 is about centrality of race in experience, commonality over difference.

1. By Mkhabela FT
The teacher

2.  Outline of Poetry and Society
 Context of the writer
 The literary tradition that the poem falls into
 Themes, form and interpretation of the poem
 Aim: learning the analytical skills to apply to
any literature, especially substantiating your
analysis with reference to the work

3.  If you “understand” music, you can
understand poetry.
 Hip Hop – Mos Def as political poet
 Ben Harper and Maya Angelou – Still I Rise
 India Arie – Acoustic Soul
 Bob Marley – Redemption Song (oral poetry of
slaves)

4. African American Literary Tradition
 Langston Hughes is an African-American literary icon
 African-American literary tradition focuses on the place of African-Americans in the USA and
issues such as racism, religion, slavery, freedom, equality and cultural production
 Often incorporates elements of oral poetry such as improvisation, repetition, cadence,
alliteration
 Examples of oral poetry elements in African- American culture include rap, blues, jazz

5.  “Poet Laureate” of Harlem Renaissance (African-
American cultural revival/ flowering 1920-1930
s)
 Influenced generations of writers and political
context
 Known for his bittersweet poetry based on the
rhythms of jazz and blues
 Focus on the everyday/ordinary people
 Work celebrates African-American culture

6.  Language and sound effects: Use of idiom
and African-American colloquial speech
(Harlem slang)
 Free verse - Layout and punctuation crucial
to meaning e.g. where the assignment begins
in the poem
 Rhythms of jazz, be-bop and blues

7.  Context of the Jim Crow Era = American
Apartheid from late 1800s (end of slavery) to
1960s (civil rights era)
 Imagery: focus on aspects of everyday life
 Context: race is central in experience of self
and interaction with others
 Also a poem about writing (poem has
multiple meanings)
 Hughes advocated a humanist ideology to
combat racism

8.  falls into African-American literary tradition
 written in free verse
 is about centrality of race in experience, commonality
over difference
 is also a poem about writing
 uses everyday speech patterns and places (links to
importance of history/place/identity)