Download Harlem Renaissance Poetry

Flag Salute
(Note: In a classroom in a Negro school a pupil gave as his news topic during the opening exercises of
the morning, a report of the Princess Anne Lynching of October 18, 1933. A brief discussion of the
facts of the case followed, after which the student in charge gave this direction: pupils, rise, and give
the flag salute! They did so without hesitation.)
"I pledge allegiance to the flag"-They dragged him naked
Through the muddy streets,
A feeble-minded black boy!
And the charge? Supposed assault
Upon an aged woman!
"Of the United States of America"-One mile they dragged him
Like a sack of meal,
A rope around his neck,
A bloody ear
Left dangling by the patriotic hand
Of Nordic youth! (A boy of seventeen!)
"And to the Republic for which it stands"-And then they hanged his body to a tree,
Below the window of the county judge
Whose pleadings for that battered human flesh
Were stifled by the brutish, raucous howls
Of men, and boys, and women with their babes,
Brought out to see the bloody spectacle
Of murder in the style of '33!
(Three thousand strong, they were!)
"One Nation, Indivisible"-To make the tale complete
They built a fire-What matters that the stuff they burned
Was flesh--and bone--and hair-And reeking gasoline!
"With Liberty--and Justice"-They cut the rope in bits
And passed them out,
For souvenirs, among the men and boys!
The teeth no doubt, on golden chains
Will hang
About the favored necks of sweethearts,
wives,
And daughters, mothers, sisters, babies,
too!
"For ALL!"
Esther Popel
1896-1958
Juxtaposition – To place to contrasting images side by side for a desired effect
Irony – An outcome that is the opposite of what is expected
What two images are being placed side by side in this poem?
What is the effect of this juxtaposition?
Why is it ironic that the kids in the school saluted the flag after hearing about the lynching?
What do you think is the author’s message in this poem, and how does this relate to the
situation in To Kill a Mockingbird?
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
From 1920 until about 1930 an unprecedented outburst of creative activity among AfricanAmericans occurred in all fields of art. Beginning as a series of literary discussions in the
lower Manhattan (Greenwich Village) and upper Manhattan (Harlem) sections of New York City,
this African-American cultural movement became known as "The New Negro Movement" and
later as the Harlem Renaissance. More than a literary movement and more than a social revolt
against racism, the Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and
redefined African-American expression. African-Americans were encouraged to celebrate their
heritage and to become "The New Negro," a term coined in 1925 by sociologist and critic Alain
LeRoy Locke.
One of the factors contributing to the rise of the Harlem Renaissance was the great migration
of African-Americans to northern cities (such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington,
D.C.) between 1919 and 1926. In his influential book The New Negro (1925), Locke described
the northward migration of blacks as "something like a spiritual emancipation." Black urban
migration, combined with trends in American society as a whole toward experimentation during
the 1920s, and the rise of radical black intellectuals — including Locke, Marcus Garvey,
founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and W. E. B. Du Bois, editor
of The Crisis magazine — all contributed to the particular styles and unprecedented success of
black artists during the Harlem Renaissance period.
Harlem Renaissance poets include:
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Countee Cullin
Jean Toomer
Angelina W. Grimke
Esther Popel
and the most famous of all, Langston Hughes
Harlem Renaissance Poetry Activity
Write a poem in the style of Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” which is based
on the tradition of repetition in Negro spirituals like in Calpurnia’s church, using the following
form. Be creative and write this about yourself and your interests, dreams, influences, etc.
Try to focus on the Harlem Renaissance tradition of sensuality, politics, self-exploration and
musicality. This is worth 10 points.
Line 1
I’ve {verb} {}
Line 2
I’ve {verb} {} + description
Line 3
{What I have to do with {}
Line 4
I’ve (verb) (example/variation of )
Line 5
“
Line 6
“
Line 7
“
Line 8
Repeat the first line
Line 9
Short version of second line
Line 10
Repeat third line