Paper Example on the Harlem Renaissance: An Era of African-American Empowerment

Introduction

The Harlem Renaissance era refers to a period of social, intellectual, as well as an artistic explosion that began in Harlem, New York in the 1920s (Nash). It was also commonly known as the New Negro Movement. Though centered in Harlem, the Great Migration spread the new cultural expressions among the African-Americans to the Midwest and Northeast regions. Francophone writers of black descent were also influenced and helped in the growth of the movement (Leonard 93). Though the movement is documented to have lasted from around 1918 to the mid-1930s, its ideas persisted for much longer. Mostly associated with Jazz and African American arts, the Harlem Renaissance saw African Americans play more significant roles socially, politically, and artistically. A huge number of people such as Aaron Douglas, Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Zora Neale Hurston, among others significantly contributed to the movement. This paper seeks to explore the contribution of Zora Neale Hurston to the Harlem Renaissance Movement. The movement will first be discussed to give the reader a better understanding of the era, and then the life of Zora Hurston will be explored. Her influence, both as a writer and as an African American woman, will be discussed. Her book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, will also be discussed in greater detail.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The Harlem Renaissance Era

As mentioned earlier, this movement was centered in Harlem, New York, and lasted from 1918 to the mid-1930s (Nash). The movement has an intimate relationship with the fight for civil rights in the country, the Reconstruction Era, as well as the Great Migration (Muller). Majority of African Americans lived in slavery in the South until the Civil War ended. The Reconstruction Era saw the emancipation of African Americans, and they began striving for political and economic equality, civic participation, as well as cultural self-determination. However, Democratic whites regained power in the South in the 1870s, and most gains made in this period were eroded. Legislations that disenfranchised the African Americans were passed, white supremacist regimes were established, convict labor systems were instituted, and the African Americans were denied their civil and political rights. This led to the mass migration of African Americans from the South to the North (Arora). Most people in the Harlem Renaissance movement were part of the Great Migration. Harlem served as the convergence point of the African Americans migrating from the South as well as the people of African descent who were escaping racial stratification in the Caribbean.

Harlem which had served as a suburb for the white middle and upper class in the 19th century, therefore, became a cultural center of African Americans seeking a new start in life (Wall). However, regardless of the rising popularity of Negro culture in the neighborhood, white racism by ethnic immigrants was prevalent. The first recognized phase of the Harlem Renaissance occurred in the 1910s. The premiere of the Three Plays for Negro Theatre in 1917 is cited as the single most important event that occurred in the history of Negro theatre (Bonner). Written by Ridgely Torrence, a white playwright, featured African-American writers and conveyed complex human yearnings and emotions. They also challenged the existing racial stereotypes. If We Must Die, a poem by Claude McKay, an immigrant from Jamaica, written in 1919, was also another landmark in the movement (McKay 1). Though he did not allude to race, he introduced various political themes that pointed to defiance by the African-Americans to the established systems.

Hubert Harrison, who is known as the father of the Harlem Renaissance, founded The Voice and the Liberty League the first newspaper and organization of the New Negro Movement, respectively in 1917 (Perry). Though political, they also emphasized on arts. Increasingly, African American writers gained mainstream acceptance. The New Negro, an anthology by Alain Locke featured various African American writers such as Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, and Zora Hurston, and is considered to be the cornerstone of the cultural revolution in the period (Wintz). The incorporation of African American culture into poems led to the development of jazz poetry. Through literature, an African American voice and identity was developed. The Harlem Stride style of playing the piano was created during this era and helped bridge the gap between the socially elite and the poor African Americans. The musical style of African Americans also became more appealing to whites. Resultantly, white novelists and composers began incorporating musical themes and tendencies of the blacks in their works (Thompson 75). The black fashion also changed from prim to proper in this era. This was aimed at conveying flamboyancy and elegance. Leopard skin coats were also common and were used to express respect for the African heritage.

Characteristics and Themes of the Harlem Renaissance

An overt racial pride was the central theme in this era. It was represented in literature, music, and art. These forms were used to challenge existing racism and stereotypes and also to promote progressive politics and social integration. The form of art that emerged during this period lacked a uniting form. Instead, it borrowed from various cultural styles and elements. The experience of slavery and the effects of institutional racism were also common themes in the period (Standish).

Artists in this period also sought to recapture the African American past, especially the rural southern roots, the African heritage, and the newly found urban experience. For instance, Zora Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, extensively discusses southern black life. This corresponded with the increasing popularity of Pan-Africanism in African American politics (Wintz). African Americans also used art in this period to prove their humanity and also demand for equality. Resultantly, more opportunities for blacks arose. For instance, more authors were published by mainstream houses, and the new form of fiction appealed to larger audiences. Owing to this, authors such as Zora Hurston gained national attention.

Life in Harlem, as well as other urban centers, was also extensively explored by Harlem Renaissance artists. Almost all works of art from this period address race, especially the effect of race and racism on the blacks. This served as a protest against racial injustice (Wintz). Though the movement largely depended on the support of black patrons, publications, and businesses, some white American also made enormous contributions. For instance, Charlotte Osgood Mason and Carl Van Vechten offered different forms of support since they also believed in racial sameness. Interest in African American cultures also attracted the support of the whites (Donlon 845).

Influence of the Movement

Harlem Renaissance led to the development of a new black identity. The black experience was brought to the national arena, not just on a cultural level but also sociologically. Resultantly, the way America and the world viewed African Americans was redefined. This is the greatest legacy of the Harlem Renaissance (Hammond 35).

The Harlem Renaissance also led to the emergence of the New Negro movement. The movement sought to redefine what being African American meant and challenge the existing stereotypes. It also led to the development of the Neo-New Negro movement, which also challenged normative sexuality, gender roles, and sexism in society (Chen 8). The image of the blacks migrating from the South also changed from that of rural and undereducated peasants to urban, cosmopolitan, and sophisticated Americans. The new identity brought about more social consciousness, and African Americans took more prominent roles in the national and global stage. The African Americans also acquired a spirit of self-determination that became a reference point for future struggles such as the struggle for civil rights in later years. Appreciation of the black life and culture also rose as a result of the movement.

Criticism and Decline of the Movement

Critics argue that though the Harlem Renaissance sought to create a new African American culture and identity, it could not escape history and the existing culture. Moreover, the movement failed to adequately separate elements of European and white culture from the new culture and identity. Though the Harlem intellectuals proclaimed new racial consciousness, they were accused of mimicking White cultures such as clothing and sophisticated manners. Resultantly, the Harlem Renaissance failed to overcome the existing White-American values. The Great Depression was the major reason for the decline of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s. Most prominent writers left Harlem due to the economic downturn (Cencage Learning Gale). However, the influence of the period endured and impacted on later African American writers.

Zora Neale Hurston

She was a famous author, anthropologist, and filmmaker during this period. She was born on the 7th of January 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama (Plant 110). In 1894, her family moved to Eatonville, Florida. Most of her stories were set in Eatonville. The Zora! Festival is held in Eatonville every year in her honor (Zora Festival). She developed an interest in literature from an early age.

Educational Background

Soon after her mother's death, her father and stepmother stopped paying her fees, and she was dismissed from school. She would later go back to school and complete her high school education, however. She joined Howard University in 1918 and was involved in various African American activities. In 1921 she wrote John Redding Goes to Sea, a short story that qualified her to join the Alain Locke's literary club. In 1925, she was offered a scholarship to the Barnard College of Columbia University (Plant 110). She was the only black student. She was involved in ethnographic research with various anthropologists while at the college. She also met Charlotte Osgood Mason, who became interested in her career and work, at the college. Mason had supported other African American writers such as Alain Locke and Langstone Hughes. They had recommended Hurston to her. Mason supported Zora Hurston's journey to the South for research between 1927 and 1932. Her research during this period led to the creation of Mules and Men in 1935. She would also depend on the patronage of Mason during the Great DepressionCITATION Bro18 \p 304 \l 1033 (Brown 304). She worked as an anthropology graduate student at Columbia University for two years after graduating from Barnard College.

In the course of her anthropological research, she extensively traveled in the American South and the Caribbean, where she got immersed in the local cultural practices and learned the folklores. The Guggenheim Foundation supported her research in Jamaica and Haiti between 1936 and 1937. Their Eyes Were Watching God, was written during the Haitian anthropological expedition. Tell My Horse, written in 1938, was also informed by this research (Plant 113).

Life in Harlem

She arrived in New York in 1925, at a time when the Harlem Renaissance was at its peak. She befriended poets such as Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes and several other writers. She soon became a prominent...