

I find this quote rather funny because Janie peers are jealous in my mind. Everyone thinks that when younger guys date older woman they are out for there money. Janie is be treated with fancy colored clothes and hats from Tea Cake. Most townspeople believe that the same thing that happen to Ms.Tyler.

"Ah sho hope you ain't lak uh possum-de older you gits, de less sense yuh got."

Someone thinks that Janie is making a mistake about marrying Tea Cake. She thinks that since Janie is getting older she loses sense of what is really happening, and makes stupid decisions. Nobody supports Janie in her choice to marry Tea Cake, they all think she is going to come walking down the big road with her heart broken.

Chapter 11 Quotes

"Tea Cake looked like the love thoughts of women. He could be a bee to a blossom - a pear tree blossom in the spring. He seemed to be crushing scent out of the world with his footsteps. Crushing aromatic herbs with every step he took. Spices hung about him. He was a glance from God."

In this quote Janie is expressing her feelings about Tea Cake. As I read I noticed that Janie has deep feelings for Tea Cake. The part in the quote that caught me was when she said,"He was a glance from God". When Janie mentioned that I knew she would soon try to be permanent with Tea Cake.

"Ah never have done it so fur. But as de old folks always say,Ah'm born but Ah ain't dead. No tellin' whut Ah'm liable tuh do yet"

Janie confronts Tea Cake about gambling. At this time in the book Tea Cake has not did it so far, but when he says."Ah'm born but not dead" he is saying that he has not did it but he can't say he is not going to, he doesn't know if he will gamble or not until he is dead.

Chapter 10 Quotes

"Tea Cake wasn't strange. Seemed as if she had known him all her life"

In my own mind Janie is saying that Tea Cake is a good man. Tea Cake is everything Janie ever thought or wanted in a man, which is why she feels that she known him all her life. She has been hoping and wishing for a man like Tea Cake since her first marriage. This is a strong feeling she has for Tea Cake.

"Janie Found herself Glowing inside. Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody though it was natural for her play"

Janie felt good when Tea Cake offered to teach her how to fish and hunt. No man has ever offered to do anything or teach anything to Janie. After Janie was asked she felt good inside but shocked at the same time because nobody ever asked her would she like to do something.

Chapter 9 Quotes

"Joe's funeral was the finest thing Orange County had ever seen with negro eyes."
It is Joe's funeral, and everybody has attended to pay there respects to Mayor Joe Starks. Janie is stating in the quote that Joe's funeral had to be one of the most beautiful event that Orange County Negro's had ever seen, from the Cadillac and Buick carriages to the motor hearse. They planned Joe funeral to be a great event, but at the same time it was sad to see the mayor leave.

"You wants to be keerful 'bout who you marry, Mis' Starks. Dese strange men runnin' heah tryin' tuh take advantage of yo condition."
Most of the towns woman believe that all the men are after Janie. Janie's friend try to tell her that She needs to be careful of thinking about re-marrying because every man know that Janie is having a hard time going through Joe's death, so they take advantage of her in that situation. At the moment Janie does not think about getting married again, but later on that will change.

Chapter 8 Quotes

"Why must Joe be so mad with her for making him look small when he did it to her all the time?"
This quote is saying how Joe would make Janie look as if she has no control over their relationship or anything that has to do with each other, and when Janie makes Joe look weak he gets angry. It kinda relates to tthe old saying, "here is a taste of your own medicine." You never know how what whatever your doing affects someone until you get the same treatment.

"You aint' de Jody ah ran off town wid. You'se whuts' left after he died."
Janie states once again that Joe is not the Joe she met twenty years ago. In the quote she is saying that Joe is nothing now, long time ago Joe actually meant something to Janie but now He is nothing due to his change and now his death.

Chapter 7 Quotes

"When you pull down yo' britches, you look lak de change uh life."
My assumption on this quote is that Janie is saying that Joe is rather "small" in the pants. Joe and Janie are arguing, and suddenly Janie states her insult. Joe does not find this respectful and soon hits Janie. Also, I think that this quote is saying that Joe cannot meet the standard requirement for male enhancement.

"The years took all the fight out of Janie's face."
My opinion on this quote is that Janie is aging. After all of the years Janie is getting tired of Joe holding her back from all of her friends. Janie feels trapped and held back from the world because of Joe. Janie feels that all she get is money, but she does not get what she actually wants. The quote is mainly describing how Joe is holding Janie back from life, and what she really wants.

Chapter 6 Quotes

"Every morning the world flung itself over and exposed the town to the sun."
Janie is happy in this quote. She is noticing change in the town since Joe Bought the land and everybody is participating in fixing it up. She wakes up and see joy in her, Joe, and the townspeople are doing to help the land. I think she means that the sun shines on the town, and when the sun shines it nothing but a wonderful feeling.

"Somebody got to think for woman and chillun and chicken and cow s themselves. I god, they sho don't think none theirselves."
I find this quote to be disrespectful, but I think that Joe is trying to say that woman and children cannot think right, and they are brainless and wild like cows and chicken. Joe thinks that they cannot control themselves so someone w=has to do thinking for them. However, I find the quote as an insult to woman and children.

Chapter 5 Quotes

"Ah whole heap uh talk and nobody doin' nothin'."
This quote represents Joe's disappointment when he first arrived to EatonVille. There were a lot of fixing needed and it wasn't stable in Joe's mind. However, the reason he said this was because people can brag about a town or brag about what they're goin to do, but do nothing about the issue.

"Dat 'oman ain't so awfully pretty no how when you take de second Look at her. Ah had to sorta pass by de house on de house way back and seen her good . 'Taint't nothin' to her but her' ceptin' dat long Hair"
In this quote said by one of the towns people; he is talking about Janie figure. He says that he seen her "goods" riding pass her home on the "Big Road". Now he is telling all of the men about her body. Honestly I think that this person was jealous or mad because instead of this person having Janie, Joe Starks has her.

Chapter 4 quotes

"Long before the year was up, Janie noticed that her husband had stopped talking in rhymes to her."

The narrator states that Janie is noticing that Logan is not as respectful and commenting as he was in the beginning of the relationship. Logan use to describe about how much he liked Janie and all the things he would do for her and so forth and so on, now Logan doesn't mention anything about Janie anymore. This is what the quote is meaning.

Chapter 3 Quotes

No'm, he aint even talked 'bout hittin me. He says he never mean to lay de weight uh his hand on me in malice.He chops all de wood he think Ah wants and den he totes it inside de kitchen for me. Keeps both water buckets full."
Janie is describing to her Nanny about how her first husband; Logan Killicks is being a wonderful man to her and he never hits on her or any thing. Her Nanny seems to believe that Logan is doing this but at the time he hasn't laid a hand on her.

“Dat’s how come de ole folks say dat bein’ uh fool don’t kill nobody. It jus’ make you sweat”
I find this quote rather interesting, but it was said by Janie nanny and it mean that making the worst decision or the decision you make but might not want to do it as much is not always that bad. Like the quote said being a fool doesn’t kill you: it just makes you sweat. Meaning its not going to harm you but it will put you to work!

Chapter 2 Quotes

“She was seeking confirmation of the voice and vision, and everywhere she found and acknowledged answers. A personal answer for all other creations except herself. She felt an answer seeking her, but where? When? How?”

The meaning of this quote is basically showing how Janie is trying to reach advice about marriage and other things from her surroundings. Janie finds herself confused about marriage, so she is using the environment as a hint, motivation, or relaxation to find out what it is she needs to know.

“So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don’t tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule un de world so fur as Ah can see.”

This quote is a controversy between men and woman in my thoughts. I think what is going on is that a woman says that the white man gives the black man an order and then the black man passes it to the female, and of course there is a male disagreeing with that so basically it is a big debate about how men and woman are treated.

Chapter 1 Quotes

"Shops at a distance have every man's wish on board."

I think that this quote means either two reasons, and one reason is that it could be a ship that leads to a better place or surroundings were someone can have a better life for themselves. Another reason is that the ship could be work or heading towards somewhere were work is needed with good benefits in the long run.

"Ah hears what they say 'cause they just will collect round mah porch 'cause it's on de big road."

I thinks the meaning of this quote is that Janie feels that people are going to sit around collect information, and people are going to talk a lot. However, Janie already know that they are going to collect information or rumors on the porch from what goes on on the big road.

Hopes and Dreams

As I get older and older I gain more and more hopes and dreams. I dream more and I get my hopes up each day because every day there is something new. Each day I find something different that I want to try and then later I quit. However, nothing in this world can change my hopes and dreams of going to Michigan State University and owning my own custom car shop. Since seventh grade I wanted to go to Michigan State because of their great curriculum, achievements, standards, etc. I also always wanted to be a Spartan and play for the Michigan State basketball team, but there is something else I want to do more and that is customizing cars. Customizing cars is something I find fun and interesting; I have been working on cars with my father and always enjoyed it. I think I can achieve both goals if stick to my task and stay focused. Getting excepted to Michigan State is rather easy but challenging. The reason I say it’s easy is because in my mind I know I can get into college with my grades and ACT practices, however I say it’s challenging because I’m in competition with millions of other students and the ACT is very challenging due to the practice test. As for my own car shop that is going to be a tough challenge. I will have to do different engineering classes as well as business courses so I can understand my financial awareness and the life of a car. One subject that I will have to master is Geometry in order to achieve this goal and now that I understand that I will take my geometry class more serious from now on. In all honesty getting into college is not one of my biggest worries, I feel that with my intelligence I can achieve that, but owning my own car shop will not be an easy task. I don’t want a regular corner car shop were we just do oil changes; fix tires, and change brake pads. I want a shop were we do everything from building a frame to fixing an engine and to do that it’s going to take hard work. I have researched and found information on my goal and based on what I read it is not an easy. My goal requires education, safety, specialist, and one big requirement; money! I already understand that this is going to take some time but I’m willing to take as much time needed so I can achieve my goal. I still till this hope and dream about the same two things over and over. I try to meet the standards now so as I get older it may be somewhat easier in the future. If for some reason I don’t achieve my goal for owning a car shop then I can always come back to it later on in life, and as for college; rather I want to go to college or not I’m going with the attitude I have for however many years it take to be successful.