A resource guide for

middle school teachers

Dr. Maya Angelou

Dream in Color
Imagine a world where diversity is celebrated. A world where
people of all complexions and cultures express themselves freely.
If you imagine it, then you Dream In Color.
Target, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, Furious Flower
Poetry Center at James Madison University and Dr. Maya Angelou,
invites you to celebrate Black History Month through the rich
legacy of African-American poetry. Discover the work of poets
past and present, whose voices move us all to continue to dream.
As part of our 2007 Black History Month celebration, Target
is proud to provide a toolkit to inspire children of all ages to
Dream In Color. Students will discover the works of important
African-American poets, classroom activities designed to
encourage them to develop their own poetic voices,
discussion guides, bibliographies and links to engaging
online poetry resources.

Dream In Color is just one of the ways that Target supports

diversity and makes a real difference in the lives of children
through the arts and education.
To the Teacher:
The exercises in each unit are meant to serve as guidelines to
excite students about poetry. The exercises are not sequenced,
so you may use as many or as few as you like, and in any order.
You may want to do one exercise per class period, or you may
want to stretch an exercise over a few days. The exercises should
be fun for both you and the students, so just jump in and enjoy
the results.

1. Family and Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

2. Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
3. Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
1. Family and Friends

My Grandmother Is Waiting for Background

Me to Come Home Family is one of the most often-recurring themes in all

genres of African-American literature. The trauma of
My Grandmother is waiting for me enslavement, followed by the routine separation of the
to come home. members of slave families, created a focus on
displacement and replacement that shouts and murmurs
We live with walnuts and apples
through black poetry and prose. The family is also often
in a one-room kitchenette above The depicted as a space of discovery, nurture and support.
Some Day Liquor Gardens. Writing about family explores personal history, develops a
sense of community, and establishes identity. In Brooks’
“My Grandmother is Waiting for Me to Come Home,” the
My Grandmother sits in a red rocking chair most important yet understated idea is that the
waiting for me grandmother is home, she is there, and “she lingers.”
Even though the kitchenette is small and lacking in fancy
to open the door with my key. material possessions, the grandmother is substantial and
warmly welcoming.
She is Black and glossy like coal.
Discussion Questions

We eat walnuts and apples, 1. Imagery

drink root beer in cups that are broken, Read the poem aloud to the class, but do not hand
out copies yet. Read the poem again. Ask the class
above The to respond to these questions either verbally or in
Some Day Liquor Gardens. a drawing:

Can you describe the room where the grandmother

I love my Grandmother. is waiting?
She is wonderful to behold What does the grandmother look like?
Where is the grandmother sitting?
with the glossy of her coal-colored skin.
What do the grandmother and the grandchild eat?
She is warm wide and long. Where does the grandmother live?
She laughs and she Lingers.
Hand out copies of the poem.
Gwendolyn Brooks
From In Montgomery and Other Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks. What did Gwendolyn Brooks describe in the poem that
Third World Press, Chicago. Copyright ©1967 by Gwendolyn you forgot to write down (or draw)?
Brooks. Reprinted by consent of Brooks Permissions. Why do you think you remembered what you did?

Dream in Color Middle School 1

 Guide the students toward a discussion of imagery. When Gwendolyn Brooks wrote the poem, she was
Imagery uses vibrant language to create a mental already an adult and a famous writer. She uses her
sensation. To help them understand that they imagination to write a poem from a child’s point of view.
remember the things they wrote down because the She uses simple imagery and repetition to show her
images stuck with them, ask some of the following readers how much the child loves the grandmother.
questions:
3. Free Verse, Repetition, Sound
How many of the things you remember are connected This poem is written in free verse. For a discussion of
to your senses? poetic form, ask the students the following:
Describe the grandmother’s chair. In your mind did you
see the “red rocking chair”? What is rhyme? Can you give me an example
Describe what the grandmother and grandchild ate. In of rhyme?
your mind could you taste “apples” or “walnuts”? Does this poem rhyme?
Are the lines in this poem all the same length?
Ask the students to count the syllables in each line of
Explain that Brooks uses the poetic device of imagery
the poem.
to help us to see the home and the people she
describes in the poem. Her imagery helps the poem to
Do the lines of the poem have the same number
stay with us after we have finished reading it.
of syllables?
Do the syllables per line have a pattern such as
2. Speaker
11, 7, 7, 11? Or 8, 6, 8, 6?
Read “My Grandmother Is Waiting for Me to Come
Home.” Ask the students the following or similar
Point out that the poem does have a specific form;
questions: this style of poetry is called free verse. In a free verse
poem, the poet can make a line as long or as short
Who is the speaker in the poem? (Or, who is telling as she wants.
the story?)
How old do you think the speaker is? Why do you think Writing in free verse does not mean that the poet does
this? Be sure that the students are using information not care about style. A poet chooses her words and the
from the poem to answer this question. style of her poems very carefully. While some poems
Do you think the speaker is a boy or a girl? Does call for exciting verbs (as in Komunyakaa’s “Slam,
it matter? Dunk, & Hook” in the Middle School SPORTS
Are the grandmother and child wealthy? Why do you curriculum), Brooks chooses to use the verb “is”
think this? Be sure that the class uses information four times in the poem. The use of simple verbs
from the poem to answer this question. and repetition (“She is” is used three times) in the
When your mom or dad asks you to see something poem helps us to hear the voice of a child describing
from “their point of view,” what do they mean? her grandmother.
How is your point of view as a middle schooler
different from your point of view at age six? If you were Brooks also pays close attention to the way words
to write a poem from a first grader’s perspective, what sound when they are in a line together. She uses
could you do to help your reader recognize that you’re consonance, assonance and alliteration to create
writing from a little kid’s point of view? repetitions of sound within the poem. Read the
poem to the class, emphasizing the sounds of the

Dream in Color Middle School 2

consonants and vowels. Ask the students to: Activities
Underline all of the places they hear consonance.
Circle the places they hear assonance. 1. Hand out the Margaret Walker poem “Lineage,” and
Draw a box around instances of alliteration. have the students highlight the images in the poem.

If the students need reinforcement, write a word on the

Lineage
blackboard and ask them to:
My grandmothers were strong.
Come up with other words that begin with the same They followed plows and bent to toil.
sound and that make a sentence. Students find it
They moved through fields sowing seed.
easier to alliterate with consonants:
They touched earth and grain grew.
PURPLE pigeons parade proudly through Paris. They were full of sturdiness and singing.
COZY cats curl up in Connie’s kitchen. My grandmothers were strong.

Consonance is a little harder for most children to

verbalize, since it usually comes at the end of words. My grandmothers are full of memories
Give simple examples such as: Smelling of soap and onions and wet clay
With veins rolling roughly over quick hands
Janet went in the tent and ate.
Darius rides the bus. They have many clean words to say.
My grandmothers were strong.
Explain that assonance is usually similar vowel sounds
Why am I not as they?
within a line. Use the following as an example:
Margaret Walker
Come on in, we’re in the den. From This Is My Century by Margaret Walker. Copyright
©1989 by Margaret Walker. Reprinted by permission of
The University of Georgia Press.
Ask students to underline or otherwise mark the
examples of alliteration, assonance or consonance in 2. Have the students share examples of an adult who is
the following: special to them. After a few ideas have been shared to
start the creative juices:
The red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along.
Ask each child to select an adult who is special to
write a poem about. This may be an aunt, uncle,
What a wonderful bird is the pelican,
teacher, or coach.
Its beak can hold more than its belly can.
Have the class sit quietly for three to five minutes and
Explain to the class that these devices make the words imagine they are in the adult’s house. Then ask these
stand out and help you to remember the poem after questions, giving the students ample time to write:
you read it.

Dream in Color Middle School 3

What images did you see? Write those images down. Can
you add details?

• How does the house smell?

• What can you hear when you are in the house?
• Is it warm? Cold? Humid?
• How does being in the house make you feel?

Ask the students to write 10 sentences that begin with:

“My [special adult] is

___________________________.”

Have them take their favorite details from their lists and
compile them into a free-verse poem.

Optional Activity

As a homework assignment, ask the class to read “Fifth

Grade Autobiography” by Rita Dove or “Poem [2]” by
Langston Hughes.

Ask each class member to write a poem about someone

close to him or her who is no longer here. The person
does not have to be deceased – it might be a parent in
the military or an older sibling in college.

The poem can be simple and short, or detailed and full of

imagery. Suggest that the students use consonance,
assonance or alliteration in the poem.

Dream in Color Middle School 4

More poems about Family and Friends

Fifth Grade Autobiography Poem [2]

I was four in this photograph fishing (to F.S.)
with my grandparents at a lake in Michigan. I loved my friend.

My brother squats in poison ivy. He went away from me.

His Davy Crockett cap There’s nothing more to say.

sits squared on his head so the raccoon tail The poem ends,

flounces down the back of his sailor suit. Soft as it began,—

I loved my friend.

My grandfather sits to the far right Langston Hughes

From Collected Poems. Copyright ©1994 by The Estate
in a folding chair, of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Harold Ober
and I know his left hand is on Associates Incorporated.

the tobacco in his pants pocket

because I used to wrap it for him Puzzlement
every Christmas. Grandmother’s hips I, partly Nigerian.
bulge from the brush, she’s leaning I, partly Puerto Rican.
into the ice chest, sun through the trees
printing her dress with soft I have a Nigerian father,
luminous paws. a Puerto Rican mother.
I am packed in a skin that is tan.
I am staring jealously at my brother;
the day before he rode his first horse, alone. I, too, have a heart on fire.
I was strapped in a basket I, too, want to be Proud.
behind my grandfather. I, too, want to be Something and Proud.
He smelled of lemons. He’s died –

I want to shout “I’m A TAN!”

but I remember his hands.
Gwendolyn Brooks
Rita Dove From In Montgomery and Other Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks.
from Grace Notes. Copyright ©1989 by Rita Dove. Used by Third World Press, Chicago. Copyright ©1967 by Gwendolyn
permission of the author and W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. This Brooks. Reprinted by consent of Brooks Permissions.
selection may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written
permission of the publisher.

Dream in Color Middle School 5

2. Sports

Slam, Dunk, & Hook We rolled the ball off

Our fingertips. Trouble
Fast breaks. Lay ups. With Mercury’s
Was there slapping a blackjack
Insignia on our sneakers,
Against an open palm.
We outmaneuvered to footwork
Dribble, drive to the inside,
Of bad angels. Nothing but a hot
& glide like a sparrow hawk.
Swish of strings like silk
Lay ups. Fast breaks.
Ten feet out. In the roundhouse
We had moves we didn’t know
Labyrinth our bodies
We had. Our bodies spun
Created, we could almost
On swivels of bone & faith,
Last forever, poised in midair
Through a lyric slipknot
Like storybook sea monsters.
Of joy, & we knew we were
A high note hung there
Beautiful & dangerous.
A long second. Off
The rim. We’d corkscrew Yusef Komunyakaa
Up & dunk balls that exploded from Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems ©2001 by
Yusef Komunyakaa and reprinted by permission of Wesleyan
The skullcap of hope & good University Press.

Intention. Lanky, all hands

Background
& feet . . . sprung rhythm.
In 1924, Howard University’s newspaper included an
We were metaphysical when girls
editorial that stated: “Athletics is the universal language.
Cheered on the sidelines. By and through it we hope to foster a better and more
Tangled up in a falling, fraternal spirit between the races in America and so to
destroy prejudices; to learn and to be taught; to facilitate
Muscles were a bright motor a universal brotherhood.” Many of the advances made in
Double-flashing to the metal hoop the progress toward racial integration in the United States
Nailed to our oak. occurred in the sports arena. In the early 1900s, George
Poage, John Baxter “Doc” Taylor, and DeHart Hubbard
When Sonny Boy’s mama died became famous for winning gold medals in the Olympic
He played nonstop all day, so hard games. In 1908, Jack Johnson was the first African-
American to become Heavyweight Boxing Champion. The
Our backboard splintered.
color barrier in Major League Baseball broke when Jackie
Glistening with sweat,
Dream in Color Middle School 6
Robinson was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Discuss how poets use descriptive words related to the
During times of intense racial prejudice, African- subject instead of boring words that identify the
Americans were able to compete in sports and defy subject.
mistaken notions of white superiority. Athletic teams in
some ways paved the way for the desegregation of Ask the class:
schools and neighborhoods. Today, many of our country’s
most skilled athletes are those of African descent. The Is the poem only about basketball?
neighborhood “hoops” have become both a place to hone What else do you think the poem is about?
one’s skills on the basketball court and a place for social
congregation. Yusef Komunyakaa creates the poem If the students need help, ask them to describe
“Slam, Dunk, & Hook” to come alive with the rhythms and the players:
movements of schoolyard basketball. The schoolyard
game was sometimes a rite of passage, sometimes a Are the players boys or girls?
therapy session, and just as often a test of pride and Are they short or tall?
identity. Do they seem almost like they are more
than human?
Discussion Questions In the middle of the poem, the speaker tells us about
Listen to a recording of Komunyakaa reading “Slam, Sonny Boy. You can almost miss this part of the poem
Dunk, & Hook,” or read the poem aloud to the class. if you read it too quickly, but this reveals that the
players’ love of basketball runs deeper than just a
1. Word Choice game. What does basketball mean to Sonny Boy?
There are some big words in this poem, but the class
should be able to understand those words in the 2. Simile and Metaphor
context of the poem. Pass out copies of the poem and Discuss simile and metaphor in the poem. Metaphor
discuss the following with the class: says one thing is another thing. Simile uses “like” or
“as” to equate two things. Give the children examples
Ask the students what the poem is about. of metaphor and simile:
Ask them to circle the word “basketball” every time it
occurs in the poem. Metaphor
All the world’s a stage.
When they don’t find the word “basketball” in the Life’s a beach!
poem, then ask: She’s a ball of fire!
Our team was a fighting machine!
If “basketball” isn’t in the poem, why do you think
the poem is about basketball? Simile
He’s as bold as brass.
The students might say that the poem uses words She’s as bright as a penny.
such as “slam dunk” and “metal hoop.” That teacher is as hard as nails!
I wish it would rain- it’s as dry as a bone.
List all of the basketball words the children identify Her skin was like sandpaper.
on the blackboard.

Dream in Color Middle School 7

 Can you identify similes and metaphors in the poem? Activities:
How many of you play basketball? Have you been to
a game? 1. Performance
Picture the game in your head. Have the class stand in a circle. You can hold onto the
How are basketball players like bad angels? Sea poem and assign a phrase or sentence to each
monsters? Sparrow hawks? student, going around the circle. The first student will
be “Fast breaks.” The person to her left will be “Lay
3. Performance ups,” then the next two to the left can be “With
If you listened to Yusef Komunyakaa read the poem, Mercury’s insignia on our sneakers,” and “We
ask the class the following questions. If the teacher outmaneuvered to footwork.” (You can determine the
read the poem, insert your name for Komunyakaa length of their phrases based on what you think they
where appropriate. can handle.)

With what tone does Komunyakaa read the poem? As you assign a phrase or sentence to each student,
Does he make the game sound intense? make him come up with a motion to go with it. Have
How does Komunyakaa arrange the poem on the entire class repeat the phrase with the motion
the page? each time a new one is assigned. Then, with each
What does Komunyakaa do to make the intensity of additional phrase and motion, begin again with the
the words visible on the page? “Lay ups” and, as a class, repeat the phrase and
motion of each student thereafter.
Ask students to memorize one of the other poems
included in this curriculum, paying close attention to By the end of the poem, the entire class should be
tone. Have them perform their poems for one another. able to say the poem together with the motions. If your
class is particularly ambitious, break the circle up and
4. Word Choice try to act out the poem as though it is a basketball
Point out that many of Komunyakaa’s verbs are not game – without losing track of whose line comes next!
words we use in our everyday conversations.
2. Enjambment and Poetic Sentence Structure
How often do you use the word “corkscrew” to After completing this activity, have the students return
describe an action? to their desks and look at the written poem.
What other unusual verbs does Komunyakaa use?
What picture comes to your mind when someone says: Ask if they notice anything about how their individual
phrases are written in the poem.
He pirouetted? They raged?
One of the things they should notice is that a thought
She slammed? He spiked? often begins on one line, breaks off and continues on
another. This is an example of enjambment.
As a poet, Komunyakaa looks for words that best
describe actions, and he can turn nouns into verbs to
achieve that effect.

Dream in Color Middle School 8

Ask the students whether Komunyakaa writes in
complete sentences. Have them give examples.
Explain that in a poem a sentence can be short, long,
or incomplete. The poet bends the rules of grammar to
help the poem capture the feeling he wants to convey.
Komunyakaa’s short sentences help us to sense the
quickness of each motion in the poem. The poet forces
our eyes to follow swiftly down the page, just as the
players move quickly on the court.

Optional Activity

For homework, have students listen to a sportscaster

on the radio or on TV and listen for the kinds of verbs
a sportscaster uses to help the audience see what is
happening.

Write poems using these verbs to describe a game.

Practice playing with line breaks and enjambment to
create a poem that reflects the action of the game.

Dream in Color Middle School 9

More poems about Sports

Harlem Hopscotch Makin’ Jump Shots

One foot down, then hop! It’s hot. He waltzes into the lane
Good things for the ones that’s got. ’cross the free-throw line,
Another jump, now to the left. fakes a drive, pivots,
Everybody for hisself. floats from the asphalt turf
in an arc of black light,
In the air, now both feet down. and sinks two into the chains.
Since you black, don’t stick around.
Food is gone, the rent is due, One on one he fakes
Curse and cry and then jump two. down the main, passes
into the free lane
All the people out of work, and hits the chains.
Hold for three, then twist and jerk.
Cross the line, they count you out. A sniff in the fallen air —
That’s what hopping’s all about. he stuffs it through the chains
riding high:
Both feet flat, the game is done. “traveling” someone calls —
They think I lost. I think I won. and he laughs, stepping
Maya Angelou to a silent beat, gliding
From The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou. Random as he sinks two into the chains.
House, New York. Copyright ©1994 by Maya Angelou. Used by
permission of the author. Michael S. Harper
old tennis player From Images of Kin by Michael S. Harper. University of Illinois
Press. Copyright ©1977 by Michael S. Harper. Used by permission
Refuses of the author.
To refuse the racket, to mutter No to the net.
He leans to life, conspires to give and get
Other serving yet.
Gwendolyn Brooks
From Blacks by Gwendolyn Brooks. Third World Press, Chicago.
Copyright ©1987 by Gwendolyn Brooks. Reprinted by consent of
Brooks Permissions.

Dream in Color Middle School 10

Once the Dream Begins dance. Whoever said men
I wish the bell saved you. hit harder when women
“Float like a butterfly are around, is right.
& sting like a bee.”
Word for word,
Too bad you didn’t we beat the love
learn to disappear out of each other.
before a left jab. Yusef Komunyakaa
From Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems ©2001 by
Yusef Komunyakaa and reprinted by permission of Wesleyan
Fighting your way out of a clench, University Press.
you counter-punched & bicycled
but it was already too late — Zuri at Bat
Dear Danitra,
gray weather had started At the softball game last week,
shoving the sun into a corner. smart-mouth J.T. snickered loud and said,
“He didn’t mess up my face.” “What makes you think a puny girl like you can
help us win?”

But he was an iron hammer “Exactly where you been?” I asked him, stepping in.

against stone, as you When the pitch came, I slammed the ball so far,

bobbed & weaved through hooks. it ripped through the clouds and headed for a star.
I strutted ’round the bases, took my own sweet time.

Now we strain to hear you. My new friend, Nina, laughed and bet J.T.

Once the dream begins he couldn’t hit a ball as far as me.

to erase itself, can the He can’t, and that’s a fact.

Nikki Grimes
First appeared in Danitra Brown Leaves Town, published by
dissolve be stopped? HarperCollins. Copyright ©2002 by Nikki Grimes. Used by
No more card tricks permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

for the TV cameras,

Ali. Please come back to us

sharp-tongued & quick-footed,
spinning out of the blurred

Dream in Color Middle School 11

3. Dreams

Dream Boogie Harlem

Good morning, daddy! What happens to a dream deferred?
Ain’t you heard
The boogie-woogie rumble Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Of a dream deferred?
Or fester like a sore —
Listen closely: And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
You’ll hear their feet
Or crust and sugar over —
Beating out and beating out a — Like a syrupy sweet?
You think Maybe it just sags
It’s a happy beat? like a heavy load.

Listen to it closely: Or does it explode?

Ain’t you heard
something underneath Langston Hughes
From Collected Poems. Copyright ©1994 by The Estate
like a — of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Harold Ober
Associates Incorporated.
What did I say?
Background
Sure,
From the very beginning, African-American poets have
I’m happy!
been creators and critics of social values as they
Take it away! envisioned a world of justice and equality. As they
reflected their values in the context of the American
Hey, pop! Dream, they created a body of poetry that grew out of
Re-bop! their folk roots. Langston Hughes’ “Dream Boogie” shows
the importance of music, improvisation, and inventive
Mop!
style. With it he creates a poem which is inspired by
boogie-woogie rhythms that accompanied the popular
Y-e-a-h! dance crazes of the period. The music encouraged
African-Americans to dance and dream of brighter days
Langston Hughes
even when their realities were the blues.
From Collected Poems. Copyright ©1994 by The Estate
of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Harold Ober
Associates Incorporated
Dream in Color Middle School 12
Discussion Questions Explain to the students that “Harlem” is an important
poem in African-American poetry, not only because of
1. Introduce Langston Hughes to the class using the its excellence as a poem, but because many poets and
information provided in the biography section. writers have made allusions to the poem in other
works. For example, Lorraine Hansberry titled the
Give the students Langston Hughes’ “Harlem” to read famous play A Raisin in the Sun from the third line of
for homework the night before the class discussion. the poem.
Have them answer the following questions for
homework: 2. Rhythm
In class, distribute copies of “Dream Boogie” to the
1. What dream do you think Langston Hughes is class. Ask them to read it silently.
referring to in his poem?
2. What does it mean to defer something? Divide the class in half, and ask one-half to read the
3. What do you think Langston Hughes is talking about non-italics aloud and the other to read the italics
when he refers to a “dream deferred”? aloud. If the class naturally falls into the boogie
4. Hughes uses very descriptive language to ask rhythm, call that to their attention and continue with
questions about what might happen to a dream the following discussion. If the class does not read in
deferred. First is an example of Hughes’ boogie rhythm, explain that you are going to suggest a
language. Underneath, tell what you think he different rhythm. Read the poem aloud with the
is saying: syncopated “boogie” rhythm.

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Ask the class to read aloud in halves again, and
__________________________________ continue the discussion below:

Or crust and sugar over — Like a syrupy What is rhythm? If you are asked to “dance to the
sweet? rhythm” or if someone says “I have rhythm,” what does
__________________________________ this mean?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Rhythm can be quite complex, but basically it is the
__________________________________ repetition of a beat or sound in a predictable pattern.
An example of rhythm that many students will
Or does it explode? recognize comes from jump rope rhymes, such as:
__________________________________
Cinderella, dressed in yella,
In the next class period, spend 10 or 15 minutes Went upstairs to kiss a fella,
talking about “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. Ask the Made a mistake, kissed a snake,
students: How many doctors will it take?

What kinds of things does Hughes suggest might

happen to a dream that is deferred?
What is the theme of the poem?

Dream in Color Middle School 13

 What kind of rhythm does “Dream Boogie” have? Is it words to a musical style gives poetry an accessibility
a heavy rhythm? Is it a snappy rhythm? Does the title that words alone may not have.
of the poem give you any clue as to the type of
rhythm? The answer, of course, is “boogie woogie.” If a listener were to hear Hughes or a jazz band read
“Dream Boogie,” do you think they would remember
3. Riffing the words?
Explain that musicians use a technique called “riffing”
when they take part of a song and bring it into another Activities
song. (Riffing entered the musical lexicon in the 1920s
as jazz musicians improvised and brought musical 1. Rhythm and Scat
elements from existing songs into their compositions Read “Dream Boogie” or “Boogie 1 a.m.” aloud. Ask
and improvisations. The jazz great Charlie Parker, for the students to put the poems face down on their
example, used some of the chord progressions in his desks; then ask them to recite either one of the poems
music that George Gershwin had composed a half in their entirety – probably no one can. Ask them if
generation earlier.) In music, riffing can also be a they can scat the musical rhythm of the poem using
melodic phrase that you hear repeatedly in a song – non-words, such as follows for “Dream Boogie:”
often passed from one soloist to the next. If you have Be bop a re bop
any aspiring jazz musicians in your class, they might
(Good morning, daddy!)
be able to provide some examples of riffing in music
they have played. Rappers are famous for riffing on the Bop a dop
work of previous artists when they take a phrase of (Ain’t you heard)
music or a lyric from an older piece and use that as
a boogie woogie doo wop
the background for a new theme. Ask the class if they
can think of examples. (The boogie-woogie rumble)

If students are not comfortable with using nonsense

Look carefully at “Harlem” and “Dream Boogie.”
or scat words, ask them to hum (not as effective for
boogie) or to use “da dunk.” (The point is that the
Ask the students:
words to the poem may not stay completely with
the reader, but the musical element makes the
Can you tell where “Dream Boogie” riffs on “Harlem”?
poem memorable.)
Does “Dream Boogie” sound more hopeful than
“Harlem”? Why or why not?
The poem riffs on the question “What happens to a
dream deferred?” Hughes takes the phrase “dream
deferred” and moves it from a serious poem into an
upbeat, jazzy poem. It is catchy, like a song.

Why do you think Hughes chose to write “Dream

Boogie” in a musical context?

The boogie-woogie style was pervasive in the 1920s

and well recognized in popular culture. Connecting
Dream in Color Middle School 14
2. Rap Optional Activity
Borrow any books of Langston Hughes’ poetry that
are available in your school’s library. We recommend Alternately, you could provide the students with one
Montage of a Dream Deferred or Selected Poems of stanza from “Motto” and ask them to write a rap that
Langston Hughes. You’ll find a gold mine of musical uses this stanza as the refrain.
poems in these books.

Hand out copies of “Easy Boogie” (page 17). Talk about Motto
the elements in the rap that come from both poems, I play it cool
and how Litwin fits them together in one musical And dig all jive.
piece. Flip through the Hughes books that you have
on hand. Which other poems could fit into the rap? That’s the reason
I stay alive.
Have your students choose a poem from this
curriculum and create a riff collage – a rap made up
My motto,
of pieces of poems by Langston Hughes.
As I live and learn,
is:
Dig And Be Dug
In Return.
Langston Hughes
From Collected Poems. Copyright ©1994 by The Estate
of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Harold Ober
Associates Incorporated.

Dream in Color Middle School 15

More poems about Dreams So will my page be colored that I write?
Being me, it will not be white.

Theme for English B But it will be

a part of you, instructor.
The instructor said,
You are white —
yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
Go home and write
That’s American.
a page tonight.
Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me.
And let that page come out of you —
Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
Then, it will be true.
But we are, that’s true!
As I learn from you,
I wonder if it’s that simple?
I guess you learn from me—
I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.
although you’re older — and white —
I went to school there, then Durham, then here
and somewhat more free.
to this college on the hill above Harlem.
I am the only colored student in my class.
This is my page for English B.
The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem,
through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas, Langston Hughes
From Collected Poems. Copyright ©1994 by The Estate
Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y, of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Harold Ober
the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator Associates Incorporated.

up to my room, sit down, and write this page:

It’s not easy to know what is true for you or me

at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I’m what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:
hear you, hear me — we two — you, me, talk on this page.
(I hear New York, too.) Me — who?
Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records — Bessie, bop, or Bach.
I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like
the same things other folks like who are other races.

Dream in Color Middle School 16

Boogie: 1 a.m. I, Too
Good evening, daddy! I, too, sing America.
I know you’ve heard
The boogie-woogie rumble I am the darker brother.
Of a dream deferred They send me to eat in the kitchen
Trilling the treble When company comes,
And twining the bass But I laugh,
Into midnight ruffles And eat well,
Of cat-gut lace. And grow strong.
Langston Hughes
From Collected Poems. Copyright ©1994 by The Estate Tomorrow,
of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Harold Ober
Associates Incorporated. I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Easy Boogie
Say to me,
Down in the bass
“Eat in the kitchen,”
That steady beat
Then.
Walking walking walking
Like marching feet.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
Down in the bass
And be ashamed —
That easy roll,
Rolling like I like it
I, too, am America.
In my soul.
Langston Hughes
From Collected Poems. Copyright ©1994 by The Estate
Riffs, smears, breaks. of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Harold Ober
Associates Incorporated.

Hey, Lawdy, Mama!

Do you hear what I said?
Easy like I rock it
In my bed!
Langston Hughes
From Collected Poems. Copyright ©1994 by The Estate
of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Harold Ober
Associates Incorporated.
Dream in Color Middle School 17
listen children
listen children
keep this in the place
you have for keeping
always
keep it all ways

we have never hated black

listen
we have been ashamed
hopeless tired mad
but always
all ways
we loved us

we have always loved each other

children all ways

pass it on
Lucille Clifton
From Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980 by Lucille
Clifton. BOA Editions, Ltd. Copyright © 1987 by Lucille Clifton.
Used by permission of the author.

Dream in Color Middle School 18