Women In Zora Neale Hurston's On Being Young-A Woman

Harlem Renaissance was the remarkable period for the Afro-Americans in the US. During that period which referred to 1920s Afro-American society introduced itself as an independent and intellectual society. During the period, Afro-Americans revealed the richness of their culture and proved that it is possible to fight for their rights by means of art and peaceful methods. Many black activists were associated with Afro-American artists and writers. The topic of black women identity was rather popular in art and literature during the period of Harlem Renaissance. The topic was associated by current social issues and focused on such problems as black women political, economic, and social rights. That is why, Harlem Renaissance writers, in particular female ones, paid an exceptional attention to the topic. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast the representation of black female identity in “On Being Young – a Woman – and Colored” by Marita Bonner and “How it Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston. Both literary works deal with black women experiences during the Harlem
Renaissance and provide interesting view on black females’ life. The purpose of this comparative investigation is to reveal how both sources are similar concerning triggered issues and authors views on these issues. Also, the analysis aims to find some most vivid differences between Bonner’s and Hurston’s approaches to interpret identity of black women at the period. Historical and cultural contexts would be taken into consideration to provide rather deep vision on the topic and its representation in chosen literary works.
Both literary works were written in the period of Harlem Renaissance and refer to the remarkable events of this period. The period of Harlem Renaissance was rather specific time in the American history marked by the exceptional significance to the Afro-American people. The period refers to 1920s and involves cultural, social and artistic events that took place in Harlem, New York (Huggins, 1973). Also, the period is known as the “New Negro Movement” which was the name of the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke (Huggins, 1973). The movement was caused by the Great Migration of Afro-Americans to the North and Midwest areas of the country and intensive involvement of Afro-Americans in the cultural life of the US. Some experts even suggest that Harlem Renaissance refers to the revival of African-American arts (Huggins, 1973). In particular, Afro-American literature sustained flourishing during the period and the works under analysis also prove this. Both Hurston and Bonner experienced the events occurred in 1920s as they lived at that time and in that society and issues of black females were their own issues.
Both literary works share the common topic which is the identity of black females in the American society on the begging of 20th century. Indeed, both authors concentrated on the topic because it was important for them. Bonner as well as Hurston belonged to the society of blacks and realized the importance of struggle for Afro-Americans life. However, they were also females and concentrated their attention on the problems of females first of all. The titles of the essays reflect their central ideas.
Therefore, “On Being Young – a Woman – and Colored” refers to the several stages in authors’ life and several aspects of her identity.
First of all, Bonner was young even a little girl and did not realize her social position and fate defined by that-days social order. Second, Bonner was a woman and female society was severely discriminated at that period. Third, Bonner belonged to the category of Colored woman, as she was Afro-American. All these three perspectives were used in the essay to reveal the identity of black females and to show the most common issues of black feminism during the Harlem Renaissance. The title of the second work, “How it Feels to Be Colored Me”, also reflects the central topic of the essay. The author puts a special emphasis on her personal feelings and psychological experiences revealing the issues of black females from the perspective of her inner
state.
Judging from the historical context, the period of Harlem Renaissance was the wave of Afro-Americans’ fighting for their rights but in this case they incorporated art as an effective ‘weapon’: “traditionally, the suppression of Black women’s ideas within White-male-controlled social institutions led African-American women to use music, literature, daily conversations, and everyday behavior as important locations for constructing a black feminist consciousness” (Collins, 2000, p. 252).
Both literary works created by Bonner and Hurston shared a common ground as their aim was to affect the American society, motivating people and the Government to pay their attention to black females and relative issues. However, both authors involved different literary techniques and approaches to achieve their goals in really creative ways. For example, Zora Hurston does involve any claims and motivating mottos, her speech is not too emotional and her position is not as radical as we may imagine. In her essay, the author reveals her own contemplation on her identity as a black woman. Indeed, she did not feel regret about being discriminated on the basis of her race. Hurston focused more attention on some eternal aspects of black female identity, paying attention to the inner world and sole (Warren, 2006).
One of the most famous metaphors on discrimination and relative issues used by Hurston refers to bags. The author compares herself with a brown bag propped against a wall. However, the bad is not alone but in a company of other backs if different colors. From the first sight, the most striking difference between all the bags is their color. However, the author switches readers’ attention to the content of these bags: “Pour out the contents, and there is discovered a jumble of small, things priceless and worthless” (Hurston, 2013, p. 661). According to the author, it is significant to pay attention to the inner world of any person rather than to focus on some visible features, such as a color of skin, cloths, education, etc. Black females as well as any other females are personalities first of all who can dream, feel, love, hope, etc. Obviously, they have a feeling of their dignity and should be taken into account if to talk about social and political rights.
In her childhood, Bonner compares herself with a little kitty. This metaphor is not accidental and refers to child’s carelessness and weakness at the same time. A little kitty is playing all the time, and the only problem for her is food. When she is little she does not realizes all the threats and dangers that surround her. Bonner grew similarly to the kitty, not expecting future dangers and threats. However, step by step the understanding of the reality came to the woman. Indeed, with each following part of her life, Bonner realized that her aspirations and dreams would come never come true. Dangers and threats waited for this young girl, as well as for many the same young black girls. These dangers and threats were associated with the common stereotypes about Afro-American as well as with the political and economic pitfalls that prevented black females’ development.
Both literary works provide a religious vision of the issue of gender and race discrimination. For example, Hurston uses one interesting metaphor that refers to God: “Perhaps that is how the Great Stuffer of Bags filled them in the first place? Who knows?” (Hurston, 2013, p. 661). According to the author, there is someone above discrimination and society, as well as above this world, - someone who created this world and this is God. Hurston is convinced that this is God who created all these bags that refer to people and He decided which color of skin they would have, which eyes and hairs, teeth and fingers, etc. As God created those people it should be His will to distribute their life roles. In such a way, Hurston suggests that all of the people despite gender and race should be equal and pay more attention to their inner world rather than to their personal characteristics. This idea attributes to the Christianity as according to the Bible all people are equally important for God, as He gave His Son for death all people could have forgiveness and everlasting life.
Bonner also resorts to religious contemplations on the issue of gender equality and Afro-American female segregation. The author is trying to find a logical explanation of gender inequality and finds the suggestion in Buddhism. According to Bonner, the image of Buda is also colored and it is female. It wetness about the significance of females in other religions and cultures and this is not accidental. Bonner implies that black females are equal to the black males as well as to the representatives of other races both male and female.
Marita Bonner describes in her essay “On Being Young – a Woman – and Colored” her personal experience of being a young and black woman. Although, the essay refers to all black females, the author builds the plot around her own personality. The plot of the essay involves chronological events starting from Bonner’s childhood and continuing to her adulthood. The same technique used in Hurston, but Bonner focused more on the events that happened with her and the conclusions she made, while Hurston concentrated her attention on her contemplations about gender and race in general. All the events that happened in life of Marita are associated with her philosophy on black women identity and her understanding of her own social role; while Hurston takes into account not only social role of black females but their place in her contemporary world.
Starting with her childhood, Bonner describes a black female child as any other child. This is a small black girl, tidy and pretty that likes to play outside and enjoys dreaming. This little girl is not aware about social and political issues and she imagines her life in her own way. The little black girl knows nothing about discrimination and segregation, gender and race inequality. She lives according her logic and imagines her future in bright colors. In her future she is happy and smiled.
Hurston also starts her essay from her childhood, and she mentions that she never considered herself a colored girl. During her childhood, Hurston lived in a black society and saw white people exceptionally rarely. She never thought that in some companies of people she may look strange. However, when the girl was thirteen years old she realized that she is different from the majority of other girls because of her race. This event refers to school time, when Zora was sent for studding in Jacksonville. Bonner also describes her childhood with the same purpose that is to explain the readers how the understanding of color came to her.
Obviously, both author focused their attention on their childhood experiences with the purpose to reveal their own perception of their identities. Also, the authors provided some facts from the childhood to reveal their expectations and hopes from the very beginning as it was in “On Being Young – a Woman – and Colored”. That is why the work involves features of autobiography and reveals Bonner’s worries and emotions that are projected on the entire society of black females of that period. Hurston also provides her own experiences of being of a woman of color but the author is more concerned with her inner state and provides her interpretation of discrimination in a philosophical way.
The essay “On Being Young – a Woman – and Colored” provides numerous stereotypes associated with black females of the period of 1920s on the basis of which the women were discriminated in their societies. For example, black women often regarded as impolite. The author raises this problem because in the begging of 20th century politeness and patterns of behavior really mattered. White people always followed numerous rules of