MORAL CRITICISM EMILY MILFORD

“THE BEST POETRY HAS A POWER OF FORMING, SUSTAINING, AND DELIGHTING US, AS NOTHING ELSE CAN. … MORE AND MORE MANKIND WILL DISCOVER THAT WE HAVE TO TURN TO POETRY TO INTERPRET LIFE FOR US, TO CONSOLE US, TO SUSTAIN US. WITHOUT POETRY, OUR SCIENCE WILL APPEAR INCOMPLETE; AND MOST OF WHAT NOW PASSES WITH US FOR RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY WILL BE REPLACED BY POETRY.” - MATTHEW ARNOLD, “THE STUDY OF POETRY”

MORAL CRITICISM  Deals with a societal impact  Tolerance and equality  Social justice  Ethical and civil criteria  Sensitivity  “The Individual”

MORAL CRITICISM  Humanistic and civil elements of literary works  Evaluates impact of works in moral context  Approximately 360 BC to present  Not about what something says, more about what it means and what it is really saying

PLATO- MORALIST  Book X of his Republic gave readers first detailed and lengthy criticism  Thought if art did not teach morals and ethics, then it is damaging to the audience.  Few scholars critique if there are morals or if there aren’t morals, in literature  Insisted literature must exhibit moralism and utilitarianism

ARISTOTLE- MORALIST CConsidered poetry a “productive” science - “Means to an end” TTheoretical sciences were logic and physics PPractical sciences as ethics and politics

MORAL CRITICS  Broader interest than just religion and ethics  Judge by effect  Condemn works with no moral teachings

APPLYING MORAL CRITICISM TO: THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD

 Zora Neal Hurston  “New Negro Movement”  Time of slavery  Male/ White Dominance  Spiritual journey

THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD  Harlem Renaissance flourished in the 1930s  Political tensions increased  Social realism  Thought literature should be political and show social injustice  Eyes was considered by a communist, Richard Wright, that the novel was not “serious fiction” and it carried “no theme, no message, and no thought.”

THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD  Goes against the grain - three marriages - search for love - running away - leaving Nanny  Self Discovery

CRITICISM HHurston created some controversy - rejected the politics of race and gender - expressed individuality - Janie’s desire for equality and justice - Janie’s freedom from Jody

SOCIETAL IMPACT  Phoebe's opinion  Conversation on the porch settings  Janie’s attitude with arrival to Eatonville  Dialect that Zora Neale Hurston uses

INDIVIDUALITY  Tea Cake - Twelve years younger - Frowned upon -”Gold Digger”  Life on the Everglades  Arrival at Eatonville - Blue dress to overalls - Men’s desire

SENSITIVITY TO STANDARDS  Marriage to Jody Starks  Conversations with Phoebe  Relationship with Nanny  Tea Cake and Janie’s relationship

 Tea Cake and Janie  Mrs. Turner - Racist - Favors Janie’s skin  Court room scene - Applauded by whites - Disgraced by blacks  Jody Starks -Janie is property -Disrespectful RACE/EQUALITY/TOLERANCE

WORKS CITED  Baldick, Chris. “Moral Criticism.” Blackwell Reference Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May  Berridge, Judi. “In Search of Janie.” Virginia Tech. N.p., Web. 16 May  Brizee, Allan, and J. Case Tompkins. “Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism.” OWL. Purdue U, 21 Apr Web. 16 May  Holcombe, John. “High Modernist.” Text Etc. Litlangs Ltda., Web. 16 May  Wikia. “Literary Criticism.” Wikia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May

 Life lessons  Rigorous course work  Extremely challenging  Interactive  Informative  FUN!  I feel more confident with my writing!  I’ve retained a plethora of information!  It has been a spectacular year!  This class will not only enable me to be more thorough in writing papers in college but also to manage my time. Having a college level class in high school is the best way for a student to prepare for college. So I thank you, Mrs. Whyte! AP ENGLISH 12 <3

WE'RE FINALLY DONE!