African American poets

In the sonnet “If We Must Die,” Claude McKay uses the poetic speaker to discuss the issue racial discrimination and fights between whites and blacks in American. He tells us what it is like to be an African slave. The theme of the sonnet is the love of black nationalism. It is a stichic, an undivided poem. The poetic structure is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. There is a rhyme scheme to the poem, the last word in every other line rhyme with eachother. If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and…

poems. She has been awarded many awards that she deserves. She was a poet, playwright, singer, dancer, and actress. She has helped our world today in so many ways. She was also a civil rights activist. She has told our world what we are, and have been though her poems and books. Awe owe Maya Angelou a big thank you. The Little girl who Always wrote Marguerite Ann Johnson, also known as Maya Angelou was a stupendous poet, dancer, playwright, singer, actress, and civil rights activist.…

Similar to many of his fellow Black poets, Countee Cullen’s writings were motivated by the oppression he faced in America and the earnest thoughts of returning to the home of his ancestors: Africa. In “Heritage,” Cullen using imagery to reflect on reclaiming African culture. In the final stanzas, the speaker is in a spiritual conflict with his view of Christianity and the mainstream version of Christianity, and I believe the line “Quench my pride and cool my blood,” stresses that the speaker is…

Every African American should know the story of Emmett Till, and if they don’t they need to hear it. Emmett Till was 14 year old boy from Chicago, but during this tragedy he was in Mississippi. Emmett Till was accused of flirting with a white woman by whistling at her. Later o Emmett Till was beat to death, shot, and they tied a cotton gin fan with barbed wire around his neck and threw him into the Tallahatchie River. James Emanuel a poet wrote a poem entitled “Emmett Till” to express the desire…

African American poet, Langston Hughes, a world renowned prominent author, wrote the poem Mother to son, and the short story Thank you Ma’m, and many other stories. This author used many different methods to get his meaningful messages across and shared many common themes. Dazzling dancing, jazz music, soul music playing and vibrant art all described the Harlem renaissance. the Harlem Renaissance which was a time period in the 1920’s was when he earned his livings completely from writing. By…

We all dream about how our lives could be improved. We dream about being more essential to everyone in the world. We dream about ongoing happiness. All people in the world want more than they already have whether it is fame, fortune, or success. However it is pleasurable to dream, it is not safe to get absorbed in them. Reality is what we as people need to live in in order to survive. The oppression that we deal with will not be solved if we make up fake realities to make our conditions seem…

During a time of struggle and difficulty for African Americans, they found sanctuary in the different arts such as poetry, literature, and art. There was an explosion of African Americans writing about the discrimination they had to face, and among them was the novelist and poet Langston Hughes. His writing was heavily influenced by what was going around him and he painted a vibrant, insightful picture of African Americans unlike some other writers of this time. An example is one of his poems…

Illinois, and Ohio, attending public schools in all of those states (Floyd). Being an African American in the early 1900's was not an easy thing to do. Racial tension was at a peak, many schools were still segregated, and black women didn't have the right to vote yet, making the basic luxury of living not so luxurious at all. During high school, Hughes was introduced to the works of poet Carl Sandburg another poet from the Midwest. At the time, Hughes himself began writing poetry and developing…

deals with issues to do with the Harlem communities, similar to what he had grown up in. His lyrics deal with issues within the African American community. Gil Scott’s literature deals with both class and race. Heron brings to attention many issues dealing with both class and race in the African American community. Gil Scott Heron preferred to think of himself as a poet, and lyricist who had the capability to reach out to a more mature audience. Scott-Heron preferred the term ‘Bluesologist’…

Anthologies: Bruchac, J., London, J., & Locker, T. (1992). Thirteen moons on turtle's back: A Native American year of moons. New York: Philomel Books. In this children’s poetry book the author uses a collection of Native American legends from several tribes including the Cherokee, Cree, and Sioux. The poems focus on the thirteen moons of the year while touching on topics ranging from seasons, harvest time, appreciation of animals, and happenings in nature. This piece was chosen for its…