The Harlem Renaissance
explanatory Essay
644 words
The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of cultural explosion. It began in the wake of World War One, flourished until the Great Depression, peaking in Nineteen twenty-eight a year before the beginning of the Depression. The community of Harlem was composed of mainly Negroes (not all of the black population of Harlem was of African descent, so the term African-American would be falsely used in this case) and during this time period they were still considered inferior to the whites. For this reason and other events that took place during the Harlem Renaissance, which I will discuss later in this paper, I have chosen the Athens question, "What does it mean to be a member of a community?"
The Harlem Renaissance was a time period during which the black culture of New York, primarily Harlem, was involved in a movement through which, using literature and intellect, they attempted to raise pride amongst themselves and attain equal status with those that oppressed them. Some of the best-known figures and key figures of this period were Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay and Jean Toomer.
The Harlem Renaissance started as a literary and intellectual movement with a mission of both race propaganda and "pure" art. Their task was to identify and articulate a community consciousness rather than overthrow existing institutions. They represented the outsiders who wanted to be a part of the main stream. As for being a part of the community they were as far as the black community. However in the bigger picture, the black community was outside of the national community, which consisted of the white race.
In the two square miles of Harlem life was good. It was the 'Roaring Twenties' and people were happy. The black community kept to themselves but the community that they made up was a tight knit and caring one. They were all about having fun, helping one another and having pride in themselves. In terms of the black community, being part of the community meant that all people were equal and that the things they said did and stood for were no less credit worthy because of their skin color.
In the larger national community the black culture fought to be part of and not subservient to the white community and the Harlem Renaissance was a way of trying to get into the mainstream.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a period of cultural explosion that began in the wake of world war one and flourished until the great depression.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a time period during which the black culture of new york, primarily, attempted to raise pride amongst themselves and attain equality with those that oppressed them.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance started as a literary and intellectual movement with both race propaganda and "pure" art. they represented the outsiders who wanted to be part of the main stream.
- Describes harlem's 'roaring twenties', where people were happy, but the community they made up was a tight knit and caring one.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a way of trying to get into the mainstream community. they were voicing their opinion through art, poetry, music, painting, and dance.
- Explains that harlem was a predominately black area, while downtown was the southern end of manhattan, the area known as new york city.
- Opines that white businessmen still occupy the same role, below the whites, after the evenings of fun and laughter. these shows and performers had become cultural icons.
- Explains that many of the important players in the harlem renaissance dealt with issues other than race.
- Opines that the renaissance heroes showed that they have talents, are human, and will not be denied. they maintained a strong black community.
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728 wordsRead More - History Of The Harlem Renaissanceexplanatory essayThe Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that began in the 1920s, brought an excitement and a new found freedom and voice to African-Americans who had been silent and oppressed for a long time. This blossoming of African-American culture in European-American society, particularly in the worlds of art and music, became known as The Harlem Renaissance.
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- Explains that the harlem renaissance brought an excitement and a new found freedom and voice to african-americans who had been silent and oppressed for long.
- Explains that after the american civil war ended in 1865, more jobs and education became available for blacks. in 1896, equal rights for all races came to a halt.
- Explains that the harlem globetrotters originated in chicago and played an exhibition game before the crowds at the savoy ballroom.
- Analyzes how the great depression brought about the end of the harlem renaissance in america. black americans turned their creativity from arts to speaking out for social and financial equality.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance gave a powerful voice that echoed down many avenues, making changes in american culture that continue to speak loudly today.
- Explains that william edward burroughs du bois, a harvard graduate, was one of the fighters of civil rights movement during the harlem renaissance.
- Explains that musical magic would change the world and break color barriers across the united states. it would be found in the heart of harlem but, interestingly, the audiences were not black, but white.
- Explains that the cotton club opened the door for many performers in harlem in 1930. it was taken over by a gangster and well-known bootlegger, owney madden.
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- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a movement that included literary arts, specifically the portrayal of black life.
- Analyzes how langston hughes was a communist poet in the harlem renaissance. his allusions to black history show that blacks have never been treated equally to whites.
- Analyzes how countee cullen was an influential voice of the renaissance. his poetry runs the theme of equality, but he writes about the hardships in a more positive way.
- Analyzes how claude mckay was the first to be noticed from the harlem renaissance. he was originally from jamaica and moved to new york to escape racism.
- Explains that all three poets include different characteristics of the harlem renaissance, but the most distinctive characteristic in their works is equality, or what lack of equality there is between white and black people.
- Cites claude mckay's poem "countee cullen" from the norton anthology of american literature.
- Explains that fetrow, fred m. "cullen's yet do i marvel." explicator 56.2 (1998): 103.
- Describes hutchinson, george, and mckay, claude. "the lynching." the norton anthology of american literature.
1067 wordsRead More - Essay On The Harlem Renaissanceanalytical essayThe Harlem Renaissance in general was the new identity that led to a greater social consciousness, and African American became players on the world stage. The Harlem Renaissance redefined how America, and the world, viewed the African American population.
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- Analyzes how musicians during the harlem renaissance relate to musicians in today's society for many different reasons. artists, actors, painters, and poets in the 1920s also influenced musicians.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance refers to the "rebirth" of african american intellectual life during the 1920s and 1930s.
- Describes the three phases of the harlem renaissance: the bohemian renaissance and the talented tenth renaissance.
- Lists some actors and actresses that were well-known from the harlem renaissance, including bill robertson, florence mills, and wallace thurman.
- Explains that jazz music flourished during the 1920s and gained national and worldwide recognition. the savoy ballroom, apollo theater, and cotton club were popular nightclubs.
- Analyzes how the harlem renaissance redefined how america and the world viewed the african american population.
1230 wordsRead More - The Roaring Twenies and the Harlem Renaissanceargumentative essayNow, due to the Great Migration many northern cities such as New York had to build many more housing areas for the many amounts of African Americans coming to work. Due to this the epicenter of the Harlem Renaissance was bor...
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- Explains that the harlem renaissance changed much of america's society by making us racially tolerant and accepting, while introducing culture with the birth of many new writers, singers, and poets.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance began and caused a cultural firestorm. the african americans from the south moved up north to work.
- Explains that due to the great migration many northern cities such as new york had to build more housing areas for the many amounts of african americans coming to work.
- Analyzes how w.e.b. du boise's words were like an alarm rung before the actual war to prepare the soldiers of the roaring twenties.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance took place at a time when european and white american writers and artists were particularly interested in african american artistic production, in part because of their interest in the "primitive." modernist primitivism was partly inspired by freudian psychology.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance began with new types of music, new authors, and many amazing new poets and singers. jazz, the symbol of the roaring twenties, was a pulse of culture that struck america and the whole world.
- Explains that duke ellington combined religious music and jazz which many americans fell in love with. he was also an amazing trumpeter and even a classic piano player.
- Explains that many famous writers and poets paved the way for the harlem renaissance, including w.e.b. du boise, claude mckay, and van vechten.
- Concludes that the harlem renaissance brought african americans and americans together through the form of media, whether it was dance poetry or music.
- Cites hermann keyserling's "harlem renaissance".
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1268 wordsRead More - The Harlem Renaissanceexplanatory essayTo be exact, the Harlem Renaissance is a time after the KKK completed their raid of African Americans, when all of the Blacks would get together and have a good time. Whether it was listening to the jazz band play background of a beautiful vocalist, as the people of Harlem danced the night away, or looking at "freestyle" artist paint away. Harlem was always occupied. Each poet wrote very many famous poems that we now read today.
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- Explains that the harlem renaissance poets contributed to modern-day poetry in three ways: they all wrote marvelous poems that inspired our poets of modern times, and they wrote literature to let us know what went on in those times.
- Opines that james weldon johnson, countee cullen, jean (eugene) tommer, langston hughes, sterling brown, robert hayden, and gwendolyn brooks were excellent poets who took pride in what they did, for the people
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a time after the kkk completed their raid of african americans, when all of the blacks would get together and have fun.
- Explains that the renaissance began when the kkk finished the raid in the early 1900's because blacks were being terrorized by whites just because of their skin color. eight harlem renaissance poets deserve recognition for what they wrote about.
- Explains that the intention of each poet was for the people to see what was happening to them as blacks.
- Explains that until the early 1900's the world never realized the talents of african americans until they gave them the chance to prove themselves by writing poetry, music, dramatizations, or art.
- Explains that most of these poets went to college at either harvard or fisk university. countee cullen spent 43 years of his life in new york city.
- Explains that sterling brown was born in washington, dc in 1901. he wrote "southern road" and "the last ride." robert hayden, who died in 1980, was also born. gwendolyn brooks was a harlem renaissance female poet.
- Explains that poets are just one of the major people who took part in harlem's fun place. they express their feelings about the racism that was currently going on.
- Explains that langston hughes was the "renaissance man" because he started off the harlem renaissance and started the night clubs for people to show off their talents.
- Explains that james weldon johnson was a harlem renaissance poet who wrote religious poems about god's creation. he attended fisk university and stanton college preparatory high school.
- Opines that gwendolyn brooks is the only female, and poet that is still alive. she was born in topeka, kansas and moved to harlem, new york when she got out of college.
- Explains that they chose to do the harlem renaissance poets because they're interested in poets, and poetry. they say that the blacks had fun no matter what they had been through with the kkk.
1518 wordsRead More - The Poets and Writers of the Harlem Renaissanceanalytical essayThe Harlem Renaissance was a great time of achievement for the black poets and writers of the 1920s and early '30s. Many had a hard life living in the Harlem district of New York city. The foundations of this movement were laid in the social and political thought of the early 20th century.
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- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a great time of achievement for the black poets and writers of the 1920s, and early '30s.
- Explains that langston hughes, another writer of the harlem renaissance, is known and remembered for writing during the movement, but not being guided by a common literary purpose.
- Analyzes how langston jughes' poems and writings realistically depicted the life of black americans. his work was of high quality and won a favorable reception from the major publishing houses.
- Explains that hughes had four major writings that promoted the african negritude movement during the harlem renaissance. the first was a critical essay entitled "the negro artist and the racial movement."
- Explains that hughes' two poems, "the weary blues" and "fine clothes to the jew," were experimental in content and form, which made jughes leary of their acceptance.
- Opines that langston hughes is remembered for his genius for merging the comic and the pathetic, and his belief in the commonality of all cultures and universality of human suffering.
- Explains that w.e.b. dubois and langston hughes created what is remembered as the harlem renaissance. without their expressions of true black life, african americans would not be where they are today.
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- Analyzes how langston hughes's popular theme in his work was racism, which initially drew their attention to this poet. in "minstrel man," african americans were used to put on comedy shows for whites.
- Analyzes how countee cullen's poem, "incident", recalls an encounter between a black and white child when he was eight. the allusion suggests the circumstances african americans experienced.
- Explains that they chose langston hughes, claude mckay, and countee cullen as a follow-up on their poetry project.
- Analyzes how langston's poem "i, too, sing, america" shows how he is black, even though his work is catered to both blacks and whites.
- Compares claude mckay's poetry to langston hughes' "america" to see a huge change in the style of writing and the main theme.
1490 wordsRead More - During this era, the African-American people were on the rise especial when they were all moving to the north to find what they truly desired. Especially in Harlem where everything happened and was alive. The movement that was the Harlem renaissance, brought all colored men and women together. This movement began after the First World War and ended in the early 1930s. Just like the European renaissance, the Harlem renaissance was the rebirth of a culture. This expressed and inspired artists, literature, poetry, music, dance, and many other artistic hobbies and talents that people could think of (Crash Course). This also became a social and political movement as well. This era defined what it meant to become a person of color, American, and an artist altogether.
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- Analyzes how zora neal hurston dealt with african-american folklore when she studied anthropology at columbia university. her contributions and commitments constituted one of her most important contributions to the new negro movement and literary modernism.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was the rebirth of a culture that inspired artists, literature, poetry, music, dance, and many other artistic hobbies and talents that people could think of.
- Analyzes how langston hughes was one of the most important writers during the harlem renaissance. his literary works spoke to the public about their suffering and the true negro experience.
- Analyzes how the harlem renaissance was a time for expression, to define and find what it meant to be black in america.
1146 wordsRead More - The Negative Impacts of the Harlem Renaissanceanalytical essayThe 1920’s were a period or rapid growth and change in America. After World War I American’s were introduced to a lifestyle of lavishness they had never encountered before. It was a period of radical thought and ideas. It was in this time period that the idea of the Harlem Renaissance was born. The ideology behind the Harlem Renaissance was to create the image of the “New Negro”. The image of African-American’s changed from rural, uneducated “peasants” to urban, sophisticated, cosmopolites. Literature and poetry abounded. Jazz music and the clubs where it was performed at became social “hotspots”. Harlem was the epitome of the “New Negro”. However, things weren’t as sunny as they appeared. Many felt that the Harlem Renaissance itself wasn’t so much a celebration of Black culture, but rather a regurgitation of White ideals. To these African-Americans, the Harlem Renaissance represented conformity and submission to the White culture. Yet there were also those who were not even given the opportunity to be a part of the Harlem Renaissance. The poor Blacks in the South never received any of the racial tolerance up north. They lived in a world of racism and the Ku Klux Klan. The Harlem Renaissance did not redefine African-American expression. This can be seen through the funding dependence on White Americans, the continued spread of racism and the failure to acknowledge the rights of poor Southern African-Americans.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the 1920's were a period of rapid growth and change in america. the harlem renaissance created the image of the "new negro".
- Explains that harlem provided a source of entertainment for many african-americans, but the renaissance became so dependant on the funding that when it stopped coming, there was no means by which to keep any of the clubs or literary cafes open.
- Analyzes how the ku klux klan fed on the fear created by the harlem renaissance and continued the practice of racial bigotry.
- Argues that the harlem renaissance embraced the idea of the elite few and failed to acknowledge and support the blacks lower on the socioeconomic food chain.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a time of growth and development for african-americans, but it was imprisoned by its flaws.
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In this essay, the author
- Describes the harlem renaissance as a cultural stand up for african-americans that involved black writers, artists, and musicians to embrace their black heritage and show others across the nation what blacks are capable of.
- Explains that the manhattan neighborhood of harlem was meant to be strictly white in the 1880s, but overdeveloped it too fast which led to empty buildings. figures like du bois led many african-americans from the south to the north in what became known as the great migration.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was widely known for its jazz music. individuality blossomed during the 1920s and jazz was the perfect way to express individualism.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a literary movement and that black writers stepped up and allowed their talents to be known to the world.
- Explains that harlem renaissance art was bold and represented an expressionist fashion. it portrayed african-americans dancing, singing, laughing, and having a good time as free citizens.
- Opines that the harlem renaissance paved a way for many black musicians and artists to rise up to the top. movies like black panther have references to african tribes and black heritage.
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- Analyzes how claude mckay was often considered one of the more militant voices throughout the harlem renaissance. he was enlightened enough to realize that the freedom train wouldn't take him anywhere until he hopped aboard it.
- Analyzes how mckay uses the word cultured to display the vast duality of a country that stands for freedom and humanity but bestows oppression and enmity.
- Analyzes how mckay's poem "if we must die" showed insight into a man with strong constitution.
- Explains that the renaissance was a necessary bridge that served to take people out of the middle ages and into modern history. the term "harlem renaissance" is used to mark the period in america's history where black men and women crossed that cultural bridge.
- Analyzes how alain locke popularized the term "the new negro" in his writings. he spoke of coming out from under the oppressive wings of tyranny and social intimidation.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that the harlem renaissance, also known as "the new negro movement", was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s.
- Narrates how charles spurgeon johnson, the editor of the national urban league magazine, encouraged and supported black writers and artists during the harlem renaissance.
- Explains that langston hughes is one of the most famous poets of harlem renaissance. he was born in mississippi in 1902 and moved to ohio where he attended central high school.
- Describes countee cullen as a famous poet during the harlem renaissance.
- Explains that claude mckay was a poet before langston hughes and countee cullen. he was born in jamaica in 1890 and published songs of jamaica and constab ballads.
- Explains that arna bontemps was a famous writer during the harlem renaissance. he was sent to an all-white boarding school in san francisco at the age of fifteen.
- Explains that the harlem renaissance ended towards the end of the 1930's and was proven to be a monumental turning point for african american’s.
- Describes hardy, p. stephen, and sheila jackson. extra ordinary people of the harlem renaissance.
- States that hill, christine m., langston hughes: poet of the harlem renaissance. enslow, springfield, nj, 1997.
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