Words in Context: Writers' Work and Worlds- African American Voices

8thL24

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Vocabulary Lesson 24

Words in Context: Writers' Work and Worlds- African American Voices

Works by African Americans are important in the United States literary tradition. Since Africans first arrived in the United States, they have contributed fold tales and poetry to the oral tradition. Early written African American literature includes the poems of Phyllis Wheatley (1753-1784) and the prose of Prince Hall (1748-1807) and Gustavas Vasas (1745-1797).

Read the ten vocabulary words below and decipher each word's definition based on its context within the sentences below.

1)Acclaim- One group of authors who have received acclaim are the writers of the Harlem Renaissance. These writers, based in the Harlem area of New York City in the 1920s, have been praised for their talent and vision.

2)Affected- The work of African writers was strongly affected by their desire to meet the needs of their community. This desire resulted n works that celebrated African American culture.

3)Affirmation- Writings that define and support a culture give affirmation, or confirmation, of that culture.

4)Circumscribe- African American writers did not think that the literary standards and traditions of the white community should circumscribe what they wrote. They found such standards too limiting.

5)Clamber- Writers of the Harlem Renaissance knew that African American writers before them clambered over many obstacles in their uphill struggle to find publishers for their works.

6)Incalculable- The influence that writers of the Harlem Renaissance had on later African American writers is incalculable. We cannot measure it, but we can see it in the works of contemporary writers such as Alice Walker (b. 1941), Toni Morrison (b. 1931), and Earnest J. Gaines (b. 1933).

7)Influential- Nineteenth- century African American writers had been influential, deeply affecting the writers of the Harlem Renaissance, but the Harlem group felt that they had to reject some of the ideas that earlier African American writers held.

8)Perennial- Writers of the Harlem Renaissance have enjoyed enduring popularity. Some, such as poet Langston Hughes (1902-1967), have been perennial favorites with many different groups of readers.

9)Priority- When teaching the literature of the Harlem Renaissance, instructors sometimes give the highest priority to the study of the poetry, but fiction and drama were important, too.

10)Prominence- Although some of the distinguished writers of the period were forgotten for a few years, many of them again have places of prominence in literature.

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Vocabulary Lesson 24

Scan the definitions in Column A. Then, think about how the boldface words are used in the sentences in Column B. To complete the exercise, match each definition in Column A with the correct Vocabulary Word from Column B. Write the letter of your choice on the line provided. Finally, write the Vocabulary Word on the line before the definition.

COLUMN A

_____ 01. word:

v.to scramble; to climb with difficulty using hands and feet

_____ 02. word:

adj. not able to be reckoned beforehand; uncertain; too great a number to be counted

_____ 03. word:

n. loud applause; praise; v. to applaud; to approve strongly

_____ 04. word:

adj. having or exerting influence; powerful; having effect

_____ 05. word:

adj.perpetual; enduring; n. a plant that pasts through all seasons for many years

_____ 06. word:

n.something asserted as true; legally, testimony by one who cannot conscientiously swear an oath

_____ 07. word:

adj. influenced; stirred emotionally; speaking or behaving in a false way to make an impression

_____ 08. word:

n. precedence; something that is first in time, order, or importance

_____ 09. word:

n.the state or quality of being prominent or standing out; state of being famous or distinguished; distinction

_____ 10. word:

v. to restrict; to limit; to encircle; to draw a circle around

COLUMN B

(A) A new generation of readers has discovered the writing of Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), and she finally has begun to receive the acclaim that she deserved.

(B) Although she was an influential writer who served as a role model for other African American women, Zora Neale Hurston died in poverty.

(D) Although Hurston grew up in a world that attempted to circumscribe the lives of women, and African American women in particular, she was determined to escape the boundaries that society had placed around her.

(E) Hurston always made the African American community her first priority. She spent much of her life collecting and publishing its folklore and tales.

(F) Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God was an affirmation of the use of black folk forms rather than traditional Western texts. It is generally considered the first novel to use this more realistic writing technique and has strongly influenced later writers.

(G) Even though she earned a place of prominence in the literature of the nation, no headstone marked her grave until years later, when Alice Walker furnished a memorial to her.

(H) Hurston’s autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, tells the story of a woman who often had to struggle mightily to clamber over life’s obstacles.

(I) Although serious difficulties played a perennial role in her life, Hurston continued to follow her mother’s advice to “jump at the sun.”

(J) The worth of Hurston’s mother’s advice is incalculable. This immeasurably valuable advice helped shape a woman who was to be an influence on many other lives.

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Vocabulary Lesson 24Sentence Completion

Directions. For each of the following items, circle the letter of the choice that best completes the meaning of the sentence or sentences.

11) Following the Harlem Renaissance, many African American writers have received much and risen to places of in the country’s literature.

(A) acclaim… prominence

(B) priority… prominence

(D) prominence… influence

(E) acclaim… priority

12) These writers have been by the writers of the Harlem Renaissance and in turn have become themselves.

(A) influential… circumscribed

(B) affected… influential

(D) perennial… incalculable

(E) acclaimed… circumscribed

13) Writing with the traditions of the African American community in mind is still for writers who value that heritage.

(A) a priority

(B) perennial

(D) an acclaim

(E) an affectation

14) Many African American writers have extremely loyal followings. One young woman says that she would over frozen mountain peaks and swim an ocean just to get her own autographed copy of a Toni Morrison novel.

(A) acclaim

(B) affirmation

(D) clamber

(E) affect

15) A Raisin in the Sun, a drama by Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965), tells how a family’s dreams are by a society that , or limits, their lives.

(A) influenced… clambers

(B) affected… acclaims

(D) acclaimed… clambers

(E) affected… circumscribes

16) The flowers in Alice Walker’s poem “Revolutionary Petunias” may not be but her work blooms year after year.

(A) a priority

(B) circumscribed

(D) incalculable

(E) affected

17) Another poet of is Gwendolyn Brooks (b. 1917), who received national when she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1950.

(A) prominence… priority

(B) priority… perennial

(D) prominence… acclaim

(E) influence… affectation

18) One of the most writers of the 20th century was James Baldwin (1924-1987). He serves as a model to many young African American writers today and as an , or verification, of their pursuits as writers.

(A) incalculable… acclaim

(B) perennial… affectation

(D) influential… affirmation

(E) priority… clamber

19) In the past, come critics wanted to the study of literature by restricting it to writers found in traditional anthologies. They refused to newer voices.

(A) acclaim… affirmation

(B) circumscribe… priority

(D) affect… affirmation

(E) acclaim… priority

20) The inclusion of newer writers has helped to produce an American literature of worth.

(A) prior

(B) influential

(D) affected

(E) perennial