Journal 9: Pastiche Part II

He sat on his milky bucket, pondering the night sky. Every inch was littered with luminous stars, contrasted to the darkest sky he had seen. Blood trickled down his neglected shins and arms. "You did something incredible today." The voice shocked him, but it was impossible to tell; he had no physical reaction whatsoever. His eyes remained on a cluster of stars that shone just a little bit brighter than the others, just enough to notice a difference. "You focus to much on what they want you to be. A meaningless object infinitely below its potential." Finally he broke his gaze of the starts and focused it on the other. His eyes were polished stones. None could deceit what he was thinking or feeling. "I have no choice. A life with strings attached is far better than none at all." The other contemplated this. He made a sound point, and it wasn't for a while he was able to respond. "You and you alone know who you are. You can cut the strings if you want, you simply need to choose to do so." With that, the other left leaving him to question what he had done. Why he decided to live in another's life. Why he determined it would be beneficial to be viewed in a bright light when darkness was more comfortable. He called the other and thanked him. He had been next to him through the hottest flames and guided him back out.

The first literary element, with some examples highlighted in orange, was diction. Diction is used to create vivid imagery throughout the passage and exaggerate to some extent what actually happened (i.e. hottest flames). In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston frequently used diction for the same reason (i.e. replacing quick with slick). In addition, Hurston also used diction to add to a dynamic setting.

The second literary technique was confidant, an example highlighted in green. The unnamed character expresses his gratitude to the other, and indicated the confidant had helped him through his difficult times. In this case, the confidant is also a mentor, however in Hurston's novel the primary confidant (Pheoby) is used to verbally display Janie's thoughts.

The final literary technique used was syntax, an example highlighted in blue. Hurston used syntax, specifically simple sentences, in dialog to add to her setting and create a culture within the book and strengthen relationships between characters. In the above passage, complex sentences are used within dialog to add a level of sophistication to the characters. 

The theme used in Their Eyes Were Watching God is that those who oppress the thoughts and feelings of others also prohibit them from exploring themselves, leading to confusion and a lack of self-identity. In the pastiche above, the character is oppressed by an unnamed group, leading him to question who he is and ultimately accept the mold society has placed him in.