Poetry Themes/Symbols Langston Hughes/Lee Greenwood

Poetry po·et·ry/ˈpōətrē/ Noun: 1. Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; A quality of beauty and intensity of emotion regarded as characteristic of poems: "poetry and fire are nicely balanced in the music". Synonyms: verse - poem - poesy - rhyme

Themes Noun: The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic: "the theme of the sermon was reverence". Synonyms: topic - subject - text - motif - matter

Themes You might think of theme as the message of the story--the lesson to be learned, the question that is asked, or what it is the author is trying to tell us about life and the human condition. We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don't know where you're aiming, you don't have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, she cared. Mary Kay Ash

Themes What might be some themes of stories we have read? Rikki Tikki Tavi Duffy’s Jacket Three Skeleton Key

Symbols sym·bol/ˈsimbəl/ Noun: 1. A thing that represents or stands for something else, esp. a material object representing something abstract. Synonyms: sign - emblem - token - mark - badge

Symbols A symbol works two ways: It is something itself, and it also suggests something deeper. A visible sign or representation of an idea; anything which suggests an idea or quality, or another thing, as by resemblance or by convention; an emblem; a representation; a type; a figure

Symbols the lion is the symbol of courage the lamb is the symbol of meekness or patience The crown is a symbol of royalty The flag is a symbol of what?

Freedom free·dom/ˈfrēdəm/ Noun: 1. The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression. 3. a. Political independence.

Freedom All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. Winston Churchill Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. Abraham Lincoln Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Martin Luther King, Jr.

America a·mer·i·ca/əˈmerikə/ 1. A landmass in the western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North and South America joined by the Isthmus of Panama. 2. Used as a name for the United States.

America United States of America Land of the Free Home of the Brave Good ol’ USA Bread Basket of the World Land of Liberty

Americans Americans plural of A·mer·i·can (Noun) Noun: 1. A native or citizen of the United States.

Americans What does it mean to be an American to you?

Segregation seg·re·ga·tion/ˌsegriˈgāSHən/ Noun: 1. The action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart. 2. The enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment. Synonyms: separation - isolation - severance - detachment

Segregation African Americans Jews Japanese Muslims Protestants Christians Mexicans

Desegregation de·seg·re·ga·tion noun the elimination of laws, customs, or practices under which different races, groups, etc., are restricted to specific or separate public facilities, neighborhoods, schools, organizations, or the like.

Desegregation For years, SEGREGATION of black and white students was quite common. In some places, it was common because local and state laws mandated segregation in one form or another. In other places it was common because neighborhoods were segregated (often by choice) and students went to the closest schools. From the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, segregated schools were protected by the concept of "separate but equal," upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Desegregation is one of the most complex issues educators and parents face. In the 1950s, desegregation was about blacks and whites. When people used the word "minority," they meant blacks.

Spread of Civil Rights Movement Areas of 1 st initiation

Spread of Civil Rights Movement Freedom Rides 1961

Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was first recognized as an important literary figure during the 1920s, a period known as the "Harlem Renaissance" because of the number of emerging black writers. It was Hughes's belief in humanity and his hope for a world in which people could sanely and with understanding live together that led to his decline in popularity in the racially turbulent latter years of his life.

Langston Hughes If he were alive today: How might Langston Hughes have smiled today? How might he have frowned?

“Let America be America Again” Langston Hughes Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-- Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.") Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars? I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek-- And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one's own greed! I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean-- Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That's made America the land it has become. O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home-- For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore, And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa's strand I came To build a "homeland of the free." The free? Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we've dreamed And all the songs we've sung And all the hopes we've held

And all the flags we've hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay-- Except the dream that's almost dead today. O, let America be America again-- The land that never has been yet-- And yet must be--the land where every man is free. The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-- Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose-- The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America!

O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath-- America will be! Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states-- And make America again!

“God Bless the USA” Lee Greenwood If tomorrow all the things were gone, I'd worked for all my life. And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife. I'd thank my lucky stars, to be livin here today. ‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away. And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA. From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee. Across the plains of Texas, From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston, and New York to L.A. Well there's pride in every American heart, and its time we stand and say. That I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA. And I'm proud to be and American, where at least I know I'm free. And I wont forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA.

Lee Greenwood Langston Hughes What are some of the ideas that both poets share about America?

Reflective Essay: write a reflective essay discussing these views of society from then till now compare the views of the two poets contrast the views of the two poets use individual explanations and interpretations use direct quotes of each poet follow former essay rules for writing