Introduction
Poetry can be difficult to comprehend and even more difficult to teach. While exploring the poetry of the African American poet Langston Hughes I discovered this does not have to be so. In Hughes's poem "Life is Fine" he wrote,
I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.
This is not all that different than the way many of us approach a poem. If we have a hard time understanding what a poem is trying to say we might just sink. In order to see the beauty in a poem we have to commit to diving in and swimming through some tough currents. Langston Hughes is one of Americas most loved poets. He's a poet who can help us navigate these rough waters of verse.
Both children and adults dream. Hughes used the theme of Dreams as a way of seeing through the confusion of life. He explored how dreams can often be mysterious. By unlocking the mystery within our dreams we can make an attempt at understanding unrealized goals and aspirations. In "Dreamer" he states,
I take my dreams
And make of them a bronze vase,
And a wide fountain
With a beautiful statue in its center,
And a song with a broken heart,
And I ask you:
Do you understand my dreams?
Sometimes you say you do
And sometimes you say you don't.
Either way
It doesn't matter.
I continue to dream.
Much of his poetry suggests that nothing is too difficult to overcome. Nor was he bound by conventionality in his writing. Dreams are not binding, or based in reality. They can take you where you want to go and where you imagine yourself to be. Hughes believed that seemingly mundane experiences like walking down the street, attending school, or going to the store could become the stuff of art. His poetry was a simple blend of sounds and impressions. Hughes loved children and wrote many poems specifically for them. I have included several of them here in this unit as examples of the beauty and simplicity of his poetry. They are easy to grasp, yet deep enough to yield rich discussion.
Young children are spontaneous, and inquisitive in their nature. They see the world with fresh eyes, and often have a unique way of putting this vision into words. This allows for a sense of freedom to create poetry that is not bound by conventions and can make it easier to teach than other forms of writing.
In order to capitalize on this sense of freedom a more relaxed café like setting in the classroom works well. Students are invited to move their desks aside and arrange their chairs in a circle, or small groups. The reading, discussion, and writing of poetry is better enjoyed in this special setting. Teacher and students alike use notepads, or clipboards for writing. This relaxed seating plan encourages communication that is different from other periods of the school day.
By creating a Poetry Café in our classroom we will establish a community of writers that is similar to that of the thriving community of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes was an instrumental figure during this period of the 1920's. He turned his life experiences into poetry. His work provided a lens with which to see the world. He was able to look at life with a sense of humor and in turn provide joy to those who read his poems. We will learn about what it was like to experience the crowds of new immigrants, artists, and writers that lived there as we step briefly into the world of 125 hSt., New York City, 1921. We will listen to the music of the Blues and see how it inspired Langston Hughes to write his revolutionary Jazz Poetry. We will learn about the influential artists and musicians. We will view original photos.
Students will learn how to listen to select poems. They will discuss these poems, and ultimately collaborate in our Café setting to create their own writing. Their writing will then be presented in a culminating activity where we invite parents and peers to an open house event of reading and recitations in our Poetry Café.
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