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20th Century Poets In Nella Larsen's Passing

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In many of the text we’ve read this semester, including poems, the conflicts of the 20th century were evident. It was also evident that there are differences between the 20th and 21st century, as well as many similarities. Poets such as Langston Hughes and Claude McKay gave us an insight to what life was like during the Harlem Renaissance. Being black men was something that they felt was necessary to speak about during their time. The situations and problems that occurred around them is what gave them a sense of individuality, while at the same time, these problems challenged them in a sense that made them better poets. It gave them something to talk about; and though their poetry did not solve the problems, I’d like to think that it made it …show more content…

The saying “history just repeats itself,” is definitely true, no matter the situation. Authors like Nella Larsen showed her struggles through her writing, and though “Passing” was not based on a true story, it is very evident that the plot of the story was (and still is) an issue in society. In today’s society struggling with passing as black or white it is not as big of an issue as it was then, but it does still happen. For instance, I have a friend who is mixed (black and white), but her skin tone is so light that you would never know she was mixed until she began to talk about how her mom is half black. “The trouble with Clare was, not only that she wanted to have her cake and eat too, but that she wanted to nibble at the cakes of other folk as well. (Passing)” This quote from “Passing” is very interesting to me because I sometimes feel like this with my friend. For me, it seems as though she will claim her black side, but only when it is beneficial. Though it is not a very big deal to me, it sometimes bothers me because I love being black and I don’t get to pick and choose when it is appropriate to be that. As stated, “Passing” may not be based on a true story, but it can be said that Nella Larsen more than likely struggled with being a light skinned woman in that society. I …show more content…

In “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Tennessee Williams shows us a little bit about people struggling with trying to understand sexuality and feminism. Though there is no full detail, we are shown how Blanche’s ex-husband was caught doing something that was really unspeakable during that time. Blanche did not know how to handle that nor could she deal with all the deaths that were happening in her life so she started to become her own woman, which was also not very acceptable. She lies to herself and others so that life can appear as what she thinks it should be. Tennessee Williams definitely explores over throwing boundaries in the

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