Category: Harlem Renaissance

Both Hughes and Cullen were significant writers during the Harlem Renaissance, establishing their sole topic of race and equality. According to Theresa L. Stowell, the author of The 1930s in America, the Harlem Renaissance began as African-Americans came to realize that they were not offered the same programs for those in poverty as white people.…

James Baldwins Sonnys Blues is a great narrative since it incorporates different themes that include life choices, friendly relations, and second chances. Sonnys Blues is a fictional storyline that narrates real-life situations and sufferings. Baldwin effectively provides an understanding not only in Sonnys life but also into his environments, making the narrative unique in its…

In the short story Sonnys Blues written by James Baldwin, character Sonny possesses the gift of music specifically jazz. His music offers him a chance at redemption but at the same time it threatens to destroy him by leading back to his destructive addiction. This suggests that ones creative ability can be a saving grace,…

Before reading the first 60 pages of If Beale Street Could Talk by James Balwin I knew very little of him, other than reading a short story by him in high school by the name of Sonnys Blues. What struck me most in the reading of If Beale Street Could Talk was the way he…

Manhattan was once considered the mainstay of wealth and fortune due to the largely rich white population that resided there. The growing population in the area was a suggestion for developers to build more residential living spaces which lead to the erection of more empty buildings and not enough tenants. Over time, more and more…

The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that spoke to a range of issues and concerns like hostility, racism, and anger. Authors spent lots of time aiming to highlight them in ways like power struggles, emotions of hate/animosity towards white people, and even colorism between individuals in their own race. How many African Americans back then…

The Black Capital of the twentieth century, Harlem served as a cultural nexus of black America. It was a refuge for African Americans fleeing from oppression in the South and a new home for those seeking new opportunities. Harlem was a haven, a place of self-discovery, cultural knowledge, and political activism for African Americans, especially…

Too much knockin’ will ruin any ‘oman. He done beat huh ‘nough tuh kill three women, let ‘lone change they looks, says Elijah Mosley one of the characters discussing how Sykes Jones treats his wife Delia Jones in Zora Neale Hurstons short story, Sweat. He uses this comment to express the extent of Sykes abuse…

A persons race has always had relevance in his/her life in ways that sometimes dont necessarily make sense or are simply just racist. Two African Americans who have been impacted by their race are Brent Staples and Zara Neale Hurston. In Just Walk On By: Back Men and Public Spaces, Staples claims that black men…

Langston Hughes and the Powers That Be When it comes to poetry pushing racial freedoms, only a few have gone as far as Langston Hughes. Langston was a famous American writer and poet in the 20th century. He published many well-known works such as I, Too, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, and Let America Be…