20 Seeking a Language Older Than Words: Liberation & the Black Poetic Tradition – Seminar Lesson Plan
Authors: allia abdullah-matta, Angel C. Dye, Shauna M. Morgan, Dave Wooley
Target Group: Advanced Undergraduate
Learning Objectives
- Students will explore the body as a political space in Black literary traditions.
- Students will hone the skills of close reading to interpret poetry.
- Students will make connections between self and the world as they examine the body as a political space.
Poems
- “Blood in My Eye: The Poetics of Trauma and Memory” by Dominique Christina (Furious Flower 2019, pp. 315-316)
- “90 poems I didn’t write for you” by Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Furious Flower 2019, pp. 38-41)
- “I Wish You Black Sons” by Glenis Redmond (Furious Flower 2019, pp. 122-124)
Note: Practitioners can use the following discussion questions and activities to frame in-class instruction, move through the unit, and to construct (low/high stakes) assignments, such as reading responses and literary essays.
Key Questions
- How do poets draw on and explore their connection to Black historical/community space(s) and/or expressive culture(s)?
- Do the poets tell a story about place(s)/space(s) that are situated within or amid class, socio-economic, or political crossroads?
- Analyze the ways in which bodies as subjects/objects are positioned in society in relation to power as addressed in the poems.
- Explore what it means to be a part of and/or outside of the U.S. American mainstream culture as expressed in the essays, hip-hop music, and culture.
Activities
Activity One – Free write: Respond to Dominique Christina’s essay “Blood in My Eye: The Poetics of Trauma and Memory.” You might consider the author’s opening words about “rage” or what it means to seek “language older than words.” How does one find language that precedes what we know or understand as words? Why might they need to? How do you understand Dominique Christina’s discussion of “power?” Do you agree with her that writing is a “political” and “confessional” act? (10 minutes)
Activity Two – Read, annotate, share: Students will individually read Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ “90 poems I didn’t write for you” and annotate the text including identifying three “notable moments”—an AHA! moment, a HUH? moment, and a WTF! moment. They will discuss in small groups and share those moments with the larger class community in a whole group discussion.
Note: Instructors can help students identify and define poetic devices.
Activity Three – Create poem notes: Students refer to the Gumbs poem and their annotations to create poem notes that reflect favorite lines, thoughts, images, keywords, and themes from the poem.
Note: Poem notes can be in any format on the page (bullet points, paragraphs, etc.). Poem notes allow the students to reflect on where they enter the poem. Discuss emotion(s), theme(s), recognizable points of understanding—what is happening in the poem/representation—and address symbolism, metaphor, imagery, and/or meaning. Students should point to what they notice about the text that could be further contextualized and/or explicated, during class discussion and/or for writing assignments.
Activity Four – View Jasmine Richards’ “Why I Fight For Black Lives.” Students will view the video, reflect, then turn and talk with a partner. They should create community notes to share out to the whole group. Some questions they might consider include: What stood out? What connections might you make to the poem and essay?
Activity Five – Group reading of Glenis Redmond’s “I Wish You Black Sons.” Students will perform a shared read-aloud of the poem. Each student should read one “I wish” statement and then pass the reading to the next student. This should be followed by viewing the video of Glenis Redmond’s reading.
Activity Six – Read, annotate, share: Students will individually read Glenis Redmond’s “I Wish You Black Sons” and annotate the text, including identifying three “notable moments”—an AHA! moment, a HUH? moment, and a WTF! moment. They will discuss in small groups and share those moments with the larger class community in a whole group discussion.
Activity #7 – Create poem notes: Students refer to the Redmond poem and their annotations to create poem notes that reflect favorite lines, thoughts, images, keywords, and themes from the poem.
Activity #8 – Draft and read a poem that models Gumbs’ or Redmond’s poem. Consider their list forms and repeated beginning lines. You might “wish” someone or something a day in your shoes. You might wish them a challenge that you have faced. Perhaps you have a playlist of songs that you did not share with them or a bunch of memes you didn’t let them laugh at with you. Think about how Gumbs and Redmond use repetition to create and expand meaning around (un)freedom and the body. Remember that your poem does not have to be perfect or in its final form. Record the lines that beckon you.
