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In traditional African life, human beings
live in a religious universe, in which nature, things, and people all have religious significance. God is the
force which flows throughout the whole universe.People do not think about time in a
vacuum but in terms of events, particularly natural events and their
rhythmic reoccurrence. Things are planned according to daily
and seasonal events, such as dawn or dusk, winter or spring.
Time is not used, but is made or created.
Assignment:
Based upon the information provided
concerning "Time and Space Conventions" as elements of
traditional African belief systems, respond to the following
questions:
- In Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
- How is time constructed through
the act of storytelling?
- What are the various constructions
in the novel in terms of the depiction of the
archetypal journey and the retelling of its events?
- How does this novel illustrate the
concept of time within traditional African belief
systems?
- How can Hurston's "style" be
discussed as a result of this analysis of time and
space?
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