The Harlem Renaissance

Primitivism

DEF: going back Primitivistic influences evident in art and music (simple, crude, back-to-basics).

High interest in African art & musicNew attn to jazz, gospel, bluesAttn to folk culture of Native

Americans as well

Think about Faulkner

Saw violence as primitiveNot ALWAYS dark & depressing –

also provides the charm of folk arts, ballads, etc.

Heading into the 20’s some serious writers were disillusioned by society (corruption, irresponsibility)

However…

1919-1929 produced some of the best American Lit.

New authors responded to social & moral confusion.

Many expatriates used European influence in their writing.

Dream a little dream…

Many characters/authors spend their lives trying to realize their dreams.

At times it’s just the dream that gives meaning to their lives, whether or not the dream is fulfilled.

StoryTech

It’s 10 years from now. You have come to your old favorite pizza place in your home town for a reunion with a few friends from high school. 10 yrs ago, you & these close friends were having a serious discussion about your individual dreams for the future. This discussion was so good you agreed to meet at this location in 10 yrs to check with each other on your progress toward realizing you dream. You are early and have time to reflect and write some notes to share with you friends who will arrive soon. Write down your progress in your journey toward realizing your dream and the steps you have taken toward your goal. (NEXT)

Directions…

First, describe what you look like, what you are wearing, where you are and how you feel about seeing your friends.

Next, write about your progress toward realizing your dream. What have you accomplished?

How about some nice music while you work….

To do list…

What do you need to do to realize this dream?

How do you set goals for yourself and keep them?

What not to do… (self-defeating behaviors)

What might work against you in achieving your dreams?

What would ruin your dream?What barriers might you have

to overcome to achieve this dream?

Influence of Music

Weary Blues – reads like a jazz songPerformance (start at 2:00)Babysitting Blues

Harlem Renaissance – Langston Hughes another “Harlem” poem

What happened 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

Live a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Similes, similes everywhere!

1. What does the speaker mean by “a dream deferred”?

2. What social or political consequences are hinted at in the poem’s last line?

3. List the similes used to describe the effect of the deferred dream. What do these comparisons reveal about the speaker’s attitude (tone)?

Questions

Picture a raisin and a grape. Which has more life? Which one can change? If each is symbolic of a dream, describe what dream the grape could represent.

What are the consequences of a dream deferred?

Think about your biggest dream. How would you change if it went unrealized?

“Dream Boogie” – Langston Hughes

Good morning, daddy!

Ain’t you heardThe boogie-woogie rumbleOf a dream deferred?

Listen closely: Ain’t you heardSomething underneathLike a –

You thinkIt’s a happy

beat?

Listen to it closely:Ain’t you heardSomething underneathLike a -

What did I say?

Sure,I’m happy!Take it away!

Hey, pop!Re-bop!Mop!

Y-e-a-h!

Gwendolyn Brooks “We Real Cool”

We real cool. WeLeft school. WeLurk late. WeStrike straight. We

Sing sin. WeThin gin. We

Jazz June. We Die soon.

Raphael Casal “Barbie And Ken 101”

Okay, I have to bleep at 1:17, 1:44-48, 2:08-09, bad bad words.

Guys mad about triflin’ girls, bleep 1:31, 2:05, deflect pain with humor = genius.

POLL TIME! 2nd Block

POLL – 3rd Block

HW: Write your own

Write your own poem. No set lengthComment on something YOU want to

see changed in society.

Lasting Effect of Harlem Renaissance – Ralph Ellison

Published in 1947Ellison died in 1994New type of black protagonist. Educated,

articulate.Complex culture w/its own identityBlack & white connectedViews not widely accepted until 1980sBlack Nationalism – Video, Disc. Ed

Before We Read…1-2-3-4

When in your life have you felt “invisible”?What strategies did you use to deal with

this situation?Did you feel you had no power or did you

somehow express your power to be more visible?

Who else might feel “invisible” that you know?

Focus for Reading

Put yourself in the narrator’s shoesHow does Ellison draw you into the

story?What literary elements are present in

short stories?What is the THEME or message of this

story? (Remember, theme is NOT one word!)

After Reading

1. Why is the narrator at the club?

2. Before he can do that, what does he have to do?

3. What is ironic about the people in the audience?

4. What’s the symbolism of the blonde woman?

After reading…

1. Our narrator endured many humiliations besides the fight. What were they?

2. What word did the narrator say that halted all the laughter?

3. What was the significance of giving him a briefcase? What was inside?