Nicholas Rizzi 1920's Literature: 3D Gallery

The Heart of Happy Hollow By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar was a gifted writer known for his creative writing styles and interesting stories. He was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1872. He was a son of two former slaves, so he had a hard life from the beginning. Racial segregation put a large toll of his life, for it changed almost if not everything in his life. The Heart of Happy Hollow was a book full of short stories. One was about Mr. Asbury and how he worked his hardest to provide for himself after the Civil War. He started out little, as a bootblack, or a shoe-shiner. Then, he was able to work himself up to a barber. After that, he changed his occupation again, and became a lawyer. This book shows how the African Americans had a hard life after the Civil War, and this impacted many lives during the Harlem Renaissance. It gave people an idea of what their lives were like by providing them with different perspectives of many African-American people. This book covered all of the hardships that the African-American people faced during that time period such as lynching and other things of that group. Countless lives were impacted, and it was all due to Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Harlem Shadows By Claude McKay

Claude McKay was considered to be one of the biggest poets during the Harlem Renaissance. In his poems, he talked all about segregation in America. He challenged white authority, and stood up for, what he believed in. In Harlem Shadows, Claude McKay shows how the place he calls, “Negro Harlem” had many problems and how the African-Americans lived in a very poor area. They had a hard life during the harlem renaissance and he put all of their struggles into one beautiful poem collection. This piece was written in 1922 and was praised during that time period because it showed how miserable it was for the African-Americans that lived in a so called “hood.” Claude McKay did not hesitate to express how he felt. He had a way of showing his anger but doing it in such a way that everyone got the message without having to be direct. In Harlem Shadows, he says

“Ah, stern harsh world, that in the wretched way

Of poverty, dishonor and disgrace,

Has pushed the timid little feet of clay,

The sacred brown feet of my fallen race!”

The word selection that he uses, shows how he is angry about how the world treats his “fallen race,” but he does it in a way that it makes you think more than you did before.

Black Baby By Anita Scott Coleman

Langston Hughes’ poems had a certain way of sticking within your mind well after you’ve read it. The poem above, Warning, is one of those poems for sure. The way Langston Hughes uses his words is something magnificent. The way he described the African-Americans lived in the twenties was absolutely riveting. In Warning, Langston Hughes shows how the African-Americans were treated unfairly and all they wanted was some respect. However, they did not receive any even though they were “Sweet and docile” as Hughes said. So, as you get passed the halfway mark of the poem, you see that the African-Americans change their attitude and decide to stand up for themselves and fight back. Thankfully, their fightback was not violent, but a long, peaceful fight that paid off in the long run. Langston Hughes had a tough childhood, and still pushed on in his life to do amazing things. His parents divorced when he was little, so his grandmother raised him until he was thirteen and then moved in with his mom and her husband. He said that his main inspirations were Paul Laurence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman. He along with those men impacted the lives of many, and their work will never be forgotten.

How It Feels to Be Colored Me By Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was another well-known, African-American poet during the 1920’s. “How it Feels to Be Colored Me” is one of her masterpieces. This book is about her experiences as an African-American women in the early 1920’s. This book was an absolute beauty of literature. Many, many people praised Zora Neale Hurston because of this piece. In this book, she describes people as different colored bags, that all have things inside of them. These things make up what we call life and what we are as people. This is her perspective of certain people, and how she sees the world. This book impacted many people because it showed how African-American women lived during the Harlem Renaissance. It showed all of their struggles, as well as their victories. This book informed many people as well as touched them. In the book, it shows how she didn’t really think about her race because she was raised in an all black community. So, when she moved to a more diverse area, she was confused. At that point, her race did matter, so she had to adjust to the cold, terrible world that she was now exposed to. This book really changed people’s thoughts about racial discrimination.

Sonnet By Gwendolyn Bennet

Countee Cullen had a very hard life, and channeled all of the anger, or hatred he had towards the world, and did something wonderful. In 1918, his paternal grandmother and guardian died. He was only fifteen at the time, and as you would expect this took a big toll on the young boy's life. He was taken in by a reverend from the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church. At that time, the church was Harlem’s largest congregation. The reverend that took him in was Reverend Fredrick A. Cullen. He had a big influence on the African-American youth, and Countee Cullen learned a lot from him. Countee had written a lot of poems in his life, but one really separated him from other poets. This poem was called Shadowed. In this poem he uses many powerful words to make the reader feel sad. That may feel like a bad thing, but during this time period that is what they aimed for in their poems. “His cross upon my back- He only seeks to place it there because my skin is black.” You get a feeling of sorrow after reading that excerpt from Shadowed. This made many people stand up for the African-Americans, and influenced years of protest and fighting.

God's Tombones By James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson was a wonderful poet from the Harlem Renaissance. His works affected people all throughout the 1920’s, and his works inside and outside of literature inspired many people. In 1920, he became the national organizer for the NAACP. The NAACP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People helps to get equal rights for all people. They work as hard as they can to ensure political, educational, social, and economic equality. This really shows how dedicated he was from the start. He wrote songs about his feelings, and what he believed in. He really was a great man. Then, in 1927, he wrote God’s Trombones. God’s Trombones is a bunch of inspiring sermons or poems of James Weldon Johnson. He experienced a lot of hate, bitterness, and discrimination in his life, but that never stopped him from reaching his full potential. James Weldon Johnson lived through the best and the worst during the Harlem Renaissance, and he gave many people hope through these sermons and poems. He was a very decorated man, with many talents that consist of writing and singing, and this is definitely one of his best pieces. As you can see, the impact James Weldon Johnson had on the African-Americans and the rest of the world was tremendous.

By Gwendolyn Bennet

Anita Scott Coleman was a very skilled writer with many unique qualities that really set hers from the rest. The way she writes her poems sends shivers down the readers back, no matter what poem or piece they are reading. She was a teacher within the earlier stages of her life, so she impacted many children, before she went on to impact hundreds and hundreds of people later on. The poem above, is a very strong poem that she wrote, for it really shows how she feels about being African American. In the poem, she repeatedly says, “The baby I hold in my arms is a black baby.” This is a very strong line from her poem. This line holds the true meaning of the poem, and really does a great job of summarizing the rest of the poem. Basically, in her poem she says how the baby is a normal baby, and how there is no difference between him or her and the other babies around the world. However, as you can see in her poem, she says “The baby I hold in my arms is a black baby.” This shows how the baby is black, but it is the same as every other baby. Therefore, it should not be treated differently.

Negro Woman By Lewis Alexander

Lewis Alexander was a very talented man when it came to literature, and the talent that he possessed definitely showed within his poems. In the poem above, Lewis Alexander provides the audience with a very detailed description of exactly what he wants the audience to imagine. For example, in his poem he wrote, “The scars of the moon are curved

Like the wrinkles on the brow of A Negro woman.

The stars twinkle tonight”

This quote gives you an idea of what he wanted to do in his poems. He wants you to envision the moon, in a curved shape. He wants you to see the woman, and the wrinkles on her brow. These descriptive words gave him the respect that he deserved. Many of the poems he wrote were praised because of how well they impacted the reader. Similarly to Gwendolyn Bennett, his work filled the reader with hope, or happiness. Whatever feeling that they needed to feel. In this poem, he is describing all of the things in nature that are similar to an African American woman. He shows how the African Americans are no different than things you see daily in nature, as well as other places. His work inspired many people to stand up for themselves, as well as helped them get through tough times.

Zora Neale Hurston

The Washingtonian By May Miller

May Miller’s poems have a way of delivering a message clearly, and effectively. In this poem, you can see that May Miller shows how she feels about the whole situation. In the poem, she says, “Possessed of this city, we are born Into kinship with its people. “ This means that people are born into a certain place, and think that they had to belong within the city. As you can tell by the name of the poem, she is talking about Washington D.C. Since she was born in Washington D.C., she has seen this happen first hand. The African Americans were born into the city, and felt as though they had to fit in the way they have seen before. Basically, if an African American male sees many white men walk along in the streets, they want to be like them. So, if the white men just walk by and don’t do anything, the African American wants to be the same way. They want to be just as simple. Whether the white men do nothing, or something, the African American wants to be like the “higher class” people. It is a very sad thing, that envy that they feel. It is quite obvious that May Miller felt the same. You can tell because later on in the poem, she says, “But we shall walk again Side by side with others on the street, Each certain of his way home.” That means that one day there will be no jealousy or envy, for everyone will be the same, so their would be no reason for any of that. This poem made many people think about this envy that they felt and change it do there would be no reason to be jealous.

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Nicholas Rizzi 1920's Literature