Poems of the the Harlem Renaissance

The Poems of the Harlem Renaissance

Colette 106977

English 104
College of New Caledonia – Quesnel Campus
Danielle Sarandon
7 February 2014

The Harlem Renaissance was the revival for African Americans in providing capability of expression through literature, music, art and poetry. This period in the 1920’s was the engine that drove black creativity to display the interpretations of their culture and to supply hope for a true identity. Many works that came from Harlem addressed feelings of degradation and indifference experienced by adolescence in American society, seeking to uplift those burdened by pervading racism and stereotyping. The outpouring of literature became a way of surpassing these hardships and shattering the issues of alienation and marginality. To understand the Harlem Renaissance it is important to view the struggle and wisdom through its own poets by examining these three poems: “Sonnet to a Negro in Harlem”, by Helene Johnson, “The White House”, by Claude McKay, and “I, Too”, by Langston Hughes. Helene Johnson describes in her poem, “Sonnet to a Negro in Harlem”, a man with numerous contradictions which points out the theme of judgment. Johnson mentions the character’s glorious presentation and his “prefect” structure, but since she does not describe the character’s personality we infer that the speaker does not know the person well, but is struck by his appearance and behaviour (line 2). Johnson uses several negative words to convey the individual’s attitude, including “pompous” “supercilious” and “arrogant” (lines 2, 11, 13). The speaker’s complete view of him, however, is positive; the speaker goes on to say “I loveyour laughter” and calls him “magnificent” and “splendid” (lines 12, 1, 14). The alternatively negative adjectives combine with his attraction and confidence to create a picture of an admirable man. Aware of the appreciation towards this man, the speaker says “your head [is] thrown back in rich, barbaric song,” (line 7) which is ironic because the man’s music is only “barbaric” to the American society, but like his ancestry, the music is genuinely rich. In agreement with Jay Parini in The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature ,“For women writers of the Harlem Renaissance . . . the issue of passing, or the attempt to deny one’s black identity by posing as a white person, also shaped the discussions of sex, class and culture” (152). This poem is certainly about all of those topics and is regarding alienation and marginality due to the association of social criticism. The poem “The White House”, by Claude McKay reflects the injustices of American life and how McKay is dissatisfied with the United States Segregation. The main theme of this composition is inequality as a result of the speaker’s feelings towards Negroes facing discrimination as a group. When Kelly J. Mays, in The Norton Introduction to Literature, addresses Claude McKay, he states “his poetry was sometimes violent and incendiary, but equally strong was his sense of nostalgia and natural spiritualism” (1935). The title “The White House” is a symbol of a white community and how there is only one colour in their eyes, and not multiple colours that could come together to shape what should be, a beautiful nation.The sonnet goes on to explain “your door is shut against my tightened face” (line 1), meaning the speaker is an outsider looking in, or wanting to be let in but cannot deny the fact that he is being shut out. In line 3 and 4 of the poem the mood of the composition changes when the author writes “but I possess the courage and the grace / to bear my anger proudly and unbent.”The optimism in the speaker’s voice assures the readers that he refuses to break down and he will move forward despite the alienation and marginality occurring towards his race.The speaker declares “Oh, I must search for wisdom every hour / and find in it the superhuman power” (lines 9, 11) meaning he must look within himself for guidance and for unwilling power to “keep my heart inviolate / against the poison of your deathly hate” (lines13, 14). The Poem “I, Too”, by Langston Hughes shouts for equality and freedom (1021). It demonstrates the strength and bravery of a black slave that will stand up for what he believes is right, and will one day be able to say enough is enough. The title “I, Too” implies the battle for inclusion with the multiple races that make up the face of America. The first line of the poem, “I, too, sing America” clearly signifies that even though the speaker might be a different race, he also sings the National Anthem, Star Spangle Banner, the same as any other. Jay Parini recognises that "Hughes argues the uniqueness of African American culture" and an equivalent "need for blacks to cultivate a sense of racial pride" (147). The speaker goes on to note that he is "the darker brother" (line 2), referring to his skin color, and then makes reference to the fact that he is sent "to eat in the kitchen / when company comes" (line 3-4). The brutality, however, does not stop the speaker from keeping a confident mindset and attitude, he will take care of himself and "grow strong" (line7). Then the speaker envisions a future in which he is no longer sent to the kitchen, and where no one would dare to call him unequal. The last lines of the poem show true idealism when the speaker declares " Besides, / They 'll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed" (lines 15, 16, 17). More important, the servant, argues again that "I, too, am America" (line 18). Langston Hughes holds nothing back in his last four lines of his free verse piece, showing that the speaker is hopeful for the future even though the circumstances of the present are not idealistic. The speaker is aware that day by day evolution is changing and progressing behaviour, technology, and society. He believes that one day the world will realise how they have acted towards certain cultures and recognise that through their marginality and alienation the black race has persisted to be hopeful and strived towards greatness in the midst of the burdens they were oppressed with. The merging of

Works Cited
Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2013. Print.

Cited: Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2013. Print.