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: Directed 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. Much of Hughes’s childhood was spent in Lawrence, Kansas, with
his maternal grandmother, Mary Sampson Patterson Leary
Langston, a proud woman who was the last surviving widow of John
Brown’s 1859 raid at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.
Later, he moved with his mother to Lincoln, Illinois, and then to
Cleveland, Ohio. There Hughes published poems in his high school
magazine and edited the yearbook.
After graduation, he spent an extended period of time with his father
in Mexico, where he had articles, poems, and a children’s play
accepted for publication.
In 1921 he enrolled at Columbia University but quickly lost interest in
his studies. Two years later Hughes traveled to Africa and Europe as
a sailor.

9. 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.

10. Langston Hughes, whose literary legacy is
clearly enormous and varied, was closeted, but
homosexuality was an important influence on
his literary imagination, and many of his poems
may be read as gay texts.
One of the greatest ironies in the life of the
people's poet was his own understandable
silence regarding the oppression of gays. As a
gay man, Hughes lived that secret life silently in
the confines of a very narrow, but well-
constructed closet--one that still shelters him
today.

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

12. ―Passing‖ The Short Story
 Why does Jack pass?
 What are the benefits he gets from passing?
 What are the costs of Jack’s passing?

13. ―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, How does this fit with
and Harlem has its Hughes’s short story by the
washed-and-ironed-and-cleaned-best out,
same title?
the ones who’ve crossed the line
to live downtown
miss you,
Harlem of the bitter dream
since their dream has
come true.

14. 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.

15. 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.

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

17. ―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.

18. 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?

19. 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.

20. 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 that: central
idea of the piece. The author supports the main idea by using
_____________________ and showing that
______________________________________________________.
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.

21. 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.

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

23. HOMEWORK
• Reading: Kennedy "Racial Passing"
Posted under "Secondary Sources."
• Writing: Post directed summary of
"Passing" and paraphrase of "Passing."
• Studying: Terms
• Blog Shot #4: Discuss one story from
Kennedy's article that particularly spoke to
you. How did it influence you in your
thinking about passing?