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4 Reasons Zora Neale Hurston would hate "The Help"

4 Reasons Zora Neale Hurston would hate The Help

Zora Neale Hurston was known as the revolutionary writer of her century; unlike most African Americans, Zora Neale Hurston was all for the segregation of the two races, an idea that was well translated into her controversial writing. The Help by Kathryn Stockett follows the story of multiple female African American Nannies, and an awkward white female who takes on the task of interviewing them for a book. Zora Neale Hurston would despise this novel, despising the “mules “depicted in this wonderful piece of Historical Fiction.  

1-Aibileen and the Silent Treatment

            As Stockett’s novel first opens, the audience is introduced to Aibileen, an older Nanny who has worked with many white families. Over the years, Aibileen has grown a reputation for caring well for the white-folk, never raising voice against those to which she is working for. Even after the death of her son, Treelore, Aibileen worked mighty hard to grow bitter, keeping her mouth shut in unfair situations. Aibileen isn’t the only one of the Help to act this way either. Most Nannies and African American servants depicted in this book put on quite a nice façade for their Caucasian employers, never speaking up about the injustice they face. The only time they express these feelings is in private, and only to those who are also oppressed. On page 128 of Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, Aibileen states to her friend Minny (another nanny) about these injustices, and how she cannot speak to a white woman about them.

        “‘I ask her, What if we told the truth? How we too scared to ask for minimum wage. How nobody gets paid they Social Security. How it feel when your own boss be calling you…’ Aibileen shakes her head. I’m glad she doesn’t say it.” 

            Zora Neale Hurston once stated, "If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it." Hurston, an advocate for African American pride, would be disappointed in the characters of this book for not sticking up not only for themselves, but their culture.

 

 2-Lack of "Racist" Dialect

          In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Are Watching God, it is clear to any reader the influence of her interpretation of the African American dialect. Hurston mimics the deep southern slang of the culture, debatably making her writing "racist" and hard to understand. Stockett uses some dialect of the culture, but tones it back in order to make her story better understood. Compare quotes from the two sources:

          Their Eyes Were Watching God: "Love is lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore."

          The Help: "...and that's when I get to wondering, what would happen if I told her she something good, ever day?"

 

3-Welcome to Eatonville

         In Hurston's bestseller, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston tells of a town called Eatonville, a fictional place based on the factual communities of all African Americans that popped up all around the U.S. around that time period. Stockett tells about such communities, focusing on the places where Minny, Aibileen and Constantine live. Hurston was a massive advocate for such communities, believing firmly that "separate but equal" was accurate and necessary. Zora Neale Hurston would hate the way Stockett compares the white and African American communities.

• When talking about Miss Celia's house, Stockett describes it as a Southerners paradise. A massive white pristine mansion that anyone would be lucky to live in.

• When talking about Constantine's home, Stockett describes the village as dingy, dirty, and very poor. 

Hurston would have hated the comparison of the two 'life-styles', no matter how accurate. She was proud of her people and how they got to where they were. All she wanted was them to get to where the rest of the world was, without the help of the white people.

 

4-The Benefit

         While we never actually see the benefit take place in the novel, but throughout the first 100 pages of Stockett's The Help we see the employers of the help, rich stay-at-home white women, convince the help to bake and participate the annual benefit. While it is unclear as to whether or not the help was getting paid extra for their services, Zora Neale Hurston would disapprove of the generous behavior enacted by the African American nannies. As stated previously, Hurston believed that the two races should remain separate, equal but separate. She would hate the fact that the help would willing participate in an event that included the very people who discriminated against them.

 All in all, it is quite obvious to every reader that Zora Neale Hurston would not enjoy this wonderful piece of Historical Fiction. Despite being from the same personal background as many of Stockett's characters, Hurston's minority opinion simply wouldn't jive with the majority of themes and ideas presented in The Help. Hurston would take one look at Stockett's book and put herself to work, responding in the usual Zora fashion of "simply stating the facts". 

Vincent Cevasco
Coates Bell:7
Best Sellers 

Blog Post # 5

     In my opinion a book has to be about 80-90% true to be considered non-fiction. Just as Laila Lalima  and Seth Greenland stated, we only remember so much of our lives. Some details such as conversations, time, placement, and details that DO NOT ALTER THE OVERALL TRUE PLOTLINE are allowed. Those aren't necessarily lies, just the author's proof of them struggling to remember all the facts. When authors add events that didn't happen or change the way a story ends/begins, they lose all right to call their work a memoir, much less a piece of non-fiction. Any falsified piece of information that can change the overall result of the story or how the readers are supposed to feel about the character or situations should not be allowed within a non-fiction novel. However, as stated before, authors have free reign over specific interactions and the DIALOGUE that took place.


     Half truths are okay... as long as you are writing a piece of fiction or recognize those half truths of having fictional elements. The audience (who invested good money for the book) should have a right to know what they are reading and how much of it is truth. Not only does this ensure the authors audience (those who know its fiction with either abandon that author or continue reading his/her works depending on preference), but it also develops the character of the author. Seth Greenland had a lot of negativity towards James Fry, the author who lied in his book, A Million Little Pieces. If every author puts a little bit of themselves into every novel they write, what does that say about the author if they lie in outrageous ways. Certainly not good for business and puts the author in a negative public eye.


     Books should be labeled. David Shields was wrong in his plea to abolish book labeling. Without labels, how can we as a public know what is real and fake. How can we as readers trust what authors release? Once books loose genre labels, so will all works of literature. State bills and laws will come into question, confessions at court cases, medical notices and all forms of writing. Why question reality when we live in a world where we can pin at least one thing down. If we can't discern what genre a book is, what can we discern?

Blog Post #4: Adapting Book 2

                If I were to adapt The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I would want to adapt it as a musical. This adaptation would make the most sense because of the type of story presented in the novel. It is set in Mulching, Germany during World War Two (a classic setting for theatrical productions) and focuses on a young girl who loves literature (very Bell from Beauty and the Beast). The characters are very dynamic and could be involved in quite a bit physical comedy as well as some intense scenes. With some strong music and a dynamite set, this story could easily be transposed into one of the better Broadway musicals.

                Just like every adaptation, there are certain thing that under no circumstances should be allowed to change. Some scenes can’t be messed with. For instance, the scene where Leisel Meminger awakes to nightmares and wets the bed. This scene needs to stay the same because not only does it start the initial relationship between her and Papa, but it is also the first time that she learns about literature and reading. This is a pivotal moment that propels the whole story forward as she strives to learn more.  Another scene that must remain the same is the history between the Vandenberg’s and Hans Hubberman. While this did not take place while in the story of Leisel Meminger, it is important to the story and must be shared. Lastly, Death must still narrate the story. Not only does it provide interesting comment and insight as to all of the events surrounding Leisel, but it provides a creepy foreshadow that is a necessary tone throughout the book.

                Some subplots or characters may need to be cut. For example, the story of Rudy Steiner pretending to be Jesse Owens. While it is a comical story that gives us insight into the mind of Rudy, it may not be necessary and could be omitted if need be. Another subplot could be the story of Leisel and Rudy steal the food basket from Otto Sturm. It gives a nice little story as to the adventures and exploits of Leisel’s thieving career, but it is not necessary to tell the story, the main story, which is how Max Vandenberg came to the Hubberman house. Only scenes concerning Max’s story and Leisel’s love for books/ her journey of acquiring books should be the focus of the musical.

                It may be considered to start the story with Leisel and her mother at her brother’s funeral, rather than the narration of Death explain her story. While Death can still narrate, this is a better spot to raise the curtains and begin the story. It might also be considered to have two different actors play the role of Hans Hubberman, an old Hans and a young Hans. This will minimize costume changes and make up changes for the character of Hans. I also think it important to mention that Leisel must be her young age and not played by someone much older. Her innocence and young attitude are what giver her character life. Also, the musical needs to have darker music with less vibrato and upbeat tunes.

                As for casting, I would want professional actors to star in this wonderful musical. I would ask Geoffrey Rush (Actor who played Hans in the movie) to consider playing the part of Hans in the musical. He played Hans perfectly then and I am quite confident he could do it in the production. I think all actors should be close to the age of the characters in the story. Age and facial expressions are what will truly bring this musical together. The great characterization in this story is what makes it so perfect to adapt into a Broadway production.

                As for soundtrack, the music needs to mostly be somber or hopeful. It needs to be dark (to reflect the times) but have a certain level of innocence in it (to reflect Leisel’s journey). When we reach the story of Max, the musical needs to have music more related to the themes of danger and worry. I really think the music of composer Dexter Britain and his Collection of work called: The Score would fit well with this story and the emotions conveyed to the audience. More music would have to be written to accompany some scenes and someone would have to write some lyrics so it would actually be a musical.

                My book also manages to capture a lot of interesting history regarding the era. I would want some of this to come through in the musical, perhaps by giving Death (the narrator) some of this information to share with the audience. I would really want to try and capture this from Death’s eyes, stopping dialogue at various intervals so Death can give his input.  I also think it is important that the audience gets to see Death, a treat we don’t get from the book.

Blog Post #3: Book 1 Project

“There's a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.”

Reenact your favorite scenes from the Best Seller Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn! With the new Lego© sets based off of the gripping novel Gone Girl, audiences can revel in their appreciation for the much-loved story by using their favorite characters to change the book’s story! Did you finish the book and not like the way it ended? Wish a certain character wasn’t even written at all? Use these Legos to rewrite the book how YOU wanted it to happen. Perhaps reintroduce new evidence that was not found; maybe get revenge on those who are ACTUALLY responsible for all of the drama. Get the Lego© Gone Girl sets today and end the tome the way you wish it would’ve. All this and more is possible with these new Lego© sets! Get them today!

In the book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Amy Dunn creates her own ending to a nightmarish story. Angry at Nick for not providing the marriage she wanted, not accepting her true colors, and finding love elsewhere, Amy builds a plethora of evidence against Nick. She carefully plans to take him down and end the marriage on her terms: her free of him and him never to be free again. By framing Nick for murder/kidnapping, Amy Dunn makes the story her won and single-handedly hijacks Nick’s life. With the Gone Girl Lego© sets, the audience has the freedom to do the exact same thing! For a small price, readers can manipulate the lives of the beloved characters and choose how they want the story to end. Brick by brick they rebuild the world that Gillian Flynn wrote of and piece by piece they have the power to change the story into something truly unique and different. The Lego© sets available are of the most dramatic and suspenseful scenes in the book, scenes that audience members have been craving to change. Lego© offers dynamic scenes such as “The Crime Scene”, “The Press Conference” “Finding the Tool Shed” and “Amy’s Cabin Adventures”. Audience members can feel free to rearrange the story and change how it all plays out, creating their own ending to an adventurous story. As Amy states in the book, “There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.” With these new Lego© sets people who loved the story can change the book and remember the way they want to, without all the disturbing moments. For instance, in our brand new set: “The Shocking News!” Change what Noelle Hawthorne reveals about Amy and instead have Amy show up at the press conference and steal the microphone away from Nick and confess her crime, starting off with: “Can you imagine, finally showing your true self to your spouse, your soul mate, and having him not like you? So that's how the hating first began. I've thought about this a lot, and that's where it started, I think.” With Gone Girl Legos, you can literally change the story completely in a matter of seconds. In the words of the Amazing-Amy, “The secondhand experience is always better.”

Lego© Gone Girl sets are a great idea. After you read a book with an ending like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, readers wish they would have had some say in how the novel ended. With these creative toys, readers can change the story and end it the way the truly felt it should have ended.  This product could really broaden the audience for the book and other books.  Readers love to relish in their fandoms and toy around with various characters and storylines. Lego sets of various best-selling novels would not only be a great collectable toy, but a way for audience members to engage with the story in a more active way. With these Gone Girl Lego sets, us as readers can use our imagination and build on to an already fantastic story that Gillian Flynn has written.  My idea will also do a great job at getting the book more readers, as Lego© has a MASSIVE fan base made up of both adults and kids alike. My idea not only promotes fan growth, but also maintains fans connections with the book/writer. Generally, after individuals finish a book they lose contact with their love for a book and/or the author. But if there are toys that let the audience indulge in their favorite fandoms and stories, they are more likely to follow the author and their books.

Post 2: What is a book?

What is a book?

A book is a game-changer. It is a catalyst, an enzyme. It generates thinking and stimulates a change to occur within each individual as they read the texts. Books have so many positive values. And the reason they will never die, the reason we will always have books is because of their ability to enforce change upon the reader. We have become a society that is lazy. Don’t believe me? Every new piece of our technology is simply meant to help make our lives simpler, to cut down on the amount of effort we put in to achieving every-day tasks. The most beneficial quality of books? They take work.

Today, literature is shared in a variety of mediums: eBooks, audio, movies, plays, and while all these are creative (nothing shows a book’s influence over individuals like having movies and plays made form it), it’s not hard. It doesn’t take exertion. These platforms share the same story (most of the time: I’m looking at you Marvel movies) but it’s…easy. It’s easy for us as viewers/readers. We digest the information, but we get the information from the point of view of whoever changed the book into another product. Audio-books: beneficial for multi-tasking, but can we really say we aren’t influenced by the reader’s inflection, by the reader’s own personal idea of what the books should sound like when read?

True, books are old, but they have always been an accomplishment; they have always been catalyzers, promoting healthy work. But just because it is not “the-newest-hottest-thing” does that mean they are any less valuable? McDonalds. A corporation that for the longest time was on the fore-front of the fast food market everywhere. They have over a million stores in all sorts of countries, drawing in billions of dollars of business at any given moment. But let’s be honest. Are they the newest? Since McDonalds revolutionized the fast-food market, companies like Chipotle, Subway, and Chick-fil-a have entered the playing field, providing healthier options to the food we all love, fueling our desire to get (semi) decent food not only cheap, but fast.

But here is the interesting thing.

McDonalds is not suffering. Despite the rise of competitors, a change in the audiences tastes—frozen burgers to chicken burgers or burritos—McDonalds still gains business. You know why? Because they still offer what they did 20-plus years ago. Certain things promote growth. They have qualities that reproductions do not and cannot have. Originality, sustainability, and a promotion of hard-work. (Get it? Cause with McDonalds you gotta work off all the crap you put into your body!)

A book is a book is a book. It is true, Tim Parks and Victor LaValle, that they are nothing more than mass produced sheets of paper, assembly-line stapled between sheets of cardstock. But you read a book. You read an eBook. You let me know which one you get more out of. If you want to get the most out of something, you have to work for it, and books are the only option that promote rolling up your sleeve.

Maybe they are a little outdated. But books changed the game then. They do the same now. We just have to except that. It’s time to stop being lazy. It’s time to put forth effort into what we do, to not let wires and touch-screens run our lives. It is time to get our hands dirty.

It’s time to get to work.