Week 9: Literary Modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, and Freshwater

Hi Students:

Midterm Grades (Pass/Borderline) are available on “check grade” to the right of the site.

This week I want to get you started on a new assignment.  I have decided that rather than assign a final, longish essay, I will assign a few mid-sized ones to finish off the semester.

Assignment #1 asks again that you review two sites on the Poetry Foundation website:

1) Literary Modernism and 2) “Harlem Renaissance”

STEP ONE: Read “Literary Modernism,” then scroll down. Choose one of the listed poets.  Read the poet’s biography, then choose one of his or her poems for discussion.

STEP TWO: Write a 3 paragraph response to the poet and poem

Paragraph #1: Summarize key points from the poet’s biography (be sure to use the biography from this site)

Paragraph #2: Connect a biographical detail to the main theme of the poem (or connect the poet or poem to a point addressed in the essay on modernism).

Paragraph#3: Discuss what you find “modern,” interesting, or unusual about the poem.  Include your favorite line(s) that demonstrate this.

STEP THREE: Do this again for a poet from the “Harlem Renaissance”

STEP FOUR: By Wed,, April 13, upload this assignment to our googledrive link: HERE

To upload a file from your computer press “new” (on upper left corner) and then “upload file”

Due Date: Wed. April 13

I also want to introduce you to our guest author (Akwaeke Emezi) for the “Literary Arts Festival” on Thursday, April 27, 4-6 pm (in our new theatre on 285 Jay Street), which I hope you can attend. For more information.

For this week, please watch an interview of Emezi by Trevor Noah on the Daily Show.

Interview on the Daily Show (2022)

Here is her biography:  Akwaeke Emezi 

Once you come back from Spring Break, we will begin to discuss the first three chapters of Emezi’s Freshwater. We will end the semester reading and discussing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

Here is a link to the opening chapters of Freshwater: HERE

Content Warning: After chapter 3, the novel covers some difficult material relating to self-harm and sexual assault.  We will not be reading the full novel together but I encourage you to do so if you find the novel as captivating as I do. It is a brilliant, beautiful work but, again, covers difficult material.

As always, please email me regarding any questions or concerns.