Langston Hughes and the The Harlem Renaissance By Ian Ogden

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Langston Hughesand the The Harlem Renaissance
By Ian Ogden
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The Harlem Renaissance

• The Harlem Renaissance was a movement in music,
  art, literature, and politics from the early
  1900s to the 1940s, emphasizing the importance
  of political, economic, social, and, artistic
  freedom for African Americans.

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The Harlem Renaissance

• Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s nurtured the
  African American artistic heritage and fostered
  an appreciation of the contributions African
  Americans made to American society.
• Artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance
  reinforced the theme of slavery versus freedom,
  highlighting the progress still to be made before
  African Americans would receive total
  emancipation in terms of equal rights.

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Literature of the Harlem Renaissance

• Literature of the Harlem Renaissance period
  centers around the debates regarding social,
  political, and economic advancement for African
  Americans and the desire for America to uphold
  its dream of equality for all.
• Writers responded to the call for literature
  articulating the concerns of African Americans in
  the early part of the 20th century.

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Music Art of the Harlem Renaissance

• Visual arts flourished during the Harlem
  Renaissance, promoting an awareness and
  appreciation of the life and culture of African
  Americans as a viable source of art.
• The Harlem Renaissance reflected the oral
  tradition in African American literature through
  its interdisciplinary nature and the valorization
  of music, particularly jazz and blues.

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Langston Hughes (I902-1967)

• Born in Joplin, Missouri, Hughes moved to New
  York City in 1925 where he graduated from Lincoln
  University.
• Settling in Harlem, NY, Hughes became one of the
  most influential poets and writers of the Harlem
  Renaissance.
• By incorporating the rhythms of African American
  music and black vernacular expression into
  literature, Hughes sought to connect written and
  oral traditions of African American artistic
  expression.

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Thank You, Mamby Langston Hughes

• Literary Focus
• As we read the short story Thank You, Mam we
  will be focusing on the use of dialogue as a
  means of characterization, and how the dialogue
  allows the reader to make inferences about the
  characters in the story.
• As we read the short story focus on not only what
  is said, but what is not said, as well.

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Thank You, MamQuick Write

• Discuss the following quick write prompt with
  someone near you
• Think of a time when you were faced with adverse
  circumstances, did you overcome them, or did they
  defeat you? What made you successful? What
  might you have done differently? What did you
  learn from your experience that might help you
  when faced with a similar circumstance?
• Now, take your time and write a thoughtful
  response to the question above.

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Thank You, MamLiterary Analysis

• How do writers reveal the personality of their
  characters?
• How do writers develop the setting of a story?
• When referring to a piece of literature, what is
  a theme?
• What does it mean to make an inference about a
  something you have read?

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Thank You, MamStudy Questions

• Please answer the Literary Analysis study
  questions in complete and thoughtful sentences.
• Dont forget to use the text to support your
  answers.

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Thank You, MamLiterary Analysis Questions

• Why do you think Langston Hughes chose the title
  Thank You, Mam for this short story? Who is
  saying thank you? Why?
• In at least three or four sentences describe
  Luella? What does the reader learn about her
  through her dialogue with Roger?
• In at least three or four sentences describe
  Roger? What does the reader learn about him
  through his dialogue with Luella?
• Langston Hughes writes the characters speech
  exactly how they say it, which is called
  vernacular. Find at least one example from each
  character speaking in his or her vernacular.
  What effect does the use of vernacular have upon
  your understanding of that character? What
  inferences can be made based on the characters
  speech.
• Why do you think Roger went to the sink and not
  to the door?

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Thank You, MamLiterary Analysis Questions

• 6. When Luella says, you thought I was going to
  say but on page 112, what do you think she is
  trying to get Roger to understand in that
  passage? Why?
• 7. Why might Roger have wanted to go to the
  store?
• 8. What is odd about the ending of the story?
  What inferences can be made about the characters
  based on the ending of the story?
• 9. Why do you think Langston Hughes wrote this
  story? What was he trying to express through
  these two characters? In other words, what is
  theme of this story?
• 10. Read the passage on page 112 at the top of
  column two when the Rodger asks Luella if she
  needs someone to go to the store. What can the
  reader infer from this dialogue? What are the
  characters really saying? Does Rodger really
  want some milk or is something else going on here?