Zora Neale
Hurston
Mama exhorted her children at every
opportunity to “jump at de sun.” We might
not land on the sun, but at least we would get
off the ground.
- Zora Neale Hurston
Childhood
Born January 7, 1891 in Notasulga, AL
(some say 1901)
 Moved to Eatonville, FL in 1892
 Mother dies in 1904
 Father remarries a woman only six years
older than Zora

Missing Years
10
year span that stumps
scholars….
Education
1917- Zora is twenty-six. She claims her
birth year was 1901 in order to enroll in
high school.
 1918- She graduates
 1920- She receives an associate’s degree
from Howard University.
 1925- She begins at Barnard College.

That’s Interesting…

She was very close to Langston Hughes.
More Fun Facts

She studied Anthropology at Barnard
College and was hired to study the
African-American culture in Florida. This
was funded by the Federal Writer’s Project.
Haiti and the Bahamas

Zora made trips to these islands in search
of their folklore. Her focus was on voodoo
and the presence of zombies.
Haiti cont’d…

While in Haiti, Zora wrote Their Eyes were
Watching God, her most famous novel.
Something for Everyone

Zora’s folklore gatherings led to the
publication of several children’s books.
Death

After all her accomplishments, Zora died in
obscurity in Fort Pierce, FL in 1960.
Rebirth

Think on the following words and
hypothesize
term may the
be pertinent
1973- Alice
Walkereach
locates
site toof her grave
the story. Explain your reasoning on the
and purchases
a headstone for it. The
provided lines. When you are done with
the words,
create
a hypothesized
inscription
reads
"Zora
Neale summary
Hurston: A
of what you think the story may be
Genius ofabout.
the Please
South."
remember, this is just a
hypothesis, you will not be marked off for
being wrong, however, your hypotheses
must be exactly that, educated guesses.
Do not try to randomly guess your way
through the assignment.

"Confident to the point of conceit, she was
by most accounts a flamboyant, infinitely
inventive chameleon of a woman, who
could make herself equally at home
among the Haitian voodoo doctors who
informed her research and the Park
Avenue patrons who financed it. She was a
lightning rod of contradiction and
controversy. A devoted daughter of the
rural South.— Ann duCille, "Looking for
Zora"