"Tableau" First Read and Skills Lesson

​Background: The Great Migration

• From 1910–1940, many African American families moved from the South to the North.

• New jobs and more affordable housing encouraged the move.

• Many families settled in Harlem, New York City.

• As more people arrived, Harlem became a center of Black art, music, and writing.

• This period of creativity, known as the Harlem Renaissance, helped inspire the Civil Rights Movement.

​Background: The Harlem Renaissance

• The Harlem Renaissance took place in the 1920s–1930s in Harlem, NYC.

• Black writers, artists, and musicians produced new and influential work.

• Poet Countee Cullen wrote about identity and culture.

• Musician Louis Armstrong transformed jazz.

• The movement was important because it showed the creativity and talent of African Americans and challenged unfair beliefs.

• It still inspires artists today.

​Introduction to “Tableau”

• “Tableau” was published in 1925 during the Harlem Renaissance.

• Written by Countee Cullen, a major poet of the movement.

• Cullen explored themes of identity, racism, and relationships.

• The poem shows two boys—one Black, one white—walking together.

• It highlights courage and friendship across racial lines.

• Cullen uses imagery and symbolism to show their impact.

​Read: “Tableau”

​1 Locked arm in arm they cross the way
2 The black boy and the white,
3 The golden splendor of the day
4 The sable pride of night.

5 From lowered blinds the dark folk stare
6 And here the fair folk talk,
7 Indignant that these two should dare
8 In unison to walk.

9 Oblivious to look and word
10 They pass, and see no wonder
11 That lightning brilliant as a sword
12 Should blaze the path of thunder.

1 Locked arm in arm they cross the way
2 The black boy and the white,
3 The golden splendor of the day
4 The sable pride of night.

​​Stanza 1

​5 From lowered blinds the dark folk stare
6 And here the fair folk talk,
7 Indignant that these two should dare
8 In unison to walk.

​​Stanza 2

​9 Oblivious to look and word
10 They pass, and see no wonder
11 That lightning brilliant as a sword
12 Should blaze the path of thunder.

​​Stanza 3

​​Stanza 1 —Lines 1–4

​Things to Notice:
Who is walking together?

Things to Notice:

• Who is watching?

• How do they react?

​​Stanza 2 —Lines 5-8

​​Stanza 3—Lines 9-12

Things to Notice:

• Figurative Language + Possible Theme

​What Is an Inference?

A smart guess using text clues + what you know.

Text Clue (Stanza 2):

5 From lowered blinds the dark folk stare
6 And here the fair folk talk,

Oblivious (unaware) → people are watching and responding to the boys.

Inference We Can Make:

People are paying close attention to the boys’ walk and feel strongly about it.

​Skill: Making Inferences

Quick Reminder:

A simile compares two things using like or as.

Text (Stanza 3):

11 That lightning brilliant as a sword
12 Should blaze the path of thunder.

What Is Being Compared?

• Lightning and a sword

What Do These Words Suggest?

• Lightning → bright, powerful, sudden

• Sword → sharp, strong, cutting through resistance

• Blaze + thunder → energy, boldness, impact

What Might the Simile Mean?

The boys’ walk is bold, powerful, and impossible to ignore, symbolizing courage and unity despite judgment.

​

​Understanding the Simile in Stanza 3

Today’s Focus:

We will look closely at how a poem is built and how its structure helps show the theme (message).

Learning Target:

I can analyze how a stanza fits into the poem’s structure and helps build the theme.

Why This Matters:

Poets make intentional choices about lines, stanzas, and rhyme.
Understanding these choices helps reveal the poem’s deeper meaning.

Key Terms:

• 📏 Line — one row of words in a poem

• 🟦 Stanza — a group of lines, like a paragraph

• 🎵 Rhyme Scheme — pattern of rhyming words (ex: ABAB)

• 🏗️ Poetic Structure — how the poem is organized

• 💡 Theme — the poem’s big idea or message

​

​What Is Poetic Structure?

Poetic structure is the way a poem is built—how lines and stanzas are arranged, whether there is a rhyme pattern, and how these choices help show the theme.

​How Do We Analyze a Stanza?

​Why This Matters:

Poets choose specific words, lines, and structures to show a theme.
Analyzing a stanza helps us understand the poem’s deeper message.

Checklist for Analyzing a Poem (with icons):

• 🟦 Stanza — What is happening in this stanza?

• 🏗️ Structure — How are the lines arranged?

• 🎵 Sound — Do rhyme or repeated sounds stand out?

• 💬 Details — What words or images seem important?

• 💡 Theme — How does this stanza help show the poem’s message?

​Poem Excerpt (Stanza 1):

1 Locked arm in arm they cross the way
2 The black boy and the white,
3 The golden splendor of the day
4 The sable pride of night.

​Student Model (What the reader noticed):

🔍 Checklist Question Used:
“What is happening in this stanza, and how does it help show the theme?”

📝 Student Thinking:

• Two boys of different races walk together.

• Both are described with positive imagery (“golden splendor,” “sable pride”).

• The mood is calm and confident.

• This sets up the idea of unity before conflict appears later.

​Poem Excerpt (Stanza 2):

5 From lowered blinds the dark folk stare
6 And here the fair folk talk,
7 Indignant (upset or offended) that these two should dare
8 In unison to walk.

​Model Example: Stanza 2

​Student Model (What the reader noticed):

🔍 Checklist Question Used:
“How does this stanza help show the poem’s theme?”

📝 Student Thinking:

• The neighborhood watches the boys with disapproval.

• Words like “lowered blinds” and “indignant” show judgment.

• The mood shifts from calm to tense.

• This reveals a theme: not everyone accepts friendships across racial lines.