a world ruled by whites. Name Another poem, "Nocturne of the Wharves," by Arna Bontemps, used the poetic device of personification to paint a picture of small, old ships tied up at a wharf. He says that "all night (the old ships) whine Poets of the Harlem Renaissance upon their ropes." He describes the old ships as if they are looking back on their younger days when he says "They think. . . of China," By Sharon Fabian and "they remember islands of the East."

Poetry is a way of expressing your Paul Lawrence Dunbar wrote in two very different styles. Some of thoughts and feelings. It is a good way to his poems are written in a black dialect; others are written in Standard say a lot with only a few words. Poets use English. In his poem about visiting Kentucky, he writes in dialect rhyme and rhythm to hold their poems about how much he hated to leave: " 'T wuz ez hard ez breakin'oxen / together and to make them more Fur to tear myse'f away." In his poem "Emancipation," he gives appealing to their readers. They use advice in Standard English, "Look to the heights that are worth your descriptive language and imagery to paint attaining / Keep your feet firm in the path to the goal." a picture for us with words. In school, we've all learned about some of the Langston Hughes' classic poem, "Dreams," uses similes and devices that poets use - similes, metaphors to impress upon us how important it is for everyone to metaphors, repetition, onomatopoeia, and have dreams of something to look forward to. He says that, without others. dreams, "Life is like a broken-winged bird" and "life is a barren field / Frozen with snow." The best way to learn about poetry is by reading good poems. If you'd like to look at examples of good poetry, you can find plenty by Good poets can use their words in such a way that they make us see looking up poets of the Harlem Renaissance. something ordinary in a new way. For example, eating in the kitchen is very ordinary. Maybe you go into your kitchen after school each The Harlem Renaissance was a time of great creativity for day for a snack. When Langston Hughes says in his poem "I, Too, African-Americans. It took place in Harlem, which is in New York, Sing America," "They send me to eat in the kitchen / When company during the 1920s and the early 1930s, and it involved many of the arts, comes," we know that he is talking about something more important. including music and painting as well as poetry. In his poem "A Dream Deferred," Hughes makes us think about what The most well-known poet of the Harlem Renaissance was Langston happens when a person has to stop believing in his dreams. He asks Hughes. He has served as an inspiration for generations of poets. what happens to the dream: "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" Some of the other well-known poets of that era include Paul Lawrence Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, and Making us see things in a new way is what poets do. They create Arna Bontemps. images to give us a clearer picture. They use their words to help us understand. James Weldon Johnson's poem "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," uses traditional rhymes and rhythms. When it was later set to music, it The many beautiful poems that came out of the Harlem Renaissance became so popular that eventually it became known as the Negro show us what life was like for African-Americans of the 1920s. They National Anthem. It is a song about hope and faith and looking also teach us by example about good poetry. forward to a future blessed with liberty. It begins, "Lift ev'ry voice and sing / ‘Til earth and heaven ring."

In his poem "White Houses," Claude McKay expressed his belief that black people needed to find "superhuman powers" every day to live in 6. The phrase "like a raisin in the sun," is an example of ______. Name A. a simile B. personification C. onomatopoeia D. a metaphor Poets of the Harlem Renaissance 7. Paul Lawrence Dunbar wrote all of his poems in a black Questions dialect. A. true 1. Choose the best answer to complete this sentence: The Harlem B. false Renaissance was a time of great ______for African-Americans. 8. The most well-known poet of the Harlem Renaissance is A. art Langston Hughes. B. creativity in the arts A. false C. literature B. true D. poetry

2. The Harlem Renaissance occurred during ______. Two of the poems mentioned in this article are about the importance of A. The time of slavery dreams. In both of these poems, the word dream means something to B. World War I look forward to. Write about a dream that you have for your own future. C. the 1920s and 1930s D. The Civil War 3. ______was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance. A. Jacob Lawrence B. Paul Lawrence Dunbar C. Bessie Smith D. Duke Ellington 4. ______was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance. A. Claude McKay B. Emily Dickinson C. John Steinbeck D. Alice Walker 5. All of the following are elements of poetry, except ______. A. similes B. rhythm C. metaphors D. bibliography Name

Do a little research to find a short poem by one of the writers mentioned in this article. Copy the poem, then write about what you think the poem means.