Harlem Hopscotch Poetry Project

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Harlem Hopscotch Poetry Project

• Elizabeth
• Katie
• Bell B

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Maya Angelou

• Born April 4, 1928
• She is a poet, historian, author, actress,
  playwright, civil-rights activist, producer, and
  director
• Received numerous honorary degrees
• Became leader of the Southern Christian
  Leadership Conference
• Published ten best selling books and won a
  Pulitzer Prize

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Harlem Hopscotch

• One foot down, then hop! Its hot.
• Good things for the ones thats got.
• Another jump, now to the left.
• Everybody for hisself.
• In the air, now both feet down.
• Since you black, dont stick around.
• Food is gone, the rent is due,
• Curse and cry and then jump two.
• All the people out of work,
• Hold for three, then twist and jerk.
• Cross the line, they count you out.
• Thats what hoppings all about.
• Both feet flat, the game is done.
• They think I lost. I think I won.

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Poem Summary

• The hopscotch game can be seen as a metaphor
  for a poor African-American childs life.
• Harlem is a famous poor black community in New
  York.
• Everyone in Harlem lives in poverty and are
  taught certain aspects of life.
• They might not have won the game of life but are
  content with their status and how their life
  played out.

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()Theme()

• Harlem Hopscotch teaches us that poverty is
  inequitable but if we make the best of it, we can
  win the game of life.

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!Imagery!

• The hopping and jumping
• Food is gone
• Rent is due
• Out of work

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Symbolism

• The whole poem symbolizes the game of life and
  what people go through to win
• Twist and jerk
• Everybody for hisself.

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?Figures of Speech?

• The poem is an extended metaphor that is being
  compared to life

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Sound Patterns

• Every two lines rhyme (aa, bb, cc)
• Alliteration
• Assonance

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? Structure?

• Three stanzas with a rhyming couplet at the end
• Every line has 7 syllables except for two, which
  have 8

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?Cultural Context ?

• Since this poem takes place in Harlem and is
  addressed to a young African-American, then it is
  written differently. The speaker talks slang
  and gives examples of obstacles that many people
  in Harlem have to face day to day.

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GCriticismsG

• Like us, Carol Weubauer saw this poem as an
  illusion to the game of life, and what people
  must go through to win or be successful.

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!Historical Context!

• Angelou lived in Africa for a few years and got a
  first hand perspective on poverty.
• She moved back to New York and discovered what
  life was like for the kids of Harlem.
• Both the things she saw in Harlem and the things
  she witnessed in Africa are closely linked to the
  life of a child in poverty.

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Personal Response

• Children that live in poverty help us to realize
  that we have an easier life than many others. We
  have the opportunity to receive an education,
  have three meals a day and have a roof over our
  heads.
• The poem helped us to catch a glimpse of the
  daily life of a child in poverty and show us that
  they live in constant worry of what will happen
  tomorrow.

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Works Cited

• Photo of Maya Angelou. http//www.mayaangelou.c
  om. Feb. 16,2004.
• Weubauer, Carol. Essay on Harlem Hopscotch.
  Poetry for Students. Eds. Marie Napierkowski and
  Mary Ruby. Vol. 2. Detriot Gale, 1998.
  100-101.
• Harlem Hopscotch. Poetry for Students. Eds.
  Marie Napierkowski and Mary Ruby. Vol. 2.
  Detroit Gale, 1998. 92-96.