Assignment Answer questions for “O Me! O Life!” Class discussion “The Wound Dresser” Assignment Based on the imagery and figurative language used in the poem, write a newspaper article about the conditions of hospitals during the Civil War. Article should have at least two quotations from civilians/soldiers/doctors/nurses/etc…

How can you succeed as an underdog, according to Gladwell?

Langston Hughes Voice of the Harlem Renaissance

The Early Years Born Joplin, Missouri in 1902 Mixed race: great grandfathers were slave owners, another relative was the first African American elected to public office Father left, raised by grandmother while mother sought employment Wrote about loneliness of youth due to moving “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” first and most famous poem Published after his high school graduation

The Harlem Renaissance renaissance/videos# renaissance/videos# Define “The Harlem Renaissance Who were notable people involved? Where? When? What was their goal?

Travels Studied at Columbia University Began as an engineer major Left without graduating Worked on a freighter and sailed to: Africa France: stayed to work in a jazz club Italy: robbed Denied reentry to US because he was black, had to wait to find passage on an all-black ship Also traveled to Cuba, Haiti, and Soviet Union

Degrees and Jazz Returned to college: Lincoln University in Chester County, PA Influenced by jazz and blues clubs in NYC – energy and vitality Supported himself through writing: editor, playwright, short story fiction Widely published for his youth

Style of Writing Tried to depict “low-life” (blacks in low socio-economic classes) Lyrical, inspired by jazz music “Unashamedly black” – goal to uplift people of his race and create a record of their resiliency, courage, and humor “Langston set a tone, a standard of brotherhood and friendship and cooperation, for all of us to follow. You never got from him, “I am the Negro writer,’ but only, ‘I am a Negro writer.’ He never stopped thinking about the rest of us.”

Controversy Allegations of homosexuality Claimed to be greatly influenced by Walt Whitman Attracted to communism as an alternative to a segregated society

Assignment, 1/2 “The Weary Blues” – identify three parts in the poem that are reminiscent of the blues song listened to in class (structure, sound, rhythm, rhyme, beat) “Let America Be America Again” 1) Based on this poem, who has faced inequality in America? 2) On page 2, stanza 1, what has “made America the land it has become”? 3) On page 2 stanza 3, WHO has “made America”? 4) Using this poem, make 4 connections to current events happening in the United States and around the world today.

Poem Analysis Personal Connections to Hughes Historical Connections Meaning/message of poem