Spanish Harlem

a crewmen to personal assistant of historian Carter G.Woodson. Hughes then enrolled at Lincoln University earning himself a bachelor’s degree in 1924. After college Hughes moved to Harlem, New York where he established himself till his death. While in Harlem, Hughes became to be known as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance with his early innovations of then-new literary art called Jazz Poetry. Hughes published many poems that gained national…

The University of Central Florida's theatre program performed Spunk and the Harlem Literati in which I attended on the 22 of January 2016. The musical is based on the play Spunk by Zora Neale Hurston, an adaptation by theatre professor Belinda Boyd and also directed by Mrs. Boyd herself. The play takes place in Harlem during the 1920’s Renaissance in which there is an uprising in writing, poetry, and music amongst the African-American community. Through the use of narration, uplifting energy,…

James Weldon Johnson: biographical sketch James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871 – June 26, 1938) made his contribution to society and culture as a civil rights activist and with his creations during the Harlem Renaissance. Among his most famous poems are Lift Every Voice and Sing, which was put to music and is known as the Negro National Anthem. In Having Our Say, Hearth states that James Weldon Johnson was one of many other African Americans at this time who made a difference with their art and…

feelings of anger, distrust, and destruction. It can also lead to isolation and loneliness. But can hate and isolation actually be something positive or even empowering? Claude Mckay was a key figure during the literary movement of the 1920s called the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Jamaica, his work encompasses “vernacular verse celebrating peasant life in Jamaica to poems challenging white authority in America.” (McKay) In his poem, The White City, McKay lashes out against the injustice that…

Langston Hughes wrote “Harlem” and Lorraine Hansberry embodies it within the characters dreams in A Raisin in the Sun. The characters and their dreams change and evolve throughout the book. Although Walter looks like a big strong man who supports his family, that is not the case in the beginning of the book. He is dissatisfied with the life he has and dreams of becoming wealthy and providing for his family as the rich people he drives around do and owning his own business. By the end of the book…

Langston Hughes fits in the Harlem Renaissance category because his writings expanded African-American culture and helped demand rights for African-Americans. Langston wrote “I Too” which is about how a darker brother (an African-American) is American too, and he deserves to get the same treatment as everyone else. Moreover, in the story, they do not let the African-American man sit at the table because of his color, but he says he will find the strength to stand up for his self. For instance,…

Du Bois, W.E.B. “Criteria of Negro Art.” The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader, Penguin Books 1994: 100-105. Print In “Criteria of Negro Art”, Du Bois observes how art from African-American artists are pushed aside due to oppression. Du Bois states; “...the white public today demands from its artists, literary and pictorial, racial pre-judgement which deliberately distorts truth and justice...” (104) Du Bois argues that even if a piece of art or an artist is great, if they are black they are…

Langston Hughes, who is a dominant poet of the Harlem Renaissance, has been significantly influenced by both the sounds and traditions of the growing blues and jazz community. The Harlem Renaissance is a 1920’s movement in Harlem, New York that sparked an increased growth in the art scene/community, largely seen in music, literature, and fashion. Considering Hughes such a strong advocator and lover of both jazz and blues music, he then began to write poetry in a style which was very heavily…

Merely alluding to the economic problems that cause widows to work late shifts and parents to leave unemployed teenagers unsupervised, Langston Hughes focuses on the universal power of love and trust in "Thank You, M'am." Hughes portrays the nobility of common people and the vitality of his African American culture in his works. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, whose name ironically recognizes both slavery codes of the founders of the United States and the dignity of the common people, gives…

James Mercer Langston Hughes was a famous poet in America who was also known to be a, novelist, social activist, columnist from Joplin, Missouri and playwright artist. James was one of the earliest innovators of Jazz poetry which during his time was known as then-new literary form. Hughes is particularly known for his colorful, insightful portrayals of black life in America from the 1920’s through to the 1960’s. He wrote short stories, plays, novels and as well as poetry. James graduated from…