Harlem Children's Zone

Lyric poetry presents the deep feelings and emotions of the poet as opposed to poetry that tells a story or presents a witty observation. Indeed, "We Wear the Mask" is a lyric poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar that explores how in the late nineteenth century, African Americans could not publicly reveal their true feelings about whites' maltreatment without the risk of dangerous retaliation. Through paradox, metaphor, and apostrophe, the speaker ponders how oppressed black Americans are forced to hide…

A La Juventud Filipina Jose Rizal wrote the poem a la juventud Filipina in 1879 when he was but a student in the University of Santo Tomas, and as the title suggests, was written for the Filipino youth. The first prize was conferred upon Rizal for this composition, at a competition held by the Liceo Artistico Literario de Manila. Rizal’s teenage years were the years when his nationalism and patriotism were being fostered more and more, according to Fr.…

During the 1920’s the Harlem Renaissance was happening. This was an explosion happened in New York. So many African Americans wanted to move up north because there were more job opportunities their than the South. They would be able to make money, have a job, and be free from all the bad stuff that was happening. This was after the civil war happened. Back then the still had the Jim Crow laws and dixie. In the Poem “One Way Ticket”, the author is telling us that he does not want to stay their…

Do you truly know what a renaissance is? A renaissance basically means a rebirth, or renewal of something The Harlem renaissance has been the rebirth of not only Harlem, but black culture as a whole. After world war two, blacks, along with many other races migrated to the states. Immigrants spread all over America. The most common place for blacks happened to be Harlem. At the time it was known as the new Negro movement. There was not exactly a high demand for African Americans to just come find…

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a play by August Wilson, deeply analyzes the works of the African-American music artists the the Jazz Age. The play delves into the oppression of the artist and the exploitation of their music. Through the youthful and self-assured trumpet player, Levee, the story of his personal failings and inevitable destruction of his aspirations is told. The focus of Wilson’s allegory is the purchase of Levee’s new shoes, and how his new shoes are symbolic of the changing of the…

What was it? The Harlem renaissance was a huge arts movement started by the African-American community of Harlem in the 1920’s. In a time where race riots and lynchings were nothing out of the ordinary, a professional artist of any sort was not considered a legitimate career choice for an African-American person. The Harlem renaissance was a movement that helped to bring forth talented black people and also to create positivity and creativity in a time of great turmoil. Who was it? There…

were based during the struggle of identity in the African American communities as well as the fight against the predestined assumptions of racial hierarchy in America. In the story, “Sonny’s Blues”, We follow two brothers set in post World War II Harlem and how their lives take two different turns in which they find the struggle of not only of finding their own identity but the identity to each other and their community. James Baldwin uses three main literary tools of Setting, Point of View and…

Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved was largely inspired by the New Negro Renaissance and by the story of Margaret Garner, a former slave from the Civil War Era. In her novel, Morrison extensively brings out the concept of color. Color is an important element that gives each object its own unique characteristics and looks. In Beloved, color represents the very own identities of each character. While there are several characters who did not have to actively search for their own colors, several other…

James Van der Zee was a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance; whom was born on June 29th, 1886, and died on May 15, 1983. Available evidence suggests that he was exposed to the topic of photography at a young age since he was living in Massachusetts. Corresponding with his outstanding academic performances, he began to develop his photography skills and techniques in high school; consequently, gaining a passion for it. During his early adulthood life, he worked as a waiter, elevator…

There has been much debate over the Negro during the Harlem Renaissance. Two philosophers have created their own interpretations of the Negro during this Period. In Alain Locke’s essay, The New Negro, he distinguishes the difference of the “old” and “new” Negro, while in Langston Hughes essay, When the Negro Was in Vogue, looks at the circumstances of the “new” Negro from a more critical perspective. During the Harlem Renaissance period, Alain Locke considers African Americans as transforming…