Larry Neal's The Black Arts Movement

The African American race is a group amongst many that faces difficulty in finding success through their art whether they are musicians, artists, writers, or dramatists. To make a change for themselves, there have been African American individuals who have united to establish movements with their motive being to seek liberation. Of the various movements formed, the Black Arts Movement was very popular. Unlike most articles, Larry Neal’s The Black Arts Movement was an effective piece that explicitly defines what the movement’s purpose is and why he believes individuals (black in particular) should engage in its political and social aims. In Neal’s article, the first thing he makes clear to his readers is that the movement is “radically opposed …show more content…
The organization of the article, in a way, guides the readers smoothly to Neal’s main argument. Neal begins his article by introducing what the Black Arts Movement is, how it relates to the Black Power Movement, and what their goal is. He then proceeds to go deeper into detail on what the individuals of the movement, including himself, believe needs to be done and what they must avoid to fulfill their goal of creating a new black aesthetic. In the last couple of paragraphs, Neal explains why they must fix this new aesthetic for his fellow African Americans and those of Third World cultures. By organizing the article this way, Neal allowed for his readers to grasp the text and comprehend the topic he was speaking on as they read; he did not leave his readers blind to any concepts …show more content…
Throughout his work, Neal did not sugarcoat his position in the article. The main words used in his writing were “black” and “white”. With these world sticking out as individuals read The Black Arts Movement, it can be interpreted that Neal did this to put emphasis on the fact that many saw the world of the blacks and whites as two completely different worlds. The use of this technique intensifies the message within this article (black individuals must stand up to make their world stronger and better), and it reaches out to readers who may also be suffering-from discrimination or belittlement by another race- on a personal level.
Along with the preceding components, the content itself and its relevancy to the African American struggles that are still faced today makes the article effective. This article was published during the summer of 1968 which was three years after the Black Arts Movement was founded. During this time, censorship was an obstacle that several African American artists came upon. In other words, they found it endeavoring to have their work accepted and spread across the world whether it was because of personal, social, or political reasons such as