Download Study Questions Langston Hughes

Harlem Renaissance Reflection
Read p. 896-929 Study Questions
1. Langston Hughes' central purpose in writing was, in his own words, "to explain and
illuminate the Negro condition in America." How do the poems in this textbook illustrate his
attempt?
2. What effect does the image of rivers create in the Black's history? Why are the rivers ancient
and dusky? (The Negro Speaks of Rivers) p. 902
3. What is the dream Hughes refers to in "Harlem"? Why might it explode rather than dry up?
Why should the poem be called "Harlem"? p. 621 in the green book
4. Discuss what Hughes's poetry tells a reader about his theory of poetry. (use research if nec)
5. Place Hughes's work in the context of Black musical forms invented in Harlem in the early
twentieth century. Is Black poetry the way Hughes writes it, like jazz, a new genre? If so, is it
invented or derivative? What are its characteristics? If "Black poetry" is a genre, does
Countee Cullen write in it?
6. Hughes's poetry makes room for the experiences of women. Analyze and explore the way he
turns women's experiences into emblems of African-American experience.
7. Traditional critics have not called Hughes's poetry modernist, and yet his poetry reflects
modernism both in his themes, his use of the image, and in terms of style. Locate specific
points where you can see Hughes's modernism and demonstrate it in a short response.
Choose two poems from the text. P. 902-926
8. One of his poems is The Negro Speaks of Rivers. What observations does the speaker in the
poem make? What unique perspective and experience does the speaker have? What was
Hughes attempting to do in the poem?
9. Compare and contrast Hughes’ poem with Whitman’s “I hear America Singing” p. 434
What was Whitman saying about America?
What was Hughes saying about America?
How do the poems connect to the theme of Equality and Diversity: A Fight for Social Justice?
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed I, too, am America.
- Langston Hughes, 1925
10. Let’s make connections!
Write your own poem reflecting the tone of “I, too, sing America”. What would be the “I” for
modern society? Would it be the same? What diversity or social justice would be included in a
modern day poem reflecting the 21st century? Model length, style, form