African-American Poetry: Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes

Bibliography-

Hughes, Langston. 2006. Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes. Ed. by David Roessel & Arnold Rampersad. Ill. by Benny Andrews. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. ISBN – 978142718458.

Critical Review-

This collection of poems by Langston Hughes is part of a series of anthologies designed to bring the poetry of various artists to young people. The editors of this collection have perfectly captured the range of poetic genius that helps to define Langston Hughes. The anthology is a twenty-six poem collection with an in-depth introduction of the poet, Langston Hughes. Each poem has its own introduction which adds relevant information such as why he wrote the poem or its historical context. Below each poem, words that are critical to the meaning but may be unfamiliar to young people are defined. Likewise, the illustrations superbly complement each poem. The beauty and richness of African-American culture is wonderfully portrayed by this award winning artist. Careful attention is given to ensure that each poem selected has the necessary information to make it enjoyable and accessible to young people.

The care and quality in the construction of this anthology are only out done by the masterful poetry of Langston Hughes. The poems in this collection perfectly show the depth and breadth of his writings. In his poems, Hughes focuses heavily on African-American heritage and identity, along with American social and political injustices of his time, and other poems focus on the theme of dreams. It is not surprising that Lorraine Hansberry would select his poem “Harlem” to introduce her play A Raisin in the Sun which explores the dreams of ordinary African-Americans. Both Hansberry and Hughes wanted to capture the language and lives of ordinary people.

The selected poems show great diversity in mood ranging from humorous in “Final Curve” to total despair in “Genius Child.” Hughes uses the natural rhythm of language to create the cadences of his poems. He shows the interconnectedness of music and language by using natural dialect, rhyme, repetition, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. Also, Hughes expertly uses sensory imagery, similes, metaphors and extended metaphors to create poems that permanently penetrate the consciousness of the reader. The poem below is an example from this anthology.

Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor-
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard,
Don't you fall now-
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

In the above poem, Hughes uses extended metaphor in having a mother give her son words of encouragement. She shares with her son that even though her life was difficult at times, she never gave up and he should not either. This is an example of the use of natural speaking dialect to develop the beat of the poem. The dialect is captured by dropping the final “g” in the suffix “ing”. Also, he uses dialect phrases such as “I’se” and “ain’t”. All of the dialect helps to establish the beat of the poem. Additionally, the use of repetition also contributes to the rhythmic quality of the poem.

Kid Connection-

This poem is a wonderful example to use when discussing extended metaphor. It could be used as a follow-up to the lesson. After the extended metaphor lesson, read the poem so the children can experience the richness of the dialect. Then point out to the students that the mother is comparing her life to a “crystal stair”. Discuss what they think a crystal stair might be. Next, have the students create poems to their mothers, grandmothers, or other role model in their life using Hughes’ technique of extended metaphor. Have students brainstorm possible comparison they could use for their lives. Encourage the students to use his format, but use their own dialect. This is an example of how it might start off for a boy this time of year:

Well, Mom, I’ll tell you:

Life for me isn’t a Super Bowl,

It’s had sacks in it,

And tackles….

Hopkins Collection: Spectacular Science

Bibliography-

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2002. Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. Ill. by Virgina Halstead. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN – 9780689851209.

Critical Review-

This collection of fifteen poems complied by Lee Bennett Hopkins has poems by various poets and includes some of his own poems. Some of the poets showcased in this anthology are Carl Sandburg, Lillian Moore, and Claudia Lewis. The book of poems opens with a table of contents which allows a quick review of titles and poets making it easy to find a particular poem. All of the poems cover various science concepts or ideas with the first poem defining science making a great introduction to the poems that follow. Other science topics covered are rocks, bones, the atmosphere, animals, and light to name a few. The illustrations are created in layers of paint to add texture, and a combination of oil pastels, oil bars, wax and Prisma color pencils are used to produce the brilliant colors in each illustration. The illustrations prompt exploration as much as the words of the poems. The wonder and excitement of discovery are explored on each page of this collection. Some of the poems are free verse while others rhyme. Many of the poems pose science questions to be investigated by the reader encouraging scientific curiosity. The poem below is from this collection.

Three Skies
By Claudia Lewis

Three skies
Above our world-

Grey sky when clouds are high.

Break through the clouds
And it's blue where the planes fly.

Break through the blue on a rocket flight
And the skies are black, day and night.

Break through the black-

Who knows
To what fourth sky,
On what flight?

As with many of the poems in this collection, this poem asks a question to prompt the reader to mentally explore the answers to the questions. This poem challenges the reader to think about what could lie beyond the known skies. The cleverly designed illustration has someone looking up and unzipping the worlds to expose each of the three skies. The zipper is not completely unzipped to show that there is room to explore.

Kid Connection-

This poem would be a delightful introduction to a science lesson on the solar system or space exploration. This poem lends itself to having a different student read each stanza of the poem. After reading the poem, have students volunteer to share what they think might be in that “fourth sky.” After experiencing this poem, the students will be ready to follow-up with the science lesson. All of the poems in this collection would make great introductions to science topics.

School Poetry: Stampede! by Laura Purdie Salas

Bibliography –

Salas, Laura Purdie. 2009. Stampede!: Poems to Celebrate the Wild side of School. Ill. by Steven Salerno. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN – 9780618914883.

Critical Review –

In this eighteen poem collection, Salas explores the everyday experiences of school children. In each poem she takes an ordinary occurrence that a child might have during the course of a school day and turns it into a humorous animal tale in poetic form. Steven Salerno provides wonderful images that are bright, lively and reveal meaning to the poems. He created the illustrations by using brushes and gouache on arches 260 lb. hot press watercolor paper, and digital enhancements. His illustrations perfectly match the mood and message of each poem.

In this collection of poems, Salas artfully plays with language to create poems that are appealing and crafted with quality. While each poem has a unique cadence, the rhythm in each is created by rhymes, repetition, and frequently alliteration. The most enduring impact is the way Salas immediately evokes an emotion in the reader through her use of sensory imagery and figurative language. Salas successfully captures the universal feelings that everyone has had at school at one time or another. The moods of the poems strike a wide variety of emotions such as silly, humorous, embarrassing, exciting, scary, snooty, shy, frustrated, and uplifting. The poem below is from this collection.

Blush

The whisper
spreads like
fire or
flu.

"Someone has
a crush
on you!"

My cheeks burn
hot as a
sun-sharp
ray.

I'm a blazing
cardinal,
winging
away.

In this poem, Salas precisely and concisely calls to mind what it feels like when what one thought was a secret crush becomes public knowledge at school. She uses rhyme and short lines to establish the beat. When the secret is revealed, the secret holder burns with embarrassment and wishes to fly away. Salas’s use of sensory imagery, simile, and metaphor “burn/hot” the feelings someone in this situation feels. Words like “fire”, “burn”, “hot”, “sun-sharp”, and “blazing” fuel the fire of embarrassment that anyone in this situation would feel. The metaphor of the secret holder being a bird who is flying away reveals how anyone in this place would want to get away as fast as possible. Likewise, Salerno’s illustrations are perfectly supporting this message. The secret holder is drawn in a position with his arms up and behind him looking very much like wings, and his nose is quite pointed like a bird’s beak. The reader cannot miss the intensity of the embarrassment of a moment like this. While this poem is just one example from the collection, all of them are equally satisfying to the reader. Whether or not the reader has experience this situation before, they are able to fully experience the moment.

Kid Connection –

As an introduction to the poem, discuss with the children times when they have experienced various emotions, such as excitement, happiness, sadness, fear, and embarrassment. Ask for student volunteers to share when they have experienced these emotions. Then, read the poem, and have them respond to it. This poem would make a great introduction to a lesson on similes and metaphors. Many of the other poems in this collection could also be used for teaching figurative language and sensory imagery.