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Summary of the Harlem Renaissance
Summary of the Harlem Renaissance
Literary themes about racism
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Significant Poets of the Harlem Renaissance During the Harlem Renaissance period, many poets used it as a time to express their feelings and pain they endured, even after gaining freedom and rights as an African American. After feeling free for the first time, things turned to the worst when the New South restored White Supremacy and was still legal. Almost nineteen percent of African Americans lived in the New South. It was difficult everyday of their lives to feel like they were free because they were always being compared to their ancestors and seen as slaves and nothing more. (ushistory.org) Around 1890, one of the biggest events in US History occurred when large number of groups of African Americans left the South for a different location. They were tired of feeling undeserving and decided to move to the Urban North. When they arrived, many were heart-broken that they let others opinions make them leave their homes for their personal reasons. After grieving over their loss of their pride, they decided to take it back by sharing experiences with each other and reawake the African American culture. They used their trials as a testimony for who they have become. This led to the birth of The Harlem Renaissance. (ushistory.org) When the African Americans moved to the North, they expected relief and a place to feel welcomed. They were all taken by surprise when the people who they got away from were in the North also. Instead of backing down like last time, they decided to stand strong and not take it. They were going to fight back, but not physically. They were going to use their voices as a declaration of independence and freedom. Many thought that the Jim Crow Laws would have given them freedom, though some still felt bound. Man... ... middle of paper ... ... Feb 2014. . Graham, Maryemma. "The New Negro Renaissance." African Age. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb 2014. . Flynn, Jullian. "Chapter 9: Claude McKay " PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. Web. Feb. 24 2014.. UDRI Web Development Center, . "The Life of Paul Laurence Dunbar." Paul Laurence Dunbar Website. University of Dayton, 03 Feb 2004. Web. 25 Feb 2014. . Rhodes, Henry. "The Social Contributions of The Harlem Renaissance." Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2014. .
“Poetry, like jazz, is one of those dazzling diamonds of creative industry that help human beings make sense out of the comedies and tragedies that contextualize our lives” This was said by Aberjhani in the book Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotation from a Life Made Out of Poetry. Poetry during the Harlem Renaissance was the way that African Americans made sense out of everything, good or bad, that “contextualized” their lives. The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the Black Renaissance or New Negro Movement, was a cultural movement among African Americans. It began roughly after the end of World War 1 in 1918. Blacks were considered second class citizens and were treated as such.
There has been much debate over the Negro during the Harlem Renaissance. Two philosophers have created their own interpretations of the Negro during this Period. In Alain Locke’s essay, The New Negro, he distinguishes the difference of the “old” and “new” Negro, while in Langston Hughes essay, When the Negro Was in Vogue, looks at the circumstances of the “new” Negro from a more critical perspective.
The Harlem Renaissance is a term used to describe the expansion and development of African American culture and history, particularly in Harlem. It is believed to have started around 1919, after World War I, and ended around the time of the great depression. During this time period African Americans writers, artists, musicians, and poets all gathered in Harlem and created a center for African American culture.
"Paul Laurence Dunbar." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit; Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Bowie High School, Arlington TX. 19 Nov. 2009.
Imagine giving up everything you have just so that your children could live a better life. Imagine leaving everything behind just to move somewhere where nobody has any respect for you regardless of what you have sacrificed. You have to work days and nights just to be able to pay rent and yet, nobody cares or has any sympathy. This is what it was like to be of African American descent and live during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a time during the 1920’s when black Americans fled to populous cities where they could explore, create, and have pride in their newfound culture. A Renaissance of any kind is where a society or culture changes its ways and views, typically through the arts. This would be an example of a large
Introduction to Paul Laurence Dunbar. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. Print.
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and literary period of growth promoting a new African American cultural identity in the United States. The decade between 1920 and 1930 was an extremely influential span of time for the Black culture. During these years Blacks were able to come together and form a united group that expressed a desire for enlightenment. This renaissance allowed Blacks to have a uniform voice in a society based upon intellectual growth. The front-runners of this revival were extremely focused on cultural growth through means of intellect, literature, art and music. By using these means of growth, they hoped to destroy the pervading racism and stereotypes suffocating the African American society and yearned for racial and social integration. Many Black writers spoke out during this span of time with books proving their natural humanity and desire for equality.
The Harlem Renaissance, originally known as “the New Negro Movement”, was a cultural, social, and artistic movement during the 1920’s that took place in Harlem. This movement occurred after the World War I and drew in many African Americans who wanted to escape from the South to the North where they could freely express their artistic abilities. This movement was known as the Great Migration. During the 1920’s, many black writers, singers, musicians, artists, and poets gained success, including Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Marcus Garvey, and W.E.B. Du Bois. These creative black artists made an impact on society in the 1920’s and an impact on the Harlem Renaissance.
The Harlem Renaissance was a time of racism, injustice, and importance. Somewhere in between the 1920s and 1930s an African American movement occurred in Harlem, New York City. The Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined African-American expression. It was the result of Blacks migrating in the North, mostly Chicago and New York. There were many significant figures, both male and female, that had taken part in the Harlem Renaissance. Ida B. Wells and Langston Hughes exemplify the like and work of this movement.
The Renaissance was a necessary bridge that served to take people out of the Middle Ages and into modern history. Whether through art, dress, literature, or music; the Renaissance was a period of great transition and cultural awakening. Which is why it makes sense that the term “Harlem Renaissance” is used to mark the period in America’s history where black men and women crossed that cultural bridge and began their own transitioning away from a system that had previously caste them
Franklin, John Hope. From Slavery to Freedom A History of Negro Americans. New York: Vintage Books, 1969.
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of great rebirth for African American people and according to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the “Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s.” Wikipedia also indicates that it was also known as the “Negro Movement, named after the 1925 Anthology by Alan Locke.” Blacks from all over America and the Caribbean and flocked to Harlem, New York. Harlem became a sort of “melting pot” for Black America. Writers, artists, poets, musicians and dancers converged there spanning a renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was also one of the most important chapters in the era of African American literature. This literary period gave way to a new type of writing style. This style is known as “creative literature.” Creative literature enabled writers to express their thoughts and feelings about various issues that were of importance to African Americans. These issues include racism, gender and identity, and others that we...
Harlem Renaissance (1997-2007) Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2007 from Web site: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761566483/Harlem_Renaissance.html/
For several years after the Civil War, African Americans struggled to receive equality, especially those of the lower class. Many writers saw the art of literature as a way to voice their opinion in society and be heard through their stories and poems. Harlem Renaissance writers of the early 20th century utilized their art as a poetic voice to instill racial pride in others and help strive for equality. They knew equality would take time so they used their writing to go beyond art and create infancy for social change. Using emotions such as laughter and sorrow helped black writers reach through to their readers. Writers such as Langston Hughes and Jessie Redmon Fauset were
The Harlem Renaissance was an African-American cultural movement that took place in the 1920’s and the 1930’s, in Harlem NYC, where black traditions, black voice, and the black ways of life were celebrated. Alain LeRoy Locke, also known as the “Father of the Harlem Renaissance”, was a philosopher best known for his writing and support of the movement. Alain LeRoy Locke impacted the Harlem Renaissance by helping the spread of black culture and being declared the father of the movement; the movement has also influenced African-American art and culture into the modern era since the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance can be seen in the work of Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott and in movement groups such as Black Lives Matter.