poetry unit - eooaka.org

Poetry UnitDeborah Dennard

The Harlem Renaissance

Langston Hughes6th Grade Lesson

Harlem Renaissance

Opening: Review Tier II VocabularyRenaissance – a French word meaning “rebirth.” It refers to a period in European civilization that was marked by a revival of Classical learning and wisdom. The Renaissance saw many contributions to different fields, including new scientific laws, new forms of art and architecture, and new religious and political ideas.

Great Migration– The Great Migration was the movement of some six million African Americans from rural areas of the Southern states of the United States to urban areas in the Northern states between 1916 and 1970.

Explicit Instruction:1. Explain to the students that they will be learning how to identify the

central idea of a text and relevant details in order to write an objective summary.

2. Review with students what should and should not be included in an objective summary (Slide 7).

3. Explain to students what a central idea is and how to determine what it is in a specific text (Slide 8).

4. Explain to students that the central idea is supported by several different types of evidence (Slide 9).

5. Inform students that there is both relevant and irrelevant details found within a text, but only the relevant details should be used to support the central idea in a summary (Slide 10).

Credit: Write Score Resources

ELAGSE6RI2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through

particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions

or judgments.

Central idea –reviewing the

topic and point being addressed

in the text.

Relevant details support the

central idea.

It should be concise and

avoid any personal opinion

or judgment.

It is restated in your own words.

It avoids irrelevant details.


particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions

or judgments.


Ties all of the elements of the text together

Provides the reader with a clear focus and purpose for reading

It is directly stated and made up of a topic and a point

Typically stated at the beginning of the text or paragraph

It is a fact that is supported throughout the text with evidence and examples


particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal

opinions or judgments.


Central

Idea Supported By


Relevant Irrelevant✓Support the central idea

✓Inform the reader about

the topic

✓Has a significant bearing

on the topic at hand

✓Additional details

✓Do not directly support or

relate to the central idea

✓Has little to no bearing on the

topic at hand

ELAGSE6RI2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed

through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal

opinions or judgments.


ELAGSE6RI1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text saysexplicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.ELAGSE6RI2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed throughparticular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personalopinions or judgments.

• Watch the videos of The Harlem Renaissance and The Great Migration. (Background knowledge) (RI9)

• Using the gradual release of responsibility and modeling, use the previous slides to guide students through a few paragraphs of the “The Harlem Renaissance” handout. (Please see lesson plans in Write Score under Writing Tab (RI2). Have students to work in groups or independently on the remainder of the handout after guided instruction. Discuss.

• Read The Great Migration handout for homework, using the same strategy. Review and discuss the next day.

• Students should be able to answer the following questions.

• What were the influences that inspired African Americans to move north?

• How did the Great Migration influence the Harlem Renaissance? Support your answer with evidence from the text and/or video?

• Why was this “Harlem Renaissance” seen as a rebirth?

• Write a summary about importance of the Harlem Renaissance to American history and culture.

Opening: Review Tier III VocabularyMetaphor – A direct comparison of two unlike nouns or pronouns.

Extended Metaphor – a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem. It is often comprised of more than one sentence, and sometimes consists of a full paragraph.

Imagery - using sensory details, or descriptions that appeal to one or more of the five senses.

Dialect – The special form of speech that belongs to a particular group or region

Mood – The emotional effect that the text creates for the audience.

Tone – The speaker’s attitude

Repetition – The repeated use of sounds, words, phrases, or lines, usually emphasizing important items to help unify a poem.

Simile - A figure of speech that uses the words like or as to directly compare two unlike nouns or pronouns.

ELAGSE6RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

Explicit Instruction:

1. Read the story or poem.

2. Explain that the words authors use affects the meaning and establishes the tone—or the attitude of the story or poem.

3. Explain that word choice is important because it creates the mood of the story or poem.

4. Explain that being able to identify words that describe the setting and characters helps the reader fully understand a text’s meaning, tone, and mood.

5. Read the first stanza aloud while students follow along. Instruct students to underline words that describe the message of the poem. Direct students to pay attention to how the words the author uses makes them feel. (See Graphic Organizer)

6. Think aloud and model for students, filling in the graphic organizer with words from the first stanza that describe the message and explain how they make you feel while completing the chart.

7. Read the second stanza aloud while students follow along.

8. Instruct students to turn and talk about what they noticed as they read.

9. Model how to write an analytical paragraph, using the notes.

** Follow this format when teaching RL4. Go to Write Score resources for full lesson plans of how to teach this standard.


Word Impact Graphic Organizer

Words The Poet Uses Feelings The Words Express

Use the information in the chart to write a brief paragraph that

describes the mood of the story. Then, explain how the author’s

words help to create the mood.Credit: Write Score Resources (A copy of handout is found in Write Score Resources under Reading Tab for RL4 Standard).

ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Explicit Instruction:

1. Explain to the students that they will be learning how to identify the theme in a piece of literature.

2. Review with students the characteristics of a theme, being sure to clear up any misconceptions students may already have about what a theme is (Slide 3).

3. Explain to students that a theme (or thematic statement) is made up of a topic (or big idea) and a fact or belief that the author is expressing in the story. When reviewing the examples, explain to students that the statement does not always have to start with the topic at the very beginning (Slide 4).


A Theme is:

o the moral or message of the story

o determined through the dialogue and actions of the characters, as well as through the setting and plot

o a complete thought/statement

o the point the author is making about the topic (Big Idea)

A Theme is NOT:o directly told to you

in the story

o the main idea of the

passageo a topic (one word)

o a summary of the

story

ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Common Thematic

Topics:

• Courage

• Honesty

• Loyalty

• Romance

• Jealousy

• Responsibility

• Hope• Family

Together, let’s identify if the following examples are themes, topics, or summaries.

✓ Family

✓ The three little pigs each built

their house out of a different

material. When the big, bad

wolf came, only one house

was able to hold up against

the huffing and puffing.

✓ It takes courage to face your

fears.

✓ Jordan was the star of his baseball

team, and everyone counted on him

to make the winning run. He had two

strikes and just one more chance to

knock the ball out of the park. Fans

held their breath as the pitcher threw

the ball and to everyone’s surprise, the

umpire called out, strike.

✓ In order to achieve your goals, you have to work for them.

✓ Courage

ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.ELAGSE6RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

Harlem

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry upLike 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 sagslike a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

• Imagery - using sensory details, or descriptions that appeal to one or more of the five senses.

• Simile - A figure of speech that uses the words like or as to directly compare two unlike nouns or pronouns.

• Deferred means postponed or delayed. (Example: Many adults ask for their bills – student loans to be deferred). This doesn’t mean the bills won’t have to be paid; it just postpone payments to a later time. When students receive an “I” on their grades, it doesn’t mean the students doesn’t have to make up work. It means the date for the work to be turned in is delayed.

• Write a sentence in the chat about an example of something being deferred. Use the word.

• Fester - to generate pus

• Has anyone ever had a sore to fester?

Harlem






Or does it explode?

• Look at the imagery in stanzas 2nd -6th stanza.

– What is a raisin? What do you visualize when thinking about the raisin?

– What do you visualize when you think about a festering sore, think about the smell of rotten meat, taste something that is crusted over from being too sweet, held something so heavy it makes you sag, or see something overheats until it explodes?

– This poem is about delaying a dream. Review the phrases in stanzas 2-6. Hughes did not answer the question. He used imagery and several questions of comparison. How did his use of phrases convey his answer. What impact did these phrases have? How did the phrases differ from a simple answer.







Or does it explode?

Analyzing the Poem.

What is the point Hughes is trying to

make? What is the theme of this

poem?

What does it mean to defer a dream?

Does Hughes believe deferring a

dream is positive or negative? Support

your answer by analyzing the imagery

used to describe the dream deferred.

How does the use of imagery and

similes impact the his tone?

Harlem


ELAGSE6RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.ELAGSE6L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and

nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.

Dreams

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.

Analyzing the Poem

How does Hughes use metaphors to convey the importance of not letting go dreams?

What does Hughes mean when he writes “For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly”?

What does Hughes mean when he writes, “For when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow”?

How is the use of the metaphor different than just saying holding onto dreams are very important?

Mother to Son by: Langston HughesWell, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Read Hughes’ “Mother to Son”First Read: Have students to silently read “Mother to Son” to themselves. Have them to think about the significance of the title. You may also play the audio version of Hughes reciting the poem. This link is found is Hughes’ biography in the Harlem Renaissance Unit Resource.

Second Read: Read the poem aloud to the class while students follow along silently.

In groups or pairs, have students to summarize the poem and discuss the following:

• Significance of Title

• Who is the speaker, and what is his or her tone?

• What is the mood of the poem?

• What is the theme or message of the poem?

ELAGSE6RL5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

o Authors structure their stories or poems for a specific purpose.

o In literature, each paragraph, stanza, or sentence serves an intended purpose.

o The reader must make connections among the text in order to determine the significance of each piece of the story.

o How the author organizes the passage contributes to the development of the theme, setting, and plot.

Graphic Organizer for RL 5ELAGSE6RL5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

Lines Summarize Meaning Author’s Purpose for IncludingBeginning

Lines 1-2

Middle

3-7

Middle

8-13

End

Lines 14-20

ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyedthrough particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.ELAGSE6RL5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.

Mother to Son By: Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor—Bare. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now—For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Questions to Ponder

What is the theme of this poem?

How does the use of lines 3-7 help develop Hughes’ theme?

How would the poem be different if lines 8-13 were not included?

ELAGSE6RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.ELAGSE6L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.



Analyzing for deeper meaning

• What is the speaker trying to teach her son?

• The speaker uses dialect as she advises her son.

– How does the dialect impact her tone?

– How does the dialect impact the overall mood of the poem? How does it impact the theme?

• How does Hughes use imagery to deliver his theme?

• How does the repetition impact the meaning of this poem?

• How does the use of the extended metaphor impact the meaning and tone of this poem? How does the use of the stairs in “Mother to Son” affect the theme rather than just saying “Life is rough but persevere?”

Homework

Have students to write a free verse poem that includes imagery, repetition, simile, and metaphor.

ELAGSE6RL9 Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., storiesand poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

1. Read Langston Hughes’ “Thank You, Ma’am.”

2. What are the similarities in the mother in “Mother to Son” and

Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones?

3. What are the similarities in the son in “Mother to Son” and

Roger?

4. What theme does both “Mother to Son” and “Thank You,

Ma’am” have in common?

5. Compare and contrast the approaches to the themes in both

“Mother to Son” and “Thank You, Ma’am.” In what similar ways

in both texts did Hughes support the theme? In what different

ways in both texts did Hughes support the theme?

ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. ELAGSE6RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

If We Must Die By: Claude McKay

If we must die—let it not be like hogsHunted and penned in an inglorious spot,While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,Making their mock at our accursed lot.If we must die—oh, let us nobly die,So that our precious blood may not be shedIn vain; then even the monsters we defyShall be constrained to honor us though dead!Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave,And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!What though before us lies the open grave?Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

Vocabulary to Consider

• Inglorious – Shameful; Unsuccessful

• Accursed – Doomed; Cursed

• Lot – Destiny; Plight

• Nobly – Virtuous; Honorably

• Defy – Challenge; Resist

• Constrained - Forced

• Foe – Enemy, Rival, Opponent

What is this poem about? What is McKay talking about?


If We Must Die By: Claude McKay

If we must die—let it not be like hogsHunted and penned in an inglorious spot,While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,Making their mock at our accursed lot.If we must die—oh, let us nobly die,So that our precious blood may not be shedIn vain; then even the monsters we defyShall be constrained to honor us though dead!Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave,And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!What though before us lies the open grave?Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

Questions to Ponder

• How does McKay’s use of the simile about hogs explain support how he does not want to die? What does he mean?

• What is the theme of this poem, and how is it conveyed throughout the poem?

• How do the word choices and imagery in lines 1-4 differ from lines 13-14? What characteristic does each set of lines express?

• What does it mean to “nobly die”?

• How does the rhyme scheme of this poem compare to the other free verse poems you have studied? How does it help with recitation?


Your World By: Georgia D. Johnson

Your world is as big as you make it.I know, for I used to abideIn the narrowest nest in a corner,My wings pressing close to my side.

But I sighted the distant horizonWhere the skyline encircled the seaAnd I throbbed with a burning desireTo travel this immensity.

I battered the cordons around meAnd cradled my wings on the breeze,Then soared to the uttermost reachesWith rapture, with power, with ease!

Questions to Ponder

• What is the central idea and/or theme of “Your world”?

• What metaphor does Johnson use to show this theme throughout the poem? Cite your textual evidence.

• How does this metaphor impact the tone of the poem?

• Compare and contrast this poem to Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son.” How are the messages similar? How are they different?

ELAGSE6RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.ELAGSE6RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.ELAGSE6L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.

My Little Dreams By Georgia Douglas Johnson

I’m folding up my little dreams Within my heart tonight,

And praying I may soon forget The torture of their sight.

For time’s deft fingers scroll my brow With fell relentless art— I’m

folding up my little dreams Tonight, within my heart.

Analyzing the Poem

• How does Johnson feel about her dreams?

• Why does she want to forget them? Why is she tortured by them?

• Johnson uses personification in the second stanza. What is its meaning?

• Why is she folding her dreams in her heart?

• What is the theme of this poem? Support your answer, using the details from the poem.

• Compare and contrast Hughes’ “Dreams” to Johnson’s “My Little Dreams.” Write an analysis of the two poets message and styles used to convey the message.

7th Grade Lesson Plan

Opening: Review Tier II VocabularyMetaphor – A direct comparison of two unlike nouns or pronouns.








ELAGSE7RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.






Or does it explode?

Analyzing the Poem.

What does it mean to defer a dream?

Does Hughes believe deferring a

dream is positive or negative? Support

your answer by analyzing the similes used to describe the dream deferred.

How does the use of similes impact

the connotative meaning of the

poem?

In what ways does the rhyme scheme

impact the effectiveness of the

poem?

Dream Deferred


Dreams

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.

Analyzing the PoemHow does Hughes use metaphors to convey the importance of not letting go dreams?

What does Hughes mean when he writes “For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly”?

What does Hughes mean when he writes, “For when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow”?

How is the use of the metaphor different than just saying holding onto dreams are very important?

How does the repetition of the first line impact the meaning? In what way does the rhyme in the 2nd and 4th line of each stanza impact the poem?

Homework

Write a poem with 2 stanzas (4 lines each) that follows an a,b,a,b rhyme scheme, including a simile and a metaphor.




And splinters,

And boards torn up,


Bare.

But all the time













ELAGSE7RL5 Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.



Analyzing the poem.

• What is the structure and form of this poem?

• Read this poem again aloud with a partner. How does the structure and form contribute to its meaning?

Homework


ELAGSE7RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.ELAGSE7RL7 Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

Read “The Weary Blues.”

Have students to discuss what the poem is saying. How does the title relate to the meaning? (See poetry analysis template)

Have the students to identify the figurative language in the poem (See notes at bottom for the figurative language).

Analyze the impact of the rhymes and repetition of sounds on this poem.

In groups, have students to chart their analysis.

ELAGSE7RL7 Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

Have students to listen to Langston Hughes reciting “The Weary Blues” in both links.

• Langston and Band "The Weary Blues"

• The Weary Blues and Cab Calloway video

In groups, have students to compare and contrast the effects of

each recitation of the poem to their original analysis. Have them

complete a Tri Venn Diagram, using the information they charted

earlier, and write a constructed response.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM7HSOwJw20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyqwvC5s4n8

Langston Hughes8th Grade Lesson Plan

Opening: Review Tier II VocabularyMetaphor – A direct comparison of two unlike nouns or pronouns.











And splinters,

And boards torn up,


Bare.

But all the time













ELAGSE8RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.











HomeworkHave students to write an analysis of ”Mother to Son” using the poetry analysis template included in the poetry unit.


ELAGSE8RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

I Hear America SingingI hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe

and strong,The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off

work,The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deck-

hand singing on the steamboat deck,The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing

as he stands,The woodcutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morn-

ing, or at noon intermission or at sundown,The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work,

or of the girl sewing or washing,Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young

fellows, robust, friendly,Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

What is the theme in Whitman’s “I

Hear America Singing”?

How is the theme conveyed over the

course of the poem?

What is Whitman’s belief about

America? Cite textual evidence to

support your thinking.

ELAGSE8RL2 Determine a theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

I, Too, Sing America

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.They send me to eat in the kitchenWhen company comes,But I laugh,And eat well,And grow strong.

Tomorrow,I'll be at the tableWhen company comes.Nobody'll dareSay to me,"Eat in the kitchen,"Then.

Besides, They'll see how beautiful I amAnd be ashamed--

What is the theme in Hughes’ “I, Too,

Sing America”?

How is the theme conveyed over the

course of the poem?

What is Hughes belief about America?

Cite textual evidence to support your

thinking.

ELAGSE8RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

I, Too, Sing America Analysis of poems

Langston Hughes wrote “I, Too Sing America” years after Walt Whitman wrote “I Hear America Singing.” Hughes title is an allusion to Whitman’s title.

Compare and contrast the two poems. Why do you think Hughes wrote a poem in response to this poem.

Link: More ideas for comparison of the poems





https://achievethecore.org/content/upload/America_Paired%20Poems_8MA.pdf

Homework• After reading "I, Too" by Langston Hughes, "I Hear America Singing" by Walt

Whitman, choose one of the options below and write a response poem.

1. Whitman: Imagine Whitman were alive today. Write an updated version of "I Hear America Singing" and include the sights, sounds, and workers of today. Write between 10-12 lines, mimicking Whitman's style.

a) Consider today's laborers and the theme (and TONE) you want to take in your poem --you don't have to have a positive tone if you choose. Be sure to use alliteration and imagery.

2. Select someone whose voice you don't think is always "heard" in our country, the same way Hughes speaks of African Americans during the 1920s. Write an "I, Too" poem using that person as the speaker. It should be between 10-12 lines and mimic Hughes' style.

a. Possible subjects/speakers: immigrants, young people, senior citizens, homeless, etc.Be sure to use alliteration and imagery.

ELAGSE8RL5 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.

• What are the structures of the previous poems?

• What themes do the poems share?

• How does the structure of each impact the meaning of the theme?

• How does the structure and form impact the meaning?

• Which poem makes the strongest claim? Do you believe the structure and form contributed?

Langston Hughes

I, Too, Sing America





I, too, am America.

Let America Be America Again

Let America be America again.

Let it be the dream it used to be.

Let it be the pioneer on the plain

Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers

dreamed—

Let it be that great strong land of love

Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme

That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty

Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,

But opportunity is real, and life is free,

Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me,

Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?

And who are you that draws your veil across

the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,

I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.

I am the red man driven from the land,

I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—

And finding only the same old stupid plan

Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,

Tangled in that ancient endless chain

Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!

Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of

satisfying need!

Of work the men! Of take the pay!

Of owning everything for one’s own greed!

(The complete poem is in the unit)

ELAGSE8RL5 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.

poetry unit - eooaka.org

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