Puerto Rican Writers & Migration

Play Ossie Davis reading of Jesus Colón’s sketch, “Easy Job, Low Wages” from El Centro’s CD-Rom on100 years of Puerto Rican History, Vol. 1.

Listening Comprehension

What new insights do you acquire about the historical context in which Jesus Colón lived from this selection?

How does the author choose to bring this context to life?

In what ways does this selection support or refute the statement:

“Writers help us to understand the world and to change the world?”

Timeline
We know that Langston Hughes was a contemporary of Jesus Colón. Present timelines on the Progressive Era/Langston Hughes from the American Writer’s website.

Prepare a timeline to demonstrate parallels between Jesus Colón and Langston Hughes’ life. Incorporate other writers who used the power of the written word to focus attention on injustices, e.g., Walt Whitman, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Web-Based Assignment
Review one of these 3 websites to learn more about the writer as social critic. Jot down 3 BIG IDEAS that you learned about Jesus Colón, Langston Hughes, and Walt Whitman as social critics and historians of New York City.

What do we learn about how Jesus Colón used writing to change the world?
How do these websites also model effective use of multimedia technologies?