Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica

Analyze the importance of the theme of Blurred Lines Between Truth and Fiction in Hurston’s depiction of Caribbean religion and folklore. How does the interplay between fact, fiction, and uncertainty factor into Hurston’s experiences, and/or the wider genre of ethnographic studies?

Haitian Creole is the result of language contact between French and West African languages, such as Falta and Igbo. How does Hurston use Creole in Tell My Horse? How does Creole reflect the political, cultural and/or social history of Haiti?

Hurston’s work achieved renewed popularity after the publication of Walker’s article Looking for Zora (originally titled In Search of Zora Neale Hurston) in 1975. How does Walker approach Hurston’s life and legacy? How does the shifting reception of Hurston’s work reflect the changing social and cultural mores of the time?

Hurston features both Jamaica and Haiti as her case studies in Tell My Horse. How does the inclusion of both countries affect her analysis? How do her experiences and knowledge of one inform those of the other?

Hurston frequently uses detailed imagery and literary techniques to describe her surroundings and experiences. What are some of Hurston’s literary techniques? How does the use of these techniques change the approach and style of her work compared to more traditional academic studies?

When discussing the social structure and culture of Haiti and Jamaica, Hurston often intersperses her anthropological analyses with personal recollections from her time in the Caribbean, or short anecdotes about particular individuals. How do these interjections serve to illustrate and expound upon her key themes and ideas? Use examples to justify your answer.

A significant theme in Tell My Horse is Power Inequalities and Discrimination in Caribbean Societies. Consider discrimination in the modern age, as well as changes that have impacted Caribbean and American culture since the 1930s (e.g., Third Wave Feminism, the American Civil Rights Movement, etc.). To what extent are the inequalities presented by Hurston still observable in modern society? What, if anything, has changed?

Compare Tell My Horse to Hurston’s other notable ethnographic study, Mules and Men (1935). What themes, subjects, and approaches do the two works share in common? In what ways are they different from one another?