In the asking of these questions Black Nationalism took a stand in preaching self-reliance, a holistic approach in viewing nationalism in the black community and created a sense of intellectual liberation, the effects of this can be seen vividly in the art and literature of the Black Arts Movement. In the climax of Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman Clay does just this, eviscerating all of Lula’s preconceived notions of what blackness was and gave her an inside understanding of what her privilege disallows her to see. Shit, you don 't have any sense, Lula, nor feelings either. “I could murder you now. Such a tiny ugly throat. I could squeeze it flat, and, watch you turn blue, on a humble. For dull kicks. And all these weak‐faced ofays squatting around
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“But listen, though, one more thing. And you tell this to your father, who’s probably the kind of man who needs to know at once. So he can plan ahead. Tell him not to preach so much rationalism and cold logic to these niggers. Let them alone” (Baraka, 1968). Clay has told Lula and Baraka to White Society, to be aware of what you teach the African American community, because you may find out that they are a lot smarter than they are given credit for, and may potentially lead to their death and destruction. This was what the Black Arts Movement structured itself after, speaking out against the preconceived notions of the Other World and creating their own thing, their own African American thing, a new thing. Larry Neal in The Blacks Arts Movement suggests that this is in itself an entirely new thing, but I assert that these detachments from whiteness have indeed been made in different periods throughout the history of African American …show more content…
The book written by poet Gwendolyn Brooks follows the title character Maud Martha through her upbringing and subsequent adulthood in Chicago. As so often discussed in the previous paragraphs self-reliance is key to black aesthetics, but for just a moment Brooks trades out self-reliance for self-solace. In the vignette titled self-solace Maud Martha is sitting at her friend’s hair salon when a white-woman wearing a fur coat walks in wanting to sell the owner of the salon, Sonia Johnson, lipstick. After agreeing on a sales arrangement, the white woman later identified as Miss Ingram confides, “People, think this is a snap job. It ain’t. I work like a nigger to make a few pennies. A few lousy pennies” (Brooks, 139). Remaining with Neal’s and Brother Knight’s logic about protest literature, it does nothing but solidify roles in terms of having to wait for the white “masters” to become aware of the “protestor’s grievances,” no protest immediate protest to Miss Ingram’s comment is given. In fact, Maud Martha thinks she has mistaken her comments all together. “I was afraid I heard that woman say ‘nigger.’ Apparently not. Because of course Mrs. Johnson wouldn’t let her get away” (139). Solace is defined as comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness. This vignette wasn’t used to protest white woman, but to exploit a moment solace. Maud
“But listen, though, one more thing. And you tell this to your father, who’s probably the kind of man who needs to know at once. So he can plan ahead. Tell him not to preach so much rationalism and cold logic to these niggers. Let them alone” (Baraka, 1968). Clay has told Lula and Baraka to White Society, to be aware of what you teach the African American community, because you may find out that they are a lot smarter than they are given credit for, and may potentially lead to their death and destruction. This was what the Black Arts Movement structured itself after, speaking out against the preconceived notions of the Other World and creating their own thing, their own African American thing, a new thing. Larry Neal in The Blacks Arts Movement suggests that this is in itself an entirely new thing, but I assert that these detachments from whiteness have indeed been made in different periods throughout the history of African American …show more content…
The book written by poet Gwendolyn Brooks follows the title character Maud Martha through her upbringing and subsequent adulthood in Chicago. As so often discussed in the previous paragraphs self-reliance is key to black aesthetics, but for just a moment Brooks trades out self-reliance for self-solace. In the vignette titled self-solace Maud Martha is sitting at her friend’s hair salon when a white-woman wearing a fur coat walks in wanting to sell the owner of the salon, Sonia Johnson, lipstick. After agreeing on a sales arrangement, the white woman later identified as Miss Ingram confides, “People, think this is a snap job. It ain’t. I work like a nigger to make a few pennies. A few lousy pennies” (Brooks, 139). Remaining with Neal’s and Brother Knight’s logic about protest literature, it does nothing but solidify roles in terms of having to wait for the white “masters” to become aware of the “protestor’s grievances,” no protest immediate protest to Miss Ingram’s comment is given. In fact, Maud Martha thinks she has mistaken her comments all together. “I was afraid I heard that woman say ‘nigger.’ Apparently not. Because of course Mrs. Johnson wouldn’t let her get away” (139). Solace is defined as comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness. This vignette wasn’t used to protest white woman, but to exploit a moment solace. Maud