In John Redding Goes to Sea, John is repeatedly described as “queer.” Is this meant to be taken as meaning odd, gay, or both?
Would John have been able to leave if he hadn’t gotten married? Why don’t the women want them to leave? Are there forces greater than the women that are keeping these men tied down? How does this compare to Irish men trying to leave their homes?
I also found the point about “the new refusing to acknowledge the old” in Color Struck to be very interesting. What does this do to the act of cakewalking? Does it help the blacks to make it more their own?
Alexis, what do mean by “them”? It is just John that wants to leave in the Hurston story. Whereas in Synge’s play yes there are many men wanting to leave the island. Or perhaps “wanting” is not the right word? What are the circumstances that force men (and sometimes women) to leave the Aran Islands in Synge’s world?
Also, can you expand on your question in regards to what is interesting about “the new refusing to acknowledge the old,” as it relates to the cakewalk? From my perspective, the cakewalk is a “black American.” It is “their own.” Do you see it differently?
I meant “them” more as a reference to how both John and his father had dreams of leaving. So, for that I meant more as a why do their wives keep both him and his father from leaving? In Synge’s world, I do not think the men want to leave as much as it is necessary for them to leave in order to make money. The Aran Islanders and the characters in “John Redding Goes to Sea” definitely have their differences, but I was wondering if anyone saw some connections despite them.
I agree that it is the cakewalk is their own. I felt like the play’s cakewalk took on a different tone than InDahomey’s because they refused to acknowledge the old and were not treating the dance as some kind of spectacle to entertain the audience. I felt as if Hurston’s cakewalk became more of a show of the significance and sense of pride that the cakewalk brought to the black community. I just really enjoyed the new perspective that her treatment of it revealed to me.