"To Usward"

On March 21, 1924, a group of African-American writers gathered to share their work, starting what is now known as the Harlem Renaissance. The title of the poem read by Gwendolyn B. Bennett celebrates the participants and their forward movement.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 11 Unit 5's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: The Harlem Renaissance, The New Negro, To Usward, Lift Every Voice and Sing, On 'From the Dark Tower' , How It Feels to Be Colored Me, Sweat, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Mother to Son, critical reviews
10 words 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lethargy
    inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy
    Not still with lethargy and sloth,
    But quiet with the pushing of our growth
  2. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Not self-contained with smug identity
  3. entity
    that which is perceived to have its own distinct existence
    But conscious of the strength in entity
  4. behest
    an authoritative command or request
    Oh let them sing
    Before the urgency of Youth's behest!
  5. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    And some of us are solemn grown
    With pitiful desires
  6. dearth
    an insufficient quantity or number
    We claim no part with racial dearth
  7. bound
    secured with a cover or binding
    Like ginger jars bound round
    With dust and age
  8. heritage
    an attribute that is inherited from ancestors
    Like jars of ginger we are sealed
    By nature's heritage
  9. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    But let us break the seal of years
    With pungent thrusts of song
  10. throng
    a large gathering of people
    For there is joy in long-dried tears
    For whetted passions of a throng
Created on Mon Nov 17 05:43:45 EST 2014 (updated Mon Nov 17 09:21:01 EST 2014)

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