Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Kiese Laymon is an author, professor, and MacArthur Genius Grant fellow. In the following video, he discusses the role of revision on both a personal and societal level. What is the purpose and importance of revision, both individually and collectively? What do you anticipate encountering in his memoir Heavy?

Teaching Suggestion: The following resource can help introduce Laymon and set the stage for students as they read Heavy and grapple with the text’s various themes, specifically Truth and Lies. Consider guiding students through a discussion about the intersections of Laymon’s personal growth and development and that of American society. As students begin responding to the prompt, it may also be helpful to extend the discussion to include a question about whether they think it is important to discuss failures as well as successes, and why.

• This 3-minute video from the MacArthur Fellows Program includes, in Laymon’s own words, a discussion of the importance of heritage, themes, and revision.

2. Part of Kiese Laymon’s memoir deals with his relationship to language and his mother’s insistence on “proper” English, rather than the African American English more widely spoken in his community. What is African American English, and how has it been received and perceived in various contexts?

Teaching Suggestion: There is often much debate around the origins, use, and acceptance of African American English. Before students approach the question, it may be helpful to discuss the varying types of language present in the United States to dispel the notion that there is only one “proper” English language. Examples might include Mexican American English as well as Hawaiian Pidgin, which is English-based. Consider also using the following resources to help students better understand and grapple with the theme of Racism and Language.

• This article explains the linguistic characteristics of African American English and explores the importance of understanding and accepting AAE as a complete and legitimate language.
• This 11-minute video from the PBS web series “Otherwords” describes the history and origins of African American English as well as the co-opting of and prejudice against AAE in American society.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

In Langston Hughes’s poem “Mother to Son,” a Black mother gives her son advice and encouragement for navigating the world, while Kiese Laymon’s memoir Heavy is written as a son (Laymon) speaking to his own mother. In a reflective paragraph, write about your personal experience and understanding of “Mother to Son,” then follow with another paragraph about how its use of African American English connects to the Black experience. What wisdom is the mother trying to impart to her son? How might an individual’s response to the poem connect to the theme of Racism and Language?

Teaching Suggestion: Consider guiding the class through a short discussion after the writing activity that helps ground the students in the context of Hughes’s poem and Laymon’s memoir—the experience of Black mothers and Black sons. You might also ask them to consider what is passed on and/or inherited from one generation to another; having students reflect on their own heritage and how it may differ could help them develop a stronger understanding of such familial connection. Alternatively, it may be helpful to conduct some research on Hughes using the article below or a similar resource to help students develop an understanding of his life and how his poem reflects the Black experience.

• “Mother to Son” was first published in Crisis magazine in 1922 and was included in his first book of poetry, The Weary Blues in 1926.
• This JSTOR article explores the personality, background, and art of Langston Hughes.