English Language Arts · 9th Grade · Voices of America: Identity and Culture · Weeks 28-36

Landscape and Character in Regionalism

Investigating how the physical landscape and environment shape the personality and experiences of characters in regional literature.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.3

About This Topic

The Great Migration was the movement of six million African Americans from the rural South to the urban North between 1916 and 1970. In this topic, students explore how this 'mass movement' changed the themes and style of Black literature. They analyze the shift from 'pastoral' (rural) settings to 'gritty' (urban) ones, and they explore the 'city' as both a land of 'opportunity' and a place of 'new struggle.'

This unit aligns with CCSS standards for analyzing how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text and develop setting contribute to its overall meaning. By studying this movement, students see how 'geography' and 'history' intersect to create new literary 'voices.' This topic is best taught through 'comparative' analysis and 'mapping' activities where students can 'trace' the journey of the characters.

Key Questions

1. In what ways does the landscape shape the personality of the characters who inhabit it?
2. Compare how different regional settings (e.g., rural South, urban Midwest) influence narrative themes.
3. Explain how regional stereotypes both reflect and distort reality in literature.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how specific geographical features and climate conditions in regional literature influence character motivations and conflicts.
• Compare the thematic development of identity and belonging in texts set in contrasting regions, such as the Dust Bowl and the Pacific Northwest.
• Explain how authors use descriptions of the physical environment to establish mood and foreshadow events within a regional narrative.
• Evaluate the authenticity of regional stereotypes presented in literature by comparing them to historical or sociological data about those regions.

Before You Start

Introduction to Literary Elements

Why: Students need a foundational understanding of plot, character, and setting to analyze how setting specifically influences these elements.

Analyzing Author's Purpose and Tone

Why: Understanding how authors make deliberate choices helps students recognize how landscape descriptions serve the author's broader thematic goals.

Key Vocabulary

Regionalism	A literary movement that emphasizes the setting of a story, including its landscape, dialect, and customs, to shape characters and themes.
Setting	The physical place and time where a story occurs, including the environment, weather, and social conditions, which can significantly impact characters' lives and choices.
Local Color	A literary style that focuses on the peculiarities of a particular region, often using dialect and detailed descriptions of local customs and landscapes to create a vivid sense of place.
Stereotype	An oversimplified and often inaccurate belief or image about a group of people or a place, which may be perpetuated in literature despite not reflecting reality.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

The North was a 'perfect' place with no racism.

What to Teach Instead

While there were no Jim Crow laws, the North had 'de facto' segregation, housing discrimination, and racial tension. A 'New Place, New Problems' discussion helps students see that the 'struggle' didn't end; it just 'changed shape.'

Common Misconception

The Great Migration only happened 'once.'

What to Teach Instead

It was a 'continuous' movement that lasted for over 50 years. Use a 'Timeline of Voices' to show how the literature changed from the 'early' migration (1920s) to the 'late' migration (1960s).

Active Learning Ideas

Inquiry Circle: The 'Rural vs. Urban' T-Chart

Groups read two excerpts: one describing a character's life in the South and one describing their first day in a Northern city (e.g., Chicago or NYC). They must list five 'sensory' differences (sounds, smells, sights) and discuss how these changes 'shock' or 'excite' the character.

40 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: The 'Push and Pull' Factors

Post images and quotes representing 'Push' factors (why they left the South, like Jim Crow) and 'Pull' factors (why they went North, like factory jobs). Students move in pairs and must find one 'literary' example of each in the text they are reading.

45 min·Small Groups

Think-Pair-Share: The 'Ancestry' Conflict

Students find a scene where a character in the North 'remembers' or 'rejects' their Southern roots. They pair up to discuss: 'Why is the character 'conflicted' about their past?' and 'How does their 'ancestry' help or hurt them in the new city?'

30 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Urban planners in cities like Chicago or New Orleans use historical data and current environmental conditions to design neighborhoods that address the specific needs and challenges of their residents.
• Documentary filmmakers often travel to remote or distinct geographical areas, like the Alaskan wilderness or Appalachian coal country, to capture the unique lifestyles and environmental impacts on local communities.
• Cultural anthropologists study regional variations in traditions, language, and social structures to understand how environment shapes human behavior and identity across different parts of the world.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Present students with short excerpts from two different regional texts (e.g., one set in the rural South, one in a New England fishing village). Ask them to identify one sentence describing the landscape and one sentence describing a character's reaction to it, explaining how the two are connected.

Discussion Prompt

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Consider a character from a book we've read. How might their personality or decisions be different if they lived in a vastly different landscape, like a desert versus a rainforest? Provide specific examples.'

Exit Ticket

Students will write a brief paragraph explaining how a specific element of the physical environment (e.g., a harsh winter, a fertile valley) in a chosen text influences a character's primary conflict or goal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What were the 'Push' and 'Pull' factors of the Great Migration?

Push factors (why people left) included racial violence, lack of economic opportunity, and Jim Crow laws in the South. Pull factors (why people came) included the promise of better-paying factory jobs, better education, and more political freedom in the North.

How did the Great Migration lead to the Harlem Renaissance?

The migration 'concentrated' African American talent and audience in Northern cities. This 'gathering' of people created the 'community' and 'energy' needed for a massive explosion of art, music, and literature.

What is 'Urban Realism' in Black literature?

It is a style of writing that focuses on the 'realities' of city life: the crowded tenements, the vibrant street life, the factory work, and the social tensions. It moved away from the 'folk' style of the rural South to a more 'modern' and 'gritty' voice.

How can active learning help students understand the Great Migration in literature?

The Great Migration is a 'journey.' Active learning, like the 'Rural vs. Urban' T-chart or 'Push and Pull' gallery walk, forces students to 'experience' the transition. When they have to 'compare' the two worlds or 'trace' the reasons for the move, they realize that the 'setting' is not just a place, but a 'character' that drives the entire story.