Harlem%20Renaissance

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Harlem Renaissance

• From Realism To The

Dizzy Gillespe
Richard Wright
Billie Holliay
Jacob Lawrence
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What is Realism Again?

• Remember, literature written around the time of
  the Civil War sought to present the details of
  actual life in as real of terms as possible,
  hence the name of the movement, Realism.
• Realists preferred authenticity, real people, in
  their real environment, facing their real
  situations.
• The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
  is a perfect example of a realist text because of
  its authentic portrayal of slavery

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True Meaning of Freedom?

• The Civil War truly change the face of America
  and allowed for opportunity previously unknown.
• From 1865 to the Early 1920s, voices previously
  unheard, begin speaking freely and sharing
• the unique perspectives, histories, and
• cultures of the different regions of America.
• Some of the biggest and most powerful of
• these voices came from the Harlem
• through authors like Zora Neal Hurston.

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What is a Renaissance?

• A Renaissance literally means Rebirth.
• It refers to a rebirth of a cultural interest in
  learning, discovery, and values.
• The Harlem Renaissance refers to a
  literary/artistic movement during which a group
  of talented African-American writers produced a
  sizable body of literature in the four prominent
  genres of poetry, fiction, drama, and essay.

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When was the Harlem Renaissance?

• The Harlem Renaissance began at the end of World
  War I and continued through the middle of the
  1930s Depression.
• Its origins are rooted in the Great Migration
  when, between 1890 and 1920, about two million
  African Americans migrate from the rural southern
  states to the northern cities, where they hope to
  find better opportunities and less discrimination.

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The Great Migration?
1911
1920
1930
Lets stop and think about thisWhat would cause
such a huge movement of People? What was
happening historically to drive this migration?
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How did Harlem Renaissance Start?

• The Improved living conditions of the North
  resulted in improved education and employment
  opportunities.
• These improvements lead to a growing African
  American Middle Class.

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Then

• African American leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois
  and Marcus Garvey as well as organizations like
  the N.A.A.C.P. helped to inspire racial pride in
  the middle and working class.

W.E.B. Du Bois
Marcus Garvey
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Then

• Du Bois believed that artistic and literary work
  could be used as a form of propaganda to help
  combat racial stereotypes and gain new respect
• for the race.
• The NAACP published The Crisis,
• a journal used to share the literary
• works of African Americans.

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But

• Du Bois also believed in the talented
  tenth.
• This was the idea that a small percentage of the
  African American population who were
  exceptionally skilled should be designated and
  educated as artistic and cultural leaders.
• He proposed absolute equality for the "talented
  tenth" and technical training for the black
  masses.

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What Was the Response ?

• In response to the gains by African Americans,
  many whites fought back during the summer of
  1919 The Red Summer
• There were 25 major race riots and at
• least 83 African Americans were
• lynched.
• The Ku Klux Klan held over 200
• meetings to increase enrollment.

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What Did The Authors Write About?

• Common themes in the Literature of the Harlem
  Renaissance include
• alienation - feeling separated or isolated by
  hostility
• marginality - being placed or forced outside the
  main group or groups of society
• the use of folk material - art, dialect, stories,
  the blues

But for the writers themselves, acceptance by the
white world was less important, as Langston
Hughes put it, than the "expression of our
individual dark-skinned selves."
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For Example
Once riding in old Baltimore,Heart-filled,
head-filled with glee,I saw a BaltimoreanKeep
looking straight at me. Now I was eight and very
small,And he was no whit bigger,And so I
smiled, but he poked outHis tongue, and called
me, "Nigger." I saw the whole of BaltimoreFrom
May until DecemberOf all the things that
happened thereThat's all that I remember.

• Incident
• By Countee Cullen

Which theme(s) are present in this
Renaissance Poem?
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Your Assignment

1. Pick an artistic form for an original piece of
   art
2. Research Harlem Renaissance artists associated
   with your chosen art form
3. Note themes and techniques used by these artists
4. Create your own work of art exploring similar
   themes and using similar techniques
5. Write about your art
6. Present to the class