An analysis of inconsistent views of integrity in America
The inconsistent American view of integrity exposed in “We Wear the Mask” Paul Laurence Dunbar and “Theme for English B” Langston Hughes acknowledges the struggle between how society views African Americans and how the community views itself. Circumstances were difficult in America amongst the end of the 19th and beginning of 20th century. An immense amount of changes were happening, and numerous people had a troublesome time dealing with them. African Americans specifically got in a culture that showed up to more superior to anything it had been before and surrounded by the Civil War. The truth was, things simply weren 't so divine. African-American of this time period are prime cases
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They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly.” (1.2.1) consistently focusing on that the Breedloves ' property is not simply momentary; she highlights that it is involved. Their race as well as their self-loathing and mental issues hold them down. Dunbar underlined in his piece the seriousness of the agony and enduring that these covers attempt to conceal. When he says “ And mouth with myriad subtleties” There 's an entire host of “subtleties” that play into the distinctive classifications of society and class, particularly when you 're managing the unstable world of racial prejudices. This family is facing hardships due to social class and race Morrison addresses the misfortunes which African Americans experienced in their movement from the country South to the urban North from 1930 to 1950. They lost their feeling of group, their association with their past, and their way of
Langston Hughes- Pessimism Thesis Statement: In the poems “Weary Blues”, “Song for a Dark Girl” and “Harlem” the author Langston Hughes uses the theme of pessimism through the loss of faith, dreams and hope. First, one can look at the theme of pessimism and the correlation to the loss of faith. One can see that in “Song for a Dark Girl” an African American girl is sadden by the loss of her love. For this young and innocent girl to have to lose someone she loved so young.
New York: Norton, 2013. 1462. The. Print. The. Weaver, Robert C. “The Negro As an American: The Yearning for Human Dignity.”
Throughout Hughes’ Not Without Laughter, we see the long-term effect of generations of prejudice and abuse against blacks. Over time, this prejudice manifested itself through the development of several social classes within the black community. Hughes’, through the eyes of young Sandy, shows us how the color of one’s skin, the church they attend, the level of education an individual attained, and the type of employment someone could find impacted their standing within the community and dictated the social class they belonged to. Tragically, decades of slavery and abuse resulted in a class system within the black community that was not built around seeking happiness or fulfillment but, equality through gaining the approval of whites.
This week reading were really interesting, all of them had a strong message behind their words. However, the one that really caught my attention was “Open Letter to the South” by Langston Hughes. In this poem, the author emphasizes in the idea of unity between all races, He also suggests that working in unity will lead to achieving great things, as he said, “We did not know that we were strong. Now we see in union lies our strength.” (Hughes 663)
Langston Hughes's stories deal with and serve as a commentary of conditions befalling African Americans during the Depression Era. As Ostrom explains, "To a great degree, his stories speak for those who are disenfranchised, cheated, abused, or ignored because of race or class." (51) Hughes's stories speak of the downtrodden African-Americans neglected and overlooked by a prejudiced society. The recurring theme of powerlessness leads to violence is exemplified by the actions of Sargeant in "On the Road", old man Oyster in "Gumption", and the robber in "Why, You Reckon?"
...Moreover, the antithesis in “fine big house” and “shack” reflects the unbridgeable gulf between the two races. At the same time, it heightens the issue of segregation and racial discrimination which the African-Americans are suffering from. Meanwhile, words like “wonder”, “neither”, and “nor” show Hughes’ bitter sense of estrangement since he is unable to determine to which race he belongs. Thus, the poem is also a reminder by Hughes to his people of the tragic consequences of this social system on the mulatto offspring who have no place in either race. In this poem, Hughes dramatizes the inherent tensions of a mulatto who resents his mixed origins and ascribes his failure in life to it. Though blaming his parents at the beginning for his dilemma, Hughes ends by forgiving them and pitying himself for his dislocation and disenfranchisement from the American society.
Jim Crow laws, a serious blemish on America’s legislative history, were measures enacted in the South to impose racial segregation. Beyond this, they were a code that allowed, and essentially encouraged, the disenfranchisement and oppression of African Americans. With such a cruel ordinance in place, African Americans had to learn to adjust their mannerisms and lifestyles accordingly in order to survive. However, this learning process was far from effortless or painless, as evidenced through Richard Wright’s work “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow”. This piece is paramount in understanding the African American personality and response during the Jim Crow laws, as well as for comparing today’s society to those especially trying times.
When reading the literature of Langston Hughes, I cant help but feeling energetically charged and inspired. Equality, freedom, empowerment, renaissance, justice and perseverance, are just a taste of the subject matter Hughes offers. He amplifies his voice and beliefs through his works which are firmly rooted in race pride and race feeling. Hughes committed himself both to writing and to writing mainly about African Americans. His early love for the “wonderful world of books” was sparked by loneliness and parental neglect. He would soon lose himself in the works of Walt Whitman, Paul Laurence, Carl Sandburg and other literary greats which would lead to enhancing his ever so growing style and grace of oeuvre. Such talent, character, and willpower could only come from one’s life experiences. Hughes had allot to owe to influences such as his grandmother and great uncle John Mercer Langston - a famous African American abolitionist. These influential individuals helped mold Hughes, and their affect shines brightly through his literary works of art.
However, back in Dunbar's time, slavery prohibited black people from being ordinary members of society. Although they prayed heavily and persevered, they wore the mask for the time being, in the hopes of living in a world where the color of one's skin would not determine their character. No changes needed as this is a Works Cited section and should not be edited.
A person may appear one way on the outside but may be feeling the total opposite on the inside. He may be masking his true emotions with a false appearance. In "We Wear the Mask" it seems that Paul Laurence Dunbar is sending this message to his readers . Dunbar was born in Ohio after the conclusion of the American Civil War. Thus, he was never enslaved, however, his parents had been, he heard lots of stories of people being enslaved from his parents and others. In this poem, Dunbar specifically talks about racism and how he’s feeling from
Dunbar, Laurence Paul. “ We Wear the Mask.” The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Eds. Gates, Henry Louis and Nellie Y. Mckay. New York: W.W. Norton, 1977. Print.
Paul Laurence Dunbar uses a lot of symbolism in his poems. In “We Wear the Mask” (1897), Dunbar is referring to the hard exterior the African Americans had to portray in order to make it through the tough times. When Dunbar writes, “Why should the world be overwise, In counting all our tears and sighs” (Dunbar, 1897, p. 1808). What Dunbar is saying is why give the people anything else to us against them. There has been enough suffering, there is no need to add fuel to the fire so to speak. They will remember and honor their families, but they will never let anyone see the pain they struggle with every day (Dunbar, 1897). In the poem “Sympathy” (1899) Dunbar writes about a caged bird (Dunbar, 1897). The caged bird represents how his people are
In life, we are often confronted with boundaries created by society and ourselves. In our limited understanding of what those boundaries represent, we find ourselves confined by our ego. Racism and prejudices have plagued society for many years, and many of us have been judged and condemned for expressing our true selves. How long must it take for us all to be accepted as beautiful beings, all perfectly capable of greatness and joy?
Langston Hughes’s poem “I Dream A World” grants a voice to any person, who has been exposed to a life in racial prejudice and inequality, including the writer. That voice belongs to any black person, who has lived the poorer than poor life. This life was full of consistent violation of basic human rights, full of frustration, and overflowing with hopelessness. Upon closer examination, the situation of the poem uncovers the painstakingly raw yearning for humanity and equality.
There are times in life where we are forced to do something we do not really want to do. There are certain situations like this that come to my mind. Every so often, my family gets together. As a teenager, I do not want to be confined. I realize some of my relatives are a lot older than me and I should spend as much time with them as I can. When my family gets together, I frequently am forced to go to these events and put a smile on my face. I am acting. I am putting on my “mask” and pretending that I am happy. This artificial face is the subject of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem, “We Wear the Mask.” Dunbar expresses his feelings on what African-Americans were forced to do a century ago. People thought they were happy doing the work they did for the white culture. In reality, they were not. That is the point Dunbar tries to explain to his readers.