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Study Guide for "Cora Unashamed"
A Provocative Story by Langston Hughes ExxonMobil MASTERPIECE THEATRE, television's most distinguished and long-running dramatic series, will offer occasional adaptations of American literary works under the title of the
AMERICAN COLLECTION. Langston Hughes' Cora Unashamed inaugurates the nine-film series, dedicated to the works of American writers. Cora Unashamed
aired on October 25, 2000 on PBS, starring Regina Taylor as Cora, and Cherry Jones as Mrs. Studevant. Emmy award winning screenwriter Anne Peacock transformed Hughes' story of unconditional love for the screen. Deborah Pratt directed this ALT Films production, which was executive-produced by Marian Rees, Anne Hopkins, and Stephen Kulczycki. Please check your local listings for the exact day and time in your area.
The ncteamericancollection.org Web site, generously funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, contains a broad selection of teacher-developed resources about Hughes and Cora Unashamed
, as well as lesson plans that link the story to the film and to works that you may already be teaching. This teacher's guide provides suggestions to help you incorporate several of the best of our
resources into for a comprehensive unit. Please know that what we've compiled here represents only a sampling of the wealth of materials offered on the site -- and we invite you to browse the site and develop your
own approach if none of ours suits your needs. Synopsis
In this short, but powerful story, author Langston Hughes, the poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance, expands on themes of racism and transcendence
that permeate his poetry. Set in Melton, Iowa, in 1921, the story centers on Cora Jenkins, a member of the only black family in this mid-western town. Her "natural" place in this community is that of maid to the
Studevant family, one of the more prominent families in Melton. While the tale focuses on Cora's current involvement with this family and their treatment of their daughter Jessie, Cora's past personal tragedies
and her love for Jessie give her the strength to stand tall, find her own voice, and transcend the confines of her situation. The e-text of Cora Unashamed is available for free download on the site and provides a good
starting point for students. Coupling the story with the Study Questions will prime students for good class discussion on the plot.Pre-set or Introduction
If you like to begin with a look at
the author's life and works, this site has excellent sources available for you. The first is an
Introductory Essay on Hughes' life and works, including Cora Unashamed.
The second resource area dealing with Hughes can be found through the Hughes Author Links on the
American Writing Gateway, a portal for external web sites on authors that
have been evaluated by teachers across the country for teacher resource value.A lesson on
Examining Language in Cora Unashamed
is a great "Into" lesson that talks about denotation and connotation. This lesson addresses the need for close text reading in finding the meaning behind the words.Lesson Suggestions
Production Information
There are many ways to approach the story and the movie, and just a few of those resources available on the site are listed here. But whatever you decide to do, please take advantage of our
very unique interviews with the creative artists behind the film. Teachers were given the opportunity to come up with the questions about the movie process and this work in particular that would have the most
value to their teaching, and submit them to ask the producers, director, screenwriter, and stars. Some students also submitted questions after having read the story and watched an advance copy of the video.
Representative student response can be found in Breaking Free, the October issue of the student online magazine Between the Lines. The theme and many of the selections for the issue deal directly or indirectly
with Cora Unashamed. Following the airing of the show, any students who would like to submit a review of the film are welcome to do so. Just submit the "join us" form on the student magazine.
For some beautiful stills from the movie, please visit our extended Image Gallery for Cora Unashamed.Full Unit of Study
For a cohesive unit, Into, Through and Beyond "Cora Unashamed"
is a step-by-step guide that takes you into, through the work and beyond it, culminating in a comparative analysis with Hughes' poem, "I,
too." Other suggestions for writing are also offered.Links to Core Literature
Teachers have compared the characters, themes within Cora Unashamed to works that are already heavily taught in
schools. For example, in Celebrating the Strong Woman Character, Cora is compared to the mother in Alice Walker's heavily anthologized short story, "Everyday
Use." In the lesson called Author's Purpose and Tone Of Voice, excerpts from both Cora Unashamed
and Eudora Welty's "The Ponder Heart" are used to distinguish different tones in writing. In the Point of View
lesson, the teacher gives several suggestions for links to other commonly taught works that would be good for studying point of view such as "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner.Theme Related Lessons
Topics such as racism and teen pregnancy are found in Cora Unashamed.
Teachers have offered several ways to broach these sensitive topics in the class. There are several essays, writing prompts and class discussion topics offered on the Teacher's Resources page for Cora Unashamed.Debate
Debating Cora Unashamed
not only gives suggested topics specifically designed for Cora, but also gives guidelines for the format and execution of the debate process.Writing Workshop
This is an excellent workshop
for the serious student of literature and writing who would enjoying sharing and listening to critiques of his personal writings.Extension Activities and Resources
Strong characters who speak out the truth
serve as role models for us all. Comparing Cora's funeral speech to the speeches of other passionate advocates such as Malcolm X, Mario Savio, and Sojourner Truth allows students the opportunity to experience and
analyze great motivational speeches and to speak out on issues of concern to them. See both the essay,
Uninvited Speakers
, and the accompanying lesson that deals specifically with the speech of Sojourner Truth.Across the Curriculum
A discussion of Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance would be lacking if the subject of music were not addressed. Bessie Smith: A Spark for Langston Hughes, a Heroine for Cora
is an insightful essay about one of the foremost ladies of the blues, and comes with activity and lesson suggestions at the end.This guide was created by Ann Gann and Kathy Honda Stein, English teachers
in Tennessee and California, respectively. |
