Prose of the Harlem Renaissance: Zora Neale Hurston

Hurston’s layered use of dialect, folklore, and oral tradition demands active engagement from students. Through discussion, research, and close reading, students move beyond passive reading to analyze how language shapes meaning and culture in her work.

• 11th Grade
• English Language Arts
• 4 activities
• 25 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze how Zora Neale Hurston's deliberate choices in spelling, idiom, and syntax within dialogue contribute to the authentic representation of African American vernacular speech.
2. Compare and contrast Zora Neale Hurston's depiction of African American community life and cultural expression with that of at least one other Harlem Renaissance writer.
3. Explain the function of folklore and oral storytelling as foundational elements in Zora Neale Hurston's narrative structure and thematic development.
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of Hurston's use of dialect in conveying characterization, emotion, and cultural identity to a modern reader.

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Dialect as Design

Students read a passage from Their Eyes Were Watching God in the original dialect and in a 'translated' standard English version provided by the teacher. Pairs compare the two and discuss what the translation loses in emotional texture, rhythm, and cultural specificity , and why Hurston made the choices she did.

Prepare & details

Analyze how Hurston's use of dialect contributes to the authenticity and cultural richness of her narratives.

Facilitation Tip: During the Think-Pair-Share, assign each student a specific linguistic feature to track in the dialect excerpt, ensuring accountability in their analysis.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Jigsaw

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Collaborative Research: Folklore and the Oral Tradition

Groups identify three folklore elements or oral tradition patterns in a Hurston excerpt , call-and-response, signifying, storytelling within a story. Groups present findings and the class maps common patterns across different excerpts to see how deeply these structures organize Hurston's narratives.

Prepare & details

Compare Hurston's portrayal of African American life with other writers of the period.

Facilitation Tip: When students collaborate on folklore research, assign each group a distinct folk tale or tradition to present, so everyone engages with primary sources.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Jigsaw

⏱ 35 min·Individual

Close Reading: The Porch Scene

Using a porch scene as a focus, students annotate for who speaks, who is silent, what the community values, and how power is expressed through language rather than action. Discussion follows about what Hurston reveals through group dynamics rather than individual psychological description.

Prepare & details

Explain the significance of folklore and oral tradition in Hurston's literary contributions.

Facilitation Tip: For the Close Reading activity, have students annotate the porch scene for power dynamics in dialogue before sharing their observations with the class.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Jigsaw

⏱ 45 min·Individual

Comparative Writing: Hurston and Wright

Students read a brief excerpt from Richard Wright alongside a Hurston passage on a similar theme , community, identity, or aspiration. In a structured written response, they compare the authors' tones, uses of vernacular, and implicit views of the African American community. The comparison can become a fishbowl discussion.

Prepare & details

Analyze how Hurston's use of dialect contributes to the authenticity and cultural richness of her narratives.

Facilitation Tip: In the Comparative Writing task, provide a graphic organizer to help students organize their analysis of language choices before drafting their responses.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach Hurston’s work by framing dialect and folklore as intentional artistic tools, not obstacles. Avoid simplifying her prose or treating it as merely "authentic"—instead, emphasize how her anthropological training shaped her narrative choices. Research suggests that pairing close reading with historical context helps students see the political and cultural stakes of her writing.

What to Expect

Students will demonstrate understanding by identifying Hurston’s deliberate choices in language and structure, explaining how these choices reflect cultural values, and comparing her techniques to those of other Harlem Renaissance writers. Successful learning shows in their ability to articulate these insights with textual evidence.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Think-Pair-Share: Dialect as Design, students may assume dialect makes Hurston's prose less literary.

What to Teach Instead

Use the Think-Pair-Share activity to have students identify specific linguistic features in Hurston’s dialogue, then analyze how these choices serve as evidence of her anthropological and artistic intent, grounding the discussion in the text.

Common Misconception

During Collaborative Research: Folklore and the Oral Tradition, students may see folklore as purely decorative.

What to Teach Instead

During the folklore research activity, ask students to map how specific folk tales or proverbs function structurally in Hurston’s plots, such as their role in character development or thematic resolution.

Common Misconception

During Comparative Writing: Hurston and Wright, students may assume Hurston’s work was widely celebrated by her peers.

What to Teach Instead

Use the comparative writing task to have students analyze critical responses from Hurston’s contemporaries, such as Richard Wright, and discuss how aesthetic choices reflect different literary goals.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Think-Pair-Share: Dialect as Design, collect students’ annotated dialogue excerpts and written explanations of how linguistic features contribute to character voice and authenticity.

Discussion Prompt

During Collaborative Research: Folklore and the Oral Tradition, assess understanding by facilitating a whole-class discussion where students cite specific examples of folklore in Hurston’s work and explain its thematic significance.

Peer Assessment

After Comparative Writing: Hurston and Wright, have students exchange drafts and provide feedback focused on how effectively each author uses language to represent their community, using a provided rubric as a guide.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to research one additional Harlem Renaissance author and write a short analysis comparing their use of oral tradition to Hurston’s.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide sentence stems for discussion prompts, such as 'Hurston’s use of [specific dialect feature] reveals...' to guide their analysis.
• Deeper exploration: Assign a creative extension where students rewrite a scene from Their Eyes Were Watching God in standard English and then reflect on how the changes alter meaning, tone, and cultural representation.

Key Vocabulary

Vernacular	The everyday language spoken by people in a particular country or region, often including distinct grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Dialect	A particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group, often characterized by unique vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
Folklore	The traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth.
Oral Tradition	The spoken transmission of cultural knowledge, history, and stories from one generation to the next, without the use of written records.
Cultural Specificity	The unique characteristics, practices, and expressions that define a particular culture or community.