HAR - Prose of the Harlem Renaissance Lesson

Prose of the Harlem Renaissance Lesson

Learn about each of the Prose authors that we will be studying in the activity below.

 

Reading Assignment: W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963)

It is now time to read an excerpt from Du Bois's collection of essays, The Souls of Black Folk. As you read, try to understand what  Du Bois means when he writes about this "double-consciousness" and its effects on African American artists.

Linked below, you will also find a reading guide. Use these questions to help you assess your knowledge of all three readings in this lesson as you complete them.

The Souls of Black Folk Text Link Links to an external site.

Harlem Renaissance Prose Reading Guide Link Links to an external site.

 

Reading Assignment: James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)

It is now time to read an excerpt from Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. As you read, keep W.E.B. DuBois's statements about double-consciousness in mind and look for what the speaker has to say about the "race question" and how it negatively affects both African Americans and whites in the South. Don't forget to use the reading guide to self-assess your understanding of the text.

Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Text Link   Links to an external site.

 

Reading Assignment: Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)

It is now time to read an excerpt from Hurston's most powerful novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. The novel's protagonist is Janie, a young girl raised by her grandmother, who marries her off to an older gentlemen who can provide her with stability and financial security. Each of the three sections included in the excerpt is taken from a different period in Janie's life: first her grandmother's advice as she arranges her marriage; then the day she meets Joe Starks, the man who becomes her second husband and takes her to Eatonville, Florida; and finally, the beginning of her life with Tea Cake, the man she finally chooses for love. As you read, listen for Hurston's incredible ability to capture a variety of voices and personality through dialect and descriptive details. Also consider what each of these situations suggests about the options open to African American women during this time. Don't forget to use the reading guide to self-assess your understanding of the text.

Their Eyes Were Watching God Text Link  Links to an external site.
(Read pages 43-45; 60-61; and 141-144 only.)

 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.