1920’s Literature and Fine Arts
For each of the following examples of artistic expression for the 1920’s please answer the
questions for each section:
Introduction:
The 1920’s saw many important American authors and artists rise in importance, perhaps more
than in any other period in U.S. History. Among those were a new generation of African
Americans intellectuals living in New York City who created a flourishing artistic life widely
described as the “Harlem Renaissance.” The Harlem poets, novelists, and artists drew heavily
from their African roots in an effort to prove the richness of their own racial heritage.
Hypothesize: What events in U.S. History do you believe most impacted African American’s
ability to express themselves artistically during the 1920’s.
Poetry
Negro Speaks of Rivers By: Langston Hughes
I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset
I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
Why do you think Hughes wrote this poem?
Hughes is writing about African American history. What concepts do you think he wants readers
to take away about African Americans?
What do you think this poem says about life for African Americans during the 1920’s?
Artwork
Artist Jacob Lawrence and his Migration Series. The Migration Series is comprised of sixty
panels telling the story of African American Migration which began during WWI. The panels
continue to tell the African American story during the 1920’s.
Panel 1
Step 1: ObservationA. Study the artwork. Form an overall impression of the piece and then examine individual
items. Next, divide the work into quadrants and study each section to see what new
details become visible.
B. Use the chart below to list people, objects, and activities that are captured in the work.
People
Objects
Activities
Step 2. Inference
Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph.
Step 3. Questions
What questions does this photograph raise in your mind?
Panel 58
Step 1: ObservationA. Study the artwork. Form an overall impression of the piece and then examine individual
items. Next, divide the work into quadrants and study each section to see what new
details become visible.
B. Use the chart below to list people, objects, and activities that are captured in the work.
People
Objects
Activities
Step 2. Inference
Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph.
Step 3. Questions
What questions does this photograph raise in your mind?
Music
The Cotton Club was a whites only night club originally in Harlem which featured the finest
African American musicians and performers. Patrons of the club would enjoy the latest Jazz and
Blues music.
Song 1- Bessie Smith “I Ain’t Got Nobody”
What is the tone of this song?
What do you think this song says about life in the United States at this time?
Song 2- George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue”
What is the tone of this song?
What do you think this song says about life in the United States at this time?
Conclusion: What cultural trends run throughout all of these artistic expressions? Predict
changes that could occur in the United States as a result of this movement.