Harlem Renaissance Literary Movement Essay Example

the hardships that people from the black minority encountered during the period of Harlem Renaissance.

People – Jean Toomer

Like McKay, Toomer equally served in the Harlem Renaissance period with his literary world focused on influencing and motivating the blacks as a member of the minority community on how to cope in a racist society. The short poem ‘People,' Toomer the poet examines the tendency of people focusing on appearance. Other than only focusing on his black color, the poet asserts that “to those who are fixed on white the white remains white in the same manner red is red and yellow is yellow (2-5).” The poet further moves ahead to argue that people that see the world in such a way never sees themselves (11). The statement by the poet serves in describing the social attitude in a blatant manner regarding the differences in race in America. The poet addresses instinctual duality that he considered crucial to the efforts of black individuals in coping in a racist society (Poetry Foundation).

Zora Neale Hurston – The Gilded Six-Bits

As with the previously discussed authors, Hurston lived and wrote his literary works during the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston was deemed an important author during the Harlem Renaissance in that other than only coming from the minority community of African Americans; her writings provided a feminine voice that in a movement that men dominated. ‘The Gilded Six-Bits’ is a short story that focuses on the life of a newly married African-American couple and their obstacles towards achieving happiness that was driven by disrespect and the desire for money.
The setting of the short story is indicative of the author’s recognition of the importance

of acceptance of all races within the American society. The story is set in Eatonville, Florida, a town that served as the first of all black towns within the U.S to incorporate in the country. Joe and Missie May are a newlywed African American couple experiences joy at first until their Otis Slemmons wreak havoc to their marriage. “The trouble begins when Joe makes an announcement that he will take his wife for a date in a place that Slemmons, a wealthy northern African American owned (36).” It is after visiting the ice cream parlor, and the trouble creeps in when Slemmons starts chasing his wife and promises her money in return for sex. As Joe comes home one day from work, he finds the two in bed with the realization turning his home sour.

Langston Hughes – I, too Sing America

Like the previously discussed authors, Langston Hughes also existed during the Harlem Renaissance era with his literary work equally considered imperative in airing the views and concerns of African American. In the short poem, ‘I too Sing America’ the poet declares the need for America to return back to its previous state in order to enhance in achieving the dreams of the forefathers. Hughes begins by asserting that, “America should be America again by becoming the dream that it once served where it operated as the pioneer of the plan that sought a home where they would become free (1-4).” The speaker portrays his dissatisfaction with the manner America has changed from her initial self-image where he asserts that to him America was never America. He thus calls for the need to take America to

the position it was a strong and great land. The continuous repetition of the speaker that America is never America serves in not only portraying the dissatisfaction of the author but also of most of other African Americans that were adversely affected by racism.

Sterling Brown – Riverbank Blues

Although Brown was an African American writer during the Harlem Renaissance era and an influential author that represented the affairs of his fellow community men, he had a far much different life especially in his early bringing while compared to most of the other Harlem Renaissance authors. Born by a former slave and an eminent minister and also an educated mother, Brown had the opportunity of gaining the education at Williams College as well as Harvard. His literary works were however influenced by previous African American writers and his experience as a member of a minority community as a student in a dominant white society. The short poem, “Riverbank Blues’ primarily addresses the struggles that African Americans encountered in the mid-20th century in the United States.

The initial lines of the poem serve as an indication of the level of struggles that African Americans encountered in the white dominated society. Brown begins by asserting that, “A man got his feet stuck in a sticky mud bank…., muddy streams keep the man fixed for good (1-4).” The ‘Riverbank Blues’ serve as a representation of what was perceived by many as inevitable, based on a continuous flow of events and time that overwhelmed the weak. Throughout the other parts of the poem, the poet portrays how racism has made life challenging for the blacks.

Countee Cullen – Uncle Jim

As with all the

other discussed authors and poets, Countee Cullen equally serves among the most representative voices of the Harlem Renaissance era. His literary works serve as a reflection of his youthful experience as an African American in a white dominated society. His youthful challenges, more so after losing his guardian and grandmother prompting to adoption in the church that served as a center of black politics influenced his literary work. In the short poem, ‘Uncle Jim’ the poet gives an account as to the reasons the dominant white society continue to oppress the blacks, not because of justified reasons, but rather because of hatred. The poem takes the form of a conversation between the poet and Uncle Jim where they disagree with the white folks. The poet uses his response to despise the white folks and expose their discriminative practice. At the first stanza, “Uncle Jim claims the White folks is white with the speaker replying that even milk and the foam on the bear are also white (1-3).” The poet uses grammatical deficiency on the part of ‘Uncle Jim’s’ claim with an aim of showing his ignorance. In the ensuing conversation, Uncle Jim smokes his pipe claiming that with time the young man will come to a realization that Uncle Jim understands what he talks about. However, the young man refutes the claims and gives counter answers to show that a vice drives the white folks in discriminating against blacks, people they live with together.

Works Cited
Hurston, Zora N, and Booker T. Mattison. The Gilded Six Bits. ooker T.
McKay, Claude. "If We Must Die by Claude McKay." Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44694. Accessed 27 Sept. 2016.
Poetry Foundation. "Claude McKay." Poetry Foundation, Jan. 2016, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/claude-mckay. Accessed

27 Sept. 2016.
Poetry Foundation. "Jean Toomer." Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/jean-toomer. Accessed 27 Sept. 2016.
Toomer, Jean. "People Poem by Jean Toomer - Poem Hunter." PoemHunter.com, Poetry Foundation, www.poemhunter.com/poem/people/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2016.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/uncle-jim/
https://prezi.com/ug0elxpof5dt/riverbank-blues-sterling-a-brown/
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/riverbank-blues
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/47558