When one talks about literature, there is one moment in time which is most of the times mentioned: the Renaissance. This period has been frequently defined as a period of revival. The definition from Oxford clearly defines it as “the revival of European art and Literature under the influence of classical models in the 14th-16th centuries”
This period of time has been historically associated with Europe and the previous definition; however, we have learned about another renaissance, the Harlem Renaissance, which took place in the middle of the 1930's, and whose focus was in New York. This was an artistic, mainly literary, movement characterized, which in spite of its non-cohesiveness, got negro artists to discuss problems that affected them.
One of those problems was how they expressed themselves through art. Langston Hughes was one of the poets who explored this issue. Hughes explicitly criticized those poets who left aside their race or hid their voice in order to achieve what white’s audiences and fellow poets expected.
“I am ashamed for the black poet who says, “I want to be poet, not a Negro poet,” as though his own racial world was not as interesting as any other world.” (Hughes, 1927).
What is more, Hughes believed that it was not only about not finding interest in their culture, but also about challenging fear and shame which were socially imposed by the understanding of white as better than black, “we younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn't matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too.” (Hughes, 1927).
This final quote is related to what W.E.B. Dubois understood as Double Consciousness, which can be explained as the heritage and weight the race carries on the lives of African-American people. (Schaefer, 2013). For example, they may understand themselves as black people but still try to aspire to be white. On the other hand, they may resent whiteness, and just want to interact with black people.
Hughes addresses this tension in his popular poem, Theme for English B, which you can watch in the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHmO9OCZojM
What I really like about the poem is that it looks for understanding between two parts, the white instructor and the African-American student through the voice of the student. Since it is the student the one who speaks, one gets to know about his surroundings, his culture, his music, and his fears. Moreover, one can even think about the important role a teacher can play in the education and opportunities for self-expression of the students.
Finally, we may return to the definition of Renaissance and the word revival. Maybe we can think of the Harlem Renaissance as a revival of the black pride lost upon the trip towards slavery. Maybe the revival of the voice lost upon the trip towards slavery. Or maybe the revival of the arts once again which was in the need of the black voice in order to find itself complete. It was the time when it was urgent and necessary for the negro to be in vogue.
References
Langston, H. (1926). The Negro artist and the racial mountain. Nation 122
Renaissance. (n.d.). In Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Renaissance
Schaefer, R.T. (2013). Double consciousness. Encyclopedia of race, ethnicity, and society. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/sageEdge/chambliss/files/pdf/ref_01double.pdf
Finally, we may return to the definition of Renaissance and the word revival. Maybe we can think of the Harlem Renaissance as a revival of the black pride lost upon the trip towards slavery. Maybe the revival of the voice lost upon the trip towards slavery. Or maybe the revival of the arts once again which was in the need of the black voice in order to find itself complete. It was the time when it was urgent and necessary for the negro to be in vogue.
References
Langston, H. (1926). The Negro artist and the racial mountain. Nation 122
Renaissance. (n.d.). In Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Renaissance
Schaefer, R.T. (2013). Double consciousness. Encyclopedia of race, ethnicity, and society. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/sageEdge/chambliss/files/pdf/ref_01double.pdf
Belén,
ResponderEliminarI really like what you have written here, given that the connection that you have done regarding how Hughes paid special attention to what really was Double Counsciousness and how it actually affected NEGRO identity, was totally clear and wise. Moreover, when I was watching the video it came to my mind the relationship between violence and beauty, and although it is something obvious, I personally think that all violence appreciated by this man was crucial at the moment of thinking of double consciousness and writing, since all his thoughts and ideas are the consequences of this violence. Furthermore, I would like to ask you what do you think about the presence of stream of consciousness in Langston Hughes poems? To my mind, it is not explicitly presente as in Hemingway stories, where every images are temporarily sorted one after another in a certain period of time, like just a moment, an hour, a day, or just a couple of minutes. In my opinion, Hughes did work with stream of consciousness, but by focusing it in an age,an era, a longer period of time where the images show different moements in the life of Negros, where L.H was the protagonist of violence and beauty, and also the hero of a movement, the Harlem Renaissance. And I think H.R was epic, because it is something trascendental until nowadays, and it did not change the hero´s identity.
So that, do you think stream of consciousness is present? Do you think Harlem Renaissance was an epic movement?