Their Eyes Were Watching . . . The Harlem Renaissance!

Welcome back!  Only one more quarter  !  We can do this!  Anyway, our next literary project in our Freshman Honors English (I'm so creative...typing our class name in purple) Safari Adventure is Their Eyes Were Watching God.  Here is some cool information on the Harlem Renaissance, as it is a major element of this novel.

http://dwpoet.com/harlemhist.htm

• The Harlem Renaissance was a major African American cultural movement centered in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem.
• It began in the 1920s and lasted until the early 1930s.
• This was the first time mainstream publishers noticed and took seriously African American arts.
• The movement mostly concerned literature; however, it aided in the future development of African American music, theater, art, and politics.
• The movement began following a number of events in the early twentieth century.  These events include the establishment of a black middle class and the Great Migration - a huge movement of hundreds of thousands of African Americans traveling from the rural South to the industrial North.
• Harlem eventually became the cultural and political center for African Americans,  This was because of the movement of many "educated and socially conscious African Americans to the area" (Microsoft Student Encarta).
• There had been some artistic and cultural development of African Americans before the Renaissance in the late nineteenth century.
• A major landmark literary work was written by Claude McKay and was published by a mainstream publisher, making it one of the first African American literary works to accomplish this.
• A major event that jumpstarted the Harlem Renaissance occurred in 1924.  Charles S. Johnson of the National Urban LEague hosted a dinner to introduce the new African American talent at the time (including McKay) to New York's White Literary Establishment.
• The Harlem Renaissance is not defined by any one literary or artistic style, but rather the common view and goal of those involved in the movement.

Source: Microsoft Student Encarta: The Harlem Renaissance

Jessie Redmon Fauset

http://postbourgie.com/2009/03/18/the-incomparable-jessie-redmon-fauset

• Jessie Redmon Fauset was born in 1882 in New Jersey and grew up in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania.
• She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University in 1905.  She was at least the first black woman to graduate from this university.
• She paved the way for future African American women to pursue their education and attend college.
• She worked closely with W.U.B. DuBois as literary editor of the NAACP magazine.
• The majority of her poetry talks about romance and racial identity.

Source: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19694

Below are some images of famous artists of the Harlem Renaissance period, as well as some information about each.

Lois Jones

http://3rdeyedrops.wordpress.com/category/art/page/6/

• Lois Jones attended the School of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, MA.  She attended school here during a time of great racial prejudice and tension.
• Jones, despite the issues of the racial relations issues of the society in which she lived, was very driven to pursue her art career.  Her love for art greatly surpassed the influence of any outside issues of the world.
• Jones sometimes entered her own paintings into exhibitions that did not accept work from African Americans.  She avoided this problem by having her white friends deliver her work for her.
• Even though she managed to enter her work into these exhibitions, she still faced a problem: the prize.  When a prize was awarded to her, it was taken away and given to a white competitor when it was discovered that she was black.
• Lois Jones was driven to use her talent, time, and energy for positive things.  She was beyond these ridiculous racial boundaries of the time, and she was not going to let the color of her skin ruin her love and passion for art.

Source: http://www.robinurton.com/history/Harlem.htm

Duke Ellington

Source: http://www.8notes.com/biographies/ellington.asp

Duke Ellington was born to a middle class family in Washington, D.C.

He started playing piano at the age of seven.  His passion for the arts was fueled since an early age.

He received a scholarship to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York; however, he declined the offer.  Instead, he began playing in Broadway nightclubs.

Ellington put together a band and began playing at the Cotton Club.  This lasted from 1922 to 1931.

Ellington gained major national exposure from playing here, thanks to the radio shows broadcasting from the club.

Source: http://www.coffeypark.com/harlem/music.htm

http://dwpoet.com/harlemhist.htm

Characterization Chart!

Our class just finished reading Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild.  This chart is the culmination of a deep and comprehensive analysis of Chris McCandless and his character.  

Into the Wild Characterization Chart

Travis Nelson

Honors English 9

Chapter	Direct	Indirect
1	Chris appeared young, only about eighteen or nineteen (3). He was afraid of the water (5).	Chris was stubborn and wanted to follow his own rules.  He didn’t want other people regulating his life, actions, and choices. “’Hell, no,’ Alex scoffed.  ‘How I feed myself is none of the government’s business.  F*** their stupid rules’” (6).
2		Chris didn’t want to be identified.  He seldom gave away personal information of his adventure, and wanted to begin a new life, in a sense. “But because he had been carrying no identification, the authorities didn’t know who he was, where he was from, or why he was there” (14).
3	“hard, stingy physique of an itinerant laborer” (16) Dark, emotive (16) Sensitive good looks (16)	Chris was definitely not a fan of material things, which included exchanging them with others. “She was surprised and extremely touched: It was the first present she had received from her son in more than two years, since he had announced to his parents that, on principle, he would no longer give or receive gifts” (20). Chris was very much interested in taking his life where he wanted to take it.  He didn’t want others telling him what to do; he wanted to be in charge of his life.  He even went as far as to create another name for himself. “To symbolize the complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name.  No longer would he answer to Chris McCandless; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny” (23).
4	Chris was nice, happy (30).	Chris was determined to continue on his adventure and wasn’t afraid to leave the material possessions that were holding him back. “But there was a way to avoid such aggravation: He could simply abandon the Datsun and resume his odyssey on foot.  And that’s what he decided to do” (29).
5	Chris was a good worker; he was dependable (40).	Chris was not the most careful person when it came to interacting with other people.  A man caught him shaving in a bathroom, and he told Chris he could come stay in his trailer, which actually wasn’t even his own. “One morning I was shaving in a restroom when an old man came in, and observing me, asked me if I was “sleeping out.”  I told him yes, and it turned out that he had this old trailer I could stay in for free.  The only problem is that he doesn’t really own it” (41).
6	Chris was polite, friendly, and well-groomed (50).	Chris believed that his way of living was great; he wasn’t afraid to try to convince others to live the same way.  After meeting Ronald Franz, Chris began to tell him about his new way of life and that he should do the same. “He also turned the tables and started lecturing the grandfatherly figure about the shortcomings of his sedentary existence, urging the eighty-year-old to sell most of his belongings, move out of the apartment, and live on the road” (51).
7	Chris was a big eater and a good cook (63). Chris was sometimes outgoing and very personable (65). Chris was chaste and morally pure (65).	Chris was always willing to help others; however, he held his own priorities very high.  He promised to help Westerberg, but only until it was time for him to continue his adventure into Alaska. “McCandless promised to come back to South Dakota in time to help with the autumn harvest, but he wanted to be in Fairbanks by the end of April in order to squeeze in as much time as possible up North before his return” (62). Chris could be a very sociable and outgoing person.  He was able to keep a great conversation going with person whom he had just met.  Mary Westerberg, Wayne Westerberg’s mother, came to like Chris very much. “They hit it off immediately.  The two of ‘em talked nonstop for five hours” (67).
10	Jim Gallien describes Chris and odd and congenial (98). Chris had short hair and was clean-shaven (102).	This comes back to a few aforementioned points.  Chris did not care for official documentation of who he was, probably because, again, he did want other monitoring him, telling him how to live, and what to do.  Chris did not take the first W-4 form Westerberg had given him seriously. “Across the top of the first one, dating from McCandless’s initial visit to Carthage, in 1990, he had scrawled ‘EXEMPT, EXEMPT, EXEMPT, EXEMPT’ and given his name as Iris Fucyu.  Address: ‘None of your damn business.’  Social Security number: ‘I forget’” (101).
11	Chris played the piano, French horn, and guitar.  He was talented at music, and he sang decently (110). Had a great relationship with Carine.  He was very nice to and extremely protective of her (110). Inherited his mother’s “angelic” features, specifically her eyes (110). For his size, Chris was strong and well-coordinated (110).	Chris took his education very seriously.  He had great, almost perfect grades, and was always bringing home A’s; however, Chris once got a grade lower than a B.  In high school physics, Chris received an F; he did not agree with his teacher that the format of the lab report was equally important as the content of which it consisted. “Academically he brought home A’s with little effort.  Only once did he receive a grade lower than a B: an F, in high school physics (109).
12	Chris could be generous and caring at times, but he also had a darker side, which was characterized by “monomania, impatience, and unwavering self-absorption, qualities that seemed to intensify through his college years” (120). Chris was passionate and intense in his writing, specifically for the Emory University newspaper (123).	Chris, although he developed a negative view of his parents, showed that he was grateful for what his parents had done for their family.  Also, he admired them for acquiring all that they had from nothing. “Chris said how much he respected Dad for starting from nothing, working his way through college, busting his ass to support eight kids.  It was a moving speech.  Everybody there was all chocked up.  And then he left on his trip” (118).
13	Chris was around ‘5”8 tall (128). Chris was energetic and self-assured.  He was a high achiever and was always quick to state his opinion (129).	Chris cared very much for Buckley, the family dog.  His family though that maybe things would’ve been different if they would’ve let Chris take Buckley along with him.  They though that because he cared for that dog so much, he wouldn’t have risked his life in the ways that he did, which would ultimately have prevented his unfortunate death. “’Chris didn’t think twice about risking his own life, but he never would have put Buckley in any kind of danger.  There’s no way he would’ve taken the same kind of chances if Buck had been with him’” (128).
16	Chris’s use of sophisticated and intelligent language showed that he was a sharp individual (159).	Chris was an intelligent person, and he enjoyed reading.  He carried along with him many books, including novels by Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Gogol.  These books were the heaviest items in his backpack. “The heaviest item in McCandless’s half-full backpack was his library: nine or ten paperback books, most of which had been given to him by Jan Burres in Niland . . . He simply carried what he might enjoy reading . . .” (162).
17		Chris was always looking for more freedom and openness than is offered in our society.  This is a recurring theme of Chris and the novel itself, as Chris was always looking to free himself from material possessions and negative people.  He was also looking for more adventure, which would explain his many travels. “Andy Horowitz, one of McCandless’s friends on the Woodson High cross-country team, had mused that Chris ‘was born into the wrong century.  He was looking for more adventure and freedom than today’s society gives people’” (174). Generally, whenever Chris wanted to do something (specifically embark on an adventure), he wanted to get up and go.  He did not want to have other people try to tell him what he needed, what to do, what not to do, and etcetera.  He was stubborn in this way.  Some people say that his arrogance and stubbornness was responsible for his death. “By design McCandless came into the country with insufficient provisions, and he lacked certain pieces of equipment deemed essential by many Alaskans: a large caliber rifle, map and compass, an ax.  This has been regarded as evidence not just of stupidity but of the even greater sin of arrogance” (180).
18	Towards the end of his life, Chris appeared very emaciated and dangerously thin.  He is described as “skeletal (199).	Chris, though he became very weak over the last few weeks of his life, was very calm and content with himself and what he done at the time of his death. “He is smiling in the picture, and there is no mistaking the look in his eyes: Chris McCandless was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God” (199).

Into the Wild Final Project!

As we finish Into the Wild, our English class is working on projects of different types to finish off our journey with Chris McCandless.  For my project, I chose to put several of Chris's favorite quotes on a posterboard with different images of his favorite authors.  I think this a great way to analyze Chris's final moments of life and what he held dearly.  We are now leaving the wild!

              http://www.zazzle.com/chris_mccandless_quote_tshirt-235833175046261400

Visiting a Place That Would Change My Life . . .

         An adventure that would change my life would be to another country. I know this sounds general, but going to another country would allow me to experience life outside of the United States, where I have been all of my life. I would be around an entirely different group of people who speak another language, eat different food, and live differently. I think that in order to realize the true diversity of our world, we have to travel different places. Different parts of the world have a lot of things that cannot be found in the United States, just as there are a lot of things in the United States that cannot be found anywhere else. I think this would be a wonderful experience to have.

http://www.hickerphoto.com/flags-all-countries-6130-pictures.htm

A Favorite Quote of Mine!

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

~Walt Disney

http://katrinadavid.wordpress.com/2009/12/31/keep-moving-forward/

Into the Wild Chapters 1-10 Responses to Questions

Chapter 1:
1. Chris McCandless was born into a well-off family on the east coast of the United States.  He grew up in a wealthy Washington, D.C. suburb.  In school, he performed exceptionally in both academics and athletics.  In the summer of 1990, McCandless graduated from Emory University with honors.  Following his graduation, he changed his name, gave the money in his savings account to charity, burned the cash in his wallet, and disappeared (First page of “Author’s Note”).
2. The themes that are introduced in the “Author’s Note” are that McCandless’s attitude and ideals caused him to disappear, and the book wide theme of adventure and the unknown.  This prepares the reader for what is to come in the rest of the book (All of “Author’s Note”).
3. The purpose of this quoted material is to give the reader a firsthand experience of one of McCandless’s conversations with someone through mail while he was still adventuring.  It, like the “Author’s Note” contributes to the recurring themes of the novel (3).
4. Alex is the alias that Chris McCandless chose for himself.  It is said that before Chris disappeared, he changed his name along with getting rid of his personal possession (“Author’s Note,” 4).
5. Jim Gallien was a man that was driving out of Fairbanks, Alaska when he saw McCandless hitchhiking on the side of the road.  He was a union electrician who was on his way to Anchorage, which was about 240 miles beyond Denali.  Gallien sees that McCandless possesses a gun in his bag, but thinks he looks nice enough, so he gives him a ride (3, 4).
6. Again, Gallien saw the gun that McCandless had, but did not see it as dangerous.  McCandless looked friendly enough for him, so he gave him a ride.  Also, Gallien thought that he looked about eighteen or nineteen years old.  When “Alex” tells Gallien his name, Gallien is looking for a last name as well.  McCandless did not give him one; Gallien probably thought that this was a little odd (3, 4).
7. Gallien have McCandless not only advice, but also some material things to help him along his way.  He gives McCandless a pair of decent boots that, when worn with a couple pairs of socks, would keep his feet somewhat warm and dry.  Gallien also gives McCandless a piece of paper with his phone number on it.  He gives to McCandless to return the boots to him if he makes it out alive.  McCandless also took some of the food that Gallien offered him from his lunch.  Persuasion was needed for McCandless to take these items, as he was excited to get started and wanted to do things on his own (7).
8. Gallien gave McCandless his boots.  He said that when worn with a couple pairs of sock, his feet would remain somewhat warm and dry.  Along with this, Gallien gave McCandless a piece of paper with his phone number.  If he got out alive, which we know he did not, he was to use this number to contact Gallien to eventually return the boots (7).
9. Gallien decided against doing this because he assumed McCandless would be fine.  He thought that if he got hungry, which he predicted would be very soon; he would just walk out to the highway and take care of himself like “any normal person would do” (7).
10. This statement is ironic because clearly, McCandless was not your typical “normal person.”  Also, it would be fitting of McCandless’s attitude towards life and specifically to this adventure.  He was a very adventurous and extremely independent individual, and he would not just walk up to the highway to feed himself.  He was beyond this, in a sense.  This demonstrates irony of situation because we know that this did not happen.  He kept going on his adventure and ultimately perished on his adventure.  Gallien was wrong.  The reader knows it, but the characters of the novel do not.  This is irony of situation (7).


Chapter 2:
11. Krakauer does this to set the mood for the chapter.  Also, it describes the wilderness as a being that mocks and laughs at whoever enters it.  In this particular chapter, Chris’s death is described, which connects the quote to the content of the chapter itself.  The wilderness finally got the better of Chris and was there to mock and laugh at him (9).
12. The purpose of these descriptions is to further set the mood of the wilderness and of the unknown for the remainder of the story.  These references are also made to help the reader understand what Chris was going through at the time.  For example, he traveled the Stampede Trail, and it is important to know what it was like for him (9, 10).
13. The cause of McCandless’s death is considered to be starvation.  It is said that McCandless consumed a poisonous part of a plant that caused his body to starve itself (14).


Chapter 3:
14. Wayne Westerberg is a man that Chris meets while he is in Carthage, South Dakota.  He does many jobs and is described as a “Renaissance man.”  He gives a job to Chris, and is surprised by how much of a hard worker Chris actually is – unlike the many other hitchhikers that Westerberg has hired in the past.  Chris and Wayne got along well and had a friendly attitude toward each other (17-19).
15. These terms describe a culture of very loose nomadism.  Some of these people wander around constantly.  Additionally, many of them are probably poor and cannot afford to purchase forms of transportation.  A “rubber tramp” is someone who owns a vehicle, but wanders around a lot, while a “leather tramp” is someone who does not own a vehicle, and must walk or hitchhike to get around (17).
16. The author says this because Chris lived in the same house with these people.  Jon Krakauer says, “The four or five inhabitants took turns cooking for one another, went drinking together,, and chased women together, without success” (18).
17. McCandless left Carthage because Westerberg was arrested for illegal satellite TV practices.  McCandless was no longer employed at the grain elevator, so there was no reason for him to stay in Carthage (19).
18. The reader knows this because he gave it to Wayne Westerberg.  It is said that War and Peace was a treasured belonging of Chris.  He felt a strong attachment to Westerberg and gave the book to him (19).
19. It is said that based on the way he acted toward Westerberg, McCandless had some family problems; however, he was very close with his sister.  His parents were very well off, as McCandless grew up in an affluent Washington, D.C. neighborhood.  McCandless attended Emory University, which was and still is a very hard school to be accepted into.  He was an extremely accomplished student, with excellent grades in all of his classes (21-22).
20.McCandless gave several clues that he was out of step with commercialism.  He did not want his parents to give him another car, as he was greatly content with his current car.  Most people his age would gladly take a new car if their parents offered – I know I would.  Also, he gave his belongings up when he decided to go on this adventure in the wilderness.  He did not want his parents to “buy” his respect with material things, as he was set on a life of high moral and self-standards (“Author’s Note, 21, 22).
21. A major change that McCandless makes is that he says he will no longer answer to “Chris McCandless,” but to “Alexander Supertramp.”  This strengthens the already existent sense of independence and adventure that Chris has.  He really is set on creating a new, simpler life for himself (23).


Chapter 4: 
22. This statement applies to Chris because he left on this adventure to find who he really was.  He believed that he could not find himself with all of the distractions of mainstream America.  He wanted to go back to basics.  Also, Chris did not travel into the desert to escape from it, but to find who he really was (25).
23. Jan Burres was a woman that was traveling with her boyfriend, and saw Chris on the side of the road near Orick – sixty miles south of the Oregon line.  She was a rubber tramp, “traveling around the West selling knick-knacks at flea markets . . .” (30).  She fed him and stayed in touch with him for the next 2 years, as Chris sent her postcards every one or two months for this time (30).
24. After purchasing the metal canoe in Topock, Chris traveled down the Colorado River to the California Gulf, eventually crossing the Mexican border.  He then canoed down Lake Havasu.  He made a short trip up the Bill Williams River, a tributary of the Colorado River.  He continued downstream though the Colorado River Indian Reservation, eventually making his way to Yuma Proving Ground – a proving ground of the United States army (32, 33).