African American Lite

8/12/2019 African American Lite

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AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE

Afro American Literature- Harlem Reinassance.

The New Negro- What is he?Philip Randolph And Chandler Owen

The first distinction- nationality- not race. He does admitt that there is a Negro art- l!es...wesho!ld classify it as r!ral art" l!es..# lac$ american m!sic% r!ssian m!sic% a class diference not a

race different. &mp!lse ehind the reinassance- the pro!d of eing lac$- accepting we are different

is a way to eing segregated. Class difference% nationality difference. 'ass c!lt!re- they read the

same maga(ines they ha)e the same clothes% cars% ho!ses% they go to the same ch!rch we can*t spea$

ao!t racial differences. His family free from generations. &ncreasingly conser)ati)e- +,- /lac$

and conser)ati)e. North- he married a white woman% He said they li)ed e0actly in the same way. He

doesn*t spea$ ao!t sla)ery at all% he ref!se to e a )ictim. We were )ictimi(ed !t we also achie)ed

these things. Assimilation. Any difference that lac$ people ha)e% they sho!ld forget. 1omething

immat!re ao!t american c!lt!re. T.s 2liot% 3ames% for e0ample% the c!lt!re is the 41 is not

sophisticated eno!gh. +,5+- He p!lished% he serialises a no)el called 6 /lac$ empire7. 1impathetic

with 'cCarthy. He was more and more conser)ati)e with the time. /!t he accepts that eing lac$s!pposes some diffic!lties% in the north and in the so!th. He is a classist- Coleridge% P!sh$in% 3ames

Weldon 3ohnson. He ta$es his tone from H.O 'en$en% a colonist. The same short of writing. They

were so incompetent 8 white mass co!ntry- we helped to !ild this co!ntry. He want to spea$ to any

hidden racism they may ha)e.

THE NEGRO ARTIST AND THE RACIAL MOUNTAIN- by Langston Hughes

& want to e a !ni)ersal poet- not negro poet. Therefore% with that way of thin$ing% he is !nli$ely to

ecome a great poet% eca!se in his ho!se% white people are considered etter than lac$ people.

Art- the artist has his own )ision% yo! cannot di)orce what yo! prod!ce to who yo! are. &nterest in

Negro History. He agrees with 1ch!yler- o!r lac$ middle class lifestyle is e0tremely similar to the

white middle class life. /!t there are some differences9 1till the negro ha)e some differences that

we cannot ignore.

W.E.B Du Bois- Criteria of Negro Art

Art is not 6 el arte por el arte7 it has an intention- to s!pport something% to e0press an idea...

An autobiography of an E -colore! man.- "ames Wel!on "ohnson

New Negros- fol$s- masses-there was a short of generation- +:;+ orn inn the so!thin a middle

class family- he didn*t ha)e prolems with white racism. 'iddle class- f!ction of ed!ctaion- his

mother a teacher- ed!cator- middle class. /lac$ people- segregation- he was the most powerf!l

lac$ man. &nd!strial ed!cation- training lac$ men and women- y contrast- !ni)ersity- a schoolwhich stressed classical ed!cation- gree$ and latin and the rest of academic s!irst of all- the fact that is written as a a!toiography- " 1A@2 NARRAT&@2 TRA=&T&ON#.

Anonimo!sly- that tradition- fiction written y African- Americans. The re-writing starts in the first

chapter. & was orn in eorgia-The narrator tell as m!ch as he can ao!t what he $nows ao!t his

short of family. He can tell !s the town...2B2'PAR of the sla)e narrati)e. He doesn*t $now the

date- spring- he doesn*t $now who his father is- isolaton- di)orced from family ties. & was orn..notm!ch information- he doen*t really $now his name of his mother- geneological isolation- he won*t

mention the name of the town. 3!st W.2./ =!ois. =o!glas- gi)es detail. He was so elo!ent. +,5D-


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ED% sla)e narrati)e Dthcent!ry also- 1o!th 8 north mo)emet- from ignorance to $nowledge-

3ac$son)ille- Atlanta- he said9 And this is how & $new what lac$ness what for me. Narrator- 1itting

down- reading a lot of oo$- 4ncle*s Tom cain" la caaFa del tGo Tom#

This wor$ of Harriet /eecher 1towe has een the oor my part% & was ne)er an admirer of 4ncle Tom%

nor of his type of goodness !t & elie)e that there were lots of old Negroes as foolishly good as he

the proof of which is that they $nowingly stayed and wor$ed the plantations that f!rnished sinews

for the army which was fighting to $eep them ensla)ed. /!t in these later years se)eral cases ha)e

come to my personal $nowledge in which old Negroes ha)e died and left what was a considerale

fort!ne to the descendants of their former masters. & do not thin$ it ta$es any great stretch of the

imagination to elie)e there was a fairly large class of sla)e-holders typified in egree. And we

m!st also rememer that the a!thor depicted a n!mer of worthless if not )icio!s Negroes% and a

sla)e-holder who was as m!ch of a Christian and a gentleman as it was possile for one in hisposition to e that she pict!red the happy% singing% sh!ffling Idar$yI as well as the mother wailing

for her child sold Idown ri)er.I

& do not thin$ it is claiming too m!ch to say that Uncle Tom's Cabinwas a fair and tr!thf!l panorama

of sla)ery howe)er that may e% it opened my eyes as to who and what & was and what my co!ntry

considered me in fact% it ga)e me my earing. /!t there was no shoc$ & too$ the whole re)elation

in a $ind of stoical way. One of the greatest enefits & deri)ed from reading the oo$ was that &

co!ld afterwards tal$ fran$ly with my mother on all the !estions which had een )ag!ely tro!ling

my mind. As a res!lt% she was entirely freed from reser)e% and often herself ro!ght !p the s!lorida- more a city as he had e0pected- he met there C!ans% something that he co!ld

not had met efore. The man of the oarding ho!se of 3ac$son)ille-

>4NCT&ON O> '41&C AN= &=2NT&TJ &N TH2 NO@2K An a!toiography of an e0-colored man " day #.

A re)ision of sla)e-narrati)e. 'odernist no)el. The narrator lea)es 3ac$son)ille to New Jor$.

&dentity- his mo)ement- the grat migration- /oston% Whasingtonand New Jor$- target place. This

mo)e from 3ac$son)ille to New Jor$- another moment- ironic writing -north- he gains $nowledge-

not the $ind of literacy he ta$es- medic co!rse st!dent- a lot of people o!ndage there- they went

there and they co!ld not stop gamling. Chapter @&&&. Contract-wor$ing y the millionaire- he

loaned me to some of his friends. =escription of sla)ery-no greater freedom- ohemian !nderworld

life% he is wor$ing for the millionaire% in a $ind of contract that sometimes seems related with

sla)ery. 'ass mo)ement of so!theners. >rom at least +:LD +,D-5D- '!lato-tragic. '!lato-a

woman. They don*t wanna e forced to choose etween lac$ or white. Those moment in3ac$son)ille- lac$ time- he left the lac$ woman he is going to marry and he left for New Jor$.

When he met his father and his white children he is aware that he is not treated li$e them eca!se he


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is lac$. Rag-time- association with m!sic. A few chapters into chapter &. He was freer eca!se he

play them y ear. /lac$ m!sic- fol$ songs- imply he is playing lac$ m!sic- to the others he has to

loo$ to the notation. 3ac$son)ille- the ca$ewal$. He left the lac$ identity ehind- her mother*s

songs-lac$- her death-symollic. &n 3ac$son)ille- when he left for New Jor$ also left his lac$

identity. &*m lac$ or &*m white% he was in a carriage for white people- he o)erhear the con)ersation

ao!t with the proffesor% the e. D >rederic$ =o!glass dies se)eral ho!rs after speech at womenMs rights rally

3!n. : >irst $nown mention in print of term 6New Negro7 in Cleveland Gazette

1ep. +: /oo$er T. WashingtonMs Atlanta 20position 1peech catap!lts him to

national prominence

&da /. Wells-/arnettMs in)estigati)e pamphletA Red Recordcondemns lynch law her

analysis dispro)es the common

maintain economic% political and social control as the primary moti)ation for lynching and

other forms of racial )iolence

$%& 4.1. 1!preme Co!rt !pholds 6separate !t e!al7 doctrine inPlessy v Fer!"son

3osephine R!ffin% 'ary Ch!rch Terrell% Wells-/arnett% Anna 3!lia Cooper and Harriet

T!man among fo!nding memers of National Association of Colored WomenMs Cl!s

$&)$ /oo$er T. WashingtonMs a!toiography U# From $laveryf!rther cements his stat!s as

leading spo$esman of the race as director of the 6T!s$egee 'achine7 he wields significant

infl!ence in the 1o!th and nationally

$&)* &n T%e $o"ls o& lac( Fol(W.2./. =! /ois challenges WashingtonMs emphasis on ind!strial

ed!cation and economic progress at the e0pense of f!ll political and social e!ality

$&)& =! /ois% Wells-/arnett% Terrell and R!ffin among charter memers of NAACP following

year =! /ois est. T%e Crisisas the official


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and 5,th&nfantry "a.$.a. Harlem Hellfighters# Regiments among those that see significant

comat

'arc!s ar)ey est. the 4ni)ersal Negro &mpro)ement Association in 3amaica% mo)ing its

head!arters to New Jor$ in +,+;

$&$' Carter . Woodson and 3esse 'oorland est. Association for 1t!dy of Negro ife and History

$&$ Angelina Weld rim$Ms anti-lynching playRac%elstaged in Washington% =.C. it is the first

f!ll-length play written% prod!ced and performed y African Americans in the Dthcent!ry

according to the editors of+o"ble Ta(e, A Revisionist -arlem Renaissance Ant%olo!y% this

drama sho!ld e regarded as the te0t that initiated the Harlem Renaissance

$&$& 3ames Weldon 3ohnson coins term 6Red 1!mmer7 to descrie widespread racial )iolence

across the 4.1. incidents occ!r in more than 5D cities and towns% !t Chicago% Washington%

=.C. and 2laine% Ar$ansas see the worst )iolence

Cla!de 'cayMs poem 6&f We '!st =ie7 p!lished in left-wing


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#roblematic/ almost so to ma(e yo"rsel& clear T%is is not #ro!ress #er%a#s More civilized Per%a#s

t%is is not t%e case 1e are loosin! somet%in! Fra!mentation Period be&ore t%is victorian era*

Geor!e 2r.ellI& .e can't be certain* .%at t%ey re#resented Fiction A &irst #erson narrator

Modernism associated .it% E"ro#ean and sc%olars Modernism Use o& t%e &irst #erson &or t%e &irst

time in an A&rican*American narrator Isolated Anonimo"sly It .as ta(en as a a"tobio!ra#%y/

alienation/ isolation/ &ra!mentation Gree( and roman Al.ays loo(in! at onesel&* .%enever* an

American* A Ne!ro* one o& t%e most &amo"s &orm"lation, do"ble concio"sness not ori!inal to+"ois +"ois/ 1illiam 3ames* -arvard Ne. scienti&ic "nderstandin! +"ois* a #ositive t%in!

or a ne!ative t%in!4 Also seen as !i&ted Positive* t%e #ers#ective o& an o"tsider A b"rden*internal

str"!!le !oin! on T%e m"lato* %e embodies bein! bot% blac( or .%ite A m"ltao met%a#or o& all

blac( #eo#le Modern man is isolated/ alienated Feelin! as %e %as sold %is birt%ri!%t &or a mass o&

#otta!e Is t%is a tra!edy4-e doesn't die* "t s%all .e still read it as a tra!edy4 -is sort o& Ne!ro

dies Leaves a #art o& %imsel& die/ %is Ne!ro #art -e is sort o& an observer $omet%in! %as been lost

%ere 1%at I sold my birt%#lace &or .asn't .ort% it

Cane*#"blis%ed 5678* 3ean Toomer

Com#lete circle or #artial* so"t%* nort%9 C%ica!o: so"t% Readin! t%is section* -e s#ent a time o&

%is li&e in Geor!ia and it is ins#ired in t%at Is a mi) o& novel/ #oetry Toomer t%o"!%t very care&"lly

%o. .as %e !oin! to str"ct"re %is .or( $"nset is im#ortant 1omen alienated Cane and cotton

Eyes* Fern* described as t%ey ta(e everyt%in! in/ t%e co"ntryside/ t%e #eo#le/ d"s(/ #ine trees $e)

-o. .e s%o"ld re#resent t%e race Present t%e best beca"se .%ite &ol(s are .atc%in! 1omen are

t%ere/ st"c( t%ere/ seein! train!s !o/ Est%er still t%ere .%ile arlo !oes Men* able to move* .omen

not ;arint%a* s%o"ld be read alo"d It .as intensely mobin! &or 3ean Toomer beca"se %e %ad

%eard t%is son!s $#irit"als/ bl"es $ort o& elements o& t%e nat"ral .orld T%e s"nset* almost all

stories %a##en in s"nset Not s"nrise in t%e &irst section ob $tone and Tom* Red Moon* violence*

t%eir &i!%t %a##ens arlo in t%e cl"b at ni!%t* related to se)* Est%er !oes to see arlo T%e ot%ers

at s"nset* anyt%in! can %a##en in bet.een Ni!%t* moment o& violence* Est%er's attem#t to sed"ce

arlo All t%e ot%er .omen are %avin! se) and s%e is not $%e is sort o& #layin! $%e is t%e da"!%ter

o& t%e ric%est color man in to.n Not every man is !oin! to deserve Est%er Et%er* re#ress %er

se)"ality* s%e is middle class In t%e so"t% #eo#le are %avin! se) Environment Est%er s%e %as to

(ee# %ersel& se#arate* s%e doesn't &it in $%e is a.(.ard ec(y* le!endary stat"s* loosely abo"t %er

arlo rea##ears All set in t%e same to.n Is %e al.ays t%e same #erson4

-er tale is t%e cr"dest melodrama/ .%o is %e4 God abandoin! &or t%e ni!!er4 Insider4 2"tsider4

$e) is nat"ral in t%e so"t% Fern+istr"st o& nort%eners T%ey don't sort o& (no. %o. is t%e narrator

Maybe li(e a li!%t s(inned or a collective voice*a #artic"lar (ind o& blac( men more t%an a

#artic"lar 1%o t%e narrator is isn't im#ortant &or t%e .riter/ %e is


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$omet%in! is #assin! on * $on! o& t%e $on* s#irit"als/ land/ even i& t%ere is %i#ocrisy -e .ill ma(e

s"re t%at t%e c"lt"re .on't die o"t Cane* memorial o& t%is c"lt"re* ind"strialism/ modern .orld

;arint%a's so"l %as been corr"#ted by t%e attention o& a lot men* se) is nat"ral b"t s%e d"m#s t%e

baby ;arint%a (ills %er baby $mo(e t%at &loats over t%e to.n/ &rom b"rnin! a c%ild in t%e &irst

story to b"rn Tom in =lood*b"rnin! moon>> T%e smo(e c"rls "# and %an!s in odd .rait%s abo"t

t%e trees/ c"rls "#/ and s#reads itsel& o"t over t%e valley> T%e &ace* a sort o& violent deat% A

t%eme* t%e .%ite .itc% $%e loo(s bea"ti&"l in t%e o"tside b"t s%e is a vam#ire $"!!estion*.%iteness doesn't e)ist "ntil yo" #er&orm violence a!ainst blac( 1%ite and lac( to!et%er/ t%ey

cannot be se#arated Nobody .ant to really tal( abo"t T%ere is se#aration* .%ite to.n and blac(

to.n b"t yo" can't #"t t%em a#art T%e &irst &o"r descri#tion T%e das% EyesFoc"sed in .omen's

&aces odies are not incidental T%ey are #er%a#s less im#ortant 1%en Est%er &aints* Portrait is

Geor!ia* blister9 am#olla: somet%in! bad

P2RTRAIT IN GE2RGIA

-air*braided c%estn"t/

coiled li(e a lync%er's ro#e/

eyes*&a!ots/Li#s* old scars/ or t%e &irst red blisters/

reat%*t%e last s.eet scent o& cane/

And %er slim body/ .%ite as t%e as%

o& blac( &les% a&ter &lame

Pa!e 8?

Closin! o& a circle* cane* %an!in! over everyt%in! T%e cane* se)/ violence Cane* central

met%a#or 1e (no. t%at t%e man interested in ;arint%a is blac( b"t .e don't (no. i& %e is li!%t or

not P"r#le* ima!es o& decay and deat% T%en also an association .it% nat"re, oa( treesTom*

s"!!estion ob $tone and Lo"isa F"ll moon risin! ob $tone 1%ite man .%o is t%reatin! %er

$%e loves t%em* ob can !ives %im t%in!s t%at Tom can't/ b"t s%e loves t%em9 se): not love I& it is

not love s%e is in bi! li(e 1it% Tom s%e co"ld live $%e .on't be able to marry ob T%ey are

basically t%e same T%ey ran t%is to.n T%ey are basically t%e same b"t ob calls %im ni!!er/ and

.it% t%at social di&&erent it seems t%at %e %ad started t%e &i!%t Lo"isa doesn't do anyt%in! abo"t it

$%e (no.s Tom is !oin! to (ill ob T%e .oman


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+ean* middle class blac(* any &ail"re &rom t%e em#loyees can be really concernin! to %im* .ill o&

.%ite #eo#le* %e &inds %imsel&/ .%ite #eo#le very &ar #resence/ .e don't see .%ite #eo#le* blac(

sc%ool/ blac( comm"nity T%ey don't li(e me aro"nd %ere* Le.is t%in( it isn't !ood &or %im to

remain %imis &eelin! -e ima!ines %is relations%i# .it% +oris as s%e .as interested in %im/ even i&

s%e is not Middle class a&rican* american* t%ey do anyt%in! to %old on to t%eir %o"ses Middle

class* t%ey lost somet%in! vital in t%e second #art -e is st"c( A sort o& s#lit in %is concio"sness

Re&"sin! #assion T%ey %ave im#rove .%en it comes to material/ b"t t%ey %ad a loss in t%eir blac(lives/ t%ey don't live any (ind o& #assion Cane a circle* &orm sim#le &orm to com#le) to sim#le*

so"t%*nort%*so"t%

;ANI$ Le.is (no.s .%at t%e constraints are T%ey tal( and la"!% abo"t t%e lync%in!/ abo"t t%e

c%"rc%;abnis .ants m"c% more b"t %e doesn't (no. %o. to !et t%at/ read a lot o& boo(s in

colle!e b"t %e #re&ers t%e tools Ne"rotic Intellect"al @ery ne"rotic -e doesn't (no. %o. to deal

.it% t%e sort o& str"ct"res o& a blac( to.n/ or even .%en %e %ears s#irit"als -alsey %as avoided

t%at Pict"res o& %is &amily/ (abnis* individ"al item &lotin!/ not connection T%e stoty end .it%

s"nrise -alsey %as !ot "# early T%ey %ave a disc"ssion abo"t Fat%er 3o%n 1%at is it &at%er4

;abnis* o"tsider*

-AR@E$T $2NG* -e is %"n!ry/ -arvestin! in t%is conte)t maybe money4 T%ey are losin!

somet%in! essential T%ey !ain somet%in! b"t t%e also losed somet%in!;no.eld!in! .e !ain b"t

.e also lose Rea#er s%o"ldn't be %"n!ry beca"se %e is %arvestin! b"t .%at %e %arvest is not

satis&yin!%is so"l Met%a#oric

Modernist te)t, one t%in! connects to t%e ot%er/ e#isodic B"ality to t%e .or(/ s(etc%es/ #oetry, s%ort/

ima!istic .or(s bein! #resented/ alienation may be a modernist t%in! -o. can #eo#le can relate

to ot%er #eo#le/ tro"ble comm"nicatin! Fail"re o& comm"nication Alienation 0o"t%&"lness* ma(e

it ne.* Ezra Po"nd It is not as el"sive as T%e .aste Land/ b"t t%e meanin! o& t%is is not immediatly

clear El"siveness a symbol o& its modernity

First $ectionCane is not organi(ed li$e most no)els are. &t is an impressionistic piece% with many character s$etches% stories% andpoems that are similar in theme% lea)ing readers with an o)erall impression rather than an e0perience of ha)ing

followed a !nified narrati)e. Tho!gh the smaller parts of Cane do not follow a contin!ing plot% and only a few minorcharacters are carried o)er from one chapter to the ne0t% the oo$ still falls into three distinct sections%

which Toomer en)isioned as leading readers in a circ!lar progression. The first section ta$es place in r!ral eorgia%and concerns itself with the li)es of poor lac$s% especially foc!sing on women who li)e in this en)ironment.

&t starts with the rief% poetic story of arintha% a lac$ woman who is noticealy ea!tif!lfrom childhood on. The men all wor$ hard for money to gi)e to her% implying that their ignorance

of who she really is and her naQ)et wor$ together to repress them all.6arintha7 is followed y a poem% 6Reapers%7 ao!t a reaping machine with sharp lades eing drawn thro!gh a field

y lac$ horses and c!tting a field rat in half. The following poem% 6No)emer Cotton >lower%7 is ao!t one winter% atime of dro!ght% when cotton !ne0pectedly loomed% gi)ing hope that led to lo)e. The oo$ then pic$s !p with the storyof /ec$y% a white woman who has two lac$ children.Noody in this small town $nows who the fatheror fathers of

these oys might e% and oth lac$s and whites ostraci(e /ec$y% altho!gh some charitale people try to help her o!t%

donating land% l!mer% and food that no one else wants. The oys grow !p to e town !llies% ferocio!s to oth lac$sand whites. One day /ec$yMs ho!se is fo!nd collapsed% with her !nder the wrec$age% !nale to s!r)i)e social

disappro)al li$e the rat mowed down y the reaper. Two more poems follow9 6>ace%7 which gi)es a portrait of a st!rdyold woman% and 6Cotton 1ong%7 which pro)ides a /ilical-so!nding chant that might e s!ng y wor$ers in the field.

The ne0t story% 6Carma%7 concerns a woman whose h!sand hears that his wife has een !nfaithf!l% and he goes toconfront her ao!t it. After the ens!ing arg!ment% Carma r!ns o!t of the ho!se and into the cane field. Hearing a

g!nshot%he gathers a gro!p of neighors to loo$ for her% and when she t!rns o!t to e fine% he feels fooled% and%fr!strated% slashes the nearest man with a $nife. He ends !p in prison% in what the story descries twice as 6the cr!dest

melodrama.7 61ong of the 1on7 is a poem that presents the s!n and earth% with Negro sla)es% who sang% identified

with nat!re. 6eorgia =!s$7 contrasts the foc!sing on the people and machinery that ha)e ta$en o)er the land in thedecades since sla)ery. These lead into the story of 6>ern%7 a girl of lac$ and 3ewish roots who is presentedas almost totally a prod!ct of her en)ironment. The story is l!shly told% with little action9 the !nnamed narrator ecomes

infat!ated with >ern and goes to her% as$ing her to wal$ with him in the cane fields% !t once she is o!t there she is


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o)erwhelmed with her powerf!l feelings ao!t the place and she faints. The poem 6N!llo7 follows% gi)ing animpressionistic pict!re of pine needles falling in the eorgia forest. 62)ening 1ong7 is a poem ao!t a narrator

and a woman% Cloine% who la(ily do(es off in his arms as the moon rises.The story 62sther7 follows the mat!ration of a yo!ng woman% from nine to si0teen to twentytwo to twenty-se)en. 2arly

in life% she witnesses a man% ing /arlo% fall into a religio!s trance in the street% and as years pass 2sther ecomes moreand more con)inced that /arlo is destined to e her lo)er. The story ends when% years later% she goes to offer herself to

him% and he and the people he is partying with la!gh at her. There are two more poems9 6Con)ersion7 contrasting

an ancient African religion with Christianity% and 6Portrait in eorgia%7 which offers a physical description of aweathered woman who li)es in this land. The last part of this section is 6/lood-/!rning 'oon%7 a story ao!t o!isa% who is co!rted y two men% one white and one lac$. When the white man

attac$s the lac$ man% the white man is $illed. A white lynch mo comes% capt!res the lac$ man% and !rns him ali)e.

1econd 1ectionThe second section% which was written at the re!est of ToomerMs p!lisher in order to ring Cane to a decent oo$

length% ta$es place in the North% in Chicago and Washington% =.C. &t opens with the s$etch 61e)enth 1treet%7 a mi0 ofpoetry and prose that descries !ran life in the section of Washington where lac$ people li)e% emphasi(ing

fast pace and the old-fashioned elief in od. 6Rhoert%7 the following character s$etch% shows a strong% s!ffering man%his legs ent y a childhood disease% who ears his hardships as if wearing his ho!se aro!nd on his head.The story

6A)ey7 presents a girl whom the oys hanging aro!nd on the Washington street corner fantasi(ed ao!t% imagining whatshe does when she goes !pstairs to )isit her oyfriend. The narrator of the story finally manages to date her%

and s%e seems only va!"ely interested in ret"rnin! his affection% leading him to the self-comforting concl!sion that she

is

one ee wishing to fly away to 6a far-off farmland flower%7 and 61torm 2nding%7 which !ses similar imagery ofees and flowers% !t here they are )ictims of the )iolence of a ea!tif!l th!nderstorm. The story 6Theater7 is a rief

piece of two !pwardly-moile !ran lac$s% 3ohn and =orris9 3ohn is the rother of a theater owner% and =orris dances

in the chor!s at the theater. 1he is attracted to him. Watching her dance% he dreams of eing her oyfriend% !t shethin$s that the )acant loo$ on his face while he is loo$ing at her means that he does not care for her% so she lea)es

efore he has the chance to tal$ to her. The poem 6Hot ips Are Copper Wire7 shows ToomerMs ama(ement at thetelephone% a relati)ely new in)ention then. 6Call 3es!s7 presents a womanMs so!l as something separate from her%

following her aro!nd li$e a dog. 6/o0 1eat7 is a relati)ely long story ao!t a man% =an 'oore% who is dating aschoolteacher% '!riel. He is s!re that she is repressing her tr!e nat!re% and he tries to force himself on her9 first

physically% on the co!ch of her home% and then later y sho!ting to her in a crowded theater. &t ends with =an going o!tof the theater to fight with a man he has offended% !t then wandering off% ha)ing forgotten his anger once

he is o!t of doors. The poem 6Prayer%7 which follows% is a meditation on the nat!re of the h!man so!l% followedy 6Har)est 1ong%7 a poem that presents modern !ran people as reapers of the har)est of the worldMs greatness. The

last part of 1ection Two is the story of /ona% a white woman% and Pa!l% a m!latto9 /ona is interested in dating Pa!l% andhe li$es her% !t he is hesitant ao!t a relationship eca!se he cannot elie)e that /ona% raised in the 1o!th% wo!ld not

loo$ on him with some pre

Third 1ectionThe final section of the oo$ is comprised entirely of the no)ella 6anis%7 the story of a man of mi0ed ethnicity% li$e

Toomer% who has gone to eorgia to teach and finds himself attracted to the ea!ty of the land and rep!lsed y the!gliness of the way lac$s are treated. At first% he is

teachers% with his eha)ior closely monitored. He sees the irony in this% noting that 6where they !rn and hang men% yo!cant smo$e.7 &n the second part of this section% Ralph anis interacts with some of the local people% important men in

town. They tell him stories ao!t the lynchings they ha)e seen% which ma$es him paranoid% afraid that the localwhites will find him too old and come to get him. He r!ns home to hide% and when his friends find o!t what is

othering him% they la!gh and gi)e him a drin$% which gets him fired. anis ends !p wor$ing in the repair shop ofhis friend% Halsey. The local )al!es ha)e dragged him down% ma$ing him gi)e !p his intellect!al interests

and ta$e on physical laor% which was considered the place of lac$ men in the 1o!th. While wor$ing at the shop% hesin$s e)en f!rther% spending the night drin$ing with some friends and the prostit!tes that they ring o)er% so that in the

morning% when it is time to go to wor$% he is helpless and cannot e)en stand !p on his own. This leads ac$ to theeginning of the oo$% with downtrodden eorgia lac$s trapped y society into a cycle of ignorance% drin$ and l!st.

$%a$espearean 1onnet

rhyme scheme

a prostit!tes

swaya fl!tes

day


9/32

c calm

d form

c palm

d form

e

f

ef

g

g

1elected poems of CA4=2 'cAJ9

He co!ldn*t stand the racism of Alaama% he made it to ansas% agric!lt!ral st!dies. He ga)e !p and

he went to New Jor$ and ecame a


10/32

!nderstanding% !t ao!t this sort of religi!ms. At the end of his life he changes from eing atheist

and then mo)ing towards Religion% he con)erted to catholicism.

CO4NT22 CO2N

Part of the Harlem Reinassance% not li$e Cla!de 'cay or 3ean Toomer. 1he was really in that

gro!p. P!lic en la re)ista OPPORT4N&TJ. eading lights of Harlem Reinassance. A dinner andthe iss!e of 14R@2J RAPH&C% sociological Another $id called him nigger. And that was significant for him% eca!se !ntil that moment he didn*t

reali(ed what s!posses to him to e lac$. &t is a moment of dramatic $nowledge. i$e in an

a!toiography of an e0-colored man. They ta$e their lac$ness as something negati)e% in a negati)e

sense 6 nigger7. They ha)e to reorgani(e their thoghts ao!t themsel)es. This moment of innocenceis destroyed y initiation. 1ame age% same incident% same awareness. /altimore*s history different%

!ran. One of the largest lac$ ci)il pop!lation efore the war. Parents wanted to preser)e his


11/32

innocence as m!ch as possile.

AN1TON H4H21

The Negro 1pea$s of Ri)ers- He contin!ed eing prod!cti)e after Harlem Reinassance% he st!died

in Col!mia% his writings were )ery well $nown in the lac$ comm!nity. His ho!se in Harlem has a

landmar$. Co!ntee C!lleen died early% and the leading writers of the Harlem reinassance died early%or in other cases it was scandal what silenced one of them. Nella arsen% a similar $ind of scandal.

1!stantial low. And afterwards% she was acc!sed of plagiarism.

'elancholy% he cannot get closer to Africa% he is )ery far% America. &f he had african identity% it

wo!ld e fragmented. H!ghes% )ery yo!ng writer who goes to Harlem. He goes to Col!mia

ma

/!t the last line can e interpreted li$e he had died. He p!ts his pain in creati)e e0pression. & will

$eep going. Things that ca!se teh weary l!es- transform it in something powerf!l. Celerating this

performance.

Afro- American fragment- mo)ement- Africa distant% rest of the poem% a different $ind of

connection. 2ffect of the dr!ms. We don*t regard yo! as a rother% he wasn*t doing the wor$ the

lac$ men of Africa were doing. An attempt to reconnect. The dr!ms that remain% this sort of m!sic%

ma$es one recogni(e it. 1ense% connection thro!gh the m!sic. Co!ntee Colleen religion more than

m!sic. &n this case% the m!sic. 1pea$er in)ol)ed in this poem. 1omething retained% iological. Three

cent!ries remo)ed. The m!sic of the dr!ms rings it ac$. Three cent!ries% not iological% notrooted in one*s lood. What e0actly is that connection?&nternational flow of ideas. & still feel

something there. There is some retain in c!lt!re.

AN1TON H4H21

The l!es that &*m playing-p!lised +,5E- short stories ao!t the s!ffering of lac$ people y white

people. &nteraction. All the stories are tragic. >rom the h!moro!s to the tragic. How lac$ and

white people interact. The Negro Artist% Oceona- historical% strong name% she seems to represent

angston H!ghes. 1he is the heroine. Oceola- enormo!s talent% pianist !t down to earth. 1he

doesn*t thin$ herself as an artist. =!/ois decided action. H!ghes changed his politics. H!ghes

relationship to his patron. 'rs. 2llsworth. 1he was the patron of the Harlem Reinassance*s artists9

'ig!el Co)arr!ias% anston H!ghes...His relationship with her ended adly. 1he was a wealthywoman% she was interested in the c!lt!re% angston H!ghes was interesting for her eca!se he was

an anthropologist. 2llsworth wanted the primite% and that was not what angston H!ghes co!ld


12/32

pro)ide her% he didn*t want% he was orn in ansas. Ha)ing a compromise with a patron limits the

freedom of the art. 6 Jo! are s!pposed to li)e for yo!r art7 ay relationship? 1omething more than

the interest for the art. Oceola- her toy% she wants to present her for her friends% she $ind of has

more people li$e that.White money made possile the Harlem Reinassance. 1he is a good pianist

!t she needs the refinement. Oceola says & can do oth. Her ody is in the m!sic. )ery different

!nderstanding of art. No connection to real life. Oceola my connection with the past. 1he has a

passion for art. 1he a)oids all romantic relationship. Hostility to Pete%as a lac$ man. 1he is awidow. 1!limation. /est things o!tside of one*s ody. 'r. 2llsworth% she has ne)er een to Harlem

and li)ed in NJC all her li)e. Women emody the race. A lot of what*s going on in Cane% for

e0ample. angston H!ghes was raised y her grandmother% when he is a teenager with her mother.

Women important% what is going to happen with the race% metaphor. Oceola a male% when we tal$

ao!t resisting% playing her l!es. A lac$ woman is resisting. A!thoiography of an e0-colored

man- i(arre- the millionaire- homoerotic conte0t. S!estion ao!t ART AN= ART&1T&C

>R22=O'. ora H!rston- her childhoold in an old lac$ town. The artist has to create the m!sic

that she wants to. An artist commited to her art. +5 she lefts. 1ort of stories. Circ!s. 1he made her

way to Whasington =C. 'ason- recogni(es the first anthropological wor$ of a lac$ american.

'!les and 'en- 'ig!el Co)arr!ias teh co)er*s painting.

White life woman% p!lished in +,E: ora Neale H!rston% had a prolem eca!se they said she had

had a relationship with a ten year old $id% afterwards% samo!s essay. =etails going

so!th and locate a gra)e so she co!ld p!t a mar$er there. +,-p!lished. 1tereotype of women%

writes )ery personally% what had happened in her life% she writes ao!t this comm!nity% spirit!al%

imitation% lac$ of originality. 4p and down. Ways in which her fellow writers- what angton

H!ghes said ao!t her% scholarships% talented anthropologist% dar$ie% performance of the primiti)e.

=ialect he !ses. Watermelon% lac$ people eat watermelon% r!ral lac$ people% Cane also does that.

A way of life that is fading away. Her academic life is collecting these $ind of story. New Orleans%

the importance of lac$ fol$ c!lt!re. 'ost of Herston*s wor$% not important for the action of the

story. Con)ersing. What is significant? Tal$ ao!t sin%

1W2AT

Cr!elty- prolematic relationship% a!ssi)e% he scares her $nowing that she hates sna$es. Herston

these $inds ao!t stereotypes. No white people. The person who is commiting the m!rder is the

prolem% not the white racism. 1he is a readwinner. Not political in a clear way% !t she is

deno!ncing the )iolence in a lac$ comm!nity. 1he ends !p $illing her. Herston here is e0ploding.

new the stereotype. Her eyes were watching od- no message% no tho!ght. 1he is criticing her

own c!lt!re. Toomer so!th% an a!toiography of an e0 colored man- to the so!th to reco)er their

negroness. =omestic )iolence rings it o!t% her concern% lac$ women. ood )s. 2)il.

=esh!mani(er% women are not in the same le)el in the comm!nity. Herston interested in that. 1toryforeshadows what is going to happen. 1care to death of sna$es. /y the end of sory% the sna$e%

$eeping in a ho!se. =elia is not scared% she has not died. He

with him? A!si)e% !pset. Racism what promotes thsi anger. +L years together% no children. 4no de

ellos estril% ella estril o el impotente. They are s!pposed to ha)e children. Res!lt of not eing

mothers. 1tories. Not eno!gh conte0t. Chasing all other women. 'en feel some $ind of wea$ness or

lac$. Preference ao!t the lighter s$in women. That comes ao!t downgrading dar$ s$ined woman%

!t she is not

ref!ses to mo)e. limpse% confront% she is willing him to li)e with her. 1he finally changes her life%

my happiness is more important% my life.

TH2 &=2= 1&B/&T1Conflict- fa$e gold. =epicts a happy marriage. Perpet!ating stereotypes of lac$. They are stale%

they are happy together. /!t he one day% finds her with a man. 'issie 'ay is prostit!ting herself%


13/32

!t that was real? 1he sleeps with 1lemmons% her h!sand fo!nds it o!t. A sna$e in the garden-

Adan and 2)e- she cheats on her h!sand. old% shiny things aro!nd it. Woman% 'issy 'ay%

impressed y this g!y% she is st!nned y the gold. 2ase that 'issy 'ay e)erything is perfect for this

short of shinyness. 2n)y% she tries to corr!pts him. There were no more trips. 'issy 'ay% a

possession. 1he is a trophy. >a$e- gold piece. 'issy 'ay% possession circ!ltaing among these men.

At the eginning of the story she says don*t elie)e it and then she elie)es it. /y the end of story%

reconciliation% something is lost% it is 3oe*s $id the oy is clearly hims. He really lo)es 'issy 'aywhen he fo!nd o!t she was sleeping with another man% 1lemmons. When the child she gi)es irth to

is his $id% there is a short of reconciliation.

R&CHAR= WR&HT- /l!eprint of Negro Writing"+,5;#

Harlem Reinassance 8 he difference- association with mar0ism% com!nist p!lication New 'asses-

Rep!lication after the s!cces of his no)el 4ncle of Tom*s Cain.

&n +,5,- The Negro Newer- 4nderstanding of the reinassance% a misreading. Contin!ation. 'at!re

!t not doing anything )ery different. 'at!ration of the New Negro. Representing a sharp rea$

from the past% what is the prolem is with what came efore? Harlem Reinassance% prolem withthe way African American lit in the 41% inferiority comple0 in Harlem Reinassance% passig y

collecting lac$ness. African american writing directed towards the masses. @ery infl!enced y

nat!ralist writers% part of nat!ralism% en)ironment sha$es and determines who yo! are. The society

had made him this way. rew !p in the so!th. 1!ggestion% limitation% arg!ily associal. Targeted to

white a!diences. >ellow h!man eings. ,,. 1hall Negro writing e for the Negro masses% molding

the li)es and concioo!sness of those masses towards new goals % or shall it contin!e egging the

!estion of the Negroes* h!manity? Comm!nist party

raping two white women% they were condemned to death e)en if there was no e)idence of that.

Com!nism concerned as racism as a prolem in the 41% after the reat depression. 'ar0ism- race

to class. Not race prolem% a class prolem.

&nitially% negro religion a re)ol!tionary form. Negro str!ggle for the religion of the plantation.

Character- religio!s% passi)e. >orm him% potentially re)ol!tionary form. Not atheist !t )ery critical

of religion. Arg!ing a )ersion of =!/oises Art for propaganda. 'ar0ist. /lac$ people need to mo)e

eyond race. Not only Negro nationalism. No attempt 8 for mar0ist% are yo! part of the proletariad%

ratial differences% iss!e% class difference% directed towards negro people- they want to go eyond

that characteri(ation. Re)ol!tion against the capitalist class. ess concerned ao!t political

organi(ing. ower class white people. 1oemething that H!ghes does not specify. &magination of

these writers. He was str!ggling% he failed% he tried to get a


14/32

The Ethic of Li.in# /im Cro"

IThe 2thics of i)ing 3im CrowI descries Wright*s own e0periences growing !p. The essay starts

with his first enco!nter with racism% when his attempt to play a war game with white children t!rns

!gly% and follows his e0periences with the prolems of eing lac$ in the 1o!th thro!gh his

adolescence and ad!lthood. &t descries his e0perience of pre

at an optical factory% his white fellow employees !lly and e)ent!ally eat him for wanting to learn

eing allowed to wor$ aro!nd na$ed white prostit!tes while ha)ing to pretend they do not e0ist.

Whites ha)e e0ploitati)e se0 with lac$ maids% and yet any se0!al relations etween a lac$ man

and a white woman% e)en a prostit!te% is ca!se for castration or death. Wright also del)es into the

more s!tle h!miliations inherent in the 3im Crow system% s!ch as eing !nale to say Ithan$ yo!%I

to a white man% lest he ta$e it as a statement of e!ality.

Ric%ard 1ri!%t

Richard Wright*s new )iew of African-American writing after the Harlem Renaissance./y +,5;%

when Richard WrightMs important essay 6/l!eprint for Negro Writing7 was p!lished in the New

Challenger or many of them% po)erty and discrimination

dominated their li)es in their segregated neighorhoods.

Richard WrightMs family had enco!ntered this when they mo)ed from the 1o!th to ChicagoMs 1o!th

1ide in +,;. /y the time he wrote 6/l!eprint%7 these and other e0periences had led Wright to the

Comm!nist Party. This clearly infl!enced his approach to his own writing% incl!ding his no)els and

storiesUalternately descried as social realism or nat!ralismUand to the writing of other African

Americans.

&n 6/l!eprint for Negro Writing7 Wright does not mince words. He egins with 6enerally

spea$ing% Negro writing in the past has een confined to h!mle no)els% poems% and plays% prim and

decoro!s amassadors who went a-egging to white America.7

As a comm!nist with an international )iew% he arg!es against what he calls the 6prolem of Negro

nationalism.7 He says% 6Negro writers m!st accept the nationalist implications of their li)es% not in

order to enco!rage them% !t in order to change and transcend them.7

&n other words% Wright wants more from African-American writers than angston H!ghes

s!ggested in his essay% IThe Negro Artist and the Racial 'o!ntain.7 >or H!ghes and other Harlem

Renaissance writers% the e0pectation was to write !nfettered ao!t lac$ life. Certainly for his time%

this s!ggestion was inno)ati)e.

Howe)er% Wright sees another p!rpose for the writer9 to wor$ to change !n

economic areas in American society. He says% 6This raises the !estion of the personality of the

writer. &t means that in the li)es of Negro writers m!st e fo!nd those materials and e0periences

which will create a meaningf!l pict!re of the world today. V And% in t!rn% this changed world will

dialectically change the writer.7

>or Richard Wright in this essay% 'ar0ism is the 6starting point7 for the African-American artist.

He elie)es that this 6ism7 will gi)e clarity to the writerMs )ision of 6the str!ggles% hopes% and

s!fferings of his people.7


15/32

T%e t%eories #ro#osed in t%is essay in&l"enced ot%er .riters o& %is time and even t%erea&ter

Mean.%ile/ %e #"blis%ed %is/ no. classic best*sellin! novel/ Native $on% in +,E+. 2)ent!ally%

Wright himself ecame disill!sioned with the Comm!nist Party and ro$e with it in +,EE.

Jo!ng oys% ha)ing a good time% they ha)e to li)e on the day asis% they can*t stop that in

'oility- ailty to mo)e from one place to another. 'ethapor- spirit!als% religio!s songs% life is

etter in the North% religio!s glory. ife etter in the North. /oo said 9 no% & don*t wanna getlynched. Writer a nat!ralist. A sort of force% inescapale. =esperate in the so!th% race a sort of force.

That is going to happen to them% Well hang e)er nigger t a so!r apple tree7. JNCH&N9

e)eryone is there% comm!nity e)ent% threat for white women. Religo!s imagery no coincidence.

>orced to watch to see /oo !rnt to death.

Title od the story- a spirit!al. =ied% str!ggle of life is o)er% that happens to men. et shot. His ody

$ic$ed into the water. &ronic !se of the song. Jo! ha)e crossed o)er the ri)er. 'ann protagonist.

Race- sort of force. He can*t scape. 2)en if he is trying to do the right thing. White oat. Hartfield*s

oat- foreshadow that something is going to happen. &mplacaility of those forces. !l! is dead

when they arri)ed to the hospital. He is not desh!mani(ed% he does the right thing. He is the onlyman. /eging for his life.

>ire and clo!d- message% change message and the collection. Racism% a sort of force% down y the

ri)erside. 'en can*t scape. Racism more powerf!l than nat!ral forces. White racism. Racism is a

grain% racist aspect colori(es% This is the way things are. 2)en the lac$ comm!nity accept it. 1ilas

the one who inciates the )iolence. He $nows that something had happened. How co!ld yo! do this

to me? 1ilas had had eno!gh. He shoots the salesman. We start with the lac$ woman. 1arah% at

home% alone with her child. 1arah is singing a l!llay to the ay. Central character here. 1he feels

at fa!lt. Rape% eca!se she says no. Pd readers- rape% in the late 5D or EDs not seen as rape. A white

man and a lac$ women. &n the middle% there is a shift% it is not clear if she is raped or she is into it.

1arah after feels peacef!l. Childness ao!t 1arah% f!ndamental mis!nderstanding. Confrontation.

2nco!nter of the pre-modern agric!lt!ral world and the ind!strial world. 1he is a creat!re of

emotion% feeling. 1he doesn*t $now clearly what is ad ao!t World war &% she is a creat!re of

emotion and sensation. Animal tits- li$e an animal. 1he always feels% a creat!re of feeling. That

sensation li$e Tom. The lang!age is the same. i$e her time with Tom. /y herself- she is mostly

thin$ing ao!t Tom. 1ilas comes home and finds a lot of e)idence that she has een sleeping with a

white man. 1he has a the thorn of Tom% !t she had o)erloo$ed that. That iss!e is raised in the

confrontation. 1!ggestion% & ha)e to e li$e the white fol$s% Heroism and antiheroism in 1ilas. Wife-

piece of property. 1he is li$e his ho!se% the fact that she doesn*t ha)e to go to the fields. 1arah is a

sign of that% a white man ha)ing se0 with his wife ta$es this o!t. >oolishness of this. 1arah is

feeling% !t there is a condemnation of )iolence. 1ilas escalated the sit!ation. He smashed thegramophone. He feels he has the right. 2ach person palys his part. We $now what is going to

happen. 'ost of these stories end adly. 1ilas standing o!t for his manhood. &gnorance and shame.

'isoginy. =epiction of 1arah. =epiction of women prolematic.

/oo$er is white% her sons% a new way of thin$ing. 1ame economic position. Religion is a prolem.

Not thin$ing conscio!sly ao!t it. Ri)a lo)es her son. Racial thin$ing. =on*t ignore race. &t co!ld e

a lac$ person informing. That attit!de% The traitor a white man. &nformer% write man. Racially way

of thin$ing% right. Right% with the e0ception of >iring Clo!d% )iolence% lac$ and white people in

the so!th. /lac$ women. 1arah% the re)erend*s wife. Hysteria. Another prolem that he has to

manage. 1arah the ca!se of the )iolence.

3AME$ AL+1IN


16/32

ald.in* criticizin!/ 8 D second #arar!ra#% ald.in/ .riter $ocial commentary/ sociolo!ical/

com#lainin!/ not bein! critical eno"!% Monstr"o"s le!ened* blac( %"manity* ar!"e &or blac(

ri!%ts/ Native $on/ Uncle Tom's Cabin* #olit%ical im#act* not very .ell .ritten novel/ in&lamed

#assions and tension in bot% sides/ sociolo!ical/ #olitical im#act/ b"t in 1ri!%t's vie. not a !ood

literary #iece Native $on* a #artic"lar and most #o.er&"l e)am#le o& .%at means bein! blac( in

Americaald.in* -arlem 567 $tatement* bald.in %e meets Ric%ard 1ri!%t -e s%o.s Ric%ard1ri!%t a dra&t o&& a novel First T%en/ .%en ald.in's and Ri!%t's &riensd%i# &ract"res P%rases*

#artic"lar #roblem .it% violence in Ri!%t's .or( Protest novel Protest literat"re In same .ay/ t%is

story is anomal"s -arlemli&e *%is live t%ere %ard* %omose)"al/ #oor/ blac( Uncle Tom's C%ildren/

Native $on* #ro#a!anda Uncle Tom's C%ildren/ ban( director's da"!%ters can cry abo"t it and

t%en &or!et abo"t it 2#enin! scene* %e


17/32

lynching% arg!ing that it does not ser)e a p!rpose. The other people in the town

his damn mo!th.I The )isceral e0perience of the night% in partic!lar the to!ghness of the yo!ng

lac$ man% lingers on for the narrator.

XeditY

Analysis of narrator

The story is written from the perspecti)e of the narrator% a oy from Cincinnati% who tells his storyao!t an e0perience he has d!ring a trip to the =eep 1o!th "we do not $now the e0act location# with

his father. The narrator is ignorant to the process of a lynching% and maintains a nai)e )iew

thro!gho!t the story. Altho!gh at n!mero!s times he descries himself as physically ill at

witnessing the e)ents of the story% he nonetheless $eeps his eye on the e)ents% possily showing the

ystander effect.

XeditY

Characters

Lnchin# .ictim

The yo!ng lac$ man is the )ictim the lynch mo ties !p with a rope and p!ts gasoline on his feet.4nder e0treme s!ffering% he as$s the crowd to Iplease c!t XhisY throatI -- a re!est c!rtly re!ffed

y 3ed Wilson% leader of the mo.

/ed 0ilon

&n the story% 3ed Wilson seems to lead the mo. Pop!lar in the town% he is e0pected to e )oted

sheriff. When the lynching )ictim as$s for mercy% 3ed ref!ses% saying I...ain*t no Christians aro!nd

tonight....We*re

0oman 12rned 1 electric "ire

After the plane $noc$s down electric power lines% the large crowd gathers and accidentally $noc$s a

white woman toward the li)e wires% !rning and $illing her. When the crowd t!rns their attention

from her to ret!rn to the !rning of the lac$ man% the mo*s near-total desensiti(ation to )iolence is

shown.XeditY

Themes

3tander effect

Thro!gho!t the story% the narrator mentions how he is disg!sted physically y the e)ents he

witnesses% !t he contin!es to )iew them. The /ystander 2ffect is the idea that the larger the crowd%

the less li$ely one indi)id!al coming to the aid of someone ecomes.

Deeniti4ation to .iolence

The narrator witnesses the physical !rning of a lac$ man as well as the electroc!tion and death of

a white woman. Altho!gh the narrator does get physically ill at the e)ents% his !ncle later tells him

of the lynching% IJo! get !sed to it in time.IInnocence

3ecomin# a Man

XeditY

1ymols

General5 tat2e

A stat!e of a Confederate general stands ao)e the town s!are where the lynching occ!rs% as if

appro)ing of the proceedings. ater% the narrator says he Iwas fi0ing to r!n o)er and clim etween

his legs and sit there and watch....I Altho!gh the narrator is a Northerner from Cincinnati% the stat!e

seems to symoli(e the comfort some ta$e in the pre-Ci)il War order.

6laneWhile the e)ents of the lynching har$en ac$ to the days when the ! l!0 lan was widely

pop!lar% the plane introd!ces an aspect of modernity to the story. When the narrator writes that Ithe
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Party_Down_at_the_Square&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Party_Down_at_the_Square&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Party_Down_at_the_Square&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Party_Down_at_the_Square&action=edit&section=5http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Party_Down_at_the_Square&action=edit&section=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Party_Down_at_the_Square&action=edit&section=3http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Party_Down_at_the_Square&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Party_Down_at_the_Square&action=edit&section=5


18/32

airplane line is in)estigating to find who set the fire that almost wrec$ed their plane%I it*s odd that

no one is concerned with in)estigating the e0tra

4se of the N-word

&n IA Party =own at the 1!are%I the N-word appears o)er ED times in the story. The word adds

realism to the story% as it was a common word in the setting of the story. Racism was ali)e and$ic$ing and this story s!re lets the reader $now that. 2llison !ses the N-word to get the reader to

grasp a deeper !nderstanding of the racist mindset% eca!se the N-word has helped deeply ingrain

racism into the tho!ght processes of the narrator.

1ome people may e shoc$ed y the o)er!se of the N-word in the story% !t to !nderstand the

history we ha)e to read ao!t how the character got lynched% eat% degraded% $ic$ed% sho)ed%

p!shed% and e)erything else. The N-word deh!mani(es the lynch mo )ictim% which ma$es IA

Party =own at the 1!areI a powerf!l indictment of the history of 1o!thern racism.

&gnorance- children% they repeat what they heard to !sed. Niggers- !se of the word se)eral times.

Comm!nity practice% it*s a sort of a party. His first lynching. His not a so!thener. His !ncle told him

to go. A sort of a party- comm!nity )iolence% accost!med to thin$ing as white eca!se he says

Niggers and Niggers% less than h!man for him. @ery disspassion% No fright% terror or e0citement.

Rainstorm. &dentification and dish!mani(ation- referring to the man o)er and o)er again as nigger.

He is eing !rnt to death !t he is a nigger% the distance. He desh!mani(e the 6nigger7. The way he

descries her is desh!mani(ing% a white woman the first )ictim% he is not )ery affected y the

disgrace% he is sort of !sed to )iolence. 1e0!al treat. 1e0!al assa!lt. @iolence and collateral damage.

He is tired% he wants to go home. This symoli(es% he i not so!thern. That was my last party. He

)omited% it co!ld e read as )omiting white manhood. 'antaining control. 'oment of hope.

Admiration for his tho!ghness eca!se he doesn*t scream e)en if he is eing !rnt to death. White

s!premacy. 2llison% still attracted to comm!nism. ynching- distract people from the real prolems%and for the croppers to lame lac$ people% when the rich% land owners are the ones to lame. Race%

a way of controlling lac$ and white poors y the white rich. Possiility of hope of the cropper

reali(e that is the land owner the one who ca!ses his prolems.

A certain ad)antage- eing in)isile% he is escaping from some people. o!is Amstrong. &n)isiility.

White insid% self-sacrificing christianity. Parody. Angry lac$ men. 1ort of a )ictim of the lac$ art

mo)ement. 2llison% a political stance. P!tting politics ao)e

sorts of manifestos- each mo)ement from one period to the ne0t. =!/ois and anghston H!ghesand Richard Wright.What are their asic arg!ments? What is this mo)ement ao!t? /eing lac$ in

America- a note of anger is noticeale in the writing. Jo! sho!ld try to e a lac$ writer% not an

American. Co!ntee C!llen and the others didn*t want to e $nown as Negro writers. /lac$ness%

white critics loo$ at that first. Political component to it. Notion of separation% the American society

against lac$ people. /asically on the other team. Re)olt. At the ottom of 5. 2ach one idea of

lac$ aesthetics. /lac$ and american- they don*t want to choose. The New Negro. Time period.

/rea$ing away of the tradition of writing for a white a!dience. Neal mades a similar statement. The

/lac$ Arts 'o)ement. Appeal to white morality. A!dience. /elie)e. 1!pplication to the od.

Protest literat!re. Worthiness% art% lac$ art.

American c!lt!re is lac$ c!lt!re% lac$ c!lt!re is American c!lt!re% we can p!t them apart% do!leconcio!sness%


19/32

A'&R& /ARAA- &n the late LDs to the early Ds. =!tchman and the reader- associated with the

eat poets- inserg. A change in this period of his career- +,+. The =!tchman% it was presented at

the Cherry ane Theatre% New Jor$ City on 'arch E% +,E.

'arried to a white woman% the he lea)es e)erything ehind and goes to Harlem% to reco)er hislac$ness. Clay-amitio!s lac$ man. 1he pers!ades him into the fall. =ialog!e etween her and

Clay. 'ore symollic representation- what will !la represent?

!la- represents America% the American =ream% american dream- !la represents the american

dream.

Charlie Par$er- from the ig and to a !artet% he was an heroine addicted. We are serio!s artists.

This ecame a way of lac$ artists% Charlie Par$er% heroine addicted. /ara$a- that addiction is a

reaction to white society- constantly p!tting a pri(e and then% yo! can*t ha)e it. His death

attri!tale to white racism. 1elf-defence )iolence. 'aye% a commentary ao!t his life with his

wife. Clay )ery yo!ng- D years old. What society wants him to ecame. 2ach gro!p that he

presents- lac$ opression. O)erall criti!e% of ci)il rights mo)ement% targeting the lieralspo$esmen. 3ewish acti)ists. Cops% m!lato itches% negro leader%in response to the antisemitism.

3ewish people- the ones e0ploding !s. Homophoia. 2ternal faggot. Negro leader.

A'&R& /ARAA

A poem for /lac$ Hearts

/lac$ dominant- lac$ o negro% is not the same as a Negro. Negro- a sort of peor saying% and feeling and eing. Reflecting his

ea!ty. His direct adress. What is on his mind. A lo)e poem. /ara$a and other intelect!als-not

coincidental. /lac$ nationalist. /lac$ men need to change% a call o manhood% as in &f we m!st =ie-

is the same $ind of call? &t is not necceserily deffensi)e% &t*s not a call to sel-defense. 1top the

c!lt!re. =ignity. A change of conio!sness from Negro. Poetry for /lac$ people. To change their

concio!sness. >aggots- homose0!ality- faggots- afeminate. Negati)e connotations that come along

with that. A call to what? >or what?&mplied !t NOT e0plicit. /lac$ rethoric. What are we calling

together for?/lac$ art mo)ement. As$ing- who does incl!de? Who does e0cl!de? >aggot- if yo! are

lac$ and a faggot are yo! part of it?

1O1 &f we fail-gendered. This happens to a lot of /lac$ Poetry- for /lac$ lieration% lac$

manhood. 'an- center of disco!rse. Or they dissapear entirely. 2)eryody is called into it.

The &dea of Ancestry- 2theridge nights- he recite from memory- he was one of se)en children- he

hanged o!t with the wrong people. =ownfall- dr!gs- that*s why he went to prison. He met

wendolyn /roo$s. His poetry- the poem% the poet and the people together. He is the first poet who

mentions a woman in a good way. &nterconectons with his family- a ig part of what ma$es him

who he is. He started to fig!re who he was. N!mer- in prison. &t p!t !s ac$ to the place he is-

prison. Negati)e place. &mmigration to the north- no so good. /iological !rge. Want to go ac$ to

his granmothers and granparents- sla)e- he can*t identify them. They are aware of these

relationships% !t sla)es are disconected. And he is not. night has an ancestry. He is not a

geneological isolate- he is a sla)e of his dr!g prolems. =issapearance of his !ncle. &mplied-

prison- a form of sla)ery. =r!g- adiction. 1he is the only one who doesn*t

he has no children% so% the niece is the closest to eing his ne0t generation. 'oments of


20/32

identification. /eing in lo)e with some relati)es. 'oments of identification% & am all of them they

are all of me. & am me% they are dee. 1it!ation himself. Ancestry- separation from them. He repeats

that line. & ha)e no children. People that are remo)ed from the family. ranfather. 4ncle. He is an

empty space. They say. ast line- asence phisically% mentally. Asent- he lea)es the family. &t*s

coming down on him. Reason he has to lea)e% his adiction. &dentity- the identity comes ac$. This

and that. His grandmother. Responsale to her. 1till part of the collecti)e !t not !ite. Cro$e- die-

!ncle% disappeared. Asence. Why has he changed to son? Not only the lood !t also his name.Ancestry- e0actly as his name is a family name. Amiri /ara$a changes his name...Ancestry not the

sort of remote african ancestry- graparents- he was named after his granfather. Not fig!red- not

African ancestry. &t is a )ery direct present. night part of /lac$ Arts mo)ement. He is fig!ring

ancestry. 4ncles% co!sins...

Of the good poems inPoems &rom Prison / the one which has een most la!ded and most fre!ently

anthologi(ed is IThe &dea of Ancestry%I sometimes called one of the est poems that has een

written ao!t the Afro-American conception of family history and h!man interconnection. &n this

poem% night !sed what came to e his trademar$ in p!nct!ation% the slash mar$% along with

commas% colons% occasional !n!s!al spellings% and spacing of words to indicate how the )oice

sho!ld so!nd saying the lines. He also fo!nd a partic!larly effecti)e comination of the )oca!laryof the dr!g c!lt!re% of lac$ slang% and of concrete images to ma$e the idea of ancestry come ali)e.

The reader can see the spea$er staring at the forty-se)en pict!res of his family memers pasted on

his prison wall and trace the details of the spea$er*s rememered connections with them. 2!ally%

the reader is% li$e the spea$er% ro!ght !p short d!ring the warm% flowing intermingling of li)es y

the Igray stone wall%I one of those star$% concrete% and )igoro!s images which night creates% that%

li$e the spea$er*s dr!g addiction% separates the spea$er from those he lo)es and to whom he is

connected. A powerf!lly comple0 e0perience of the essential loneliness and relatedness of a man

who is at once Iall of them%I !t different from them% and ha)ing Ino children to float in the space

etweenI is created thro!gh the str!ct!re and lang!age of the poem.

>rom+ictionary o& Literary io!ra#%y% @ol"me 5, A&ro*American Poets $ince 56. A /r!ccoli

Clar$ ayman /oo$. 2dited y Tr!dier Harris and Thadio!s '. =a)is. Copyright Z +,:L y the

ale ro!p.

Patricia iggins Hill

&n the poem IThe &dea of Ancestry%I which Pa!l 'ariah has hailed as Ithe est poem of /lac$

c!lt!ral history%I night himself ecomes Ithe )iolent space.I &n the first section of the poem%

which flows in a Whitmanes!e style% the poet is spatially defined in his prison cell9

Taped to the wall of my cell are E; pict!res9 E; lac$ faces9 my father% mother% grandmothers "+

dead#% grand fathers "oth dead#% rothers% sisters% !ncles% a!nts% co!sins "+st [ nd#% nieces% andnephews. They stare across the space at me sprawling on my !n$. & $now their dar$ eyes% they

$now mine. & $now their style% they $now mine. & am all of them% they are all of me they are

farmers% & am a thief% & am me% they are thee.

& ha)e at one time or another een in lo)e with my mother% + grandmother% sisters% a!nts "+ went

to the asyl!m#% and L co!sins. & am now in lo)e with a ; yr old niece"she sends me letters written in

large loc$ print% and her pict!re is the only one that smiles at me#.

& ha)e the same name as + grandfather% 5 co!sins% 5 nephews% and + !ncle. The !ncle disappeared

when he was +L%


21/32

always mentions him. There is no place in her /ile for Iwhereao!ts !n$nown.I

The poet is conscio!s of the fact that all of his ancestors% e0cept for his smiling% se)en-year-old

niece% stare at him across the space. He shares the same name as one grandfather% three co!sins%

three nephews% and one !ncle. The !ncle is an empty space in the family%

in spite of the poet*s eing an empty space% he ta$es a Whitmanes!e stance in the poem9 He stands

at the center of his !ni)erse% his ancestry% and sings% I& am all of them% they are all of me.I /!t hereali(es his separation from his ancestry as well9 Ithey are farmers% & am a thief% & am me% they are

thee.I

The prosaic !ality of the first section of the poem is stri$ing. >or the most part% it ta$es on the

narrati)e !alities of an a!toiography and flows with long% rolling% sonoro!s lines controlled y the

reath of the poet declarati)e statements story-li$e details and specific references to people%

places% and actions. The soothing% sweet-flowing rhythms in Part & reflect the poet*s reminiscences

ao!t his relationships with his relati)es--memories that are filled with warmth% gentleness% regret%

and nostalgia.

&n Part &&% the pace !ic$ens. The tho!ghts recollected y e0amining the pict!res of his relati)es on

his cell wall "in Part lead the poet grad!ally to a retelling of his personal rit!al of s!ffering9 . . .

I2ach >all%I the poet enacts the rit!al of ret!rn to the home of his ancestry. >rom this mythic sense

of time% the poet switches to direct references and specific definitions of time9 Iast yr ... That night

. . . . I The e0perience is reli)ed% !t with !alification9 I. . . & had almost ca!ght !p with me.I The

rhythms in Part && e0plode with )iolence. 1eparations are made9 IThat night & loo$ed at my

grandmother and splitmy g!ts were screaming for

& of the poem% crowd se)eral acti)ities into one sentence9 I& wal$ed arefooted in my grandmother*s

ac$yard & smelled the oldland and woods& sipped cornwhis$ey from fr!it terms as Icroa$erI "doctor# and IcriI "ho!se# for their harsh alliterati)e impact.

&n the last fines of the final stan(a% the !ic$ened pace e0ha!sted% the drama rests9

This yr there is a gra)e stone wall damming my stream% and whenthe falling lea)es stir my genes%

& pace my cell or flop on my !n$and stare at E; lac$ faces across the space. & am all of them%

they are all of me% & am me% they are thee% and & ha)e no sons to float in the space etween.

ITimeI and IspaceI ha)e tra)eled f!ll circle in the poem--ac$ to the present condition of the poet

in his cell. /!t whereas the space etween the poet and the pict!res descried in the first stan(a is

chiefly the distance etween his !n$ and the wall where the pict!res hang% the last notation of

space in the poem in)ol)es the gal)ani(ation of the poet*s genes--his sense of ancestry. He has no

sons to hold his rit!alistic space within the family. No sons of his are mar$ed in the family /ile.

This is a !iet time of despair for the poet9 Ithey are farmers% & am a thief.I Now% he is Ithe )iolent

space%I an entity separate from his ancestry. He is different9 At this moment in the time and space of

the poem% he has no physical lin$age to his history% his family. And% !nfort!nately% eca!se he is

imprisoned% he can do nothing at present ao!t the sit!ation. The spatialtemporal mo)ement of the

poem is carried along y the tide of his m!sic9 from the )ery concrete reality of a prison cell% to arit!al re)itali(ation of a sense of ancestry thro!gh a ret!rning home% to this year when there will e

no re-enactment of the rit!al and no one to mo)e for him9 I& ha)e no sonsto float in the space


22/32

etween.I With this line the poem reaches an ar!pt halt. The reader then ecomes aware of the

)astness of space% Ithe )iolent space%I which follows the line.

The form of the poem as well as the idea of ancestry in the poem also represents the prolem of

ancestral lineage for the /lac$ race as a whole. 'any /lac$s% s!ch as night himself% can only trace

their ancestral lineage ac$ two or three generations eca!se of the conditions of /lac$ sla)ery

which were imposed on them. &n this conte0t% Agnes 1tein% in T%e Uses o& Poetry% regards this poemas especially important for those s!ch as /lac$s Iwhose history as a gro!p has een denied within a

larger c!lt!re.I

>rom IMThe @iolent 1paceMI9 The >!nction of the New /lac$ Aesthetic in 2theridge nightMs Prison

Poetry.Ilac( American Literat"re For"m. "+,:D#.

The /lac$ Poets Who Thin$ of 1!icide.

+st1tan(a. /lac$ poets to white poets. i$e the white oys do. Western tradition- ea!ty for ea!ty*s

sa$e. Poet- not

S!estion of Art- aesthetics- osession with ea!ty. Arts- term which is prefer eca!se it is more

f!nctional. Role of art here% !nderstand Art- Art as a term- we need yo! to !se that art- that

tr!mpets- s!icide- the asol!te s!rrender. Jo! are too important to do that% their poetry an

adorment- they ha)en*t really done anything- lac$ poetry has to do something. >!ctional. Not only

e0pression for the sa$e of e0pression. i$e =!/ois* propaganda. ong tradition- /AC ART

>4NCT&ONA9 Calling on lac$ poets- all these changes had happened- !t yo! still ha)e this

responsaility.

W2N=OJN /ROO1

'alcom 1po$e- Who listened?" this poem is for my concio!sness too#

1tan(as witho!t any partic!lar r!le%

)ery fast. Certain words% not f!lly spelled o!t% certain words p!t together. Cons!mer c!lt!re-

re)ol!tion. African heritage. Cool. /!t they didn*t really ha)e that concio!sness. Re)ol!tion- 'artin

!ther ing assesinated% 'alcom B assesinated...'iddle lines of the poem.

Jo! can*t dismantel the master*s ho!se with the master*s tool. How can we mo)e if we are spea$ing

the oppresor*s lang!age?

A PO2' TO CO'P2'2NT OTH2R PO2'1.

P!tting on lac$ness a a commodity. 'ental change- a transformation mentally has to occ!r. Thereare significant changes- those changes aren*t going to mean )ery m!ch if a mental transformation

doesn*t happen. &t is

needed a completely reconstr!ction. Change and thin$ing a primary idea. The world*s enemy %

oneself? Jo! are not colored% yo! are not negro yo! are lac$. &f we don*t change we get left ehind.

Change yo!r mind% !t not that only. Playing with the lang!age to gi)e !s m!ltiple meanings.

Ni$$i io)anisi- Tenesse% Ohio% princess of lac$ poetry. Ci)il rights mo)ement. @irginia-

langsthon H!ghes award- p!lished a lot of oo$s% lots of poetry and non- fiction.

The tr!e &mport of the present dialog!e% /lac$ )s. Negro

illing a certain $ind of lac$ set 8 lac$ people $ill !t not for the right reasons. White and /lac$-


23/32

Writers- destr!cti)e machismo. /lac$ manhood was li$e e!ally lac$ lieration. 20panded- not

only lac$ men- Amiri /ara$a- the $ing- and not the !een-

/lac$ women who challenged that main foc!s in manhood.

3ayne Corte(- How long has trane een gone" +,:#% she was raised in Ari(ona and mo)e with her

family to os Angeles. 3a(( fanatic. Record shops. P!rs!ing the chance of going to concerts or e)en

tal$ with them. Her poetry- m!sical- sense% sort of rhythim of irst collection of


24/32

>OR O4R A=J

/illie Holliday. eadership- almost a missed opport!nity% if her life wo!ld ha)e een less ro!gh%

maye she will ha)e gi)en the world a stronger message. 1he was a heroine addict- she lost her

)oice eca!se of heroine- se was denied a caaret license. eneral impression- tragedy- missed

opport!nity- orn from a teenage mother- forced to wor$ as a prostit!te% a!sed y one of her

family memer. Tragic fig!re. 4nrelie)ed tragedies. 1trange >r!it- a lynching song. Originally apoem. And he ga)e it to /illie Holliday. /illie Holliday*s life a sort of tragedy- intense masc!line

field- it(gerald% /illie Holliday. /illie is that partic!lar sort of singers- she

represents- concern with lac$ women*s li)e. Who didn*t ha)e anyody to pay attention to them-

/illie represents lac$ american women. /lac$ women eing ale to feel appreciated% sort of

tragedy. This is the case for lac$ women.

Why is the poem titled this way?'o)ement from Africa to America- pagan-christian.

CAROJN RO2R1 &1 &T =22P

'y mother% slept on some lo)e- her aay was star)ing% lac$ poems & ha)e written- com!nism-

she will not een considered rele)ant or lac$. enerational split- how do we $now that there is agenerational split. generations. There is some $ind of deate. 'other religio!s. They ha)e

different idea of what lac$ is. Her mother is Negro she is lac$. Accomodationist- Negro-

re)ol!tionary% progressi)e-lac$

The idea of crossing o)er to a new way of life pro)ides the s!stance that Rodgers e0plicitly longed

for in se)eral poems of self-do!t ao!t her writing. Her third oo$ ta$es its title from this concern9

-o. I Got 2va% "+,;L# collects new and selected poemsin a )ol!me that mar$s a t!rning point in

Rodgers*s career. i$e io)anni and 1anche(% Rodgers re

/lac$s

The 6oem

6&t &s =eep7 is a short dramatic monolog!e of free )erse di)ided into fi)e stan(as of irreg!lar

length. The title% eginning with the indefinite prono!n 6it%7 s!ggests the slang meaning of 6deep79
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a highly astract% intellect!ally profo!nd idea lying eneath layers of s!perficial meanings. &n

Carolyn '. RodgersMs poem% the s!perficial layers stem from the conflicting realities that typically

e0ist etween a mother and her ad!lt da!ghter as the da!ghter asserts her independence and

indi)id!ality.

6&t &s =eep7 is a short dramatic monolog!e of free )erse di)ided into fi)e stan(as of irreg!lar

length. The title% eginning with the indefinite prono!n 6it%7 s!ggests the slang meaning of6deep79 a highly astract% intellect!ally profo!nd idea lying eneath layers of s!perficial

meanings. &n Carolyn '. RodgersMs poem% the s!perficial layers stem from the conflicting

realities that typically e0ist etween a mother and her ad!lt da!ghter as the da!ghter asserts

her independence and indi)id!ality.

&t &s =eep "don*t ne)er forget the ridge that yo! crossed o)er on#Ha)ing tried to !se thewitch cord

that erases the stretch ofthirty-three loc$sand t!ning in the )oice whichwoodenly stated that thetal$

o0 was IdisconnectedI'y mother% religio!sly girdled inher god% slipped on some lo)e% andlaid on

my ell li$e a tr!c$%lew thro!gh my door warm wind from the so!thconcern ma$ing her gr!ff and

tight-lippedand scaredthat her IayI was star)ing.she% ha)ing learned% that disconnection res!ltsfromnon-payment of ill "s#.1he did notrecogni(e the poster of thegrand le-roi "al# cat on the wall

had ne)er e)en seen the oo$s of/lac$ poems that & ha)e writtenthin$s that & am !nder the

infl!ence of\\comm!nists\\when & tal$ ao!t /lac$ as anythingother than something !gly to $ill it

efo it growsin any impression she wo!ld not econsidered Irele)antI or I/lac$I!tthere she was%

standing in my roomnot lo!dly condemning that day andnot rememering that & grew hearing her

c!rse the factory where she Ic!t !h sla)eIand the cheap


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IThe 1$y is ray.I This simplistic sentence and the title of 2rnest 3. aines* short story )oices the

comination of physical setting and social setting which estalish the world of yo!ng 3ames and his

mother. The plot of the story follows the irst% it*s a flat oser)ation

thro!gh a !s window. The second time% while still primarily literal oser)ation% 3ames* remar$ also

reflects the $nowledge he has gained ao!t the real IcolorI of things from a yo!ng man in thedentist*s office who insists that his Iwind is pin$I and his Igrass is lac$.IIThe 1$y is rayI is

ao!t racism in the pre-Ci)il Rights 1o!th as well as the relationship etween 3ames and his

mother. A powerf!l force within the story as seen thro!gh the eyes of se)enyear-old 3ames% 3ames*

mother is self-sacrificing and hardwor$ing. 1he and her children wor$ in the fields to maintain their

e0istence% the h!sand and father drafted and at war. i)ing in po)erty% )eryindi)id!al in the family

$nows the precario!sness of their s!r)i)al% how e)ery penny is spent to pro)ide the essentials of

food% shelter% clothing% and health care. nowing the cost of ha)ing a tooth e0tracted% 3ames

e0ercises stoicism% ne)er complaining ao!t and e)en lying ao!t the e0istence of the

pain. His mother% tho!gh% ta$es the money for !s fare and the dentist from their meager sa)ings to

alle)iate 3ames* pain. Once in town% the two wait for ho!rs in an o)ercrowded dentist office% only to

e shooed o!t of the office and into the itter cold while the dentist l!nches. Not only are 3ames andhis mother forced to ra)e the cold in too-thin coats and shoes% 3ames* mother also has to worry

ao!t missing field wor$ that afternoon and% h!ngry% she m!st spend part of their meager grocery

money on something for 3ames to eat.

While 3ames* mother clearly has to negotiate the most !nfa)orale of circ!mstances% she is

pro!d% ref!sing to e patroni(ed and choosing silent stoicism as a means of resistance and also as

parenting strategy. 1he $nows she m!st teach 3ames and his rother to s!r)i)e% to e strong and

pro!d themsel)es. 1he teaches them that they m!st ta$e care of themsel)es% e)en when it means

$illing the irds that he and his rother catch in traps. 1he teaches them to confront in

action% confronting the n!rse in the dentist*s office when she tells them the dentist will not see any

other patients !ntil afternoon. &n p!lling a $nife on a threatening male in the diner where she and

3ames eat% she teaches 3ames that% at times% e)en )iolent self-defense may e necessary when one is

threatened y )iolence. 1he teaches 3ames how to accept generosity gracef!lly and witho!t

wea$ness% accepting the dinner offered to her y two white indi)id!als in the town% !t only in

e0change for wor$ performed% and ref!sing a ch!n$ of salt meat igger than the !arter she has to

gi)e for it. The racism 3ames* mother confronts is compo!nded y se0ism. 1he gets catcalled as she

wal$s down the street% harassed in the diner% and faces her larger comm!nity as a single mother. 1he

has few opport!nities for employment aside from the hard laor that cons!mes her life. 3ames )iews

his mother*s e0ha!stion and depression% rememering when his father was with them. The !estion

of his father*s ret!rn is an !nderlying presence in the story as 3ames rememers times he*s spent

with his father and the a!nt who li)es with them )oices her awareness of the in

whom his asence has most impact% tho!gh% is the mother.

A confrontation ao!t the appropriate response to social in

a yo!ng intellect!al and a preacher while 3ames and his mother wait in the dentistMs office and is at

the)ery heart of ainesM story. 2)idence of segregation and racism is a clear presence thro!gho!t

the story9 3ames and his mother ha)e to sit at the ac$ of the !s 3ames notices a flag with an

arrangement of stars different than the one he $nows from his classroom 3ames watches white

children play on a well-manic!red playgro!nd o!tside a well-manic!red school. The tension

emedded in the presence of this ine!ity and the passi)e tolerance of most comes to a head when

the intellect!al and preacher assert their perspecti)es on the appropriate response. Responding to anoffhanded and clich d e0planation for s!ffering from the preacher IMNot !s to !estionM%I the yo!ng

st!dent ta$es a cynical and intellect!al approach to resistance% asserting that more lac$ indi)id!als


27/32

need to I!estionI stat!s !o and then acti)ely see$ to change it9 IMWe donMt !estion is e0actly o!r

prolem . . . we sho!ld !estion and !estion and !estion !estion e)erythingM.I When the st!dent

asserts that e)en od sho!ld e !estioned and that the head sho!ld r!le the heart% the preacher

reacts)iolently% slapping the oy efore apologi(ing to the others waiting in the office and ta$ing his

lea)e.

The preacher is e)idence of the clear presence of tradition that !ndergirds the story% the male friend

of 3amesM a!nt treating 3ames with fol$ medicine and prayer standing as a second e0ample. He isalso representati)e of the passi)e% peacef!l approach that yields slow res!lts and ecomes

fr!strating%sometimes to the point of )iolence.

A short time later% a woman who witnessed the confrontation approaches the st!dent ao!t his

diselief. He confirms that he has constr!cted his own metaphorical description of realityUthe

Iwind is pin$I and the Igrass is lac$IUo!tside of the reality o!tside perspecti)es force him to

accept. The metaphor ill!strates his elie)e that acti)e resistance is the only answer and moti)ation

for positi)e change for the lac$ pop!lation9 *Things change thro!gh action. /y no other way.I As

their preacher% the !tter asence of heart in the oy*s )ision. 3ames witness the distance and

clash etweengenerations and perspecti)es and learns.

3ames is the median% the f!t!re of the lac$ pop!lation. 3ames wants the fire he witnesses inthe yo!ng st!dent. As he watches him read his oo$ and state his )iews artic!lately% 3ames imagines

that he himself wo!ld li$e to e li$e this intellect!al. /!t he $nows what it is to lo)e and lo)e

p!rely.

He lo)es his mother% a sentiment he repeats% almost as mantra% thro!gho!t the story. His lo)e for his

mother% the respect he has for her% and the sense of responsiility he feels toward her propel 3ames*

!nderstanding of his own heart. aines also incl!des a )ision of the f!t!re of this lo)e as 3ames

asserts that he lo)es a yo!ng girl he tries to ignore on the !s. /!t% 3ames has to negotiate

desperationthat t!rns )iolent in coming to an !nderstanding of lo)e. >or e0ample% he cas!ally

imagines hitting thegirl on the !s eca!se he feels emarrassed y the attention other passengers

are gi)ing them. And%his mother eats him and his rother when they do not !nderstand that she

needs them to $ill the irds they*)e trapped so that the family can eat. 1till% 3ames* dreams are

simple and selflessUhe wants the staility of a sec!re family lo)e and he wants more than anything

to !y his mother a new red winter coat.

The promise of 2rnest aines* IThe 1$y is rayI is 3ames* capacity to emody and propel a

alance etween acceptance of realityUa s$y that*s realistically grayUand a resistance that is ased

in oth head and heart.

S421T&ON&N 2@2RJTH&N- ha)ing faith in god will not change anything. 1egregated

comm!nity.

Really cold and h!ngry. We are not going to accept charity- that*s why the woman in)ents aimaginary tas$ for 3ames. 3ames- : years old narrator. =ismissi)e ao!t religion and od. Things

are changing- they don*t elie)e that od will change the white people*s mind% his mother 8 let*s

hope e)eryody doesn*t thin$li$e yo! do. S!estion e)erything- dismissi)e of christianity and lac$

people as a whole. The preacher lea)es% the st!dent remains. O!t the door. 1$ay is gray. Not that

there is no a choice- critical thin$ing. As a child- not ta$e what is eing fade to yo!. Not necessarily

ha)ing an answer. Thin$ for yo!rself. Preacher and the st!dent. /oy seems to represents

$nowledge- i want to e

gray. 3ames is re


28/32

3ames is nine or so- part of what is eing trace here- what means to e a man. 'atriarchal lac$

women- emasc!late their men. &s 3ames mother a matriarch? 1he has to e responsile% her

h!sand% he had to go to the army. /lac$ men aandoning- Not the case. 'atriarchal str!ct!re of

lac$ family. A thing that has carried o)er from +:L- 1$y is reay- he is ta$en away. 3ames

mother- this responsaility. 1he complains ao!t this- do we act!ally see her doing this on her own?

4ran- lac$ families- relocation from r!ral to !ran comm!nities-idea- !ran sit!ation a lac$

woman on her own raising children. Octa)ia- 'onsie!r /ayonneJo! are not a !m% yo!*re a man% he is the man of the family% 'anhood- responsaility of lac$

families- $illing this little irds. & lo)e my mamma- e)en if she is harah in her treatment of him%

masc!linity- lac$ manhood- macho- 3ames is not li$e that- !t he has to e to!gh. 1he has to ta$e

care of them. Notion- lac$ family- patriarchal.

No)el- short story- poetry didn*t re!ire- things that we co!ld perform- raise the concscio!sness of

the poem- /lac$ Arts mo)ements- theatre- Critiie% foc!s in masc!linity. &nsistence- story- what it

means to e a lac$ man. How is different from criti!ing? =oe shis definition of manhood may

seem different?

A&C2 WA2R- >eminist- 1he identifies herself with the lac$ arts mo)ements- eorgia- li)esof lac$ women. &n the 'iss 'aga(ine. =ifferent $ind of concern- manifesto- lac$ creator

prod!ction. Primary concern- lac$ women*s creati)ity- not a manifesto. What may Wal$er e

calling for here?

We ha)e to roader the definition of art- @irgina Woolf- not a Room of One*s Own% !t not e)en

their own ody. '!sic- /essie 1mith% /illie Holliday% Nina 1imone% Roerta >lac$ and Areta

>ran$ilin. 3ean Toomer- A)ey- The women are silent- what is going on in their heads?2normo!s

creati)ity of lac$ women. &s she !ltimately criti!ing Toomer?$nowledge the great n!mer of

restrictions- po)erty% the saint in cane- art in partic!lar $inds of ways- he fails to recogni(e the

meals they coo$% the gardens as art. Nella arsen. 1he was a sla)e% she hasn*t e)en herself as a

Room of her Own. Alice Wal$er- teenager- she didn*t ha)e $ids% forced to s!pport herself% married a

man and had 5 children. When she dies% she was p!tting together some poems. Her children died

!ic$ly eca!se they were poor- what we get is death- part of Wal$er*s arg!ment is how different

the condition was etween the different women. /lac$ women- those $inds of attac$s- !nfair.

Opening of this )ol!me- womanism-/lac$ h!man e0perience in the 4nited 1tates has een

different to the white women. Alice Wal$er- /lac$ feminist- a feminist of colo!r- womanism% more

intense. To e a woman- to e ad!lt% not to e fri)olo!s. Class% race- iss!es here. Primarily- the

h!man rights- women- access to the power of white men. >eminism is not !ite fitting identity% she

comes !p with the idea of womanism. Wal$er- not only sort of masc!linist- lac$ women ha)e to

lo)e themsel)es. 1e0!ally or non- se0!ally? &dentity of lesian is here. 1he ta$es ac$ some of the

power% it is not a possility- as we seen in Amiri /ara$a- faggot- not lac$ and less a man% notmention lesians- a lac$ man may e homose0!al- less lac$. Aandoning his responsaility !t

also a mar$ against his lac$ness. Homose0!ality is a white thing.Why is the title 6 2)eryday !se

for yo! grandmama??Her life- she can wor$ a lot% !ilts- passion p!t into that-things that ha)e

e)eryday !se- went of to college- reclaim- her desire- display- real f!nction- is ne)er really

engaged- emplacing some )al!e on it. Adifference in

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