Hurston and O'Brien both explore the notions of illusions and dreams vs. reality, which begs the question: what is the purpose of dreaming and imagination in life? Where does Maya's story fit into this theme? Does the word "dreamer" have a negative or positive connotation to you? Can using one's imagination or vision make reality better? What happens when there is a huge disparity between the dream and the reality? Can one dream too much? Not enough? What are the consequences of each?
Discuss dreams in the novel you're reading. How closely matched to reality are they? Do dreams help or impede Janie's or Maya's life progress?
This blog post will relate to “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
ReplyDeleteMaya’s dreams in this novel are not matched to reality. 2 of her dreams throughout this novel are for freedom and for working as something that only whites have done in the past as a job. For the time period she is dealing with as well as the area, her dreams do not seem well matched to reality. Growing up in Stamps, Arkansas, segregation is very prominent and does not change at all throughout the book. Wherever she goes, whether she is living with her mother, father, or Momma, she is constantly faced with oppression and racism. This shows that her dream of freedom does not match to reality because of society’s racist ideals and thoughts. She also is determined to secure a job that only whites have done before. Although this dream does eventually become a success, it does not match up to reality because segregation is openly practiced in companies, and sometimes she is not even given an application. Even though she does get the job, her dream of freedom from segregation is still not attainable by the end of the novel.
This blog post will relate to “The Things They Carried.”
ReplyDeleteTim O’Brien’s dreams in this novel do not match up to reality. His dreams in this novel are him bringing the dead to life through stories. He dreams by remembering the dead; especially Linda, Kiowa, Ted Lavender, and Norman Bowker. As a child, he lost a girlfriend to a brain tumor, and to the day he finishes writing the book dreams her back to life to help with decisions and situations. He also remembers friends who died in the war or in the aftermath of emotions. These dreams do not match up with reality because the dead will never come back to life, and dreaming of them only will upset the dreamer. Although being a dreamer does have a positive connotation to me, you have to keep the dreams from creating expectations that will eventually disappoint the dreamer in question. O’Brien’s dreams did not keep him too far from reality, though, because the people he dreamt up to help him with decisions would only say what his subconscious was saying in the first place.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God Janies dreams of finding love impede her for most (but not all) of her life. The search or dream of love drove Janie out of her marriage with Logan and into a marrige with Joe. The hunt for love kept her with Joe even though she didn't love him, shown when she had to fake grief at his funral. Janie's search for love made he go into situations that she hated and thats what evetually lead her to Tea Cake where she finally realized her dream of love has come true. So for Janie her dream made her life worse until it came true via Tea Cake.
ReplyDeleteApplying one’s imagination or vision to reality can be amazing, yet scary. In Maya Angelou’s case, it was amazing. She worked as hard as she could and finally accomplished her goals, being the first black streetcar conductor, and making history in the process. However, we have not touched the dark side. In another book I have previously read (“Inferno” by Dan Brown. Historical Fiction. Spoilers up ahead!), that side is portrayed. In “Inferno”, it is the current day. Nothing has changed, even its 7 billion inhabitants. However, Bertrand Zobrist, fears overpopulation and our impending doom due to lack of resources. To combat this, he has a vision. That vision is to slow the human reproduction rates from exponential to something more reasonable. Because Zobrist is not getting any cooperation from the World Health Organization (WHO), Zobrist takes it upon himself to “save the human race”. He genetically engineers a virus that has no symptoms and activates randomly to sterilize one-third of the world’s population at any given time. It is also resistant to all known medicine, and all 7 billion people now carry it as a part of their DNA, because of the change the virus made, so it is hereditary. Because it has no symptoms, no one even knows that they are infected. So, just like any other invention or idea, it can be used for both good and evil.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one of the purposes of dreaming and having an imagination in life is that it gives us a break from reality; it gives us hope for a different outcome. In, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya has a few dreams. One of the dreams is to be a worker on the streetcar, which she does eventually accomplish. Another was to forget everything having to do with Mr. Freeman. She also dreamed of freedom from segregation. Lastly, she imagines she was white and prettier. To me, the word dreamer has a positive connotation. A dreamer, someone who has bigger hopes for life. I think that one's imagination or vision can make reality better. For instance, where would we be without all the inventors that have invented the things that we take for granted from the light bulb to the computer. All of these things started with a dream or an imagination. Without Maya's dreams, she never would have been hired as a streetcar worker and then gone on to become the person she became inspiring people all across the world. While I do believe that one can get caught up in unrealistic dreams and lose touch with reality, I also feel that one can never dream enough. Without our dreams and visions we would not be where we are today as individuals. Our dreams and visions can become our goals in life and what we strive to achieve.
ReplyDeleteThis comment is about the book “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
ReplyDeleteOften the reason people dream is to think of what potential they could have rather than their current situation. Dreams can be used as an escape mechanism. The word dreamer has both a positive and negative connotation. The positive dreamer describes a person that is striving to improve their situation; however it can also be negative if someone is over indulgent in a fantasy world that could never exist. Using one’s imagination or vision can also turn those dreams into reality by working hard and applying oneself. When there is a huge disparity between a dream and reality people often become discouraged and stop trying because their goals are too far away from them. All they need to do is make smaller or easier goals to achieve, and eventually they will reach the big goal. I think that you can definitely dream too much. If you are spending more time dreaming about what things could be, and not on what reality is, your dreams may not come true. However, if you don’t dream enough then you aren’t going to improve your current situation. Janie dreams of a loving relationship in which both people are happy and even though she had several bad relationships, she ends up achieving her dream; being with a man like Tea Cake.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteI believe that dreamers are the best type of people. They look to the future with goals of making themselves and society better. They take time to distance themselves from the world and to think about how to change themselves by looking into their dreams. They are the optimists of this world and they move us forward. Without the dreamers questioning the ideals and knowledge that society has we would never move forward. The likes of Columbus, MLK, Galileo, and Einstien were dreamers and their contributions to the world are huge and will be remembered forever. Maya is one of those dreamers also. She pushes forward with her dream of being the first black female streetcar conductor. She has dreams and follows them and changes the way people view her and later in life how the world views women and black people.
I Know The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteThe word "dreamer" has no negative connotation at all in my mind. To be called a "dreamer" would be quite flattering. Just like what Steven Waganfeald said above about "The likes of Columbus, MLK, Galileo, and Einstein were dreamers...". "dreamers" shape the world and create life the way we know it. To be a "dreamer" is to be the best that society has to offer. Maya ranks on the top of that list of "dreamers" She persevered through a very tough time in our nations history, not only African but a woman as well! Now she is one of the most famous authors in the world. It is a shame that she is gone but she will never be forgotten and will always be remembered as a "dreamer".
Although I see the truth in what Nikolas has said about a "dreamer" having a positive connotation; I do think they're negative undertones as well. Dreaming, such as Maya's dream to be a young beautiful Caucasian child, can be unrealistic. When a dream becomes unrealistic, it shields us from the reality in which we live. I believe, we are to accept the life we are given, and make the best of it. By creating an illusion of who you would rather be, I don't believe one appreciates the values held inside themselves. That is not to say that some dreams are not realistic, such as Maya's dream to be a streetcar driver. In her instance, she accomplished her dream, and proved to be just as capable as others. Dreaming can be a positive attribute if one is willing to do all things possible to achieve the dream. However, in life some only dream for the change they wish to see. Without acting upon the idea, nothing can happen; and the dreams just become a impetus. Now, this may sound as if I have a pessimistic look on life; this is quite the contrary. I believe that dreamers are our future, within reason. Dreams need to attainable, and the person dreaming must be willing.
DeleteI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteThe word "dreamer" is definitely a positive connotation to me. I believe that there is no such thing as dreaming too much! Where would we be now if dreaming was a bad thing? I agree with Steven when he says that dreamers are the optimists that move this world forward- meaning that without dreamers we would be stuck in the same place we were a thousand years ago! Without people thinking of ways to push us forward and improve both themselves and the world, we would be absolutely no where. Maya is a huge dreamer and a huge inspiration to others. She knew exactly what she wanted and chased that dream, making a huge difference for women, African Americans, and other people who realized that if you put your mind to it, you can do it. Maya is definitely a dreamer, and is definitely a success and inspiration to many people.
Dreaming in life allows you to have a purpose and strive for something. It gives life a point and makes it a challenge. Without dreams and imagination, the world would be a very boring and miserable place. The word "dreamer" has a positive connotation to me. When dreams are put into action they can change our everyday lives. No one can dream too much because dreams are important to keep people going toward a goal. Dreaming big has contributed to shaping reality. Maya has many dreams as a child about her life and the lives of her African American community. She longs for equality and success for her eighth grade graduating class, she wishes Momma would get treated with more respect, and most of all she wants to do something special with her own life. She has dreams but also recognizes reality and she knows how the world around her works. Eventually her dreams win out and she leads an extraordinary life.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post pertains to "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of dreaming in life despite the let-downs of reality is to have something to hold on to in life. Dreams expedite the human mind's desire to achieve. Therefore, Maya kept on dreaming despite the fact that her dreams would never become reality in order heighten that ambition that she can put to use elsewhere. I mean maybe in Maya's mind if she dreams enough it may come reality if the opportunity does arise. Maybe in Maya's mind if she couldn't become something special she could help her African American community to be free of persecution. Maya is undoubtedly a dreamer which is a good thing. Holding onto your aspirations and dreams will enrich life and make living life that must sweeter. Imagination absolutely makes reality more tolerable and it also brings some whimsicality to life. However, when dreams are too separated from reality that is when the dreamer tends to be let down. And yes, people can dream too much which takes them out of the touch of reality. Also, people who dream too little are typically depressed or unexciting individuals. Maya's dream of becoming a beautiful white girl is completely out of the question. However, Maya's dream of improving the quality of life in the African American community is not far from reach since by the 1960's people are already changing this negative view of African Americans. Dreams tend to help Maya throughout her tough times in life as she struggles to fight for her dreams.
Dreamer has a connotation to the person using it. Some people believe in dreaming and some don't. Usually the more optimistic side does and I do believe in dreams. Your dreams are fulfilling goals that may be hard to reach but with lots of hard work they are possible. Maya is a dreamer, she wanted to remove racism and help out the common good. Dreamers are our future, they are the people that continue to keep going after failures. They are the people that even though they may not have the best advantage still don't give up. Maya never gave up even though through all the hardships between racism and sexual harassment , she remained strong. I believe that dreamers are possible and that Maya was a dreamer.
ReplyDeleteI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteBeing a dreamer can be good or bad. There are dreamers who pursue their dreams and do anything to make them possible and there are those who just expect their dreams to come true with no work. Maya did what it took to get what she wanted. She went to the Railway office everyday for months until she got a job, she drove a car down a mountainside in Mexico to get home, she explored her sexuality until she was satisfied. The purpose of dreaming or setting goals is to make your life everything you want it to be. As long as a person is pursuing their dreams there is no way they can dream too much. If we don't dream and we don't have goals, what is the purpose of living?
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ReplyDeleteThroughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is derided for her imagination. Janie is struck with true feelings of love while sitting under a pear tree, which her grandmother dismisses as foolish. Jody Starks also restrains Janie's imagination because he doesn't let Janie speak her mind, so she felt that walls were suffocating her. I do not think that Janie's dreams helped her accomplish her goals. Instead, I think Janie's dreams and imagination helped her discover how she truly felt in a situation more clearly, but her actions were what moved her story along.
ReplyDeleteI think the word “dreamer” has a positive connotation. A dreamer is someone who has their head on straight and has an idea of what they want to accomplish in life. They aren’t afraid to think outside of the box and be creative. Using one’s imagination could indeed help to make reality better by giving people a purpose. Dreams help people to find their real limits and discover how to improve society. However, I do think someone can dream too much because if they aren’t somewhat retainable then that person might become depressed and upset with them self. Some people might even expect their dream to be handed to them without actually working for it. A dream needs to be hard to achieve yet something in sight. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya dreams about becoming a street car conductor and eventually achieves her goal after a lot of hard work. Maya’s dreams help her life’s progress and helped her to further society.
ReplyDeleteTo me the word dreamer has a positive connotation. A dream is someones ultimate goal in life and people wake up everyday to chase after it. However, some people can have dreams that interfere with reality. This leads people to spend or, in some cases, waste their whole life trying to reach that dream. Are they wrong for doing this? Not exactly, but people need to figure out what is the right amount of dreaming for them that way they can have an attainable dream that will motivate them to keep going. In terms of the novel There Eyes Wee Watching God, the dreams that the characters have are closely matched to reality but some do damage Janie's life progress. For example, Joe Starks' dream is to make a name for himself and be a leader. He is able to do this when he becomes the mayor of Eatonville. However, his dream came with a price. Joe Starks was so caught up with his dream that he started to mistreat Janie. This caused damage to Janie's life progress because Joe Starks forced Janie to spend her time working in the store where she had no control and was unable to succeed at anything. In addition, Janie had her own dream which was to find someone who she actually loved. Janie spent most of her life doing this but eventually she did achieve her dream. It may have taken three marriages, but she found what she was looking for when she married Tea Cake. So as far as dreaming goes, I think everyone has a dream that there trying to achieve and even if you see failure like Janie did in her first two marriages, you shouldn't give up.
ReplyDeleteI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteMaya's story fits into the dreamer theme because she was constantly dreaming and is a dreamer. She was constantly reading books and dreaming up their stories to watch in her head as many times as she could in order to escape from her world. She uses her imagination to make the reality better in the scene with the dentist she imagines Momma going in there all strong and tall and putting him into his place when really she just goes in to have him give her money in order to pay for the other dentist in Texarkana. She prefers her way even after hearing the true way because it was better and it's how she wanted to view it. Dreamer can be both negative or positive depending on the way you look at something. It is one thing to be someone who dreams and does something about and it is another thing if someone just dreams amazing things but does nothing to chase these dreams. In Maya's case it is a positive thing because she doesn't something about her dreams.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
ReplyDeleteBeing a dreamer is a positive connotation to me. I like to follow the saying that says, "If your dreams aren't big enough for everyone to believe that you can't do it, then they're not big enough." This means that it is okay to have difficult dreams to achieve. But it also means that hard work will have to be done to achieve these dreams. Using imagination or vision can make reality seem better by having the idea that no matter how big the goal is, with hard work, it can be conquered. However, there is also the idea that the dream is too big when matched with reality. A goal might almost be impossible to achieve because of how difficult it actually is. With a dream being too much, it draws criticism from others and leads the person to believe that the dream cannot be fulfilled because it does not match up to reality. When a dream is not enough, it leads the person to believe that they could have made their dream bigger, because it was too easy. Janie's husband Joe Starks had a dream of making a name for himself. He became mayor, but he had Janie help him all of the time while he was mayor. Janie wasn't able to do what she wanted to do with her life. Because of this, Janie's life progress was hurt. She also had her own dream of finding her true love. It seems like that this dream isn't matched up well to reality because it took Janie three marriages to find Tea Cake, her true love. This shows that no matter how big the dream was to Janie, she was determined to fulfill it.
The word dreamer is such a strong concept and has so much power that I believe is all good. To be a dreamer means that you are picturing something that makes you happier beyond your wildest imagination. It means you are praying that one day your dreams will come true. You can never dream too much because even if that dream does not come true there is nothing bad about that. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya has one main dream that is prevalent throughout the entire novel. She is dreaming of freedom. That one day the world she lives in will be equal and not segregated. She dreams of a world that will give her a fair chance to be able to accomplish whatever she wants to in life. Although this dream was not closely matched to reality at the time she lived, it does not mean it stopped her from continuing to dream. The fact that she had this large dream gave her hope and allowed her to picture a perfect world which is what kept her going throughout all of her childhood struggles. It also gave her the motivation and determination to work toward making that dream a reality someday.
ReplyDeleteIn Their Eyes Were Watching God, from her teenage days, Janie dreams of a pure love, which she saw within the pear tree outside of her grandmother's house. When the bee and the flower got together, it was the start of a pear. Which Janie saw as true love in marriage. She's inspired to be in a relationship like that and with her grandmother's wishes, Janie marries Logan Killicks. She doesn't want to marry him because he's too old but thinks that since they're married everything will be like the pear tree. Her dream was the opposite of reality when her marriage turned terrible and the same goes with Joe Starks. After she marries Tea Cake, her original dream is revived but it's different. She learns that she loves him, even through hard times. Tea Cake would do anything for her and she would do anything for him which is the new version of true love for her. Even though the marriage wasn't as easy and perfect as it was with the pear tree, her dream still came true into reality. This shows that even though times can get very bad, in the end, Janie kept her dream in mind and it eventually came true for her.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the purpose of dreaming and imagining in life is to escape reality. Dreams give people hope for their future. I see dreams and goals closely connected. Dreams can help people see their goals in action. Dreams are what help people through to achieve their goals. When a goal seems unrealistic or unreachable all a person has to do is dream to become reconnected with the goal. Without dreams I don’t think that people would strive to do their best. To me, the word “dreamer” has a negative connotation. I see a “dreamer” as someone who is willing to imagine their goals, but is not willing to do anything to achieve them. One’s imagination can make a situation better. If one imagines the situation being better than what it is, they can work to make the dream become their reality. When there is a huge gap between the dream and reality one is either heavily motivated to work towards the dream, or is stuck living in a fantasy. One can dream too much. Dreams can get to the point where one cannot escape it. That being said, not dreaming enough can also hurt one. Like I stated earlier, dreams can motivate people to achieve a goal. If one doesn't dream then they cannot reach their full potential. In “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, Janie dreams of having a love that will blossom. All her life she searches for this love. Though she has many setbacks throughout her life, she eventually finds her blossoming love with Tea Cake.
ReplyDeleteI believe that being a dreamer has a positive connotation. Having a dream can make people strive to succeed in life. A dream is much like a goal. Some people may call it unrealistic but it gives someone something to reach for. Being a dreamer allows someone to accomplish their goals because their dreams distract them from how unrealistic someone may call it or how hard their dream might be. I believe that its imperative to be a dreamer if people want to accomplish their ultimate goals. That being said, dreams aren't enough to accomplish goals. People have to have the will power to work hard no matter what, to achieve their dreams. In "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings", Maya is constantly dreaming a free world. She also dreams of being a street car conductor and she accomplishes this with a dream and the hard work to fulfill that dream. In all honesty, I believe that everyone has dreams. I think it can incredibly positive if people are willing to work for it.
ReplyDeleteThe word "dreamer" has a positive connotation to me. A dreamer knows what they wish to achieve in their life, and they will find any way to make their dream a reality. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie dreamed of finding true love. She realized that she would put love before anything else. Janie dreamed of love and she did not give up until she finally found the love of her life. She could have stayed married to Logan Killicks, knowing that she would have a nice house and a decent life, but she dreamed of more. She was not satisfied with a decent life. She wanted to find love, and that was all that would truly make her happy. I belive that one can dream too much. If you always dream of something more, then you will never be satisfied with the life you have. If one does not dream enough, they will accept the easiest way of life and will probably end up being miserable, which is exactly what Janie was avoiding.
ReplyDeleteI believe that dreaming is a positive connotation. Dreaming can show people what they want to achieve in life which. If someone truly wants their dreams to come to they have to have the motivation to take on the challenge and try to achieve their dreams. Maya dreamed about becoming a conductorette even though the job was not for african americans she stated,"I would have the job. i would be a conductorette and sling a full money charger from my belt. I would." Maya did become the first african american to be a conductorette. I believe one cannot dream enough because once someone accomplishes a dream they will create more dreams to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteThe word dreamer has a positive connotation to me. A person's imagination can completely change an outlook on life. When there is a big enough of disparity between your dreams and reality unhappiness follows. It is not possible to over dream, but it most definitely is possible to not dream enough. Like Robert G. Allen said “The future you see is the future you get.” There are no consequences to dreaming to big, but by not dreaming big enough you live a very average and unhappy life Dreams play a big role in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Nanney tries to live her dreams through Janie. Janie's dream is to find love. Janie struggles to make her dream become a reality. Just like any dream though there are obstacles. Janie has to fail in order to achieve her dreams. She has to endure two harsh marriages to finally meet Tea Cake whom she loves and finally achieves her dream with.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", Maya lives in a highly segregated area that is very racist against African Americans. Along with Martin Luther King Jr., Maya dreams of freedom and equality. The word "dream" has a very positive connotation in my mind, however, I do believe that a person can dream too much. There is a line where we must take our dreams and visions and turn them into reality. Maya does just that too. Her dream of becoming a streetcar conductor as an African American woman prevails through every situation she encounters, and becomes her reality. Maya's dreams definitely helped her life's progress.
ReplyDelete"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" -Maya Angelou
ReplyDeleteIn this book, Maya is faced with the difficulty of distinguishing between dreams and reality. One example of this would be her Easter dress. She dreams of how it will make her feel and how it will change her. She thinks that it will somehow make her into something she's not. It doesn't take long for her to face the harsh reality that she will never be white. To me dreams have a positive connotation. They represent our hopes and aspirations. But in another sense, they sometimes represent what we wish for but will never obtain, our false hopes and disappointments.
In "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", Maya is always dreaming of a better life and dreaming of a life with her parents. She is constantly dreaming of someplace other than where she is. When she is in Stamps, she originally dreamed of being with her parents. While she was in St. Louis, Maya dreamed of being back in Stamps with her grandmother. I think being a dreamer is a good thing. We need dreamers to move on and advance through human existence. There definitely is such a thing as dreaming too much. If you dream too much, as Maya did, you never see whats in front of you. If you do not dream enough, you become a boring and dull person. There never is a distinct line of too much and not enough dreaming because there is a wide range inbetween. Someone must always dream but not too much so that they stay rooted down to earth.
ReplyDeleteThrough Maya's childhood in "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings", she has this illusion that her parents never wanted her and her brother, Bailey and that is why she was in Stamps with her grandmother. She spends so much time on this illusion that it seems she misses a lot of her childhood. That is the flip side of dreaming, illusion. Instead of having a childhood, she worries and worries herself about her parents. When she receives presents from her parents, she actually cries since she has believed through most of her life up to that point that her parents had died. She had this illusion so strongly that she became dull in a sense, like Lucas said of someone who had dreamed too much.
ReplyDeleteThe reason we dream is so that we can get away from society and the reality of life. When we use our imagination it lets our brain grow. Janie dreams of love and that she will find it one day, every teenage girl does in the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and in actual reality. Janie's dream impedes when she married Logan because she thought that after she married him there would be love but that wasn't true; and all she was trying to do was please Nanny. It was an eye opener for her so she ends up leaving him for her dream. but by her third marriage she finally fulfilled her dream.
ReplyDeleteI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
ReplyDeleteDreamers are very different, they are never even close to being similar to one another, in my opinion. In "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings", Maya and her brother Bailey spend their childhood depressed and lonely, believing that their parents never loved or wanted them. This actually causes Maya to miss out on a normal childhood. Maya receives a gift from her parents and cries because she had believed all the way until their death that they hadn't wanted her. She couldn't believe that she was wrong for such a long time. Dreamers are the best types of people because I believe that everything they use in their life has a positive outcome. They can create something good out of something bad. They always have a future and a goal no matter what happens. Dreaming can be good, but also one must connect a dream with reality.