The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance (1930-1940s):
Langston Hughes and Zora Neal Hurston
Introduction:
Though many identify this period with Harlem in New York City, there are some who claim that
the movement was born in Washington D.C. This is a time in American history where African
American art, literature and music flourished. Thanks to this period African American voices
began to be recognized as valuable and significant contributors to American culture. However,
the “Negroe” was still considered a second class citizen, and the struggle is evident in most of
the works you will read in this lesson. Perhaps, some of the best known authors of this period
are Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. You will be reading samples of their work.
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
Poets.Org says of Hughes,
Some of Hughes’s major poetic influences were Walt Whitman [1819-1892;
U.S.], Carl Sandburg [1878-1967; U.S.], Paul Laurence Dunbar [1872-1906; U.S.],
and Claude McKay [1889-1948; Jamaica] . . . . It was the marriage of these widely
varying aesthetics, modernism mixed with an almost religious devotion to the
power of repetition and musicality in the blues, that gave rise to Hughes’s voice,
which sounded like no other voice that came before it. (para. 10)
Best know for his poems written during the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes used a new literary art
form, jazz poetry, that according to Poets.Org is “a literary genre defined as poetry necessarily
informed by jazz music—that is, poetry in which the poet responds to and writes about jazz” (“A Brief
Guide” para. 1).
Reading Assignment:
Read an introduction to Langston Hughes on Poetry.org:
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poetsorg-guide-langston-hughes
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poetsorg-guide-langston-hughes
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Read these poems below on AllPoetry.Com:
“Dreams”: http://allpoetry.com/poem/8495507-Dreams-by-Langston-Hughes
“Dream Variations”: http://allpoetry.com/Dream-Variations
“Po’ Boy Blues: http://allpoetry.com/Po%27-Boy-Blues
“The Weary Blues”: http://allpoetry.com/The-Weary-Blues
“Let America Be American Again” (influenced by Walt Whitman):
http://allpoetry.com/Let-America-Be-America-Again
Zora Neal Hurston (1891-1960)
The official Zora Neal Hurston website explains how the author took her place in literary
history: “On May 1, 1925, at a literary awards dinner sponsored by Opportunity magazine, the
earthy Harlem newcomer turned heads and raised eyebrows as she claimed four awards: a
second-place fiction prize for her short story “Spunk,” a second-place award in drama for her
play Color Struck, and two honorable mentions” (Boyd para. 1).
Read more about Zora Neal Hurston on her official website:
http://zoranealehurston.com/about/
Reading Assignment:
Cheryl A. Wall’s book “Sweat”: ”: Written by Zora Neal Hurston (Women Writers Series) states
that “Sweat” was first “published in Fire!, a legendary literary magazine of the Harlem
Renaissance, whose sole issue appeared in November 1926 . . . . [the story] exemplifies
Hurston’s lifelong concern with women’s relation to language and the literary possibilities of
the black vernacular” (“Sweat” back cover). Many scholars believe it is Hurston’s best work.
Read “Sweat” in Wall’s book on Google Books. Scroll down to the table of contents for a link to
the story:
http://books.google.com/books?id=N8SMTD4ZWP8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_su
mmary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://allpoetry.com/poem/8495507-Dreams-by-Langston-Hughes
http://allpoetry.com/Dream-Variations
http://allpoetry.com/Po%27-Boy-Blues
http://allpoetry.com/The-Weary-Blues
http://allpoetry.com/Let-America-Be-America-Again
http://zoranealehurston.com/about/
http://books.google.com/books?id=N8SMTD4ZWP8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://books.google.com/books?id=N8SMTD4ZWP8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
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Discussion Board:
Choose one work from any of the poets or authors: Eliot, Auden, Hughes, or Hurston. For your
new discussion post, write a short essay of at least 300 words that explains why people today
can relate to poem or short story. Keep in mind that this new post is a Gordon Rule assignment,
meaning that the quality of your writing as well as the length will be considered during the
evaluation/grading process.
Then, reply to at least 3 of your classmates to get full credit for this assignment. Replies an be
30-40 words.
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Works Cited
“A Brief Guide to Jazz Poetry.” Poets.Org. American Academy of Poets. 2004. Web. 23 Dec.
2014.
Boyd, Valerie. “About Zora Neal Hurston.” Zora Neal Hurston. Zora Neal Hurston Trust. Web. 23
Dec. 2014.
“Poets.org Guide to Langston Hughes.” Poets.Org. American Academy of Poets. n.d. Web. 23
Dec. 2014.
Wall, Cheryl A., ed. “Sweat”: Written by Zora Neal Hurston (Women Writers Series). New
Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1997. Google Books. n.d. Web. 23 Dec. 2014. Digital.