Please answer both parts
Part one
This week I would like you to carefully read the poem Harlem by Langston Hughes. We will be working with this poem both this week and next week, so take some time to get to know it well.
Harlem
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
I want you to consider everything about this poem, and how all of the poets intentional choices lead to a specific overall effect here. There are many things you can write about here. I will list a few questions for you to consider.
Consider the title of the poem. What connotation do you associate with Harlem? Why name this poem Harlem?
Consider the series of questions the poet asks. Why phrase his poem in such a way?
Why do you think the poet uses so much food/body imagery? Is there anything to that?
What kind of figurative language does the author use? (Ex: simile, metaphor, imagery etc.) How does the figurative language affect you as the reader?
Is the figurative language pleasant? Discuss the authors diction or connotation. What point is the author building to with this type of language?
Are there any symbols in this poem?
Why is the last line in italics?
I do not expect you to answer all of these questions in your post. Rather, they are there to get you thinking about things you can discuss. You might decide to focus on imagery only. That is fine. You might decide to speak about the pleasantness or repulsiveness of some of the similes. It is up to you.
Write a post in which you tell us the overall meaning of the poem Harlem. Then discuss one or two ways the author effectively creates that meaning using literary devices such as diction, connotation, and/or figurative language. (See the questions listed above for ideas on what you might discuss!)
Part Two
This week you will begin writing your first brief poetry explication. In order to prepare for the final paper (due next week), I would like you to submit an outline this week of some of the ideas you would like to discuss.
Your explication should include the overall meaning of the poem (in your own words), and how the poet builds that meaning using poetic elements such as imagery, symbolism, simile, metaphor, etc.
The paper itself should be around 3-4 paragraphs or about 2 pages double spaced. You may go on to a third page if needed to complete your explication. Your explication paper does not need to have a formal introduction or conclusion (we will see more about that in a writing sample next week).
This week, I would like you to take some of the ideas you and your classmates came up with in the discussion and organize them into an outline of sorts.
For example, if you would like to discuss imagery and symbolism in the poem, your paper will have three paragraphs. One opening paragraph talking about the overall meaning of the poem, one paragraph on imagery, and one on symbolism. You might then offer some bullet points under each topic to inform me of what exactly you will say about each topic and how it helps to build to the overall effect of the poem.
This assignment is not graded, but I will be reviewing it in order to offer my feedback to you on your plans.
A possible format for this assignment would be:
Paragraph one: a few lines telling me what you think the overall meaning of the poem “Harlem” is.
What will your second paragraph be about? (What is the first poetic device you will discuss? Symbol, imagery, etc.)
Offer some specific examples of that device and tie it back to how it helps the poem achieve the overall effect.
What will your third paragraph be about? (What is the second poetic device you will discuss? Symbol, imagery, etc.)
Offer some specific examples of that device and tie it back to how it helps the poem achieve the overall effect.
If you have more than three paragraphs, that is fine, too!
Remember, you are only submitting an outline this week, not the finished paper!
