Part 1
There are different ways to reveal meaning in a literary work. The first method we will use is
reader-response. This is a subjective way to understand and interpret a literary
work. Reader-response includes sharing impressions of a literary work. The purpose of
reader-response in this course is to familiarize ourselves with the literary work and to
thoughtfully and critically interact with the work. To that end, complete the following:
• Share your general impressions of “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” by
answering at least one of the questions below.
What did you think about the work?
Did you like or dislike the work? Why?
What was your experience when reading the work?
Did you relate to the work—setting, characters, plot—in any way? How so?
mountain
Part 2
Another way is to learn about the context of the work. Context is information about or
related to the work. Learning about the context can help us better understand the meaning
of a work.
• After reading “Harlem Renaissance. American Literature and Art” and “Hughes’s
Life and Career”, post two items of information that you learned about the context of
“The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”.
career
Part 3
In this discussion, we also will demonstrate understanding of “How it Feels to be Colored
Me” or of “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” as well as the ability to summarize
and paraphrase using MLA style.
• Write a summary of “How it Feels to be Colored Me” or of “The Negro Artist and the
Racial Mountain”
• Write a paraphrase of “How it Feels to be Colored Me” or of “The Negro Artist and
the Racial Mountain”. Be sure to identify the paragraph that you paraphrased by
including the first sentence from the paragraph before your paraphrase.