American Voices: Listening to Fiction, Poetry, and Prose

African-Americans Speak

African-Americans come from a rich oral tradition, yet they were denied literacy because of the systematic disenfranchisement of their culture and living. Most Africans brought to America in bondage were from the region of West Africa. In these regions the communal act of the oral tradition was acclaimed.

African-American oral culture, within the community, was centered in the church, then came into politics, then moved into the mass media. Those who are most admired in African-American communities are those who are known as skillful practitioners of language whatever the content, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, Mohammed Ali, rappers Tupac Shakur and Kanye West, and many more.

Over the years African Americans have been mislabeled as culturally deprived and culturally disadvantaged, based on their language use. However, in recent years Americans have seen a shift in the negative attitude toward Black English speaking patterns. In naming the dialectic talk as African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) ¹² changes some of the negative connotations around the subject. Students will perform a comparison contrast analysis and reenact performances of two of the three Presidential Inauguration poems, ever presented in American History. Students will examine and evaluate varied literary elements, catalog figurative language uses, explain use of dialect when appropriate, and share with the class their overall thoughts about the poets' vocabulary choices in the historical context. We will investigate Robert Frost's presentation of "The Gift Outright" ¹³ at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration and Maya Angelou presentation of "On the Pulse of the Morning" ¹⁴ at President Bill Clinton's inauguration. Students will be asked to discuss the poetry in small groups and analyze one of the two poems then report out to the class their findings. Questions that will be used to guide their evaluations will be: How does the poem reflect the time during which it was written? How does the poet make us think about the past and/or present? What are the poet's dreams about the future? Does the poet's voice include all American people? Why or why not? Students will be required to cite examples from the text when answering the questions.

At this point in the unit, requesting the assistance of a history teacher in the building to co-teach or share ideas about background information will serve to pique students' attention in researching the political and historical influences found in the poetry that will help students gain a better understanding of figurative phrases, words and literary devices. Begin students in a literary conversation circles ¹⁵ discussing the use of personification, alliteration and/or assonance. Ask them to list the lines where they see the devices used.

Finally, students will be required and assigned to memorize and recite one of the poems to be recited in class the following week. Practice sessions will be held intermittently before the deadline for students to practice in front of the "live" group. Ask students to pay particular attention to enunciation of words, accentuation of voice, and tonal patterns for each student who recites. Have students set up a mock class competition using rules and procedures as defined by the class or as set by another group or organization. ¹⁶

Memorizing a poem is a way for students to have the opportunity to identify with the poem through vocalizing it, and for them to be able to consider every phrase, line, and word. Students can practice varying the sounds, adding pauses and emphasis in different spots to try to find the most accurate voice for each of the poems. All through the unit we will use several strategies for students to become good at memorizing their poems. Assessment of recitations can include, but not be limited to, physical presence, articulation of words, vocal tone, understanding of lexis choices, and overall performance (eye contact, sound level, and accuracy).

Throughout the unit, students will become acquainted with various speeches, essays, short stories and poems paying special attention to word usage and sometimes dialectic use. African-American writers' recent revival of oral perceptions of the memory process within literary context and framework are now seen and stated as a mode of thought. When reading the works of Maya Angelou, Kanye West, and Amiri Baraka students can not only take in particular remembered facts but also, construct and/or reconstruct remembered details, combined with an impression left by the original oral telling or instance. Place is an important factor in re-memory. ¹⁷ The oral orientation focuses the power of the spirit of visual memory. Using Toni Morrison's Beloved students will be able to better understand the use of the term re-memory in a more practical sense. It will be important to point out for students specific chapters for use in referencing terms or use the film DVD version to select the specific chapters, see if students can analyze voice using either print or visual media. African-American people may have been moved from place to place but the pictures of particular places remain in the mind. ¹⁸

One word, detail, or image dropped into consciousness may remind students of some part of their buried pasts as well. Try this exercise: have students place a notebook, journal or sheet of paper on their desks. Make provisions for the classroom to be very quiet, while asking students to close their eyes (speak in a soothing tone). Say to students, "Remember a long time ago, you are in the house where they first brought you home from the hospital, you are a very small baby." Repeat the place being careful to not say more than generalizations of an infant's homecoming as often as needed. Remind students that there is no talking and they must keep their eyes closed and bodies as still as possible. Provide a calming atmosphere in the room throughout this exercise. Next ask students to write down the first word, phrase or sentence that comes to mind when they open their eyes. Still there should be no talking in the room. Students should then place their pencils down. Students can then be asked to share what they wrote on the page - reading the word, phrase or sentence aloud. Assign homework for students to continue the story, poem, or essay for homework. Define the parameters for assessment paying close attention to the voice in which the story is told. Teachers may want to already have a rubric prepared for grading the assignment. To conclude the exercise, have a read-out and an explanation of their narratives and the connection to the concept of re-memory. During the readings, probe or point out for students whose voice is telling the story.