Write a persuasive essay arguing whether you think Janie has gained her voice and an identity by the end of the novel. Does she end the novel as an independent heroine who can tell her own story or as a tired, silent woman who has suffered too much and lost too much to care about her own voice? Trace her development through the novel and make your argument. Use specific examples and quotations from the novel to support your points. Pay particular attention to the frame and to the ending of the novel, as well as to the scenes with Jody.
Janie's Voice/Identity
I. Introduction: Janie does/does not gain her voice and identity by the end of the novel. . .
II. Janie's voice/identity with Nanny/Logan or 2 with Starks (58, 71)
a. Topic sentence
b. Context of the quotation
c. Quotation
d. Reflection/analysis
III. With Starks (p. 75, 79)
a. Topic sentence
b. Context of the quotation
c. Quotation
d. Reflection/analysis
IV. With Tea Cake p.115
a. Topic sentence
b. Context of the quotation
c. Quotation
d. Reflection/analysis
V. Returns to her home as an independent woman with a strong voice/ returns as a silent, tired old woman p.192
a. Topic sentence
b. Context of the quotation
c. Quotation
d. Reflection/analysis
VI. Conclusion