Compare And Contrast Frederick Douglass And Zora Neale Hurston

The American South encapsulated some of the most influential African American writers of the time. These writers were able to connect with others through their writings about pain, faith, struggle, and hope for a life with more camaraderie. Known for perpetuating the cruelest acts of violence toward slaves, the South was a place that a colored individual was known to avoid. Although the South was not just considered the site of brutality, it was considered the birthplace of African-American cultural practices and now a place for hope and change. In this essay I will discuss and analyze the works of Frederick Douglass, Jean Toomer, and Zora Neale Hurston and their outlook of the American South. Frederick Douglass was one of the most important African American writers of the nineteenth century, who happened to also be born into slavery himself. Since being born into slavery, Douglass’ earliest …show more content…
The innovative fiction Jean writes of, portrays the scenic visions that make up rural black life in the South compared to the Norths urban life. He paints visions of smoke, sugarcane, and flame permeating the southern landscape. In Toomer 's poem “Georgia Dusk”, each stanza portrays a symbolic image of the South seen through his eyes. For instance in the poem Georgia Dusk, from the African American Literature novel by Keith Gilyard and Anissa Wardi, Toomer says, “The sawmill blows its whistle, buzz-saws stop, And silence breaks the bud of knoll and hill, Soft settling pollen where plowed lands fulfill Their early promise of a bumper crop” (264). This is just one of many stanzas from this poem that tells of the rich vision of southern culture Toomer portrays. Jean Toomer allows himself to see the beauty in the landscape, although never allows himself to forget the horror that comes with this