Transcript 11th lessons 4.13-4.17x - 11th Grade CP American Literature

 Aim: How is modernism reflected in various different texts?
 Take out HW: How is Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman a reflection of realism and
modernism?
 Embraced nontraditional syntax and forms.
 Challenged tradition
 Writers wanted to move beyond Realism to introduce such concepts as
disjointed timelines.
 An overarching theme of Modernism was “emancipation”
 Open form
 Juxtapostion
 Free verse
 Discontinuous narrative
 Intertextuality
 Classical allusions
 Borrowing from cultures and other languages
 Two images that are otherwise not commonly brought together appear side
by side or structurally close together, thereby forcing the reader to stop and
reconsider the meaning of the text through the contrasting images, ideas,
motifs, etc.
 For example, “He was slouched alertly” is a juxtaposition.
 Narrative moves back and
forth through time.
 (Death of a Salesman)
 Intertextuality is a relationship between two or more texts that quote from one
another, allude to one another, or otherwise connect.
 Breakdown of social norms and cultural securities
 Alienation of the individual
 Exploitation of the despairing individual in the force of an unmanageable
future
 Product of the metropolis, of cities and urbanscapes
 Women were given the right to vote in
1920.
 Hemlines raised; Margaret Sanger
introduces the idea of birth control.
 Karl Marx’s ideas flourish; the Bolshevik
Revolution overthrows Russia’s czarist
government and establishes the Soviet
Union.
 Writers begin to explore these new
ideas.
 Sense of alienation in literature:
 The character belongs to a “lost
generation” (Gertrude Stein)
 The character suffers from a
“dissociation of sensibility”—
separation of thought from feeling (T.
S. Eliot)
 The character has “a Dream
deferred” (Langston Hughes).
 Characters are heroic in the face
of a future they can’t control.
 Demonstrates the uncertainty felt
by individuals living in this era.
 Examples include Jay Gatsby in
The Great Gatsby, Lt. Henry in A
Farewell to Arms
 Life in the city differs from life
on the farm; writers began to
explore city life.
 Conflicts begin to center on
society.
 Read Robert Frost’s poem.
 Find at least 3 examples of modernist traits
within the poem. Explain your answers.
 Annotate any observation on structure.
 Annotate diction (which words stand out?)
 What do you picture? How do these images
contribute to mood?
 Aim: How can we become familiar with the
Harlem Renaissance?
 Do Now: Where is Harlem and what is the
Harlem Renaissance?
 "Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but
it does not make me angry. It merely
astonishes me. How can anyone deny
themselves the pleasure of my company?
It's beyond me." - Zora Neale Hurston
Where is Harlem?
The island of Manhattan
New York City is on Manhattan island
Neighborhoods
 Centered in the
Harlem district of
New York City, the
New Negro
Movement (as it
was called at the
time) had a major
influence across
the Unites States
and even the
world.
Study the picture for 2 minutes. Form
an overall impression of the painting,
then start to focus on individual
details.
Questions to think about:
1. What do you see?
2. What people do you see?
3. What objects do you see?
4. What colors do you see?
5. What actions/activities do you
see?
6. What questions does this
painting raise in your mind?
7. How does this painting relate to
the Harlem Renaissance?
“Ascent from Ethiopia”, Louis Mailou Jones. 1932
8. Based on what you have
observed, list what you may infer
from this painting.
 The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African American
social thought which was expressed through
 Paintings
 Music
 Dance
 Theater
 Literature
 The economic opportunities of the era triggered a
widespread migration of black Americans from the
rural south to the industrial centers of the north and especially to New York City.
 In New York and other cities, black Americans
explored new opportunities for intellectual and
social freedom.
 Black American artists, writers, and musicians
began to use their talents to work for civil rights
and obtain equality.
 The Harlem Renaissance helped to redefine how
Americans and the world understood African
American culture. It integrated black and white
cultures, and marked the beginning of a black
urban society.
 The Harlem Renaissance flourished in the 1920s
and set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement of
the 1950s and 60s.
“Take The A Train”
Billy Strayhorn for the Duke Ellington Orchestra
You must take the A train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the A train
You'll find you missed the quickest
way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now it's coming
Listen to those rails a-humming
All aboard, get on the A train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in
Harlem
•What is the tone or mood of this recording?
•Why do you think the original recording was made and for what audience?
•List two things in this sound recording that tell you about life in the United States at
the time.
 Aim: Who were some prominent people during the Harlem Renaissance and what
impact did they make?
Do Now: What images
stand out in the painting on the
right?
 Artists such as Jacob Lawrence
 Authors such as Langston Hughes
 Musicians such as Duke Ellington,
Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith
 Jacob Lawrence grew up in a
settlement house in Harlem
during the Harlem Renaissance
 Lawrence's parents were among
those who migrated between
1916-1919, considered the first
wave of the migration.
 His own life in Harlem ,
and the struggle of other Black
Americans
inspired his earliest work
 Jacob Lawrence painted his Great Migration
series during the 1940s to capture the experience
of African Americans during the 1920s
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/history/odonnell/w101
0/edit/migration/migration.html
Jacob Lawrence
Painter
Painted scenes of:
•his own background in Harlem
•the hard life of black Americans
in the 1920s
The Great Migration series is his
most recognized work
 Hughes is known for his insightful,
colorful, realistic portrayals of
black life in America.
 He wrote poetry, short stories,
novels, and plays, and is known
for his involvement with the world
of jazz and the influence it had on
his writing.
 His life and work were enormously
important in shaping the artistic
contributions of the Harlem
Renaissance in the 1920s.
 He wanted to tell the stories of his
people in ways that reflected their
actual culture, including both their
suffering and their love of music,
laughter, and language itself.
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
(1919)
To listen to Langston Hughes
read his poem, click here.
One of Hughes's poetic innovations was to draw
on the rhythms of black musical traditions such
as jazz and blues, but in 'The Negro Speaks of
Rivers' it's the heritage of Negro spirituals which
is recalled by the poem's majestic imagery and
sonorous repetitions. Written when Hughes was
only seventeen as he traveled by train across
the Mississippi, 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' is
a beautiful statement of strength in the history
of black people, which Hughes imagines
stretching as far back as ancient Egypt and
further into Africa and the cradle of civilization.
The poem returns at the end to America in a
moment of optimistic alchemy when he sees the
"muddy bosom" of the Mississippi "turn all
golden in the sunset".
I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as
the world and older than the
flow of human blood in
human veins.
My soul has grown deep like
the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates
when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the
Congo and it lulled me to
sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and
raised the pyramids above
it.
I heard the singing of the
Mississippi when Abe
Lincoln
went down to New Orleans,
and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the
sunset.
I've known rivers:
From PoetryArchive.org
•What is the tone or mood of this poem?
Ancient, dusky rivers.
•Why do you think the poem was written and for what audience?
My soul has
grown
deep
liketime.
•List two things in this poem that tell you about life in the United
States
at the
the rivers.
I, too, sing America.
(1920s)
To listen to Langston Hughes
read his poem, click here.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the
kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
'I, Too' written just before Hughes’ return to
the States from Europe and after he'd been
denied passage on a ship because of his
color, has a contemporary feel in contrast to
the mythical dimension of 'The Negro Speaks
of Rivers'. It is no less powerful however, in its
expression of social injustice. The calm clear
statements of the 'I' have an unstoppable
force like the progress the poem envisages.
Hughes's dignified introductions to these
poems and his beautiful speaking voice
render them all the more moving.
From PoetryArchive.org
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,“
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
•What is the tone or mood of this poem?
•Why do you think the poem was written and for what audience?
•List two things in this poem that tell you about life in the United States at the
And be ashamed-I, too, am America.
Wrote poetry, short stories,
novels, and plays.
Langston Hughes Poet and Author
Known for his colorful,
realistic portrayals of black
life in America.
 Ellington was a jazz composer,
conductor, and performer during
the Harlem Renaissance.
 During the formative Cotton Club
years, he experimented with and
developed the style that would
quickly bring him worldwide
success. Ellington would be
among the first to focus on
musical form and composition in
jazz.
 Ellington wrote over 2000 pieces
in his lifetime.
 The Duke Ellington Orchestra
was the "house" orchestra for a
number of years at the Cotton
Club. The revues featured
glamorous dancing girls,
acclaimed tap dancers,
vaudeville performers, and
comics. All the white world
came to Harlem to see the
show.
 The first Cotton Club revue was
in 1923. There were two new
fast paced revues produced a
year for at least 16 years.
Duke Ellington Composer/Conductor
To hear Duke Ellington, click the link.
Jazz composer, conductor,
and performer during the
Harlem Renaissance
 Louis Armstrong was a jazz
composer and trumpet player
during the Harlem
Renaissance.
 He is widely recognized as a
founding father of jazz.
 He appeared in 30 films and
averaged 300 concerts per
year, performing for both kids
on the street and heads of
state.
Composer and trumpet
player during the Harlem
Louis Armstrong Composer/Trumpeter Renaissance
Widely recognized as a
founding father of jazz
To hear Louis Armstrong, click the link.
 Bessie Smith was a famous jazz
and blues singer during the Harlem
Renaissance.
 Smith recorded with many of the
great Jazz musicians of the 1920s,
including Louis Armstrong.
 Smith was popular with both blacks
and whites
Bessie Smith
Jazz & Blues
Singer
Famous jazz and blues singer
during the Harlem
Renaissance
Popular with both blacks and
whites
To hear Bessie Smith, click the link.
With a partner, analyze the poem’s meaning and answer the questions that follow on
the sheet as well as the following questions:
What is the sound/rhythm of the poem and how does it contribute to its meaning?
 Aim: How can we analyze the poetry of Langston Hughes?
 Do Now: Write a paragraph about a time you really wanted something and it was
denied.
“Dreams” Langston Hughes
 Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Activity
 What are the metaphors in the poem?
Metaphors
Meaning
“A Dream Deferred”
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?
Do Now on poetry worksheet
 Grammar and punctuation
 1. Underline verbs that are used. What is
the significance behind these verbs?
 2. Circle nouns that are used. What is the
significance behind these nouns?
 3. Highlight adjectives that are used. What is
the significance behind these adjectives?
 4. How does this language contrast with the
main noun, 'dream'?
 5. Why does Hughes use a dash twice (-‐)?
“A Dream Deferred”
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?
Do Now on poetry worksheet
 Poetic Devices
1)
Write down all examples of similes.
2)
Describe these similes and what you
imagine/picture.
3)
What do these similes have in common?
4)
What’s the significance behind the last
line?
“A Dream Deferred”
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?
Artsy Activity
 Create a comic book about the various
comparisons that Hughes makes to a
dream.