My Name

My name is Chioma Lynn Iheoma. The name is Nigerian which is where my father is from and some of my mother's ancestors. My parents did actually argue over what my name should be. My mother, named Esther, wanted her first daughter to be named after her. My father wanted his children to do have Nigerian names, which is weird because other options he came up with were Jennifer and Jessica. My mother only let my father choose the my first name if she could choose my middle name which is Lynn, her middle name is Evelyn and she just took the Lynn part because she always sort of disliked her middle name. I believe I was named after my great-grandmother from my father's side. So my name became Chioma which means, "God's time is the best". My last name also means "good thing". I like my name a lot because when ever I introduce myself to someone they are immediately pulled in and pay more attention to what my name is, so it is quite unforgettable. When I introduce myself to adults they normally say, "What a beautiful name!", "Where is that from?", and "What does it mean?". I think my name fits me and I could not see myself having any other name. According to the Kabalarian Philosophy, people named Chioma are studious, clever, and practical(which I am not always), technical, and organized. It also says people named Chioma take life seriously and can be deeply hurt and go into extreme moods.

Nicknames that I have had over the years are Chum Chum, Chi, Chum, and recently a friend called my Oma. Another thing that I think is signifcant about my name is that it is very rare in America because it is found mostly in Nigerians. Also my brother and sister have names that start with -Ch, this is significant because my parents and their siblings all have names that are similar. My dad's siblings' names all start with J and my mom's siblings and extended family's names are all from the bible except her younger brother and sister.

Symbolism in their eyes.

Symbols

Janie’s hair- it symbolizes her personality and feelings. When she has to where the head rag she is covering up her emotions.

Overalls- Symbolize that she does not care what other people think about her it also shows that she is working class.

Pear Tree- The pear tree symbolizes Janie’s growth. When she was coming into her woman hood it was blooming and whenever she is in need of happiness she thinks of the tree blooming and she is calmed.

Gate- The gate symbolized Janie’s freedom and her want to escape. In each of her homes she sees the outside of the gate as a haven.

Mule-The mule with Logan Killicks symbolized Janie having to work hard and not getting much love. With the new town and Joe Starks it symbolized a helpless being that no one cared for. That is how Janie felt in the new town.

Joe Stark’s house- Joe’s house is large and white while the rest of the town is ramshackled. It makes the town look like a plantation. It also shows how full of himself Joe has become.

Lamp lighting- At first Joe is a “light” of the town and everyone likes him, soon he starts to fade and becomes too egotistical.

Imagery in their Eyes..

Imagery	Interpretation
“The sun was gone, but he had left his foot prints in the sky. It was the time for sitting on porches beside the road. It was the time to hear things and talk. These sitters had been tongueless, earless, eyeless conveniences all day long.”(1)	The small town where Janie lives is a typical southern town where everyone is in everyone else’s business.
“The men noticed her firm buttocks like she had grape fruits in her hip pockets” (2)	Although Janie is about 40 she still has the features of her former young self.
“They sat there in the fresh young darkness close together. Pheoby eager to feel and do through Janie, but hating to show her zest for fear it might be thought mere curiousity. Janie full of that oldest human longing- self revelation.”(7)	Pheoby and Janie are really close and they are “bosom bodies” and tell each other everything. Pheoby does not want to seem too eager and Janie wants to remember what her life happened.
“From barren brown stems to glistening leaf buds; from the leaf buds to snowy virginity of bloom. It stirred her tremendously. How? Why? It was like a flute song forgotten in another existence and remembered again…. It followed her through all her waking moments and caressed her in her sleep” (10)	The tree is an image in nature of Janie growing up and going through womanhood. Janie sees the tree as what love should really be like for people which is why she is disappointed in her first marriage.
“She bolted upright and peered out of the window and saw Johnny Taylor lacerating her Janie with a kiss” (12)	Janie is seen by Nanny kissing Johnny how is disreputable and Nanny does not want to have a backlash of what happened to her and her daughter.
“Nanny’s head and face looked like the standing roots of some old tree that had been torn away by storm. Foundation of ancient power that no longer mattered.” (12)	Nanny is quite angry and shocked at the fact that Janie is already at womanhood.
“The woman’s voice was so lacking in command and reproof, so full of crumbling dissolution-that Janie half believed that Janie had not seen her”	Janie is in shock that Janie has grown so quickly.
“She slapped the girl’s face violently, and forced her head back so that their eyes met in struggle” (14)	Janie gets slapped very hard.
“It was a citified, stylish dressed man with his hat set at an angle that didn’t belong in these parts. His coat was over his arm, but he didn’t need it to represent his clothes” (27)	Janie can tell that this new strange man is not from around and is already developing a crush on him.
“So the put on one of her bought dresses and went up the new-cut road all dressed in wine-colored red. Her silken ruffles rustled and muttered about her.”(41)	Jody wants Janie to look the best out of all the women.
”She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered. But looking at it she saw that it never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just something she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over.” (72)	Janie is in shock and finally realizes that she never really loved Joe and that she just used him as a way to get away from her old life.
“This business of the head-rag irked her endlessly. “ (55)	Janie did not like wearing the head rag at all and she felt it was hiding her away.