Sample Statement of Process

Statement of Process

Over the course of my research, I have read many articles, many of which retold many of the same anecdotes. I found myself driven by all kinds of information.

• For the birth certificate, I did a Google search on birth certificates to find out what a Missouri certificate looks like. I found out what Langston Hughes’ real name was and who his parents were. I then fabricated a doctor’s signature for authenticity and as well as witness’s signature. I tried to make it as authentic as I could.
• The Early Years poem was based on much of the research that I found… mostly the internet articles mentioned in the bibliography. I tried to keep the style of the poem in the jazz tradition that Hughes was known for writing in.
• The skit was based on a blurb that I read about when Lindsay and Hughes met. The whole conversation is fabricated, but it gets the point across.
• The Negro Speaks of Harlem was based on the style of “Negro Speaks of Rivers” and the content was based on information provided by the historical articles on Hughes’ time in Harlem.
• The letter to Charlotte Mason came from an article that stated she was his financier and wouldn’t move forward with him due to differences of opinion. She also worked with other famous people during that time.
• The journal entry is a fabrication that just retells many of the events that happened and what I believed Langston’s closing thoughts would be after finding out he had cancer
• The timeline was taken from Exxon Mobile’s Masterpiece theater. It was condensed and paraphrased.
• The obituary was modeled after a New York Times obituary on famous people. I just took major events and publications and put it in one place.