Harlem Renaissance
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Two developments led to a mass movement of African Americans to Harlem, New York, during the 1920s, a period during which more than 100,000 African Americans relocated to this area of New York in what was known as the ôGreat Migrationö (Robinson, p. 14). The first development that led to this migration was the growing dissatisfaction with many African Americans in the Southern states. The second development was the construction of New YorkÆs new subway system, connecting for the first time Harlem and the cityÆs downtown area. A majority of African Americans in Harlem during this period were members of a growing black middle- and upper-middle class. As Lisa Clay Robinson (p. 14) argues, ôNever before had there been such a concentrated community of African Americans, many of them well educated, with professional jobs, and ready to set an example of what black people were really like.ö Harlem represented a new home for African Americans, one that would become a showcase for their talent in music, dance, literature, theater, painting and other forms of art. The birth of new artistic expressions by African Americans blossomed into a full scale movement that is referred to as the period of the Harlem Renaissance. This analysis will explore the artists of the Harlem Renaissance and their impact on American arts and letters. The influence of the artistic output known as the Harlem Renaissance is still witnessed in contemporary times. Bil
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ne of his poems, Incident, Cullen (p. 1) describes an encounter during his childhood in which he was called a ôniggerö and which has, over time, come to symbolize the difficulties that he, as a black man, faced in learning how to ôsingö or to find his creative voice. The ôincident,ö as recalled by Cullen represent an epiphany for the speaker, a defining moment of insight and experience which shapes and informs the individualÆs subsequent life.
CullenÆs work conveys the struggles of living in an oppressive and racist society. Though the ôincidentö as explicated in the introductory stanzas is of seminal importance in CullenÆs life û and appears to have been his first personal, intimate encounter with openly expressed racism and bigotry û it has a lasting impact. He suggests th`t after this epiphany, his life has been a ôstruggle up a never-ending stairö (Cullen, p. 1). That same life has been filled with ôpetty caresö which have inhibited his ability to grasp the explanation for his situation. (Cullen, p. 1). He considers his condition similar to that of Tantalus; the ôfickle fruitö that the mythic figure is doomed to reach for is the equivalent of the ôsingingö that Cullen (p. 1), as a poet, must do.
The writings of James We
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Approximate Word count = 2050
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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