The Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain Analysis

Art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as a painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. In order for art to genuinely invoke a powerful reaction from the viewer, the intention and message behind the work must have an intimate connection to the creator. Creators of art have the opportunity to expand their mind and change their opinions on deeply personal topics, which can, for example, lead to new perspectives on how people interact within society. The representation of societal problems through art enables a wide audience to develop empathy and relate to the critiques that the creator conveys in her work.
In the essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”, Hughes’s disdain and contempt were evident when he gave an example of the typical black household, which led to black children feeling stifled by themselves and the preset stereotypes in society. He claimed that there is a racial mountain facing the black population and black artists need to overcome this mountain. In order to do so, these young artists need to use art to their advantage, in order to discover and then spread pride of their race, history, and culture. Hughes explicitly illustrates his point when he says “...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.’?” White superiority is supported immensely, not only in society but also within the households of blacks. This is due to a conservative attitude towards the inherent racism that persists all throughout history, held by the parents, the grandparents, and perhaps even further along the line of ancestors, of the black artists from Hughes’s era. He stresses the fact that the younger generation must use the arts to alter this mindset, or else the suppression of blacks will continue to
In the essay “Bop,” Hughes introduces two characters, Simple and the narrator, who is kept anonymous. Simple explains to the narrator that be-bop is not just a string of nonsensical sounds, it is a form of communication between blacks and it originated from policemen beating blacks, the sounds of be-bop are beaten from their minds. On the basis of their skin color, they are physically and mentally beat down by the policemen, who represent the prejudices in society held against blacks. Simple tells the narrator that “‘Bop is mad, wild, frantic, crazy — and not to be dug unless you’ve seen dark days,too. Folks who ain’t suffered much cannot play Bop, neither appreciate it.’” It is through music that blacks are able to impart to the public their humiliating experience. Bop is the expression of their fury and their desperate longing to be free from the suffocating bigotry that is constantly directed towards them. Their use of bop allows blacks to reach out to each other and unite amongst themselves, strengthening their influence in their community, which will then create friction against the social norms set by white superiority. Not restricted to only bop, Hughes presented the idea that music can send out a message to those who know the same suffering and help the victims feel empowered. Music enables for the voices of the oppressed to be