Comparing The Gettysburg Address And How It Feels To Be Colored Me

From Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg address, and poetry by Carl Sandburg, to the stand colored people took during the modern age, each work represents how different time periods and different situations influenced the evolution of American Literature. In the early 1860’s our nation was engaged in a civil war, fighting over slavery. Abraham Lincoln addresses the public in one of his most famous speeches, the Gettysburg Address. Around 50 years later Carl Sandburg writes the poem Chicago. He explains how Americans are going through a tough time, but gives a shade of hope and to persevere and things will look up. Finally Zora Hurston writes the memoir How It Feels to Be Colored Me. This was written during the Harlem Renaissance, she explains

The North and the South were battling over slavery. Many people lost their lives and this was one of our country’s lowest times. However Abraham Lincoln does a very good job of trying to resolve this conflict. He writes a famous speech and explains that it is useless for Americans to kill Americans in his best efforts to help this conflict. Lincoln uses repetition when describing the things that we can not allow happen in our country. This is the beginning of the evolution, it starts at the lowest point, and this is definitely not the end of hard times in America, but life for African Americans and everybody gradually begins to improve. A main point that Lincoln describes is how every man is created equal no matter their race, gender, or religious beliefs. Sadly this information goes in one ear and out the other because there is still a very long road ahead for the African American and everyone

Zora Hurston wrote the memoir How It Feels to Be Colored Me explaining how she is no different than the white man. At first Zora did not realize that she was any different but eventually her race was no longer invisible. Zora explains how she does not consider herself tragically colored and uses metaphors to show her self-confidence. She tries not to think about the hardships of being an African American but she definitely feels them just like everyone else. By this time their are black people doing great things, including athletes, artists, musicians, poets, and many more things. They start a much needed revolution and prove to the world that they are no different and also highly capable of achieving greatness. The 1920’s is known as the Harlem Renaissance and it is the time period when African Americans are defying the odds and achieving what most people said they could not. It all started with the horrific events of the civil war, then people move north in search of a better life but still do not feel in place, and finally African Americans and people in general defy the odds and do great things by the 1920’s. This time period represents what it really true because you matter what your race is it is possible to be whatever