Craig S. Avis
English 123 – Ms. Kingsley
Homework – Q&A with Annotations
January 26, 2015
POEM – “Minstrel Man” by Langston Hughes
Because my mouth
Is wide with laughter
And my throat
Is deep with song,
[You do not think]
I suffer after
I have held my pain
So long.
Because my mouth
Is wide with laughter,
[You do not hear]
My inner cry,
Because my feet
Are gay with dancing,
[You do not know]
I die.
Observations
- Outer observations
- Things that can be recognized by one the five senses
- Inner feelings
- Unseen or expressed emotions
- Standard rhyming in the poem (references the negative)
Questions
1) “You” do not think, hear, know.
Q: Who is he talking to?
A: Indirect communication / Inner monolog directed towards others (possibly whites).
2) “Because” my mouth, my mouth, my feet
Q: Why does he use the word “because” repeatedly?
A: Words being repeated are there to stress a point. He is not justifying, he is merely
trying to point out the injustice.
Summary
This is a beautifully written, rhyming poem which seems to be an inner monolog of an AfricanAmerica who has been coping with white society. He expresses a deep, emotional pain which
has burned in his soul for an excruciatingly long time. He breaks down the difference between
his exterior demeanor and his internal torment. One may think if these words were expressed out
loud there may be unjustly consequences.
ESSAY – “The Art of the Ancestors” by Countee Cullen
Observations
- The author has hope that this art/sculpture will influence African-Americans as it has
modern European artists.
- Appears to be shocked that there is more appreciation by those who inherit the art, rather
than those who are blood descendants of them.
Questions
1) Primitive African wood and bronze sculpture is new universally recognized as “a notable
instance of plastic representative.”
Q: If it is wood and bronze, why are they called “plastic representatives?”
A: It is still unclear to me the complete answer to this question; however, my closest
guess would be that the possibly damaged sculptures are remade complete with plastic.
2) Long after it was known as ethnological material, it was artistically “discovered” and has
exerted an important influence upon modernist art, both in France and Germany.
Q: What do they mean by “ethnological material?”
A: Compare and analyses the characteristics of different people and the relationship
between them.
3) The Negro in his American environment has turned predominantly to the arts of music,
the dance, and the poetry, an emphasis quite different from that of African culture.
Q: Are they saying African-American culture is different from African culture?
A: I believe they are. As each generation passes and African-American’s become more
Americanized, their heritage becomes more and more distant. With time, and neglect, any
culture becomes less current and more of a memory.
Summary
This is a short story about African art. It discusses where it came from and who has been
influenced by it. It digs a little deeper to discuss who this art is important to and the possibility of
the culture who should have inherited it may have lost it due to their shift to more modern forms
of art. It closes by making the point that the African-American culture does have a cultural
connection to Africa.
FICTION – “Fern” by Jean Toomer
Observations
- Simple title, “Fern,” then closes with her full name: Fernie May Rosen.”
- Fern’s eyes were mentioned several times throughout the story; they almost became a
character on their own.
- Her eyes were so powerful, several things “flowed into” them: i.e. her face (99), the
countryside (101, and God (103).
- Narrator uses repetition: i.e. “Felt attached”/”bound” (99/101), “You and I know” (101),
and “See her” (101).
- The author created lists throughout the story: i.e. men doing things for her (100), what her
eyes would gaze at from her porch (100), and topics discussed when chatting with her
(102).
- At one point the author used short sentences, which moved quickly, to suggest an
increased heart rate and intense passion. Made the reader excited for him.
Questions
1) “When she was younger, a few men took her, but got no joy from it” (99).
Q: Who got “no joy”: her, the men, or both?
A: It seems she did not enjoy. Such as if it was routine for her; like getting up in the
morning, or brushing your teeth.
2) “: that they would not be denied” (99).
Q: What is it about Fern that caught men’s attention?
A: She was a relaxed, cool, and beautiful woman who seemed to have no ambitions for
the future; almost life-less. Because she felt she had no purpose in life, she allowed men
to abuse her.
3) “What white men thought of Fern I can arrive at only by analogy” (100).
Q: Is Fern a black woman?
A: Daughter to a black woman and a Jewish white man.
4) “Her eyes, if it were sunset,… If it were dusk,…” (100)
Q: What do her eyes follow? Why?
A: Her eyes followed aimlessly to what ever caught her attention. Another example of
her unsettled, numb existence.
Summary
This is a short story about Fern, which is at a glance, a portrayal of an attractive half black, half
Jewish woman nobody comprehends. By taking a little bit of a deeper look she becomes unclear;
however, take a much deeper look, and she is not a woman at all, but a persona of a nation who
do not know themselves.