Langston Hughes, a writer during the Harlem Renaissance, argued that “the Negro artist works against an undertow of sharp criticism and misunderstanding from his own group and unintentional bribes from the whites. ‘Oh, be respectable, write about nice people, show how good we are,’ say the Negroes. ‘Be stereotyped, don't go too far, don't shatter our illusions about you, don't amuse us too seriously. We will pay you,’ say the whites.” Hughes then writes in response to these pressures that “... it is the duty of the younger Negro artist … to change through the force of his art that old whispering ‘I want to be white,’ hidden in the aspirations of his people, to ‘Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro--and beautiful.’" Both black and white …show more content…
However, Hurston’s writing also creates a positive perspective on black culture. Hurston describes the town in the Everglades through the eyes of Janie, writing that “no matter how rough [joking and teasing] was, people seldom got mad, because everything was done for a laugh”, and “everybody loved to hear Ed Dockery, Bootyny, and Sop-de-Bottom in a skin game” (134). Rather than showing the town’s lack of seriousness in a negative way, Hurston depicts the town as full of “laughter,” “love,” and lighthearted games. The characters of Ed Dockery, Bootyny, and Sop-de-Bottom live in the Everglades with Janie and Tea Cake and are a central part of the community. Even though the Everglades town is stereotypically black, Hurston presents this town and its blackness in a positive light. In addition, Janie is accepted quickly by the town; she can “listen and laugh and even talk some if she wanted to” and can “tell big stories herself from listening to the rest” (134). In Eatonville, whose African-American residents act less stereotypically “black” and pretentiously try to emulate white people, Janie is unable to assimilate in such a community. However, the more stereotypically black town in the Everglades is much more accepting towards Janie. By presenting the culture of the Everglades in a favorable way from Janie’s point of view, Hurston shows pride for conventional black culture. The town in the Everglades is also illustrated as lively and jubilant; specifically, nights in the town have “pianos living three lifetimes in one”, “blues made and used right on the spot”, “dancing, fighting, singing, crying, laughing, winning and losing love every hour”. The town’s residents “work all day for money, fight all night for love”, and “the rich black earth cling[s] to bodies and bit[es]
Ancient river civilizations are agricultural civilizations that grew along rivers as the name suggests. Such civilizations benefited much from the benefits provided by the river which included drinking water supply, fish for food, transportation of people and goods as well as fertile land for the growth of crops. Ancient Egypt is an example of one of these early river valley civilizations, as it developed as a result of the Nile River. These river valley civilizations shared a quite a number of similarities, one of the being the construction of large structures as a show of wealth or way of appeasing gods and the development of unique building strategies.
Jazz to me is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul-the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile. Yet the Philadelphia club woman , turns up her nose at jazz and all its manifetations-likewise almost anything else distinctly racial... She wants the artist to flatter her, to make the white world believe that all Negroes are as smug and as near white in soul as she wants to be. But, to my mind, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist, to change through the force of his art that old whispering "I want to be white, hidden in the aspirations of his people, to "Why should I want to he white? I am Negro-and beautiful"
Langston Hughes is one the most renowned and respected authors of twentieth century America not simply one of the most respected African-American authors, though he is certainly this as well, but one of the most respected authors of the period overall. A large part of the respect and admiration that the man and his work have garnered is due to the richness an complexity of Hughes' writing, both his poetry and his prose and even his non-fictions. In almost all of his texts, Hughes manages at once to develop and explore the many intricacies and interactions of the human condition and specifically of the experience growing up and living as a black individual in a white-dominated and explicitly anti-Black society while at the same time, while at the same time rendering his human characters and their emotions in a simple, straightforward, and immensely accessible fashion. Reading the complexity behind the surface simplicity of his works is at once enjoyable and edifying.
The Harlem Renaissance was an evolutionary period in terms of African-American cultural expression; in fact, the movement changed the way that black musicians, poets, authors, and even ordinary people perceived themselves. One of the most influential poets of the time was Langston Hughes. Hughes’ works display a pride in being black that most African-Americans are too afraid to show, even today. Moreover, he adamantly refused to submit to the sentiment that he should be ashamed of his heritage, instead believing that “no great poet has ever been afraid of being himself.”(p1990 From the Negro Artist). In the article “‘Don’t Turn Back’: Langston Hughes, Barack Obama, and Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Jason Miller, Miller analyzes how Hughes’ poetry has been used by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama and how the House of Un-american Activities Committee affected that use.
Hughes story, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”, veers away from the conventions of Du Bois’s essay as rather than focusing on the value of black art as a key in social movements, it involves black artists who would rather neglect their blackness and rather took on the culture of whites. The speaker claims he enjoys being white more than being an African American, and Hughes describes this as “the mountain standing in the way of any true Negro art in America-this urge within the race towards whiteness…”. Much like Du Bois, Hughes writes about the “beauty” of Negro art, and aims to uplift the appeal of negro language and culture as he examines African American artists who stayed true to their roots and culture whose works are amongst those that are still heavily praised even decades later.
There is so much richness in Negro humor, so much beauty in black dreams, so much dignity in our struggle, and so much universality in our problems, in us-in each living human being of color-that I do not understand the tendency today that some American Negro artists have of seeking to run away from themselves, of running away from us, of being afraid to sing our own songs, paint our own pictures, write about our selves-when it is our music that has given America is greatest music out humor that has enriched its entertainment media for the past 100 years, out rhythm that has guided its dancing feet From plantation days to the Charleston…Yet there are some of us who say, “Why write about Negroes? Why not just a writer?” And why not-if no one wants to be “just a writer?” Negroes in a free world should be whatever each wants to be-even if it means being “just a writer…” (Hughes, 773)
Hughes also takes the view of culture but he examines it from the view of blacks that are not stuck in the ghetto but have stable backgrounds. Hughes takes the view that blacks are actually hindering themselves. He says that there is a huge obstacle standing in the way of every black person. He actually makes a reference about artist but it can be viewed as any black person. He says the obstacle is, “this urge within the race toward whiteness, the desire to pour racial individuality into the mold of American standardization, and to be as little Negro and as much American as possible.” (Hughes, Langston) His example is a poet. This poet subconsciously wants to be white because he feels it will make him a better poet. This poet comes from a strong background in the middle class. According to Hughes, they attend church; the father has a steady job; the mother works on occasion; and the children attend mixed schools. However, the problem comes with how the parents treat their children. The mother says things like, “Don’t be like niggers” when the children are bad. In turn the father says things like, “Look how well a white man does things.” So in this home and many others, black is not praised or celebrated it is taught to be ashamed of. They are taught to want to be white. It is staggering what blacks do to themselves because of this. Fist Hughes says the more predominant don’t
Langston Hughes is an extremely successful and well known black writer who emerged from the Harlem Renaissance (“Langston Hughes” 792). He is recognized for his poetry and like many other writers from the Harlem Renaissance, lived most of his life outside of Harlem (“Langston Hughes” 792). His personal experiences and opinions inspire his writing intricately. Unlike other writers of his time, Hughes expresses his discontent with black oppression and focuses on the hardships of his people. Hughes’ heartfelt concern for his people’s struggle evokes the reader’s emotion. His appreciation for black music and culture is evident in his work as well. Langston Hughes is a complex poet whose profound works provide insight into all aspects of black
“The Harlem Renaissance was a time where the Afro-American came of age; he became self-assertive and racially conscious… he proclaimed himself to be a man and deserving respect. Those Afro-Americans who were part of that time period saw themselves as principals in that moment of transformation from old to new” (Huggins 3). African Americans migrated to the North in great numbers to seek better lives than in the South as the northern economy was booming and industrial jobs were numerous. This movement brought new ideas and talents that shifted the culture forever. Black writers, such as Langston Hughes, used their work to claim a place for themselves and to demand self-respect in society. Poems that Langston Hughes wrote captured the essence of the complexity of a life that mixes joy and frustration of black American life through the incorporation of jazz and blues in order to examine the paradox of being black in mostly white America, the land of the not quite free.
Hughes thinks that everyone has rights to be them self and everyone has their own beauty. People can be what ever they want they can be black artist if they want or they can white artist if they want, the only thing he wanted to tell people was that be proud of who you are, don’t try to be someone else who you are not. Langston Hughes gives an example where a young poet says “ I want to be a poet – not a Negro poet” Hughes thinks that the young kid wants to be white. Form my point of view the young poet said he wants to be poet but not Negro because in during 1920’s white people were like superior and they have higher chances to become well known person. So when the young poet said he doesn’t want to be a Negro poet he actually meant that he would become well known poet if
The well known poet Langston Hughes was an inspiring character during the Harlem Renaissance to provide a push for the black communities to fight for the rights they deserved. Hughes wrote his poetry to deliver important messages and provide support to the movements. When he was at a young age a teacher introduced him to poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, and they inspired him to start his own. Being a “darker brother,” as he called blacks, he experienced and wanted his rights, and that inspired him. Although literary critics felt that Langston Hughes portrayed an unattractive view of black life, the poems demonstrate reality. Hughes used the Blues and Jazz to add effect to his work as well as his extravagant word use and literary
Langston Hughes was the leading voice of African American people in his time, speaking through his poetry to represent blacks. His Influence through his poems are seen widely not just by blacks but by those who enjoy poetry in other races and social classes. Hughes poems, Harlem, The Negro speaks of rivers, Theme for English B, and Negro are great examples of his output for the racial inequality between the blacks and whites. The relationship between whites and blacks are rooted in America's history for the good and the bad. Hughes poems bring the history at large and present them in a proud manner. The injustice that blacks face because of their history of once being in bondage is something they are constantly reminded and ridiculed for but must overcome and bring to light that the thoughts of slavery and inequality will be a lesson and something to remember for a different future where that kind of prejudice is not found so widely.
Another case recorded in China, in which, Walexron entered into an agreement with Chuangxiang Toys in China. The trade relationship was aimed to rum the retail store in China for the sale of Toys in China and to manufacture remote control helicopters, in china with the name RC Ranger Helicopter W450. After the manufacturing of these toy helicopters, RC Ranger Helicopter W450, in china, the company Walexron planned to sale the helicopters to the overseas suppliers and to ensure its quality. For this purpose, Walexron also ensured quality control tests in order to ensure the quality and safety of the products before the delivery of the products to the stores for sale. While testing procedure, it was revealed that the helicopter has some manufacturing fault and it was a small indication that the helicopters had the potential to catch fire if the batteries overheat.
Legalizing medical marijuana is a controversial topic that most individuals tend to shy away from, but with the passages of laws in 23 states, the conversation is becoming inevitable (ProCon.org, 2015). While proponents of medical marijuana argue that it is a safe and effective treatment for various health symptoms, opponents argue it is dangerous, addictive, and a gate way to harder drug use. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the issue, the policies surrounding the issue, the pro/con of legalizing medical marijuana, and to provide recommendations.
Interestingly, Richard Wright viewed art as a blueprint that should map out the future of African Americans. In his essay, Blueprint for Negro Writing, he voiced his disappointment in black writers of the Harlem Renaissance. He characterized Negro writing as one that consisted of a population of unrecognized blacks or the most elite of blacks, such as the talented tenth. He mentions two forms of Negro writing, “one that became the voice of the educated Negro pleading with white America for justice,” and the other being, “a sort of conspicuous ornamentation, the hallmark of “achievement”(125). This describes a humble writer, one that begs for neutrality. Meanwhile, the other garnishes their writing, demanding recognition, and wanting to prove their achievements. However, although effort is obviously put into this writing, Wright still describes it in this manner, “The negro was confined to humble novels, poems, and plays” (125). With regards to his statement, a Negro wanting to prove their lack of inferiority is easily understood. Unfortunately, like sibling rivalry, this longing for attention could have caused the whites to overlook Negro achievements instead. This merely caused whites to pay less attention to Negro achievements as well as not giving them proper criticism or credit. These two techniques were ones frowned upon by Wright. This did not support his definition of Negro art. This was not beneficial to the Negro population, nor did it go towards a greater