BLOG #1

Watch this video on the Harlem Renaissance, and take the quiz afterward. Email your results to me.  Don’t worry—just taking it gets you a 100!

When you are finished with the quiz, please read through the “?” section of the website, and write down one interesting fact that you did not know before. Write about this fact on the course blog. Why did it surprise you? What does it show about the period? Can you imagine such an event happening today? Do you know anyone who had similar experiences in their lives, or can you think of a similar period in history?

BLOG #2

Read the illustrated book “Harlem” byWalter Dean Myers. Reflect on one visual from the book. How would you describe the image? How does it connect to the words on the page? Based on the image and the poem, why do you think Harlem became a center for black art, culture and society in the 1920s and 1930s?

BLOG #3

Blog about one of the poems we've covered in class. Look at or listen to some of the primary source material related to this poet (a video interview, an audio recording, actual manuscripts). 

How did watching or listening to the primary source affect your reading of the poem? Who was the intended audience for the original poem? What is the poem about, in your opinion, and how does it relate to the Harlem Renaissance? Can you imagine this poem being written today and, if so, by whom? (If you can't think of a current writer, compare the piece to a movie, TV show, or anything online you've seen).

BLOG #4

This is a creative assignment. Complete A or B.

A. Write a poem inspired by one of the poets we have read. Share the poem on the blog and comment on which poem or poet that inspired it.

B. Create your own art piece (painting, drawing, poster board) inspired by a poem we read. Look back at Walter Dean Myers Harlem for inspiration, but you can also use your own life experience and places you've been. Take a picture of your painting and save it to your computer--then insert an image of the painting on your blog entry. Please also comment on what inspired the painting--what is the poem that gave you inspiration, and what does it mean to you? How does it relate to your painting?

BLOG #5

The traditions of the Harlem Renaissance are still alive. Their focus on African roots and rhythm are still found in African-American poetry and music. View the links and audio/videos below and choose one of the artists to explore. Blog about how the piece affected you and what it suggests about African-American culture/traditions and the Harlem Renaissance.

1. NIKKI GIOVANNIE, EGO TRIPPIN'

  Nikki Giovanni - Ego Tripping
Nikki Giovanni - Ego Tripping

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2. RIZE, A DOCUMENTARY CLIP

Following the Rodney King riots in 1992, kids and adults in Los Angeles started a new craze called Krumping, dance that imitates African rhythms (and masks). What are Krumpers trying to do, and what does it say about the world today?
 

BLOG #6

One important aspect of the Harlem Renaissance was the Apollo Theater, begun in 1934, where black musicians, poets, dancers and comedians could perform. Watch these two videos on the Apollo Theater  and blog about the second video.

1. What was your impression of the theater? The audience? How would you describe the Apollo Theater and its culture?
2. Comment on one of the performers. Who do you think was most interesting and why? How do they relate to African-American music or poetry, and (if it comes up) how do they deal with racial issues, their feelings about white culture versus their own culture?