Sury's Lang and Lit Class

Chapter 1: So the beginning of this was a woman and she had come back from burying the dead. Not the dead of sick and ailing with friends at the pillow and the feet. She had come back from the sodden and the bloated; the sudden dead, their eyes flung wide open in judgment. The people all saw her come because it was sundown. The sun was gone, but he had left his footprints in the sky. It was the time for sitting on porches beside the road. It was the time to hear things and talk. These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long. Mules and other brutes had occupied their skins. But now, the sun and the bossman were gone, so the skins felt powerful and human. Chapter 2: "Look at me, Janie. Don't set dere wid yo' head hung down. Look at yo' ole grandma!" Her voice began snagging on the prongs of her feelings. "Ah don't want to be talkin' to you lak dis. Fact is Ah done been on mah knees to mah Maker many'

This is Water written by David Foster Wallace was a commencement speech which encapsulates and emphasizes the importance of recognizing and understanding various perspectives, particularly in situations that usually induce frustration and anger. He stresses the issue of being self-aware in our surroundings; to take an honest view of the world around us instead of centering and putting ourselves in front of everyone else's emotions and thoughts. The ability to understand and be aware of a person's thoughts and emotions and to control your own expression of emotions is called emotional intelligence. Having a higher emotional intelligence enables you to show more empathy for people in various situations.  Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings with a person. In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God written by Zora Neale Hurston, readers are able to empathize with Nanny's decision in trying to ensure that Janie obtains financial security through marriage.