Lewis+Alexander+5th

NOTE: This page was originally posted on Carla Swensen's 4rth period page, so it was moved to 5th period page.

Lewis Alexander By: Adam KingPeriod 5

= __Biography__ = Lewis Alexander was an active poet, actor, director of plays, and constume designer during the Harlem Renaissance. He was born July 4, 1900 in Washington D.C. He got most of his education from public schools in Washington D.C. and later at Howard University. Lewis took up poetry at the age of 17, and mainly specialized in Japanese forms such as the hokku and tanka forms. When he wasn't writing poetry, he also did a lot of acting. Alexander was a member of the Ethiopian Art Theatre in Washington and he acted in plays such as Salome and The Comedy of Errors on Broadway (The Black Renaissance in Washington, Lewis Alexander homepage). Along with being a talented poet and actor, Lewis Alexander was very important in the Harleim Renaissance. His poetry had meanings behind each poem. He felt very strongly about how the Africans Americans were treated and how they had to live in discrimination and showed it through his poetry. Much of his work was published in magazines such as the //Messenger,// //Opportunity,// and the //Black Opals// literary magazine. Some of Alexander's poems were also featured in //Fire!!,// a magazine devoted the black artists of the time (The Black Renaissance in Washington, Lewis Alexander homepage). Lewis Alexander was very influential in the Harlem Renaissance movement. He fought for what he believed in with his poetry, and influenced many individuals to stand up for themselves and others. = __Poem Analysis__ =

=**__NEGRO WOMAN__**= The sky hangs heavy tonight

Like the hair of a Negro woman. The scars of the moon are curved Like the wrinkles on the brow of A Negro woman. The stars twinkle tonight Like the glaze in a Negro woman’s eyes, Drinking the tears set flowing by an aging hurt Gnawing at her heart. The earth trembles tonight Like the quiver of a Negro woman’s eye-lids cupping tears.

Initial Response:
My first thoughts on this poem is that it is sad. The Negro women is crying and it seems like she has a really hard life. It seems to me like the author of the poem has a lot of respect for this women.

Biography:
Lewis Alexander was a very influential African American poet during the Harleim Renaissance. He was born in 1900 in Washington D.C. and a lot of his works were published in magazines such as //Fire!!.//

Structure:
Free verse. Non-rhyming.

Speaker:
The speaker is someone with respect and love for this Negro woman.

Tone:
The tone is sad and serious.

Theme/Meaning:
I think the author is trying to symbolize how hard the life of a typical Negro woman was during that time period. It was written during the Harleim Renaissance when it was very common for African Americans to try and say what people had been afraid to say in the past. He is showing how even though her life is hard and she's got wrinkles to prove it, that she keeps pushing on and holds back the tears. The stars twinkling could be like a sign of hope. Hope for the future that some day things will be different and African Americans will be able to voice their own opinions. It says that she is drinking her tears flowing by an aging hurt that is gnawing at her heart. I think this means that she is going through so much pain that it gnaws at her heart and she wants to cry and tell the world how she feels but she can't. So instead she just drinks her own tears and goes on with life. This is very symbolic to the time period because a lot of African Americans had to just go with the flow and do what the white man told them to say. They never really got to say how they felt and do what they wanted to do. The Harleim Renaissance was a very important time period when people tried to change this. They wanted to give the future generations the chance that they never had, but wanted so bad.

__Works Cited__
Martin, George-Mckinley. "Lewis Grandison Alexander - The Black Renaissance in Washington, DC." //DC Library Labs |//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. <[]

Lewis Alexander- Harlem Renaissance Poet