Titles: Miss Cynthie by Rudolph Fisher; Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston; High Yaller by Rudolph Fisher
Age level: High School juniors
Recommended by: Allyson Wacksman, Campbell County High School, Kentucky

Summary: This is a short story about a grandmother who goes to Harlem to visit her grandson, whom she thinks has become a doctor or an undertaker. She learns, at the end of the story, that he is a dancer/actor on Broadway. Both Miss Cynthie and Dave, her grandson, are forced to confront their prejudices about religion and expectations. Ultimately, they find acceptance for one another.

Teaching suggestions: I have them do a journal entry describing their grandparent(s) and then they share what they have written. We usually read the story aloud together as well, and then upon completion, we compare and contrast the character of Miss Cynthie to their own grandparents. We discuss the visual imagery of Harlem within the story, how the conflict is resolved, and whether that type of conflict still exists today in families.

Summary: Another short story--this one is about a woman, Delia, in an abusive relationship with Sykes. After much mental abuse (and the underlying threat of physical abuse), Sykes decides to try to finish her off for good by bringing a poisonous snake into the house. But Delia turns the tables and Sykes ends up dying. It is very cathartic! The story is written in a southern, African American dialect--it is a little difficult, but a worthwhile study.

Teaching suggestions: I remind my students that we have already tackled a character speaking in a southern, African American dialect in Huck Finn. We usually read the story aloud together, as it is easier for them to understand if they can hear the words, and they become frustrated trying to read it silently. We then discuss conflict, ways the author uses internal and external characterization and theme.

Summary: This short story deals with a very common issue for African Americans during the time of the Harlem Renaissance--passing. Evelyn Brown is a very light-skinned woman who has trouble finding a social group. When her mother, who is her only living relative, dies, she has to decide whether or not to pass for white. This story provides a nice introduction to a conflict that most of my students had never heard of before.

Teaching suggestions: I give them some background information about what skin color/tone meant in African American communities in the 1920s and then I ask them what prejudices they perceive based on skin color today. (We are in a relatively rural, almost entirely white community.) I introduce the concept of "passing," since none of them know what it is, and then we read the story together. As we read, we compare and contrast Evelyn with Mamie Johnson, and work through Evelyn's internal and external conflicts. We discuss the end of the story, where Evelyn decides to pass, despite her feelings for Jay, and then I ask them to reflect on what they would have done in the same situation. Finally, we talk about how race relations have or have not changed since the Harlem Renaissance, based on their knowledge of the characters in the literature, the information from Nexus, and the little tidbits that I throw in.

Teaching suggestions: Along with these stories, I cover some poetry by Langston Hughes and Claude McKay. We discuss the idea of "double-consciousness." I also get into some blues with them--I bring in recordings and we listen to them for structure and content. We read the article in Nexus about Aaron Douglas, one of the artists of the day, and then, as a culminating project, each student writes his or her own blues song and illustrates it in the style of Aaron Douglas.