WRITERS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE MIRRORS OF THE WORD

 

 

By Rhonda Mills

Teacher of English

Walton High School

Bronx, New York

 

 

Note:  This webquest is representative of my teaching motto, “Literature is Life,” which hopefully evokes the students to understand that writers always hope to represent the times in which they live through their work.

 

INTRODUCTION: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT

Just as our students describe “rap” music as a reflection of their generation, so too, were the writings that began to inspire the writers and artists and writers of the Harlem Renaissance. The problem of social and artistic acceptance of culturally diverse populations in America is reflected in the works of these writers.

 

During the 1920’s and l930’s America’s Negro population was experiencing the affect of discrimination in a profound new way.  With emancipation a mere 55 years old, people of color had begun to compete for the same lifestyles as other Americans; labor forces fought for the same rights as their previous owners and bosses and so to did the artists of this new age…acceptance on the level of every employable American. 

 

There was a great migration underway from the sharecropping country sides of the rural south, north to the urban sprawl of cities such as New York, Chicago and Detroit. As many Blacks settled in the cities with the hopes of jobs that industrialization would bring, many of these same citizens were artists with the hopes of expressing their lives through their creative endeavors.

European contemporary artists were experiencing the same struggles for expression as any other group. However, their work was more readily accepted in the art world in general. Black American artists had extraordinary issues to deal with in their expressions, and the Harlem Renaissance proved to become a ripe time for their work to become accepted.  

 

 

 

                                                    

                                  

This is an old poster from back in the day.

 

 

A movement was born in Harlem, New York, that evolved into cohesive voices of the artistic community, eventually called the Harlem Renaissance, or rebirth, to foster the expression of these artists. The emotional climate of America was especially ripe for this new affirmation of cultural heritage of the post World War I world. The “Jazz Age” had begun, and eventually infiltrated the universal music world.  Artists such as Duke Ellington, songwriter, musician and bandleader, Eubie Blake, author of the first Black Broadway musical, and the inimitable Josephine Baker, and Louie Armstrong cemented Black music into history.

 

 

 

 

 

LOUIS

“SATCHMO”

ARMSTRONG
 

EUBIE

BLAKE
 

“THE

DUKE”

ELLINGTON
 
                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Josephine photo

JOSEPHINE

BAKER
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Even as the music and arts generated an exciting nightlife and lifestyle in the now famous Harlem, the writers of the Harlem Renaissance period accurately initiated the movement that was built on the expression of their culture of oppressed and progressive Black Americans.

The writer Alain Locke, was often called the “father” of the Harlem Renaissance with the penning of the book, “The New Negro”, formally categorized the movement in its essence.                                                                               

 

Prolific writers such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay ( of West Indian descent,) Jean Toomer, W.E.B Dubois (essayist), Countee Cullen and James Weldon Johnson, took hints from the genre of the “sorrow songs” of the post slavery condition. They propelled their creative spirits to represent the newly-freed and still oppressed American of color on the American scene.

Most of these writers, most notably Langston Hughes and James Weldon Johnson either created or solidified now established musical genres of the Blues and Negro spirituals that built a foundation for today’s spiritual and political music.

 

                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Your webquest research will show how this history now affects the music of today’s youth.

 

TASK:

 

Examining the social problem of the lack of acceptance of diverse cultures, you will study the work of one of the writers of the Harlem Renaissance period.  Working in your group, using the steps of the PPA, you will examine the poems or lyrics of a selected artist.

 

 You will then compare and contrast the writing to your favorite rap artist or contemporary singer of your group’s choice.  You will examine the lyrics or poem’s messages and show how the history of the music compares to the current social issues as expressed in the music. You will use the graphic organizers and worksheets provided by the teacher for your final project

 

I.       Using the TIPS six-step Public Policy Analyst (and summarizing your research and ideas on the accompanying worksheets) you will complete the following examinations:

 

          1.       Define the Problem (Worksheet 1)

          2.       Gather Evidence of the Problem (Worksheet 2)

          3.       Determine the Causes of the Problem (Worksheet 3)

          4.       Examine Existing Public Policy (Worksheet 4)

          5.       Develop Original Public Policy Solutions (Worksheet 5)

          6.       Choose the Best Public Policy Solution (Worksheet 6)

 

PROCESS:

I.                   Use the websites provided below to help you find information relevant to your research as well as the TIPS six-step Public Policy Analyst to research the problem of acceptance of culturally diverse artists.

II.                You will organize your efforts on the provided graphic organizer and write a persuasive essay. You will arrange your research regarding the problem, existing solutions, and original solutions in the graphic organizer.

III.             The project is completed in the form of a persuasive speech from your essay.

 

RESOURCES:

 

http://www.poets.org/exh/Exhibit.cfm?prmID=7

This excellent site of the Academy of American Poets lets you find famous poems by well known writers.

http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/jazzage2.html This is a wonderful site into the European view of Jazz in America during this period.

EVALUATION:

This Rubric will help you judge your work.

 WRITTEN REPORT

 

 

Remember what you learned about your acronym for writing!

 

Plan                 Think of what you want to say.

Organize         Put your research in order

Write                       Put important your ideas down.

Edit                 Fix your mistakes.

Rewrite           Write the final paper.

Rating

 

4

 

Excellent; on target.

3

 

Very ­–Good

2

 

Very Close

1

 

Not even close

Directions for research

 

Students answered all probing questions completely.

Research was complete

 

Students answered most questions with good answers. Research was mostly completed.

 

Students answered some questions but left others out.

Some research was completed.

 

Students did not complete nor answer the probing questions.

 

No research was completed.

 

 

Research

Completed

Students referred to the most important links for research following steps of the PPA.

Students used almost all of the links to find information following the steps of the PPA.

Students did not use enough of the PPA links.

Students used only one or none of the PPA links provided to answer the probing questions.

 

 

 

Language and Grammar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Language and

Grammar

Students used the most appropriate language. 

 

 

 

 

Full sentences were used, and most of the right grammar and punctuation were used appropriately.

 

 

Most sentences had the right punctuation and word usage.

Students used the dictionary to correct errors. Students used the POWER acronym.

Students attempted (tried) to use the right language. 

 

 

 

Most sentences and statements had the correct grammar and punctuation.

 

 

There were only some spelling mistakes.

Students used the dictionary to some degree.

 

Students used some of the POWER acronym.

Students did not use enough standard English. 

 

 

 

The writing did not use enough appropriate language.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students need to refer to the dictionary for some spelling mistakes.

 

 

Students did not use enough of the POWER acronym.

Students did not work to use standard English. 

 

 

The language was too “street” and not appropriate for this assignment.

 

 

 

Students did not ask for help with the writing process. 

 

 

Students need to refer to Ms. Mills POWER acronym for writing.

 

 

 

Rubric for Oral Presentation

 

 

 

 

Rating

4

Excellent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

Very Good

2

Tried very hard but not complete

1

Didn’t try hard enough

Speaking to the class

 

 

 

 

Student made a great presentation based on the written report. They used most of the PPA guidelines.

 

Student’s work was convincing and supported with good examples.

Students made a very good report.  They tried to use the most important values of the links to the PPA.

 

Student’s work was somewhat convincing with some evidence.

Students made a good interpretation of the written report.  They used some of the key elements of the PPA guidelines.

 

Student’s work was lacking most evidence necessary to support their essay.

Students did not make a specific attempt to use the guidelines of the report rubric.

 

They did not work hard enough to complete the guidelines of the PPA.

 

 

 

SPEAKING

Student’s presentation was clear and to the point.  He/she expressed her view according to the guideline.

Student was confident about his/her position.  They expressed themselves well according to the Webquest PPA guidelines and examined the problem well.

Student’s presentation was clear but not right on the point.  He/she gave and expressed their view very close to the PPA guideline.

 

Student was somewhat clear about their position. 

They expressed themselves quite well, according to the PPA guidelines.

Student’s presentation was somewhat clear.  He/she did not follow their views closely enough to the written PPA guideline.

Student’s presentation was not near the guidelines.

 

They did not use the rubric to use nor complete the task.

 

 

 

Standards Met:

 

English Language Arts

 

E1 Reading

 

1c)     Read and comprehend informational material

 2a)     Produce a report of information

 2 e)   Produce a persuasive essay

 

E3 Speaking, Listening and Viewing

 

 

3b)     Participate in group meetings

3c)     Prepare and deliver an individual presentation

 

 

E5 Literature

 

5a)     Respond to non- fiction using interpretive and critical processes

 

 

E7 Functional documents

 

7B)    Produce a functional document appropriate to audience and purpose

 

 

Social Studies

 

SS5

Civics, Citizenship, and Government: students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding for establishing governments: The government system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution, the basic civic values of the American Constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.