Langston Hughes
Dreams...
What kinds of dreams did you have as a kid?
What kinds of dreams do you have now?
What often happens to dreams?
Harlem
BY LANGSTON HUGHES What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? |
Questions to accompany the video....
1. What is Double Consciousness Hughes is referring to?
2. Hughes enjoyed writing in everyday language. Why do you think this was effective?
3. What is the "mountain standing in the way of any true Negro"?
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Hughes continued to write specifically to Negro writers and reveal what he believed their purpose should be....
To Negro Writers
by Langston Hughes:
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hughes/negrowriters.htm
What is Hughes's main goal in this essay?
What are some of the ideas, beliefs, convictions that Hughes reveals about himself in this piece?
1. What is Double Consciousness Hughes is referring to?
2. Hughes enjoyed writing in everyday language. Why do you think this was effective?
3. What is the "mountain standing in the way of any true Negro"?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hughes continued to write specifically to Negro writers and reveal what he believed their purpose should be....
To Negro Writers
by Langston Hughes:
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hughes/negrowriters.htm
What is Hughes's main goal in this essay?
What are some of the ideas, beliefs, convictions that Hughes reveals about himself in this piece?
Bessie Smith - Backwater Blues
Listen to this song and pay particular attention to any dialect, patterns, and word choice.
The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain
With a partner, note any parts within Hughes’s “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” where Hughes refers to music. What does he say about music and its influence?
1. What assumption does Hughes make of the young poet who wishes “to be a poet—not a Negro poet”? How does Hughes structure his argument in order to reach this conclusion?
2. What is the mountain which Hughes discusses?
3. What assertions is Hughes making in his essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”?
1. What assumption does Hughes make of the young poet who wishes “to be a poet—not a Negro poet”? How does Hughes structure his argument in order to reach this conclusion?
2. What is the mountain which Hughes discusses?
3. What assertions is Hughes making in his essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”?
Langston Hughes Poems...
Read several (or all) of Hughes' poems...
Making these connections will help you to understand how the socio-historical context in which a poem is written influences its meaning and how a writer's personal experiences impact his or her writing.
For Broader discussion:
SWBAT: read and analyze Langton Hughes' writing, make connections between the historical context and his personal experiences, and your own interpretation of the poem's meaning
IOT: Identify connections between Hughes’ work and the socio-historical context in which they were written.
- Is there a central theme?
- Are their certain words he uses more often than others?
Making these connections will help you to understand how the socio-historical context in which a poem is written influences its meaning and how a writer's personal experiences impact his or her writing.
- How did Hughes' experiences impact his writing?
- What did Hughes care about?
- Which poem do you relate to most? Why?
For Broader discussion:
SWBAT: read and analyze Langton Hughes' writing, make connections between the historical context and his personal experiences, and your own interpretation of the poem's meaning
IOT: Identify connections between Hughes’ work and the socio-historical context in which they were written.
More on Langston Hughes:
- Red Hot Jazz: Biography of Langston Hughes. This website contains a myriad of information on early jazz and features biographical information on Langston Hughes.
- America's Story from America's Library: Langston Hughes. This website from the Library of Congress contains information about the life of Langston Hughes.
- A Centennial Tribute to Langston Hughes. This website contains information on Langston Hughes and examples of his poetry.
- Harlem 1900-1940 Timeline. This website contains a timeline of the Harlem Renaissance.
- "To Negro Writers" by Langston Hughes. This Modern American Poetry website contains an essay written by Langston Hughes.