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Module 6: African American and Southern Writers

Module 6: African American and Southern Writers

OUTCOMES:

  • Students will be familiar with the major events and movements of the historical period corresponding to the published works of writers studied.
  • Students will understand the major plot and/or ideas of the assigned works of Hughes, Brooks, Cullen, Wright, Welty, and O’Connor.
  • Students will explore and analyze the subtle motivations of the characters in the assigned works.
  • Students will examine and apply the major themes discussed in this unit and be able to explain how these themes are demonstrated in the works assigned.
  • Students will learn some of the characteristics of Southern literature and African American literature and be able to recognize those characteristics in the works of the assigned writers.
  • Students will be familiar with the information in the linked documents on African American literature, Southern Literature, and Southern Women Writers.

 Assignments include

  • reading the historical introductory material in the text book,
  • reading all the documents linked in the module
  • reading selections from the works of Hughes, Brooks, Cullen, Wright, Welty, and O’Connor.

Assessments include one written assignment,one discussion post, and an 80-point quiz.

Assignment 6: Due Mar. 30--African American Lit

  1. Read the head note for Langston Hughes (2221) and the poems, "Mother to Son" and "I, Too," plus any two others you want to. Hughes writes about the life of the underclass in America, of the racial divide of the 1940s and 1950s. Tell in a sentence each the main idea of the four poems you read.
  2. Also, read Gwendolyn Brooks’ “the mother” (2494) and “We Real Cool” (2496). Write a brief explanation of what each of the poems is about.
  1. Read the head note on Countee Cullen (2240) and “Yet Do I Marvel” and “Incident.” In a short paragraph, explain what the Harlem Renaissance was and what Cullen’s two poems are about. Notice that he is the only one in this group of African American writers who uses traditional verse form.
  2. Read head note for Richard Wright and “The Man Who Was Almost a Man" (2245). In a paragraph, compare Dave’s concept of “manhood” with your own (i.e. what makes a man?). 
  1. Study the Characteristics Of African American Literature.

Put all three written parts of Assignment 6 into one document before submitting.

Discussion 6: Due April 5 Read Southern Women Writers. Then respond to a question about O'Connor's "moment of grace" in the discussions for 8 points

Tenth Week Quiz:  April 6

Read the stories below and study all the links in the module and the readings under African American literature to prepare for the quiz.

  1. Read Eudora Welty’s head note and “Petrified Man” (2276). Consider why the setting of this story is so important to the plot.
  2. Read Flannery O'Connor's head note and "Good Country People."  (2511) Concentrate on the “moment of grace” with Hulga as explained in Southern Women Writers link.
  3. Study Characteristics Of Southern Literature . Richard Wright is both black and Southern, so his works tend to fit in both categories.

To prepare for the quiz, be sure to review all the stories read in this module, all the links of documents. You will have two discussion questions: one of them requires you to list three characteristics of African American literature and apply them to the assigned works of African Americans; the other discussion question requires you to list three characteristics of Southern literature and apply them to the works of Southern writers assigned.