Question

1. alto chant (p. 28) – a deep, musical sound (describing bees buzzing)

“she was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree, soaking in the alto chan of the visiting bees.”

1. breath - and - britches (p. 30) – slang insult meaning “good for nothing,” just existing with no purpose

“ah don’t want no trashy nigger, no breath - and - britches, lak johnny taylor usin yo’ body to wipe his foots on.”

1. consecrated (p. 28) – made sacred, holy, or set apart

“the thousand sister - calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. so this was a marriage! she had been summoned to behold a revelation. then janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid.” (pear tree passage, consecrated marriage imagery)
quote hunt activity – themes in chapter 2
directions: reread parts of chapter 2 carefully. find one - three quotes that connect to one of the following themes: race, love, identity, gender, sexuality. write the quote (with page number), then explain how it connects to the theme.
themes
quote (with page #)
connection/explanation
race

love

Explanation:

For the theme of race, the quote "Ah don't want no trashy nigger, no breath - and - britches, lak Johnny Taylor usin yo’ body to wipe his foots on." (p. 30) shows racial slurs and derogatory language, highlighting racial prejudice. For love, the passage about the pear tree "The thousand sister - calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid." (p. 28) uses imagery of the tree's reaction to represent the intense and almost spiritual experience of love and marriage.

Answer:

Race: "Ah don't want no trashy nigger, no breath - and - britches, lak Johnny Taylor usin yo’ body to wipe his foots on." (p. 30); This quote shows racial prejudice through derogatory language.
Love: "The thousand sister - calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was a marriage! She had been summoned to behold a revelation. Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid." (p. 28); The tree's reaction represents the intense experience of love and marriage.