harlem renaissance test

what is the Great Migration?

When black farmers and sharecroppers moved North to escape hostility and search for opportunity 

how does the Harlem Renaissance come about?

• Thousands of these migrants settle in Harlem (a neighborhood that became the cultural center of African-American life 

• Harlem became a hub of creativity, charged with artistic energy.

• Black men and women used cultural resources, including folk traditions and urban awareness, to create new forms of expression.

• They supported each other's artistic, musical, and literary talents.

• This led to the flourishing of African American arts, known as the Harlem Renaissance.

who were the two young writers who considered themselves founders of a new era of literature?

-Langston Hughes

- Zora Neale Hurston

What poems did Langston Hughes right that we discussed in class?

• I too: expresses the speaker's belief that, despite racism, they are an essential part of America and will one day be treated as equals.

• Harlem: explores the consequences of unfulfilled dreams

What does the speaker mean by a dream deffered?

suggesting they might dry up, stink, or explode. It reflects the frustration and pain of unmet hopes, especially in the context of African Americans during that time.

What social or political consequences are hinted at in the poem’s last line?

The last line suggests that ignoring dreams and needs could lead to anger, rebellion, or social unrest.

list the similies the speaker uses to describe the effect of a deferred dream. What do these comparisons suggest about the speaker’s attitude?

1. "Like a raisin in the sun"

2. "Like a sore"

3. "Like rotten meat"

4. "Like a syrupy sweet"

5. "Like a heavy load"

These comparisons suggest the speaker’s frustration, pain, and disillusionment with deferred dreams, indicating a negative, oppressive feeling toward unfulfilled aspirations.

how does Hughes us ryhthm?

Hughes uses rhythm to create a conversational flow and emphasize frustration. The steady beat and repetition build tension, highlighting the urgency of the speaker’s message.

How does Hughes use Repetition?

In "I, Too", Hughes repeats "I, too, sing America" to show the speaker's equality and belonging.

In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", repeating "I've known rivers" connects African Americans to deep history and strength.

How does Hughes use refrain?

"I've known rivers" is repeated to emphasize the speaker's deep connection to history and the wisdom passed down through generations

why did Johnson and McKay use the sonnet form?

• to be traditional

Be able to identify poems writers wrote

negros speaks of rivers

i too and harlem

my city

if we should die

be able to anaylze a sonnet. difference between english and petrarchan sonnet

english- 3 and 1. Qutrain(4) and couplet (2)

italian/Petrarchan- 8and 6. In the octave(8) sestate (6)

How it feels to be colored me: be able to know her story, how she felt in the different places.

• She talked about how she felt in all the diff places she was 

  • Eatonville, travelers coming through to see her form 

  • Time at barard college (felt her color) 

  • Time in harlem and on the main (felt separated) 

shapes her identity by embracing her individuality and refusing to be defined by race or racism. She takes pride in who she is, seeing her Blackness as just one part of her complex self.

the bluest eye: who are the characters

• Pecola: A young Black girl who internalizes racial beauty standards and longs for blue eyes, believing they will bring her acceptance and love.

• Cholly: Pecola's abusive, troubled father, whose own painful past influences his destructive behavior.

• Pauline: Pecola's mother, who is emotionally distant and finds solace in the white world she serves as a housekeeper.

• Claudia: The narrator and younger sister of Frieda, who rejects societal beauty standards and questions the treatment of Pecola.

• Frieda: Claudia’s older sister, who also experiences the challenges of growing up in a racially divided world and cares for Pecola.

• Ms. MacTeer: Claudia and Frieda’s mother, who is strong, protective, and provides a stable home for her daughters.

• Soaphead Church: A self-proclaimed spiritual healer who manipulates Pecola and plays on her desperation for change.

an example of the theme of the impossibility of meeting beauty standards as reflected in the novel and explain why it reflects them.

Blue eyed doll

Shirley Temple cup

Maryjanes 

Greta Garbo Gina Rogers

The seeds 

The coal stove

The couch 

Dandelions

the symbols from the Bluest Eye and what they mean. How are they reflected in beauty standards and how they’re impossible?

basic plot, conflicts, events, and resolution

Basic Plot:
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young Black girl growing up in 1940s America, who believes that having blue eyes will bring her beauty and acceptance. The novel explores themes of racism, beauty standards, and the trauma caused by internalized oppression.

Conflicts:

• Internal Conflict: Pecola struggles with her self-worth, believing she is unattractive because she doesn’t fit society’s white beauty standards.

• External Conflict: Pecola faces neglect and abuse from her family, particularly from her father, Cholly, and her emotionally distant mother, Pauline.

• Societal Conflict: The novel highlights the damaging effects of racism and colorism, showing how Black people, especially women, are pressured to conform to white ideals of beauty.

Events:

• Pecola is bullied and rejected by her peers because of her dark skin and appearance.

• Her parents, Cholly and Pauline, are both emotionally distant and abusive, which deepens Pecola’s feelings of inadequacy.

• Pecola becomes obsessed with the idea of having blue eyes, believing they will make her loved and accepted.

• Pecola’s tragic journey leads to her pregnancy, resulting from an abusive incident with her father, and the eventual loss of the child.

• Pecola’s mental health deteriorates, and she retreats into a fantasy where she believes she has finally received the blue eyes she desired.

Resolution:
The novel concludes with Pecola’s descent into mental illness, as she believes she has attained the blue eyes she longed for. Her tragic story reflects the harmful effects of racism, family dysfunction, and societal pressures, with no clear resolution or hope for her recovery.