The Harlem Renaissance (1930-1940s):

Langston Hughes and Zora Neal Hurston

Introduction:

Though many identify this period with Harlem in New York City, there are some who claim that the movement was born in Washington D.C. This is a time in American history where African American art, literature and music flourished. Thanks to this period African American voices began to be recognized as valuable and significant contributors to American culture. However, the "Negroe" was still considered a second class citizen, and the struggle is evident in most of the works you will read in this lesson. Perhaps, some of the best known authors of this period are Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. You will be reading samples of their work.

I- Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Some of Hughes's major poetic influences were Walt Whitman [1819-1892; U.S.], Carl Sandburg [1878-1967; U.S.], Paul Laurence Dunbar [1872-1906; U.S.], and Claude McKay [1889-1948; Jamaica] . . . . It was the marriage of these widely varying aesthetics, modernism mixed with an almost religious devotion to the power of repetition and musicality in the blues, that gave rise to Hughes's voice, which sounded like no other voice that came before it.

Best know for his poems written during the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes used a new literary art form, jazz poetry, that according to Poets.Org is "a literary genre defined as poetry necessarily informed by jazz music-that is, poetry in which the poet responds to and writes about jazz" ("A Brief Guide").

Reading Assignment:

Read an introduction to Langston Hughes:

Read these poems below:

-"Dreams".

-"Dream Variations".

-"Po' Boy Blues.

-"The Weary Blues".

-"Let America Be American Again" (influenced by Walt Whitman).

II- Zora Neal Hurston (1891-1960)

The official Zora Neal Hurston website explains how the author took her place in literary history: "On May 1, 1925, at a literary awards dinner sponsored by Opportunity magazine, the earthy Harlem newcomer turned heads and raised eyebrows as she claimed four awards: a second-place fiction prize for her short story "Spunk," a second-place award in drama for her play Color Struck, and two honorable mentions".

Read more about Zora Neal Hurston:

Reading Assignment:

Cheryl A. Wall's book "Sweat": ": Written by Zora Neal Hurston (Women Writers Series) states that "Sweat" was first "published in Fire!, a legendary literary magazine of the Harlem Renaissance, whose sole issue appeared in November 1926 . . . . [the story] exemplifies Hurston's lifelong concern with women's relation to language and the literary possibilities of the black vernacular" ("Sweat" back cover). Many scholars believe it is Hurston's best work.

Read "Sweat" in Wall's book on Google Books.

Discussion Board:

Choose one work from any of the poets or authors: Eliot, Auden, Hughes, or Hurston. For your new discussion post, write a short essay of at least 300 words that explains why people today can relate to poem or short story. Keep in mind that this new post is a Gordon Rule assignment, meaning that the quality of your writing as well as the length will be considered during the evaluation/grading process.