Unit Four

1. ELAALRC3 The student acquires new vocabulary in each content area and uses it correctly.




I struggle with this standard because there are sometimes when I have a problem with putting the right vocabulary in certain spots. Also it is difficult for me to pick up vocab terms in each content. Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism are opposites and it was kind of hard for me to explain their differences through vocabulary.





2. I picked the Harlem Renaissance because I want to learn more about my ancestry and history.
I think that it would be good to know how they struggled and why they struggled. People in the Harlem Renaissance had a hard life. Even though their life was hard they still were able to create great works.






3. The story that I read was called "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston. This story was very funny but it was hard to read the dialogue. The character named Syke was very mean towards his wife Delia. Even though he was very mean to her she still stood her ground in her own way. He felt threatened by her sometimes.

The things that I didn't like about the story was the way he treated her. For example, he was very abusive, he brought different things around her that she was scared of like snakes, and he was unfaithful. He didn't like her helping other people especially if they were white. The things that I did like about the story was the way things changed on him. For example, instead of her getting bitten by the snake he got bitten.

The theme of the Harlem Renaissance can be seen in this story. For example, at the beginning of the story Delia squats "in the kitchen floor beside [a] great pile of clothes, sorting them into small heaps according to color, and humming a song in a mournful key, but wondering through it all where Sykes, her husband, had gone with her horse and buckboard". Delia isn't living the American Dream because she's overwhelmed with labor. She also hums a sad song as she's doing the labor. This shows that she has an awful life. She is sorting the clothes by color just like people were doing to races. While she is working, her husband is not there and she's wondering where he could be. She can't depend on her husband.

Delia is treated with unfairness by her husband Sykes. Hurston creates this story by showing unfairness as it would be in real life. For instance, when Sykes comes home "He [steps] roughly upon the whitest pile of things, kicking them helter-skelter as he [crosses] the room". Sykes is showing unfairness by disrespecting his wife and her hard work. His mean actions reflect the racism at the time because he steps on the whitest pile of clothes. Hurston showed just how hard life was for Americans in this story. The struggle between Sykes and Delia reflects the struggle between blacks and whites.



4. Richard Corey

This poem is about a rich man who is envied by many people. Even though he had a lot and acted a certain way, he "put a bullet through his head". Richard Corey was very unhappy with his lifestyle. Even though he lived the American dream, his life was a nightmare. This poem supports the Modernist idea of how the American dream was very unrealistic.

Mending Wall

This poem is about a man wondering why a fence is put in his yard. Frost invites us into the mind of the speaker as he wonders about the walls. For example, he wonders what he is "walling in or walling out". This thought comes from the speaker's mind. Psychology can be seen in this poem by showing us the thoughts of the speaker.

A Dream Deferred

This poem basically is trying to guess what happens to a dream deferred. Hughes uses similes to explain his question. I think that this is a good poem because it's kind of tricky but it makes you think about what it's trying to say. This poem shows Modernism because it describes a dream that "just sags like a heavy load". Modernism, specifically the Harlem Renaissance, didn't believe that the American dream was possible.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

The poem talks about his soul. It repeats that his soul has "grown deep like the rivers". This was a good poem because it somewhat explains his life in a certain way. Modernists had thoughts that the world was changing. In this poem the soul of the person changes.

Incident

This poem described a very hurtful incident. This poem was short but it expressed a big meaning. The speaker was young and his rejection was "all that [he] remember[ed]". This rejection reflected how African Americans were treated. I like this poem because it showed a person's feelings towards a personal racist experience.

5. I have used new vocabulary throughout this unit. For example when I said "envied by many people" in my response to Richard Corey, the word envied represents a good use of vocabulary.