Harlem Renaissance African American Culture Essay

During the 1920’s a new movement began to arise. This movement known as the Harlem Renaissance expressed the new African American culture. The new African American culture was expressed through the writing of books, poetry, essays, the playing of music, and through sculptures and paintings. Three poems and their poets express the new African American culture with ease. (Jordan 848-891) The poems also express the position of themselves and other African Americans during this time. â€Å"You and Your Whole Race†, â€Å"Yet Do I Marvel†, and â€Å"The Lynching† are the three poems whose themes are the same. The poets of these poems are, as in order, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude Mckay. Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902. He grew to†¦show more content†¦He attacked the black middle class because of how they seemed to be insensitive to the poorer black people and the problems they had. He says â€Å"....Look down upon the town in which you live and be ashamed. Look down upon white folks, and upon yourselves, and be ashamed....† (Hughes) Not only were they just insensitive to the problems that these poorer black people were having but acting like the white people. The only difference was the middle class African Americans were not as rich as the white people and the African Americans still did not hold any power over anything other than their own house. The whites hold all power over everything while the African Americans are still kept in â€Å"Supine Poverty†. (Hughes) The children are bred in stupid ignorance and it seems that the blacks â€Å"have not the sense to care† whether or not the children are brought up like this. à ¢â‚¬Å"...Nor [do they have] the manhood to stand up and say I dare you to come one step nearer, evil world...† (Hughes) Langston is saying the African Americans seem to not care whether or not the children are brought up in this ignorance. He is also that if the African Americans do not stand up for themselves then they will never gain any kind of positions in the world. Countee Cullen and his poem â€Å"Yet Do I Marvel† talks about the relationship between God and man but the main point of the poem is his position in the world as a being black and being a black poet. His skin color is placedShow MoreRelatedThe Harlem Renaissance : African American Culture758 Words   |  4 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance: African American Culture The Harlem Renaissance was an era where African American culture flourished. African American music, art, theatre, literature, food, fashion, and creativity dominated in the 1920’s. It was a movement to redefine what being â€Å"black† meant to destroy the stereotypes of that society has affiliated with being a negro. 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