Language Arts 9 assignment
Due Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Mrs. Marston

Choose one. Writing assignments must be handwritten and may be illustrated.
Poems by Langston Hughes:
Mother to Son I,Too, Sing America
Short Story - “Everything That Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O'Connor
Art - Romare Bearden; Jacob Lawrence; Jonathan Green

H - 1. WRITE: Art evokes stories and ideas to write about. We have experienced various prints of paintings by African American artists Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Jonathan Green and others. Choose one, list all the nouns, concrete and abstract, you see in and beyond the painting.
Then write a poem, paragraph or essay about the African American experience inspired by this painting.

2. WRITE: It is the South in 1958, after Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat in a segregated bus. You are a white middle-aged widow, not used to integration. You get on a bus with your liberal minded son. Describe 2 characters with whom you interact, at least 3 actions you take or witness, and a description of the setting. Include a theme. Describe what you are thinking and feeling.

H - 3. WRITE: In “Everything That Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O'Connor there are two pairs of mothers and sons. In Mother to Son by Langston Hughes there is another pair.
Compare and contrast these three pairs, In what ways are they alike? In what ways are they different? In what ways do the actions and personalities of the mothers affect the sons? In what ways do the actions and personalities of the sons affect the mothers?

4. WRITE: For each of the following metaphors, write about what or who it describes in “Everything That Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O'Connor: (Include its significance to the understanding of the story.)
waiting like Saint Sebastian for the arrows to begin piercing him
looked like a cushion with the stuffing out
The sky was a dying violet
wearing it like a banner of her imaginary dignity
they were thick as fleas
sitting like a mummy
rumbling like a volcano about to become active

4. WRITE: Langston Hughes wrote his poem, I,Too, Sing America after several personal experiences he had while traveling. Describe those experiences and write what you think he is trying to say in his poem. Include a map of his travels.

Writing tips:
Make the paragraph the unit of composition Use the active voice.
Put the statements in positive form. Use definite, specific, concrete language.
Omit needless words. Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
Express coordinate ideas in similar form. Keep related words together.
In summaries, keep to one tense. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.