Langston Hughes

Introduction

Read 831 - 832

Langston Hughes

“The Weary Blues”

page 844

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyqwvC5s4n8

- Rhythm and repetition

- Why is the musician in the poem weary?

“The Negro Speaks of Rivers”

page 842

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V425SdNWIJU&feature=related

- Identity: What do the poem’s images convey about the speaker’s sense of identity?

- What does the speaker himself represent?

Euphrates River – signifies Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization

Congo River – signifies Africa, where the slaves were captured

Nile River – signifies Egypt, another important place in black history

Mississippi River – signifies the southern United States, the seat of slavery in the U.S.

“I, Too”page 843

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CUKyVrhPgM

- What aspects of African-American culture does the speaker describe in the poem?

- What is the tone of the poem?

“Harlem”

page 840

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np_hPy12aiE

- What is the speaker hinting at in the poem?- Discuss the use of similes.

“One Way Ticket”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ppjmLWlKgc

- The Great Migration

“Motto”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2VQ-3mOxrM

- What is the tone of this poem?

- What do we learn about the 1920s in Harlem from reading Hughes’s poems?

- How does Hughes use rhythm, repetition, and refrain in his poetry? Why?

- What everyday experiences do you notice in his poetry that helped shape Hughes’s identity?

Read “Theme for English B”

Model the poem – using at least 3 devices used by Hughes – to write your own “Theme for English B”