Spoken Word Poetry
Spoken word poetry is intended for this purpose.
To be performed on a stage (spoken out loud, not read)
These were the "push factors" that motivated African Americans to move to the North.
1) Job opportunities
2) Racial discrimination
3) Economic growth
What was life like for Black communities in Reconstruction and Jim Crow-era southern states?
They were discriminated against. In some cases, they were in physical danger. They could not get jobs. They were not allowed in many white establishments. Many could not get an education.
This is what that Transcendentalists believed about Nature.
Nature is in us, and we are in Nature. It has divine qualities and is sacred. We should protect and enjoy it.
This is what Thoreau thought about technology.
It is a distraction and a waste of time. He wrote about the uselessness of the railroad and the transcontinental telegraph.
These issues are often portrayed in spoken word poetry.
social justice, politics, race, community
During what time period did the Harlem Renaissance take place?
1920 - 1935 (it is disputed when it ended; took place primarily in the 20's)
Which Harlem Renaissance trait does the following poem exhibit?
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Emphasize new opportunities and aspirations (dreams)
This is what the Transcendentalists believed about education.
Everyone should have the right to a free education.
This is what Thoreau thought about simplicity.
Thoreau believed that we overcomplicate our lives. We should simplify things like our accounts, possessions, and schedules.
This is when you pause when you are reading or reciting a poem.
Any punctuated pause, including dashes, commas, semicolons, or periods.
At a surprise.
End of a stanza.
This influenced the style of Harlem Renaissance poetry.
Jazz/Ragtime/Blues Music
Which trait does the following excerpt from a poem exhibit?
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.”)
Reflect the experiences of racism
This is the form of government that Transcendentalists liked.
Democracy
This is what Thoreau believed about self-reliance.
Thoreau didn't think he needed friends. He was also self-sufficient. He built a cabin in the woods and survived for two years away from civilization.
Define slam poetry.
Poetry competition in which individuals or groups recite original spoken word poetry.
Name at least two Harlem Renaissance poets.
Langston Hughes
Claude McKay
James Weldon Johnson
Which trait does the following excerpt from a poem exhibit?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered.
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
Celebrate African American ability
What kind of art did the Transcendentalists strive to create? (What did they think about European art?)
They wanted to create original art. They didn't want to imitate any European forms of art.
This is what Thoreau believed about Nature.
Thoreau believed that we are a part of Nature, and Nature is a part of us. It is something to be enjoyed and celebrated. He hated attempts to control or cut down anything in nature. He believed it should be left alone.
Define Free Verse poetry.
Name the 3 Characteristics of Harlem Renaissance poetry.
1)Emphasize new opportunities and aspirations (dreams)
2)Celebrate African American ability
3)Reflect the experiences of racism
Who painted Migration Stories?
Jacob Lawrence
This is what the Transcendentalists believed about sin.
They did not believe that we are sinful at birth (original sin). They believed in forgiveness and acceptance.
This is what Thoreau believed about Civil Disobedience.
Thoreau thought the best way to combat a corrupt government was to protest peacefully. He refused to pay his taxes because he didn't want his money funding the Mexican American War or slavery.