Refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of this narrative. in “why i write,” george orwell believes there are universal motivations for writing. which evidence from the text supports this idea? "all writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives there lies a mystery." "it raises problems of construction and of language, and it raises in a new way the problem of truthfulness." "i will only say that of late years i have tried to write less picturesquely and more exactly." "putting aside the need to earn a living, i think there are four great motives for writing, at any rate for writing prose."

The harlem renaissance dawned in an era of pervasive racism and segregation. although legally "free," many african americans were still bound by ideas that had their roots in the slavery of earlier centuries. identity and freedom are important ideas presented in many of the poems from the harlem renaissance. furthermore, the values of identity and freedom are not unique to particular times and places. as hughes expresses in "dream variations," all humans want to be able to develop their identities in freedom. what role does freedom play in the poems you read in this unit? what is required of a society to enable each individual to be true to his or her identity and be free to live by that identity? write about at least three of the poems, describing how the poet uses imagery to depict freedom and identity, the lack of it, or the desire for it.