Title: Harlem Renaissance
1Harlem Renaissance
- By Nikki Escobar, Sarah Santos, Daniel Dayawon,
Darryl Agliam - AP Literature Ms. Banuelos Period 01
2What is the movement?
- The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement
from 1920-1930s where African Americans were
proud of their race and celebrated their culture.
Its also known as The Jazz Age or the Roaring
Twenties for the new emerging writers, poets,
musicians and artists expressing themselves
through their works and the new music emergence
of Jazz. It spread from the Harlem neighborhood
in New York City to throughout the world where
both whites and blacks enjoyed the movement.
3General Poetic Techniques Themes
- Techniques
- symbolism
- descriptive imagery
- Emphasis
- Tone
- reference to the past
- Metaphors
- Personification
- Themes
- Racial pride
- Discrimination
- Power
- Appreciation
- Acceptance
- Struggle
- Hope
4Poets
Countee Cullen
Langston Hughes
Gwendolyn B. Bennett
Claude McKay
5Art of the Harlem Renaissance
6Langston Hughes
- Biography
- Born in February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri
- Published his first poem in 1921, The Negro
Speaks of Rivers. - Was a distinguished writer in high school and
attended Columbia University for one year and
left to travel to African, Paris and Rome working
as a freighter and other odd jobs. - Vachel Linday promoted his poetry and soon after
he attended Lincoln University and from there he
launched and established his career as a poet and
a writer.
7Notable Works
- the Negro Speaks of Rivers (1921)
- The Weary Blues (1926)
- Fine Clothes to the Jew (1927)
- Dear Lovely Death (1931)
- Let America be America Again (1938)
- Most important thing about him is that he was one
of the founders of the Harlem Renaissance
8Dreams
- 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
9Analysis and how it fits in the Harlem Renaissance
- Hold fast to dreams personification
- Life is a Broken winged bird that cannot fly
personification - Life is a barren field, frozen with snow -
metaphor - Hughes utilizes the figurative languages above to
encourage and uplift their spirits to keep their
dreams alive and hold onto the no matter what
because there would be no purpose in life if they
did not have any.
10Claude McKay
- Biography
- Festus Claudius McKay aka Claude McKay was one of
the essential figures during the Harlem
Renaissance. - Born in Jamaica in 1889, he was raised as the son
of a peasant farmer but had strong pride in
African culture. - He showcases in his work a variety of styles
ranging from celebrating his peasant life in
Jamaica to presenting negative views of
Americans white dominant society. - Notable Works
- America, A Prayer, If We Must Die, Home to
Harlem, Harlem Shadows and The Harlem Dancer
11America
Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,And
sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,Stealing
my breath of life, I will confessI love this
cultured hell that tests my youth!Her vigor
flows like tides into my blood,Giving me
strength erect against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.Yet as
a rebel fronts a king in state,I stand within
her walls with not a shredOf terror, malice, not
a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,And see her
might and granite wonders there,Beneath the
touch of Time's unerring hand,Like priceless
treasures sinking in the sand.
12Analysis and how it fits into the Harlem
Renaissance
- In this poem, it expresses both McKays positive
and negative views on America during the time of
the Harlem Renaissance. He showcases both good
and bad sides to America. - Metaphor "Although she feeds me bread of
bitterness - -comparing America to a mother
- Personification and sinks into my throat her
tiger's tooth" "stealing my breath of life" - Explains how America gives him disgust (bitter
bread) and pain (sinking tiger's tooth in throat)
and he finds it hard to live there (stealing
breath) - "I will confess I love this cultured hell that
tests my youth!" - -Even though he faces many struggles and
challenges in America, he loves it there. He sees
the many challenges and struggles as things that
make him stronger.
13Cont.
- Simile Her vigor flows like tides into my
blood - -Vigor power, energy, force. Comparing
Americas force/ power to his blood flows
theres strength within himself. - Diction "I stand within her walls with not a
shred of terror, malice, not a word of jeer. - -He face the challenges he encounters head on,
with no fear. He doesnt conform to the ways
society does conflicting pain to others (malice)
and discriminate by mocking and speaking out
(jeer) that the white society does to African
Americans. - Foreshadowing "Darkly I gaze into the days
ahead, and see her might and granite wonders
there, beneath the touch of time's unerring hand,
like priceless treasures sinking in the sand. - -I interpreted it as he tells how the great
things America holds, is going to fade away like
treasures sinking in the sand, if the racism,
bitterness, and inequalities dont stop.
14Gwendolyn B. Bennett
- Biography
- Born on July 8, 1902 in Giddings, Texas
- Took classes at Columbia University and Pratt
Institute in New York. - Wrote pieces for Opportunity, a local magazine
where she had her own column, The Ebony Flute
which allowed her to connect with the Harlem
lifestyle. It began as a support group for young
writers (Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Zora
Neale Hurston were among the members)
15Notable Works
- To A Dark Girl
- Song
- Hatred
- Secret
- These works reflected racial pride and
appreciation for African Music and dance.
16To A Dark Girl
- I love you for your brownness,
- And the rounded darkness of your breast,
- I love you for the breaking sadness in your voice
- And shadows where your wayward eyelids rest.
- Something of old forgotten queens
- Lurks in the lithe abandon of your walk
- And something of the shackled slave
- Sobs in the rhythm of your talk.
- Oh, little brown girl, born for sorrow's mate,
- Keep all you have of queenliness,
- Forgetting that you once were slave,
- And let your full lips laugh at Fate!
17Analysis
- Stanza 1
- - Descriptive imagery
- - appreciative tone
- - racial pride (embracing the girl's true self)
- - girl is symbolic of every black female
- can be loved for her skin, even in sadness
- Stanza 2
- - reflects on the past
- - metaphor- blacks were once great royal
- - Uses symbolism to portray the sadness that
emanates from her voice - - confidence of a slave, destined to be a queen
- Stanza 3
- - forget that you were a slave
- - live life with happiness
18Countee Cullen
- Biography
- Won major literary prizes like the Witter Bynner
poetry contest in 1925. - Adopted in 1918 by Reverend Frederick A. and
Carolyn Belle (Mitchell) Cullen - An outstanding student at DeWitt Clinton High
School - Edited school newspapers and literary magazines.
19Notable Works
- Color (1925)
- Copper Sun (1927)
- The Ballad of the Brown Girl (1927)
- A brown girl dead (1925)
20A Brown Girl Dead
- With two white roses on her breasts,
- White candles at head and feet,
- Dark Madonna of the grave she rests
- Lord Death has found her sweet.
- Her mother pawned her wedding ring
- To lay her out in white
- Shed be so proud shed dance and sing
- To see herself tonight.
21Analysis and how it fits in the Harlem Renaissance
- In the poem Cullen uses the word white twice
which is important because in the title its clear
that Cullen is talking about a black person. in
the first and second stanza, the word White is
being used many times which is helping show that
the author is trying to say that this black girl
is living a life proud with white people. It
seems like its a contrast of black and whites.
"she'd be so proud she'd dance and sing to see
herself tonight." - In the first stanza, the words "Dark" and
"Death" are both capitalized. To me, this is
implying that shes referring dark to death
because she capitalizes these words specifically
other than the rest. The dark may refer to skin
because the title has the color Brown in it. The
rhyme scheme in this poem is (A-B-A-B)
22AP Style Prompts
- Your Turn! Try out one of these
- 1. In the Harlem Renaissance, there were many
occurrences of suppression, discrimination and
sacrifice in the struggle to attain freedom.
Choose a work of literary merit where the author
effectively portrays the difficulty that is
experienced in the journey to freedom. - 2. The Harlem Renaissance contains both positive
and negative aspects to it. Choose 2 works of
literature where it expresses both positive and
negative sides of Harlem Renaissance then write
a compare and contrast paper discussing about
it. - 3. The Harlem Renaissance brought change as new
and celebratory cultural movement. In a
well-organized essay, explain how the Harlem
Renaissance had impacted the period of 1920s
using different examples from different works of
literature.
23Quiz
- 1. What time period did the Harlem Renaissance
begin? - A) 1900-1910 B) 1910-1928 C) 1920-1930 D)
1930-1940 - 2. Which of the following poets were not
presented in the presentation? - A) Langston Hughes B) Claude McKay C) Zora
Neale-Hurston D) Gwen Bennett - 3. What was the Harlem Renaissance?
- A) A great artistic, intellectual and cultural
movement for African-Americans - B) A time where African Americans celebrated
their culture where many new writers and artists
emerged - C) B only
- D) A B
24Quiz
- 4. What literary techniques were NOT mentioned in
this presentation? - A) Metaphor B) Personification C) Irony
D) Tone - 5. What was the new sensation that formed from
the Harlem Renaissance? - A) Fashion styles
- B) Jazz music
- C) Political reforms
- D) all of the above
25Resources
- http//www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/ben
nett/life.htm - http//www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/cul
len/life.htm - http//www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmharlem1.html
- http//pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Benn
ett__Gwendolyn.html - http//www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/
- http//www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/claude-mckay
- http//www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83