View of Race and Culture, Winter, 1957

71-27,438 BOSTICK, Herman Franklin, 1929- THE INTRODUCTION OF AFRO-FRENCH LITERATURE AND CULTURE IN THE AMERICAN SECONDARY SCHOOL . CURRICULUM: A TEACHER'S GUIDE. I The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1971 Education, curriculum development. I i ( University Microfilms, A XEROKCompany, Ann Arbor, Michigan ©Copyright by Herman Franklin Bostick 1971 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED THE INTRODUCTION OF AFRO-FRENCH LITERATURE AND CULTURE IN THE AMERICAN SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM; A TEACHER'S GUIDE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Herman Franklin Bostick, B.A., M.A. The Ohio State University Approved by College of Education DEDICATION To the memory of my mother, Mrs. Leola Brown Bostick who, from my earliest introduction to formal study to the time of her death, was a constant source of encouragement and assistance; and who instilled in me the faith to persevere in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, I solemnly dedicate this volume. H.F.B. 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To list all of the people who contributed in no small measure to the completion of this study would be impossible in the limited space generally reserved to acknowledgements in studies of this kind. Therefore, I shall have to be content with expressing to this nameless host my deepest appreciation. However, there are a few who went beyond the "call of duty" in their assistance and encouragement, not only in the preparation of this dissertation but throughout my years of study toward the Doctor of Philosophy Degree, whose names deserve to be mentioned here and to whom a special tribute of thanks must be paid. Among these are Dr. Edward D. Allen, Professor of Foreign Language Education, whose professional skill, wise counsel, and generous encourage ment guided me during my years of graduate study and through the completion of this dissertation; Dr. Martha Frosch who was first to encourage me to study toward the doctoral degree and who has sustained a constant interest in my professional career; Mrs. Johnnie Dixon Bell and the 201 French Class of the Samuel Howard Archer High School for their invitation to use their class to experiment in integrating Afro-French literature and culture in a regular high school French class, and for their generous and enthusiastic cooperation throughout the period of iii the experiment; Mrs. Lamar Robinson for the many long and tedious hours spent in typing the manuscript; Mrs. Clara Bostick Scott, my sister, who graciously and carefully managed my personal business during my years of study at the Ohio State University; Mr. Matthew H. Dawson who did promptly and with efficiency all of the numerous "minor" things which must be done but which the preoccupied graduate student can never find time to do for himself. iv VITA January 11, 1929 ..................... Born, Eclectic, Alabama 1949 ...... ..................... B.A., Morehouse College Atlanta, Georgia 1949-1951........................... Teacher, Fesseden Academy Ocala, Florida 1952 .............................. M.A., Atlanta University Atlanta, Georgia 1952-1953 ........................ Ecole Normale Supérieure Port-au-Prince, Haiti 1954 .............................. Diplôme, La Sorbonne Paris, France 1954-195 5 .............................. Instructor, Grambling College Grambling, Louisiana 1955-195 6 .............................. Teacher, Dillard High School Fort Lauderdale, Florida 1956-196 0 .............................. Instructor, Fort Valley State College Fort Valley, Georgia 1960-1966.............................. Foreign Language Consultant Georgia State Department of Education Atlanta, Georgia 1966-1968........................... Teaching Associate Foreign Language Education The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 1968..... .............................. Assistant Professor French Morehouse College Atlanta, Georgia PUBLICATIONS "Toward Literary Freedom: A Study of Contemporary Haitian Literature, " Phylon; A Review of Race and Culture, Winter, 1957. "New Developments in Foreign Language Teaching in Georgia Public Schools," The Herald (Newsletter of the Georgia Teachers and Education Association), Spring, 1961. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Education Studies in Foreign Language Education Dr. Edward D. Allen Studies in Curriculum Development Dr. Paul Klohr Studies in Higher Education Dr. Richard Frankie Studies in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century French Literature Dr. Charles Carlut vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION......................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . .............................. iii VITA ............................................... V Chapter I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM................... 1 Purpose and Scope .......................... Limitation.................................. Organization................................ Review of Literature........................ Contributions to the Study of French in High School ............... ............... II. INSTITUTIONS, TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS UNDERLYING AFRO-FRENCH LIFE AND CULTURE . 16 The Family ................................ Birth and Puberty .......................... Courtship and Marriage..................... Religious and Psychological Orientation . • Cult of the Dead............................ Magic ....................................... III. AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE: SOURCE OF AFRO-FRENCH CREATIVE EXPRESSION ........................ 52 The Song in African Culture ............... Rhythm, Dance, and Musical Instruments. Music of the French West Indies ...... IV. MYTHS IN AFRO-FRENCH LIFE AND CULTURE .. 63 Definition and Characterization ........... Some Popular African Myths................. V. NEGRITUDE: ITS DEVELOPMENT AND MEANING IN AFRO-FRENCH LITERATURE AND CULTURE......... 74 Definition and Characterization ........... 74 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CONT'D Chapter Fage Origin and Development ............ VI. INTRODUCING AFRO-FRENCH LITERATURE AND CULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM . 91 Preparation for Instruction................. Teaching an Afro-French Folk Song........... Teaching the Afro-French Conte ............. Teaching African Poetry..................... Teaching the Afro-French Novel ............. Teaching the Afro-French Play............... Afro-French Drama of the Caribbean Islands . Teaching the Essay on African Life and Culture VII. SELECTING AND INTEGRATING AFRO-FRENCH TEACHING MATERIALS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM 212 A Plan for Integrating Francophone Literature and Culture in the Secondary School Curriculum................................ Description of Levels, Classroom Materials and Aids ................................ VIII. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 234 APPENDICES ......................................... 244 Classroom Visuals and Other Teaching Aids A. Replica of a Coat-of-Arms ........... Replica of the Seal of the United States Map of Africa ....................... E. Kodjla Ko ....................... C. African Proverbs and Riddles......... D. Le salaire............................ E. L'Eclipse de la Lune................. F. Resume of An Experiment in Integrating African Francophone Literature and Culture in A High School French Class ............................ BIBLIOGRAPHY. 267 viii CHAPTER I STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM My book is not a polemic. It comes, by chance, when the hour strikes. The Negro question is of the present. René Maran At the conclusion of a "lecture commentée" on the great periods and personalities in French History in an in termediate French class, one student asked, "Sir are there no black Frenchmen?" On the surface, this question appears to be a simple inquiry from an interested student. But when one considers it in the light of the prevailing mood and concern among the current generation of high school and college students who are black, its implication and over tone ring with the sound of a clarion for foreign language study in the American public school. In the thrust for full integration of the Afro-American into the mainstream of American life and culture, pressure has been brought to bear on curriculum innovators at the high school and college levels to select and utilize in the class room teaching materials that more accurately reflect the contributions of the black man to western civilization. Reacting to an environment characterized by deep-seated racial prejudice and exclusion, the Afro-American is now 1 2 demanding .that he be accorded his academic due by including in the curriculum of American schools and colleges courses of study by and about the black man--his history, his literature, his art, his culture— thereby recognizing and dignifying his personal self-concept and intellectual capabilities. Today's young Afro-American has discovered a new aware ness of himself as a descendant of an ancient but highly developed civilization. He has been stimulated to make a new evaluation of the American heritage and of the role that his forebearers played in making this heritage secure for all citizens. Embittered by long-festering racial prejudices and incited by the deep yearning for full recognition and participation in the "American dream", the young Afro- American in an increasing number of the nation's cities and on many college and university campuses has resorted to open confrontation in an effort to effect curricular in novations that will provide a more accurate account of his progenitors In American life and history. The student's question

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