Read the excerpt from Hurston’s “John Redding Goes to Sea.” Matty Redding, John's mother, was setting the table for supper. She
was a small wiry woman with large eyes that might have been beautiful when she was young, but too much weeping had left them watery and weak. Which best describes the intent of Hurston’s use of voice as it relates to cultural experience? Hurston explores the outdated notion of women in the kitchen rather than in the workforce. Hurston reinforces the idea that women openly show their emotions, whereas men try to conceal them. Hurston highlights the hardships that women in the community are experiencing through her description of Matty Redding. Hurston comments on the wasted beauty of youth and the cruelty of aging through her portrayal of the main character.
Hurston comments on the wasted beauty of youth and the cruelty of aging through her portrayal of the main character.
Explanation:
The only comparison being made in this excerpt is the difference between Matty Redding's eyes when she was young and her eyes now. Hurston says that they "might have been beautiful" but now they are "watery and weak". This description shows the wasted beauty of youth and the cruelty of aging since the change of Matty Redding's eyes shows that they are less beautiful than they once could have been. There is nothing in the passage to suggest Hurston is exploring women's roles in the home or community, nor is it comparing women to men.
