Racism In The Modernist Era

In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” and her essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” the African American social group is being represented in many ways.The texts have similar ways that African Americans are represented for the time period. The African Americans or “colored people” are represented in an aspect that comes from the author's point of view. The African Americans are represented as being unbothered, growing up in a closed community, playing the game with whites, and optimistic.

1)Hurston’s opening paragraph in “How it Feels to Be Colored Me” functions as a joke that aims to lessen the stigma around discussing race in the 1920s. The phrase “extenuating circumstances” is defined as lessening the seriousness of a situation and therefore reducing any consequence that may emerge from her controversial stance. Hurston’s assertion that her “grandfather on the mother’s side was not an Indian chief” is intended to bring humor to the African American tendency to claim Native American ancestry in order to raise their social status. Her sarcastic juxtaposition of accepting her color versus colored people distancing themselves from it creates a colloquial tone that illustrates her defiance of social stigmas and norms. This biting opening paragraph intrigues the reader and allows her audience to grasp the overall purpose of the

In How It Feels To Be Colored Me by Zora Neal Hurston well as in The Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr both authors convey what it feels like to be face with race issues.The two essays shed light on the social issues in different ways. The essays show the struggles of life when those around the two authors do not fully grasp the concept. Both Hertz and King use tone, their audience, and point of view to get their point across with the goal of bringing a better understanding to their audience.

After World War 1, the United States was able to move from war to peace in the 1920s . However, with this transition came racism, the red scare, end of progressivism and bumps within the economy. Domestic problems that the United States had to face was the predicament of African Americans, labor unions that had grown in size and influence , the way that living costs had risen, the Red Scare, etc.

The John.F.Kennedy story was one of the greatest president moments caught on camera they even called his finest moment because that was the day that he told the white man get out of the way of the black people that have come to participate in school.That was a big deal back then because racism was a lot bigger than what it is today the reason is because back then were a lot of problems with racism but one of them that pop up most is the story of William Minner, that day his dad and him went to the spring’s to get water this spring was open to both white and black. When they were in line two white men grabbed his dad the reason was because the line in front of them were only white people they told him that

In the poem “I, Too”, the author Langston Hughes illustrates the key aspect of racial discrimination faces against the African Americans to further appeals the people to challenge white supremacy. He conveys the idea that black Americans are as important in the society.

In the 19th Century, “Antebellum” era America, citizens were witnessing America go through a radical metamorphosis. The country had gone from an agricultural empire to an industrial beast, seemingly overnight. To compensate for these great changes and difficulties, many idealists forged plethoras of reformation movements. One of these being, the Second Great Awakening. Two of the issues the Second Great Awakening brought light upon were Temperance (alcoholism), and the ever capsulating issue of racism. For a short modicum of time, many Americans were very against the overconsumption of alcohol, and although racism is always an issue everywhere, many leaders of the Second Great Awakening were abolitionists in addition to being religious leaders.

In the essay, “A Genealogy of Modern Racism”, the author Dr. Cornel West discusses racism in depth, while conveying why whites feel this sense of superiority. We learn through his discussion that whites have been forced to treat black harshly due to the knowledge that was given to them about the aesthetics of beauty and civility. This knowledge that was bestowed on the whites in the modern West, taught them that they were superior to all races tat did not emulate the norms of whites. According to Dr. West the very idea that blacks were even human beings is a concept that was a “relatively new discovery of the modern West”, and that equality of beauty, culture, and intellect in blacks remains problematic and controversial in intellectual circles

What is the purpose of racism? In Theorizing Nationalism, Day and Thompson discuss how racism and nationalism are precisely the same. Racism has the ability to help build nationalism, especially in our young country. LeMay and Barkan in U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Laws & Issues talk about how this racism is used during a specific time period, 1880 to 1920, in the United States of America. Both of these articles argue that when the United States was in a time of peril, they used racism as a unifying factor to bring the country together and as a way to put a group of people lower than themselves to bring their status to a higher point in society.

American blacks were discriminated against by the whites. However, the Harlem Renaissance led to new contributions by blacks that made their way into white society. “The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and early 1930s was the first time that music, art and literature of African Americans was widely noticed and adopted by non-Black America” (The Harlem Renaissance). Jazz music became an icon of the Roaring 20s. Whites would go to dances where jazz music would be playing. While the blacks made this contribution, they didn’t get to participate in the Roaring 20s like the whites. They continued to live in poverty while the white’s prospered (The American Pageant). Marcus Garvey saw how terrible the lives of African Americans was and wanted to help them while he was part of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The blacks contributed to white society, but the whites still didn’t want them around. In his letter to his fellow blacks, Garvery discusses this ongoing issue and that it needed to be addressed. “...The Negro peoples of the western world were not interested in Africa and could not live in Africa” (Garvey). The Anglos wanted the blacks to stop interrupting white lifestyle. Langston Hughes wrote a poem to convey the meaning that just because he wasn’t white doesn’t mean he wasn’t American. “I too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me

Zora Hurston uses vivid imagery, natural diction, and several literary tools in her essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”. Hurston’s use of imagery, diction, and literary tools in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” contributes to, and also compliments, the essay’s theme which is her view on life as a “colored” person. Throughout “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” Hurston carefully incorporates aspects of her African American culture in an effort to recapture her ancestral past. Hurston’s use of imagery, diction, and use of literary tools shape her essay into a piece of Harlem Renaissance work.

Racism is considered to be one of the most important and difficult topics to be spoken about all over the world. It has become a major problem for the nation during the years. In my essay I would like to speak about the beginning of racism, the situation nowadays, about the Civil Rights Movement and of course about a person, who had the greatest influence on the problem of racism in the history – Martin Luther King.

The poem I, Too, Sing America written by Langston Hughes shortly after World War II in 1945, is a lyrical poem about the neglected voices in America as a response to the Poem “I hear America singing.” During this time, African Americans were oppressed in society and they did not have equal rights to Caucasians. This poem expresses Langston Hughes hope for the future where black people are not oppressed when equality is achieved between races. This poem helps assert Langston Hughes’ ideas of racial pride, hope, and equality.

Throughout the course of African American Experience in Literature, various cultural, historical, and social aspects are explored. Starting in the 16th century, Africa prior to Colonization, to the Black Arts Movement and Contemporary voice, it touches the development and contributions of African American writers from several genres of literature. Thru these developments, certain themes are constantly showing up and repeating as a way to reinforce their significances. Few of the prominent ideas in the readings offer in this this course are the act of be caution and the warnings the authors try to portray. The big message is for the readers to live and learn from experiences. The authors want their audiences to use these tales and examples as life lessons and hope for them to utilize these sources in their future lives. These two ideas are presented through the use of figurative language, mainly metaphors. In addition, the similar tone of these pieces allows the author to connect more deeply with the readers. Toni Morrison’s Nobel lecture, folktales, and several poems illustrate how metaphors and tone are used to describe experience and caution the readers.

African- American writings have dealt with manifold themes throughout history. The American Civil War can be considered a break-through in the political as well as literary history. Many texts were born with subtle experiences of racist attitudes in America. Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye can be pinned to the African- American writings after the American Civil War movement of the 1960’s, representing a “distinctively black literature” what Morrison calls “race-specific yet race-free prose”. Morrison is among the pioneer of those contemporary black writers who have redefined African- American writings in more ways than one. This assignment will focus on the aspects of gender bias and double consciousness in The Bluest Eye.