Celebrating Black History - Brief Article

Langston Hughes (1902-1967), one of America's most influential black writers, was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, the literary and artistic movement of the 1920s that did much to bring African-American writing to the attention of the nation. Hughes's poems often use idioms and speech patterns of African-American culture to tell of the trials and triumphs of his people. Many of his poems bear the influence of jazz and the blues. "Youth," a poem about the potential of young people, invites reflection not only on the poet's craft, but also on students' own march toward the future.

Reading and Exploring the Poem

Ask students to read "Youth" (see foldout poster) several times to themselves. What tone do they sense in the poem? In other words, what mood or atmosphere comes through? Sad? Thoughtful? Happy? Now have several students take turns reading the poem aloud, then ask the audience if they want to reconsider their initial response. The first stanza, and especially the final line with its exclamation point, suggests a rallying cry for young people. Hughes wants the young to realize that they have the world at their feet if they are willing to act.

Next, ask your class what they notice about the poem, from the simplest thing (it has nine lines) to the more sophisticated recognition of the simile at the end of the first stanza. Observations may relate to rhythm, rhyme, word choice, or figures of speech, and may include, for example:

* The poem is divided into three stanzas (yesterday, today, tomorrow) and a final line.

* The final words of the three stanzas rhyme.

* The first stanza is built on a simile ("Like a flame").

* The second stanza is built on two metaphors ("night-gone thing," "sun-down name"). These two hyphenated comparisons have a similar rhythm.

* The last line is a rallying cry for young people.

Place a transparency of the poem on the overhead projector so you can mark students' responses, letting them see all the things that go into a good poem.

Teaching With the Reproducible

Use the message of "Youth" about the potential of young people as a starting point for students to write a list poem about their lives--about their goals for the future, perhaps, or mistakes they have learned from. The reproducible, opposite, will help them organize their thoughts in preparation to draft the poem.

Give children some quiet time to record observations about their lives. Encourage them to think beyond goals like "make a million dollars" by suggesting they reflect on places they would like to visit or ways they can make life meaningful for not only themselves, but also for others. When writers are ready to move on to drafting their poems, remind them that a good list poem is much more than the simple list that may serve as a first draft. Students should:

* Create an overall structure. A list poem of mistakes might be written in chronological order or from the smaller mistakes to the more significant ones.

* Include specific details, as in all good poetry.

* Read completed drafts aloud to hear the rhythm of the lines and to check the poem's "flow."

Resources

* The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (Knopf, 1994), edited by Arnold Rampersad, is the definitive collection of Hughes's poetry.

* For list poems, see Favorite Poetry Lessons, by Paul B. Janeczko, pages 66-73 (Scholastic Professional Books, 1998).

COPYRIGHT 2001 Scholastic, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group