美国名人 黑人女作家 佐拉·尼尔·赫斯顿.docx

美国名人黑人女作家佐拉尼尔赫斯顿WriterZoraNealeHurstontoldAboutAfrican-AmericanLifeintheSouthplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-16:21repeatByCynthiaKirk2006-4-8(THEME)VOICEONE:mMaryTillotson.VOICETWO:AndmSteveEmberwiththeVOASpecialEnglishprogramPEOPLEINAMERICA.Today,wetellaboutwriterZoraNealeHurston.Shewasoneofthemostrecognizedblackwomenwriters.Shewrotesevenbooksandmorethanonehundredshortstories,playsandarticlesformagazines.(THEME)VOICEONE:ZoraNealeHurstonwasbornineighteenninety-oneinNotasulga,Alabama.Ashorttimelater;herfamilymovedtoEatonville,asmalltownincentralFlorida.AllofthepeopleofEatonvillewereAfrican-American.ThetownshapedHurston'slifeandherwriting.Asachild,shewouldlistencloselytothestoriestoldbytheadultsinthetown.SeveralofherbookstakeplaceincommunitiesverysimilartoEatonville.Thepeopleshewroteaboutinherbooksareverysimilartopeoplesheknewthere.ZorawasbornatatimeofracialtensionsbetweenblacksandwhitesinthesouthernUnitedStates.Butsheneverfeltangryaboutbeingblack.Inherstories,shedescribedEatonvilleasaplacewhereblackAmericanscouldliveastheypleased.ZoraNealeHurstonwasknownforherabilitytotellastory.Storytellingisanimportantpartofmanyculturaltraditions.African-Americanstorytellingisastrongfamilytraditionthatdatesbackhundredsofyears.Itisawayforpeopletoestablishtheiridentitiesinoftenunfriendlyareasastheystruggletoholdtheircommunitiestogether.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:ZoraNealeHurstonwasthefifthofeightchildren.Zora'smotherwasaschoolteacher.Herfatherwasabuilderandachurchpreacher.HealsobecamethemayorofEatonville.Zora'smotherdiedinnineteen-oh-four,whenZorawasthirteenyearsold.Hermother'sdeathseverelyaffectedZora'slife.Shewasrejectedbyherfatherandhissecondwife.Zorawasforcedtotakecareofherself.SheleftEatonvilleandmovednorthwhenshewasfourteenyearsold.Sheworkedforatravelingtheatercompany.Shealsoworkedasamaid,cleaningthehomesofwhitepeople.OneofheremployersrecognizedZora'sabilities.ShemadeitpossibleforhertoattendhighschoolinBaltimore,Maryland.Zorawastwenty-sixyearsoldwhenshebeganhighschool.Butshesaidshewasonlysixteen.Throughoutherlife,sheoftensaidshewasyoungerthanshereallywas.VOICEONE:Innineteeneighteen,ZoraNealeHurstonattendedHowardUniversityinWashington,D.C.ShestudiedwithAlainLocke.Hewasaprofessorofphilosophyandanexpertonblackculture.Sheearnedmoneybyworkingasamaidanddoingotherwork.HurstonpublishedherfirstshortstoriesatHowardUniversity.HerstorieswereaboutblackfolkloreandlifeinEatonville.Shewonprizesforherwritingsthatwerepublishedinnewspapersandmagazines.TheearlynineteentwentiesmarkedthebeginningofZoraNealeHurston'slifeasawriter.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:Innineteentwenty-five,HurstontraveledtoNewYorkCity.ThiswasduringtheperiodknownastheHarlemRenaissance.HarlemisafamousareainNewYork.TheHarlemRenaissancewasaperiodinwhichblackartistsexploredtheircultureandshowedprideintheirrace.Thiswasexpressedinliterature,musicandotherartforms.HurstonandherstoriesaboutEatonvillebecameimportantduringtheHarlemRenaissance.Shemetotheryoungblackwritersofthetime,suchaspoetLangstonHughes.HurstonbecamethefirstblackstudenttoattendBarnardCollegeinNewYork.ShestudiedwithanthropologistFranzBoas.Shebecameinterestedinanthropology-thestudyoftheorigin,developmentandactionsofhumans.BoasrecognizedHurston'sstorytellingabilityanddeepinterestintheblackcultureoftheSouth.Heurgedhertodomoreresearchthere.VOICEONE:HurstonreceivedfinancialsupportformostofherresearchfromawealthywomaninNewYorknamedCharlotteOsgoodMason.Duringthenextseveralyears,HurstontraveledinFloridaandtheCaribbeantocollectandwritestoriesaboutwhatshesaw.Shelearnedaboutthetraditionsofthepeopleshemet.Shespokewithmenandwomen,youngandold,collectingtheirstoriesintheirownwords.Shewantedtokeepthelanguageexactlyastheytoldit.Manyofthestorieswerelikethoseshehadheardasachild.VOICETWO:Innineteenthirty-six,HurstontraveledtoJamaicaandHaitiwithafinancialawardfromtheGuggenheimFoundation.TheCaribbeanpeopleacceptedherasoneofthem.Theyspokewithherfreely,evenaboutreligioustraditions.InHaiti,shelearnedagreatdealaboutthevoodooreligion.Hurstonpublishedtwoimportantcollectionsofstoriesbasedonherresearch.Theywere"MulesandMen"and"TellMyHorse."Bothexaminedthevoodooreligion.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:ZoraNealeHurstonpublishedherfirstbook,"Jonah'sGourdVine/'innineteenthirty-four.ThestorytakesplaceinasmallFloridatown.Itisabouttwopeoplesimilartoherparents.Hersecondbook,"TheirEyesWereWatchingGod,"waspublishedthreeyearslater.Itiswidelyconsideredhermostimportantwork.ShewrotethebookinsevenweekswhileshewastravelinginHaiti.Itisthestoryofablackwoman'ssearchforhappinessandhertrueidentity,duringtwenty-fiveyearsandthreemarriages.Innineteenforty-two,Hurstonpublishedastoryaboutherownlife,called"DustTracksonaRoad."Butthebookwaswidelycriticized.Literaryexpertssaiditwasfulloffalseinformation.Otherssaiditaddedtothemysterysurroundingthewriter.Hurston'slasttwonovelswerethebiblicalstory"Moses,ManoftheMountain"and"SeraphontheSuwanee."Thiswastheonlybookshewroteaboutwhitepeople.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:ZoraNealeHurston'sstorieswereaboutthepain-filledandsometimesmagicalworldthatsurroundedblacksintheSouth.Thestoriestellaboutfaith,Iovezfamily,slavery,raceandcommunity.Theyalsoincludehumor.Hurstonwaswellknownforherwriting.Shealsobecameknownforheroutspokenopinions,herclothingandthegreatprideshehadinherselfandherrace.Shewasmarriedthreetimes.Butshefounditimpossibletosettledown.Herhusbandsusuallyexpectedhertogiveupherwriting.Butshesaidthatwastheonethingshecouldnotdo.VOICEONE:Hurstonreceivedpraiseforherworkbybothblacksandwhites.Butnoteveryoneenjoyedherwork.SomeofthewritersoftheHarlemRenaissancecriticizedherforwritingaboutblackcultureinsteadofrelationsbetweentheraces.ManyblacksalsorejectedHurston'spoliticalideasandhersupportforracialseparationlawsintheSouth.Hurston,however,madenoapologiesforherwork.Shesaidtherichnessofblackcultureexistedtobeenjoyed,celebratedandmadeintoliterature.VOICETWO:Duringthelatenineteenforties,shebegantopublishlessandless.Shewasarrestedandchargedwithsexualwrongdoingwithaten-year-oldboy.Thechargeswerelaterdropped,buttheeventaffectedherworkandherlife.Innineteenfifty,HurstonreturnedtoFlorida.Althoughherworkwasquitepopular,shewasunabletomakealivingwithherwriting.Inherlateryears,sheworkedasateacher,alibrarianandasmaid.Innineteenfifty-nine,HurstonsufferedastrokeandenteredanursinghomeinFortPierce,Florida.Shediedthereayearlaterandwasburiedinanunmarkedgrave.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:Today,ZoraNealeHurstonhasnotbeenforgotten.SheinfluencedotherAfrican-Americanfemalewriters,includingAliceWalker.BecauseofWalker'sefforts,Hurston'sworkwasrediscoveredinthenineteenseventies.Duringthenineteennineties,herbook"TheirEyesWereWatchingGod'1soldmorethanonemillioncopies.ManyyoungpeopleinAmericanschoolsarereadingthebook.Inaddition,twoofHurston'splayshavebeenproduced.Newbookshavebeenwrittenabouther.Andherworkandlifearethesubjectofmanystudies,conferencesandfestivals.Innineteenseventy-three,AliceWalkerplacedamarkerinFortPierce,Florida,whereHurstonisbelievedtobeburied.Thestonereads,"ZoraNealeHurston,AGeniusoftheSouth."(THEME)VOICETWO:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenandproducedbyCynthiaKirk.mSteveEmber.VOICEONE:AndmMaryTillotson.JoinusagainnextweekforanotherPEOPLEINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.