Narrative Voice and Dialect in Their Eyes Were Watching God
A graphic organizer for 11th grade and up that has students compare the formal, lyrical narrator of Chapter 1 with the oral storytelling style of Janie and Pheoby in Zora Neale Hurston's novel. Students build close-reading skills by selecting two direct quotes as textual evidence and mapping how each voice shapes tone, imagery, and characterization.
“complete a Graphic Organizer comparing the narrator’s formal tone with the oral storytelling style of Janie and Pheoby, selecting two direct quotes for support in chapter 1 of their eyes were watching god”
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 45-minute reading-companion activity after students finish Chapter 1 of Their Eyes Were Watching God, or as a small-group task before a whole-class discussion of narrative voice.
- Discussion question: How does Hurston's shift between the narrator's formal diction and the characters' dialect shape the reader's sense of Eatonville as a community?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Pair them with a partner and have them first identify one phonetic spelling or colloquialism in Pheoby's dialogue before comparing it to a formal phrase from the narrator.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to analyze how the two voices work together to frame Janie's inner life, and to draft a thesis connecting dialect to the novel's broader themes of voice and self-expression.
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Try Diffit for free“complete a Graphic Organizer comparing the narrator’s formal tone with the oral storytelling style of Janie and Pheoby, selecting two direct quotes for support in chapter 1 of their eyes were watching god”
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use as a 45-minute reading-companion activity after students finish Chapter 1 of Their Eyes Were Watching God, or as a small-group task before a whole-class discussion of narrative voice.
- Discussion question: How does Hurston's shift between the narrator's formal diction and the characters' dialect shape the reader's sense of Eatonville as a community?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Pair them with a partner and have them first identify one phonetic spelling or colloquialism in Pheoby's dialogue before comparing it to a formal phrase from the narrator.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to analyze how the two voices work together to frame Janie's inner life, and to draft a thesis connecting dialect to the novel's broader themes of voice and self-expression.
Narrative Voice and Dialect in Their Eyes Were Watching God
A graphic organizer for 11th grade and up that has students compare the formal, lyrical narrator of Chapter 1 with the oral storytelling style of Janie and Pheoby in Zora Neale Hurston's novel. Students build close-reading skills by selecting two direct quotes as textual evidence and mapping how each voice shapes tone, imagery, and characterization.
What is Diffit?
Teachers use Diffit to get quality materials for their unique classrooms. Adjust difficulty, add scaffolds, or change the topic to get started.
Try Diffit for free