ZORA NEALE HURSTON
Throughout history, there have been many important people, most of which accomplished large things. A major flaw in our society today is that too many of these people go by unnoticed and are underappreciated. One example of these people is Zora Neale Hurston. If anybody was deserving of the chance to be on Mount Rushmore, it would be her. Her writing changed the world of literature, she went through a lot to accomplish what she did, and she deserves more recognition, as her legacy still affects us today.
Because of all that she accomplished, the years of Zora’s education and the years following it made up the most defining period in her life. Zora continued her education in 1917, when she attended the Morgan Academy in Baltimore. At this time, she was 26 years old, but she lied and said her birth date was in 1901 so that she was eligible to attend the high school, though she had truly been born in Notasulga, Alabama, on January 7, 1891. She went to this school until her graduation in 1918. Hurston worked several jobs to support herself and finance her future college education, some of these jobs being working as a maid and being a waitress in a nightclub. In 1919, she moved to Washington D.C. and began attending Howard University, where she studied for a year before she earned her associate degree in 1920. This was the university she went to until 1924, and in that year, she got a scholarship to Barnard College. To go there, she moved out to New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, where she quickly became a fixture in the area’s thriving art scene. Zora participated in two writing contests in ‘Opportunity’ magazine and won second place in both. Beginning on 1925, she studied anthropology with a man named Frank Boas. While she was conducting field research for Boas on black life, she met and befriended Langston Hughes, another famous writer. Working together, they wrote and released the influential black literary journal entitled Fire!!. Her visit to Harlem did not last long, for she moved back to Florida in 1927, so that she could research black communities there. She married a fellow Howard student named Herbert Sheen on May 19, 1927, though their relations with each other broke off in 1928, followed in 1931 by their divorce. Shortly after the release of Mule Bones, a play written by Hurston and Langston Hughes, their friendship ended because of a disagreement regarding the work. Her writing career was a very important aspect of her life.
Though she had achieved fame, life was no easier for her than anybody else. Even with her popular pieces of literature, she struggled with poverty nearly all her life. In fact, Hurston was told by her school in Jacksonville that, because her father was late in making her school payments, she was required to work in the school kitchen to pay it herself. Her mother, Lucy Potts Hurston, passed away when Zora was only 13 years old. She didn’t get along well with her father and his new wife, Mattie Moga, so a few years later, Zora decided to leave her home. To support herself and her education, she took up several different jobs, some of them including working as a maid and a waitress. Unfortunately, she was accused of molesting a ten year old boy in 1948. Despite being able to prove that she had been out of the country at the time of the incident, she suffered greatly from the false accusation. Due to the fact that she was black, it was difficult for Zora Neale Hurston to get support from anyone else. Though her work was enjoyed, she was looked down upon, herself. She should have gotten much more out of the effort she put into making her career worth the time.
In her final decade of life, Hurston struggled financially. She continued to write, even in her last years of life, but it was much more difficult to get any of it published. She had several strokes in 1959. This caused her to be forced into the St. Lucie County Welfare Home in October of that year. Sadly, she died poor and alone on January 28, 1960, of a heart condition that developed because of her raised blood pressure. At this time, she had no immediate family there for her. She was buried in Fort Pierce, Florida, in a grave that had gone unmarked until 1973 when a woman named Alice Walker discovered and marked it. Being a writer herself, she published “In Search of Zora Neale Hurston,” which launched a Hurston revival. Since the start of her career, Zora has earned many awards, some of them being the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in 1936, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in 1943, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard University in 1943, and the Education and Human Relations Award from Bethune-Bookman College in 1956. She may not have gotten as much appreciation or awards as she deserved, but Zora Neale Hurston still got more than many others.
Even so many years after her death, Hurston is still hidden in the shadows of those more fortunate than her, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. These two people accomplished important things in their lives, but Zora Neale Hurston did, too, and she isn’t nearly as well-known as them. Through her creative and meaningful word, she managed to inspire many other African American female writers to express themselves in the same courageous ways, two of them being Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Much of her work had only become popular after her death, but they still changed the world of literature. Several new stories were republished after they were discovered again, as well as two collections from 1995 and 1999, which contained notable pieces of work that had never before been published. Not only did she change the literary world by inspiring others beyond the time of her death, but she also served as one of the most optimistic women at the time. She wasn’t afraid of telling her opinions, because whether she would be judged or not didn’t matter to her. She expressed herself through her writing, and that still prevails today. Many others were greatly bothered by the segregation that had been going on for years, but Zora wouldn’t let that faze her. Because of this, she got a fraction of the attention she deserved. She was different than everyone else, with her ways of expressing herself so confidently, but that wasn’t a bad thing.
Throughout her career, Zora Neale Hurston has left an impact on our society with her works of literature. She struggled with a few things along the way, but today, she should be looked at as the successful, inspiring writer that she truly is. She deserves to be on Mount Rushmore more than anyone else. Zora Neale Hurston was a very talented woman, and she should be more well-known, respected, and honored.
Because of all that she accomplished, the years of Zora’s education and the years following it made up the most defining period in her life. Zora continued her education in 1917, when she attended the Morgan Academy in Baltimore. At this time, she was 26 years old, but she lied and said her birth date was in 1901 so that she was eligible to attend the high school, though she had truly been born in Notasulga, Alabama, on January 7, 1891. She went to this school until her graduation in 1918. Hurston worked several jobs to support herself and finance her future college education, some of these jobs being working as a maid and being a waitress in a nightclub. In 1919, she moved to Washington D.C. and began attending Howard University, where she studied for a year before she earned her associate degree in 1920. This was the university she went to until 1924, and in that year, she got a scholarship to Barnard College. To go there, she moved out to New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, where she quickly became a fixture in the area’s thriving art scene. Zora participated in two writing contests in ‘Opportunity’ magazine and won second place in both. Beginning on 1925, she studied anthropology with a man named Frank Boas. While she was conducting field research for Boas on black life, she met and befriended Langston Hughes, another famous writer. Working together, they wrote and released the influential black literary journal entitled Fire!!. Her visit to Harlem did not last long, for she moved back to Florida in 1927, so that she could research black communities there. She married a fellow Howard student named Herbert Sheen on May 19, 1927, though their relations with each other broke off in 1928, followed in 1931 by their divorce. Shortly after the release of Mule Bones, a play written by Hurston and Langston Hughes, their friendship ended because of a disagreement regarding the work. Her writing career was a very important aspect of her life.
Though she had achieved fame, life was no easier for her than anybody else. Even with her popular pieces of literature, she struggled with poverty nearly all her life. In fact, Hurston was told by her school in Jacksonville that, because her father was late in making her school payments, she was required to work in the school kitchen to pay it herself. Her mother, Lucy Potts Hurston, passed away when Zora was only 13 years old. She didn’t get along well with her father and his new wife, Mattie Moga, so a few years later, Zora decided to leave her home. To support herself and her education, she took up several different jobs, some of them including working as a maid and a waitress. Unfortunately, she was accused of molesting a ten year old boy in 1948. Despite being able to prove that she had been out of the country at the time of the incident, she suffered greatly from the false accusation. Due to the fact that she was black, it was difficult for Zora Neale Hurston to get support from anyone else. Though her work was enjoyed, she was looked down upon, herself. She should have gotten much more out of the effort she put into making her career worth the time.
In her final decade of life, Hurston struggled financially. She continued to write, even in her last years of life, but it was much more difficult to get any of it published. She had several strokes in 1959. This caused her to be forced into the St. Lucie County Welfare Home in October of that year. Sadly, she died poor and alone on January 28, 1960, of a heart condition that developed because of her raised blood pressure. At this time, she had no immediate family there for her. She was buried in Fort Pierce, Florida, in a grave that had gone unmarked until 1973 when a woman named Alice Walker discovered and marked it. Being a writer herself, she published “In Search of Zora Neale Hurston,” which launched a Hurston revival. Since the start of her career, Zora has earned many awards, some of them being the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in 1936, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in 1943, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard University in 1943, and the Education and Human Relations Award from Bethune-Bookman College in 1956. She may not have gotten as much appreciation or awards as she deserved, but Zora Neale Hurston still got more than many others.
Even so many years after her death, Hurston is still hidden in the shadows of those more fortunate than her, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. These two people accomplished important things in their lives, but Zora Neale Hurston did, too, and she isn’t nearly as well-known as them. Through her creative and meaningful word, she managed to inspire many other African American female writers to express themselves in the same courageous ways, two of them being Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Much of her work had only become popular after her death, but they still changed the world of literature. Several new stories were republished after they were discovered again, as well as two collections from 1995 and 1999, which contained notable pieces of work that had never before been published. Not only did she change the literary world by inspiring others beyond the time of her death, but she also served as one of the most optimistic women at the time. She wasn’t afraid of telling her opinions, because whether she would be judged or not didn’t matter to her. She expressed herself through her writing, and that still prevails today. Many others were greatly bothered by the segregation that had been going on for years, but Zora wouldn’t let that faze her. Because of this, she got a fraction of the attention she deserved. She was different than everyone else, with her ways of expressing herself so confidently, but that wasn’t a bad thing.
Throughout her career, Zora Neale Hurston has left an impact on our society with her works of literature. She struggled with a few things along the way, but today, she should be looked at as the successful, inspiring writer that she truly is. She deserves to be on Mount Rushmore more than anyone else. Zora Neale Hurston was a very talented woman, and she should be more well-known, respected, and honored.
Some of Hurston's Popular Works...
Famous Quotes
- "Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me."
- "There are years that ask questions and years that answer."
- "There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you."
- "I love myself when I am laughing and then again when I am looking mean and impressive."
- "No matter how far a person can go, the horizon is still way beyond."
- "If you want that good feeling that comes from doing things for other folks then you have to pay for it in abuse and misunderstanding."
- "Some people could look at a mud puddle and see an ocean with ships."
- "Mystery is the essence of divinity."