860 unit 5: the harlem renaissance and modernism

Colored MeZora Neale Hurston

background Between 1865 and 1900, more than 100 independent towns were founded by African Americans trying to escape racial prejudice. Eatonville, Florida, a small town just north of Orlando, was the oldest of these self-governing black communities. Growing up in Eatonville, Zora Neale Hurston was sheltered from the experiences of exclusion and contempt that shaped the lives of many African Americans. As you read this essay, think about how these early experiences influenced Hurston’s opinions on race.

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I am colored but I offer nothing in the way of extenuating circumstances except the fact that I am the only Negro in the United States whose grandfather on the mother’s side was not an Indian chief.

I remember the very day that I became colored. Up to my thirteenth year I lived in the little Negro town of Eatonville, Florida. It is exclusively a colored town. The only white people I knew passed through the town going to or coming from Orlando. The native whites rode dusty horses, the Northern tourists chugged down the sandy village road in automobiles. The town knew the Southerners and never stopped cane chewing when they passed. But the Northerners were something else again. They were peered at cautiously from behind curtains by the timid. The more venturesome would come out on the porch to watch them go past and got just as much pleasure out of the tourists as the tourists got out of the village. a

The front porch might seem a daring place for the rest of the town, but it was a gallery seat to me. My favorite place was atop the gate-post. Proscenium box for a born first-nighter.1 Not only did I enjoy the show, but I didn’t mind the actors knowing that I liked it. I actually spoke to them in passing. I’d wave at them and when they returned my salute, I would say something like this: “Howdy-do-well-

Girl in a Red Dress (1934), Charles Alston. Oil on canvas, 71˝ × 55.9˝.

© The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American

Art. Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York.

1. proscenium . . . first-nighter: A proscenium box is a box seat near the stage. A first-nighter is a person who attends the opening night of a performance.

a TONEDescribe the tone of lines 1–12. What does Hurston’s tone reveal about the way she sees herself?

ANALYZE VISUALSWhat words would you use to describe the girl in the painting? Identify the techniques or elements that lend her these qualities.

extenuating (Gk-stDnPyL-aQtGng) adj. lessening the severity of extenuate v.

How It Feels to Be

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Targeted Passage1

differentiated instruction

Practice and ApplysummaryHurston describes herself as a little girl grow-ing up in the all-African-American community of Eatonville, Florida, where she boldly inter-acts with white tourists, much to her family’s chagrin. At the age of 13, Hurston goes to Jack-sonville to attend school, where she discovers that she is a colored girl. Hurston discusses the impact of this lesson on her adult person-ality and her worldview, explaining that she finds race both important and irrelevant to her identity.

a tonePossible answer: The tone reflects curiosity or novelty. Hurston reveals herself to be an acute observer of people and their behavior. Her tone suggests that she sees herself as equal to whites regardless of how others view her.

L I T E R A R Y A N A L Y S I S

for all studentsExpert Groups Encourage students to become subject experts by selecting and researching one of these topics:• Hurston’s relationship to other Harlem

Renaissance writers• Barnard College in the 1920s• African-American towns such as Eatonville,

Florida

for less–proficient readersIn combination with the Audio Anthology CD, use one or more Targeted Passages (pp. 860, 862, 864) to ensure that students focus on key events and concepts. Targeted Passages are also good for English learners.

1 Targeted Passage [Lines 4–12] This passage introduces Hurston and the setting of her childhood, the all-black community of Eatonville, Florida.

860 unit 5

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analyze visualsPossible answer: Students may respond that the girl appears tough, proud, or defiant (her straight posture, her fixed stare away from the viewer). They might also note that the girl is alone and set in sharp contrast with the back-ground, suggesting she is isolated or lonely.About the Art American artist Charles Alston (1907–1977) drew upon his study of African sculpture to paint human figures, using the canvas as a place to investigate color, space, and form.

Lines 13–23reinforce key idea: personalityDiscuss How does Hurston’s behavior define her personality? What role does Hurston see for herself in her life? Possible answer: Hurston’s behavior defines her personality as outgoing and dramatic, with a sense of humor. She sees herself as the star of her life’s drama.

• Where did Hurston live until she was 13 years old?

• What was unique about this place?• How were Northern and Southern whites

different?• How did the townspeople respond to

Northerners differently than they did to Southerners?

for english learnersKey Academic Vocabulary Use New Word Analysis to teach these words: register (line 46), potential (line 48), generation (line 49), achieve (line 61), contrast (line 69).

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT—TransparencyNew Word Analysis p. E8

Prereading For prereading instruction for English learners, see

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKITScaffolding Reading Instruction pp. 43–46

for advanced learners/apAP exercises in the bottom channel provide additional challenge for students. Use these suggestions for small groups or individuals.

ADDITIONAL GUIDELINESFor more help with differentiation and tips for classroom management, see

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKITDifferentiated Instruction pp. 31–38

how it feels to be colored me 861

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