Harlem Renaissance

1Articulating Afri idler-American Identity : Voices ofThe (1920s-1930sThe 1920s and 30s marked a menstruum in books that came to be known as the . It was alike described by F . Scott Fitzgerald and otherinfluential `white as the breaking wind Age . The main feature of this period is thediversity of whole caboodle in literature produced by African American who at thetime were in the process of struggling to articulate their identity element operator : what it nitty-gritty to be unappeasable , how this identity was to be defined , who the audience was . For the purposes ofunderstanding the influences behind the upsurge in artistic and literary production , it will beuseful to draw ternion main categories of black articulation . In terms of achieving the goalof delimitate African-American identity , it will also be arouse to evaluate the relativesuccess or failure of the three main positionsIt would non be easy to reach the goal of articulating African American identity inliterature . One of the main difficulties was the literary standard . The establishmentdefined literature in terms of 18th century classical works and the influence of these canbe seen in the writings of Countee Cullen who , for instance , was inspired by John KeatsAnother difficulty was the social tension inherent in being `black or white . For who considered this as a main problem , literary work was a means to achieving acollective identity for blacks and not an aesthetic end in itself What is provoke tonote is that the movement was not unified in its aims of articulating black identity , andthe degree to which the conscious articulation of a collective black identity is important isreflected in the worksThe extremist position , as represented by W .

E Dubois and Langston Hughesmaintains that black identity can be defined by summoning a soul of racial pride andtaking folk traditions and day-after-day situations as a source of literary inspiration2 One of the foremost figures in the radical movement was W .E DuBois , who was educatedin Fisk , Harvard , and the University of Berlin . In the Norton Anthology of American Literature (1998 , Dubois defined the problem in `The Souls of Black Folk (1903 presentin lie down buried many things which if read with patience May enter a strange meaning of being black Here in the dawning of the twentieth century This meaning is not without interest to you , Gentle Reader For the problem of the Twentieth blow is the problem of the color-line (DuBois 713Langston Hughes on the other hand emphasized everyday situations and folk traditions asways of defining identity . In I , as well as Hughes describes African American identity interms of being `the darker brotherI , too , peach AmericaI am the darker brotherThey send me to eat in the kitchenWhen company comesBut I laughAnd eat wellAnd grow strongTomorrowI ll sit at the tableWhen company comesNobody ll dareSay to me eradicate in the kitchen...If you want to get a full essay, beau monde it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com

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