Select one Topic and Submit a 1-2 page paper on one of the following topics:

1) Locate Baraka reading his poetry on youtube.com. Write about his performance and the tone of the poems. Relate this to the current socio-political climate of the United States. Include answers to these questions in your paper: Has Baraka’s tone changed since his earlier writings (in the textbook)? Discuss the consideration to remove him from the poet laureate position.  Is this a form of censorship?  

2) Read and explicate Baraka’s 2001 poem “Somebody Blew Up America” available at http://www.amiribaraka.com/blew.html

3) Compare and contrast the King reading with the Malcolm X reading.

4) Read the excerpt from the Autobiography of Malcolm X. Write an interpretation of the text. You may also find the YouTube clips of the movie interesting and helpful.

5) Read Giovanni poems. Discuss her tone and its relationship to the political and cultural climate of the United States at the time of publication.