The poetry of the Harlem Renaissance highlights the struggles that came with being black in America during this time as well as the determination to cease those troubles. Often, these poems include an element of political consciousness and make a deliberate effort towards political awareness. The poetry of authors such as Arna Bontemps, Angelina Grimké, and Langston Hughes provide prime examples of this call to a social cognizance of Negro life in America during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Bontemps examines the universal struggle of being black in America and notes how it is not an isolated problem. Grimké attests to the issue of standing out while aiming for something more. Hughes strives towards making sure everyone realizes that
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The last two lines are haunting, stating “Why, beautiful, still finger are you black? / And why are you still pointing upwards?” (Grimké 1018). This is a powerful depiction of the troubles Negroes had to endure. The speaker knows that it is ridiculous for a black finger to point upwards, to reach for something that is not there. To reach towards the sky or towards heaven and hope to gain something from it seems an impossible feat for a black person to achieve after all of the hardships they have endured, especially when compared to others. This opposition of a dark finger against a light backdrop is a feeling shared by other writers during the Harlem Renaissance. In her essay, “How It Feels To Be Colored Me,” Zora Neale Hurston notes that she does not always have to acknowledge her race but she says, “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” (Hurston 1037). Hurston is speaking to the same feeling that Grimké shows in “The Black Finger.” This sharp contrast of something dark interrupting all the light around it shows the extreme level of consciousness that comes with being a black person, even if that consciousness is not permanently present. While a person may not always have to be aware of their color, it is not something they can ignore, and they must strive to make the feeling of standing out when placed in the …show more content…
Hughes writes, “I am the darker brother. / They send me to eat in the kitchen” (“I, Too” 1021). This demonstrates complete awareness of the social standing of black people; the metaphor of not being able to sit at the table shows how pushed aside they felt at this time. However, Hughes also gives a sense of hope in his poem. He says, “They’ll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed - / I, too, am America” (“I, Too” 1021). He shows a belief that one day things will be different and that everyone who belongs in America will actually be treated as though they do. Hughes knows that America belongs to everyone and not just to a privileged few. This desire to make others understand that blacks also deserve a seat at the table of American acceptance does not start and stop with this poem. While Hughes was writing metaphorically about finding a seat at the table, other members of the Harlem Renaissance were taking concrete steps towards ending injustice. In his contextual excerpt, “The Caucasian Storms Harlem,” Rudolph Fisher talks about criticizing the Actors’ Equity Association for banning a friend based on his color (Fisher 1036). Hughes himself also knew that the only way to achieve social or political equality was to take action. In “The Big Sea,” he
The last two lines are haunting, stating “Why, beautiful, still finger are you black? / And why are you still pointing upwards?” (Grimké 1018). This is a powerful depiction of the troubles Negroes had to endure. The speaker knows that it is ridiculous for a black finger to point upwards, to reach for something that is not there. To reach towards the sky or towards heaven and hope to gain something from it seems an impossible feat for a black person to achieve after all of the hardships they have endured, especially when compared to others. This opposition of a dark finger against a light backdrop is a feeling shared by other writers during the Harlem Renaissance. In her essay, “How It Feels To Be Colored Me,” Zora Neale Hurston notes that she does not always have to acknowledge her race but she says, “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” (Hurston 1037). Hurston is speaking to the same feeling that Grimké shows in “The Black Finger.” This sharp contrast of something dark interrupting all the light around it shows the extreme level of consciousness that comes with being a black person, even if that consciousness is not permanently present. While a person may not always have to be aware of their color, it is not something they can ignore, and they must strive to make the feeling of standing out when placed in the …show more content…
Hughes writes, “I am the darker brother. / They send me to eat in the kitchen” (“I, Too” 1021). This demonstrates complete awareness of the social standing of black people; the metaphor of not being able to sit at the table shows how pushed aside they felt at this time. However, Hughes also gives a sense of hope in his poem. He says, “They’ll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed - / I, too, am America” (“I, Too” 1021). He shows a belief that one day things will be different and that everyone who belongs in America will actually be treated as though they do. Hughes knows that America belongs to everyone and not just to a privileged few. This desire to make others understand that blacks also deserve a seat at the table of American acceptance does not start and stop with this poem. While Hughes was writing metaphorically about finding a seat at the table, other members of the Harlem Renaissance were taking concrete steps towards ending injustice. In his contextual excerpt, “The Caucasian Storms Harlem,” Rudolph Fisher talks about criticizing the Actors’ Equity Association for banning a friend based on his color (Fisher 1036). Hughes himself also knew that the only way to achieve social or political equality was to take action. In “The Big Sea,” he