1. Class 4
EWRT 1B

2. AGENDA
Presentation: Terms
Author Lecture: Langston Hughes
QHQ Discussion: Racial Passing: "Passing" and
"Passing‖
Lecture: Writing a Summary and Paraphrasing Poetry
In-class writing: Summary; paraphrase

3. Terms
 19. Characterization: the creation of the image of imaginary
persons in drama, narrative poetry, the novel, and the short
story. Characterization generates plot and is revealed by
actions, speech, thoughts, physical appearance, and the
other characters’ thoughts or words about him.
 20. Dialogue: is a conversation, or a literary work in the form
of a conversation, that is often used to reveal characters and
to advance the plot. Also, it is the lines spoken by a character
in a play, essay, story, or novel.
 21. Epistle: a letter, especially a formal or didactic one;
written communication. Also (usually initial capital letter ) one
of the apostolic letters in the new testament or ( often initial
capital letter ) an extract, usually from one of the Epistles of
the New Testament, forming part of the Eucharistic service in
certain churches.

4. 22. Irony: a dryly humorous or lightly sarcastic figure of speech in which the
literal meaning of a word or statement is the opposite of that intended. In
literature, it is the technique of indicating an intention or attitude opposed to
what is actually stated. Often, only the context of the statement leads the
reader to understand it is ironic. Irony makes use of hyperbole, sarcasm,
satire, and understatement.
There are four types of irony:
• Verbal irony as defined by Cicero: ―Irony is the saying of one thing and
meaning another,‖ or Socrates: ‖when one adopts another’s point of view
in order to reveal that person’s weaknesses and eventually to ridicule
him.‖
• Situational irony, such as when a pickpocket gets his own pockets picked
• Dramatic irony, such as when Oedipus unwittingly kills his own father
• Rhetorical irony, such as that of the innocent narrator in Twain’s
Huckleberry Finn

5. 23. Literal: pertaining to a letter of the alphabet. More typically, it
means ―based on what is actually written or expressed.‖ A literal
interpretation gives an exact rendering— word for word— taking
words in their usual or primary sense. It is also used to describe
thinking which is unimaginative or matter of fact.
24. Literature: writings in which expression and form, in
connection with ideas and concerns of universal and apparently
permanent interest, are essential features. While applied to any
kind of printed material, such as circulars, leaflets, and handbills,
there are some who feel it is more correctly reserved for prose and
verse of acknowledged excellence, such as George Eliot’s works.
The term connotes superior qualities.
25. Paraphrase: (also called rewording) – the restatement of a
passage giving the meaning in another form. This usually involves
expanding the original text so as to make it clear.

6. LANGSTON
HUGHES 1902-
1967
One of the founders of the
cultural movement known as
the Harlem Renaissance.

7. Few authors of the twentieth century are more significant than
Langston Hughes. He is assured his status by his many
contributions to literature.
• The length of his career: 1921-1967
• The variety of his output: articles, poems, short stories,
dramas, novels, and history texts.
• His influence on three generations of African American
writers: from the Harlem Renaissance through the Civil
Rights Movement
• His concern for the ―ordinary‖ African American: The
subject of his work
• His introduction of the jazz idiom: the quality of black
colloquial speech and the rhythms of jazz and the blues.

8. During his long career Hughes was harshly criticized
by blacks and whites. Because he left no single
masterwork, such as Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
(1952) or Richard Wright’s Native Son (1940), and
because he consciously wrote in the common idiom
of the people, academic interest in him grew only
slowly. The importance of his influence on several
generations of African American authors is, however,
indisputable and widely acknowledged.

9. QHQ Discussion: Racial
Passing: "Passing" and
"Passing‖

10. ―Passing‖ The Short Story
 Q. What did [Jack] trade for passing as white and was it worth it?
 Q: How far is jack willing to go to keep this life?
 Q. How [long] can he pull [passing] off?
 Q. Is there a sense of entitlement that comes with the new way of life [Jack]
has adopted?
 Q: Will he finally tell the truth to his girlfriends after ten years? Twenty year?
When her parents are dying?
 Q. Will Jack ever introduce [his] girlfriend to [his] Mother or [will he] lie about
her existence?‖
 Q: Should jack feel guilty for lying about his heritage to his friends and
family?
 Q. Is Jack ashamed to associate with or be around [people of color]?
 Q: How are people suppose to acknowledge black people if Jack can’t even
accept himself for what he truly is?
 Q. Is [Jack] really a free man?

11. Consequences
 Q. Does Jack regret passing as a white man?
 Q: What is going to happen when people (his girlfriend, work,
etc.) actually find out Jack’s true ―identity‖?
 Q: What is going to happen to his relationship with the girl when
she finds out he is actually black?
 Q: Do you think Jack would have had the opportunity to keep his
job […] if his employer found out he was passing?
 Q: How will Jack’s life change after he tells his girlfriend about his
family?
 Q: How has being a privileged white man changed [Jack’s]
viewpoint about his siblings?

12. Jack’s Poor Mother
 Q. What is the purpose for Jack to write this letter to his mother?
 Q: Is it right that Jack lives this way with his mother?
 Q: Is there any regret in the way Jack wrote to his mother?
 Q: Despite receiving the privileges and ―passing,‖ would Jack reconsider
changing his life for his mother
 Q: Do you think Jack will ever be able to talk to his mother?
 Q: What would his mother have to say about this?
 Q: Did she avoid him because of the shame he would get or indifference
towards her son leaving the family?
 Q. How would Jack’s mother would respond to this letter?
 Q: How can Jack’s mother approve/encourage of him ―passing‖ as a white
person?
 Q: Did his mother make the right decision on pushing her son to be white?
Did it cause him to be distant from his family?

13. What does this mean?
 Q: What did his girl mean when she [said] ―darkies are so
graceful and gay?‖
 Q. Jack makes the comment that he is going to ―live white‖ in
comparison to live life as a white man. What does Jack mean
by the phrase ―live white‖?
 Q: What do you think Jack meant when he said ―I’m free, Ma
I’m free!‖?
 Q: Why does the author call his girlfriend ―weakness‖ in the
last paragraph?

14. Broader Inquiries about social policy,
perspective, and choice.
 Q. How horrible must it have been to actually feel it necessary [. . .] to
detach from one’s roots and adopt another?
 Q :Is is worth lying to someone to get past initial prejudice?
 Q: How hard was it to pass for white when people would ask about
your history and background?
 Q: Why do we [care] about where [other people’s] ancestors came
from?
 Q. Is it considered morally corrupt to pass as a different race to the
extent where you sacrifice ties with your family, in order to live a more
successful life?
 Q: Do we as individuals [view] society’s views as more important
than our own actual views?
 Q. Is mental slavery worse than physical?

15. ―Passing‖ By Langston Hughes
On sunny summer Sunday afternoons in Harlem
when the air is one interminable ball game
and grandma cannot get her gospel hymns
from the Saints of God in Christ
on account of the Dodgers on the radio,
on sunny Sunday afternoons
when the kids look all new
and far too clean to stay that way,
and Harlem has its
washed-and-ironed-and-cleaned-best out,
the ones who’ve crossed the line
to live downtown
miss you,
Harlem of the bitter dream
since their dream has
come true.

16. ―Passing‖: The Poem
 Q: What is happening in this poem; what is it all
about?
 Q: What does the phrase ―the ones who’ve crossed
the line to live downtown miss you, Harlem of the
bitter dream since their dream has come true‖
mean?
 Q: Why would people have to pass as a downtown
person in order to show that they are successful and
living their dreams?
 Q: Why is Harlem referred to it as the ―bitter dream‖
as opposed to something else?
 Q. How does this fit with Hughes’s short story by the
same title?

17. How to Paraphrase
 A Paraphrase is a restatement of a passage giving the meaning in another
form. This usually involves expanding the original text so as to make it clear.
 A paraphrase will have none of the beauty or effectiveness of the original. It
merely aims, in its prosy way, to spell out the literal meaning. It will not
substitute for the original, then, but will help us appreciate the compactness
and complexity of many poems.
 Write in prose, not verse (in prose the lines go all the way to right margin).
The line breaks of the original are irrelevant in paraphrasing.
 Write modern prose, rearranging word order and sentence structure as
necessary. As far as possible, within the limits of commonsense, avoid using
the words of the original. Finding new words to express the meaning is a test
of what you are understanding.
 Write coherent syntax, imitating that of the original if you can do so with ease,
otherwise breaking it down into easier sentence forms.
 Write in the same grammatical person and tense as the original. If the original
is in the first person, as many poems are, so must the paraphrase be.

18. Expand what is condensed.
 Spell out explicitly what the original implies or conveys by
hints. It follows that a paraphrase will normally be longer than
the original.
 Spell out explicitly all the possible meanings if the original is
ambiguous (saying two or more things at once), as many
poems are.
 Use square brackets to mark off any additional elements you
find it necessary to insert for the coherence of the meaning.
The brackets will show that these bits are editorial --
contributed by you for the sake of clarity but not strictly "said"
in the original. An example might be some implied transitional
phrase or even an implied thought that occurs to the speaker
causing a change in tone or feeling.

19. I, Too, Sing America  Paraphrased Text
by Langston Hughes
I, too, sing America. I am an American.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen Although the color of my skin may be
When company comes, different from yours, I am like the rest of
But I laugh, my fellowmen. Now I am separated from
And eat well, whites, but I [and my people] are gaining
And grow strong. strength.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table Soon, I [we] will join the rest of America,
When company comes. and my [our] rights will assure us that we
Nobody'll dare are not excluded from the fruits of the
Say to me, country.
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
My darker complexion makes me no less
beautiful than everybody else, which should
Besides,
make whites feel sorry for treating me like
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed-- less than the average individual.
I, too, am America. I am like the rest of you.

20. ―Passing‖ By Langston Hughes
 On sunny summer Sunday afternoons in Harlem
 when the air is one interminable ball game
 and grandma cannot get her gospel hymns
 from the Saints of God in Christ
 on account of the Dodgers on the radio,
 on sunny Sunday afternoons
 when the kids look all new
 and far too clean to stay that way, Take a few minutes
 and Harlem has its
 washed-and-ironed-and-cleaned-best out, to paraphrase this
 the ones who’ve crossed the line
 to live downtown poem
 miss you,
 Harlem of the bitter dream
 since their dream has
 come true.

21. The Summary
A summary is condensed version of a larger
reading. A summary is not a rewrite of the
original piece and does not have to be long
nor should it be long. To write a summary, use
your own words to briefly express the main
idea and relevant details of the piece you have
read. Your purpose in writing the summary is
to give the basic ideas of the original
reading. What was it about and what did the
author want to communicate?

22. While reading the original work, take note of what or
who is the focus and ask the usual questions that
reporters use: Who? What? When? Where? Why?
How? Using these questions to examine what you are
reading can help you to write the summary.
Always read the introductory paragraph thoughtfully
and look for a thesis statement. Finding the thesis
statement is like finding a key to a locked
door. Frequently, however, the thesis, or central idea, is
implied or suggested. Thus, you will have to work
harder to figure out what the author wants readers to
understand. Use any hints that may shed light on the
meaning of the piece: pay attention to the title and any
headings and to the opening and closing lines of
paragraphs.

23. In writing the summary, let your reader know the piece that you are
summarizing. Identify the title, author and source of the piece. You may want
to use this formula:
In "Title of the Piece" (source and date of piece), author shows/offers/suggests
that: central idea of the piece.
Remember:
• Do not rewrite the original piece.
• Keep your summary short.
• Use your own wording.
• Refer to the central and main ideas of the
original piece.
• Read with who, what, when, where, why and
how questions in mind.

24. Here is a sample summary:
In the short story ―The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,‖ author
James Thurber humorously presents a character who
fantasizes about himself as a hero enduring incredibly
challenging circumstances. In his real life, Walter Mitty lives an
ordinary, plain life; he is a husband under the control of an
overbearing, critical wife. Thurber uses lively dialogue to give
readers an understanding of Mitty's character. The story takes
place over a period of about twenty minutes; during this brief
time, Mitty drives his wife to the hairdresser and runs errands
that his wife has given him while he waits for her. In between
his worrying that he is not doing what she wants him to do, he
daydreams about himself as a great surgeon, brilliant repair
technician, expert marksman, and brave military captain. This
story shows that fantasy is often a good alternative to reality.

25. ―Passing‖
the Short Story
By Langston Hughes
Start your summary of the story

26. HOMEWORK
• Reading: Kennedy "Racial Passing"
Posted under "Secondary Sources."
• Post #5: Post summary of "Passing" and
paraphrase of "Passing."
• Studying: Terms
• Post #6: Discuss one story from Kennedy's
article that particularly spoke to you. How
did it influence you in your thinking about
passing?