The Distinguishing Characteristics of The Harlem Renaissance in the works of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude McKay
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual movement occurring predominantly throughout the 1920’s. A significant defining factor of the Harlem Renaissance is that it was the first artificially created movement specifically engineered to display the works of African Americans at the time. The Harlem Renaissance is unusual among literary and artistic movements for its close relationship to civil rights and reform organizations (Hutchinson 1). The pioneers of this movement in African American culture were essentially activists who had goals and objectives that they wanted to achieve for their race within society at the …show more content…
McKay was originally born in Jamaica where eventually his writing brought him to America. McKay’s poem “If We Must Die” was inspired by the red summer of 1919 where there was continuous race riots and civil unrest. Cullen defended black rights and threatened retaliation for prejudice and abuse (McKay 1).The poem takes a revolutionary tone and can be described as a war cry to African American urging them to fight back against their white oppressors, this is demonstrated in the line “Pressed to the Wall, dying, but fighting back!” (“If We Must Die ” 14). McKay is suggesting that even if African Americans are to be killed, then at least they can do down fighting for what they believe in. The poem “The Lynching” is particularly detailed and graphic; McKay demonstrates his anger at the injustice that his fellow African Americans are being senselessly murdered by their white oppressors. This writing expanded the boundaries of poetry through its disturbing and unsettling depiction of a lynching. The discrimination endured by African Americans is put to the forefront in this poem; McKay is clearly angered and wants society to be exposed to the sheer brutality that is going on in society. Similar to “If We Must Die”, McKay’s poem “America” describes his love/hate relationship with the country. Despite feeling some affection towards America, McKay thinks that the nation has peaked at the age of …show more content…
Hughes voiced the independent integrity of the black artist (Trotman 3). Despite the hardships of African Americans at the time, there is always a sense of optimism and resilience in Langston Hughes work. The poem “The Negro Speaks Rivers” describes how blacks have been around since the beginning of time, “I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young (5), and since then they have been enduring continuous struggles and will continue to be resilient. This theme of resilience can also be identified in Hughes’s poem “I, Too”. The poem describes how a dark young man is not able to eat at the table with the other guests at the banquet; despite this setback the speaker is still optimistic that tomorrow will be a better day, “They’ll see how beautiful I am, and be ashamed” (15/16). The idea of not giving in to despair can be found in the poem “Mother to Son”. This poem describes a mother talking to her son about her slow progression in life through resilient determination. The mother in the poem is concerned that her son won’t be able to bounce back from racism as she did, she urges him to make the most of his opportunities, “So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps” (14/15). The depiction of this older women’s
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual movement occurring predominantly throughout the 1920’s. A significant defining factor of the Harlem Renaissance is that it was the first artificially created movement specifically engineered to display the works of African Americans at the time. The Harlem Renaissance is unusual among literary and artistic movements for its close relationship to civil rights and reform organizations (Hutchinson 1). The pioneers of this movement in African American culture were essentially activists who had goals and objectives that they wanted to achieve for their race within society at the …show more content…
McKay was originally born in Jamaica where eventually his writing brought him to America. McKay’s poem “If We Must Die” was inspired by the red summer of 1919 where there was continuous race riots and civil unrest. Cullen defended black rights and threatened retaliation for prejudice and abuse (McKay 1).The poem takes a revolutionary tone and can be described as a war cry to African American urging them to fight back against their white oppressors, this is demonstrated in the line “Pressed to the Wall, dying, but fighting back!” (“If We Must Die ” 14). McKay is suggesting that even if African Americans are to be killed, then at least they can do down fighting for what they believe in. The poem “The Lynching” is particularly detailed and graphic; McKay demonstrates his anger at the injustice that his fellow African Americans are being senselessly murdered by their white oppressors. This writing expanded the boundaries of poetry through its disturbing and unsettling depiction of a lynching. The discrimination endured by African Americans is put to the forefront in this poem; McKay is clearly angered and wants society to be exposed to the sheer brutality that is going on in society. Similar to “If We Must Die”, McKay’s poem “America” describes his love/hate relationship with the country. Despite feeling some affection towards America, McKay thinks that the nation has peaked at the age of …show more content…
Hughes voiced the independent integrity of the black artist (Trotman 3). Despite the hardships of African Americans at the time, there is always a sense of optimism and resilience in Langston Hughes work. The poem “The Negro Speaks Rivers” describes how blacks have been around since the beginning of time, “I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young (5), and since then they have been enduring continuous struggles and will continue to be resilient. This theme of resilience can also be identified in Hughes’s poem “I, Too”. The poem describes how a dark young man is not able to eat at the table with the other guests at the banquet; despite this setback the speaker is still optimistic that tomorrow will be a better day, “They’ll see how beautiful I am, and be ashamed” (15/16). The idea of not giving in to despair can be found in the poem “Mother to Son”. This poem describes a mother talking to her son about her slow progression in life through resilient determination. The mother in the poem is concerned that her son won’t be able to bounce back from racism as she did, she urges him to make the most of his opportunities, “So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps” (14/15). The depiction of this older women’s