Harlem Renaissance in the3 21st century

I think studying the Harlem Renaissance is important becuase it was a point in history when a class of people who had been held down began to rise. It was a period when artistic expression peeked and it allows us a unique insight as to how black artists truly felt. I think reading the writings of those of the time speak much more than a history text- it's personal. I think it relates to today because we are people and people are often curious about how others live. I think that these writings, music, etc. are still influential pieces of work. It would be our loss as a society to forget art of any time period. We can still use it to look back on a generation of people at a crucial turning point in thier lives and also just enjoy the art for what it was from one person to another.

Thier Eyes Were Watching God 6-12

Janie seems to be a dreamer. Especially in this next section. Joe seemed to keep her down and was probably a perfect husband in the eyes of her grandmother. He was a typical husband of that time - or what he thought he should have been. Janie wanted to be loved and respected. I thought the chapters with Joey and Janie really talked a lot about women's rights and women in marriage and social status. On page 71 Joe says "Somebody got to think for women and chillun and chickens and cows. I god, they sho dont think none theirselves". There was also another section that stood out to me (and as a women made me mad) when the men on the steps discussed how one man in the community didnt feel a women should be hit. The other men greatly disagreed. I think the author brings up these points and conversations purposely. Through the narration of the female lead it shows us that the sterotypes were not true because we are obviously knowing Janie's thoughts and she can think for herself. It shows her captivity of what society thinks she should be and so far I love how she rejects that guideline over and over again. She wants to be free and I think that spoke for many women of that time. It made me think a lot about "Passing" and the restrictions that Irene in particular felt about woman/mother hood.

Thier Eyes Were Watching God 1-5

I like the story so far. I do find it kind of confusing though with the dialect being so heavy. I really like the character Janie. I find her similar in spirit to many of Toomer's characters. Shes independent and often the talk of the town. She's beautiful and has an intersting connection with nature. I think Janie is a very deep character and I hope the book discusses her more deeply than it has so far. I also at first liked Joe but had a feeling that Janie wouldn't be happy with him either. I think she'll run from him too, she seems too much of a free spirit to not be satisfied. It seems that nature leads her thoguths and steps. I'm curious as to where the book is going. It doesn't seem to have a steady plot yet other than recapping Janie's life.

Cullen Poems

The first thing that stood out to me in Cullen's poetry was his religious references. In "Black Magdelens" he refers many biblical stories. When he writes "...to write upon the sand" he is referring to God writing on the wall. The line "Inviting him that has not sinned to raise the first rude hand" is referring to Jesus stopping the women from being stoned. The line talking about Christ coming and putting ointment on his feet is referring to Mary Magdeline wiping Jesus's feet with perfumes. "Simon the Cyrenian Speaks" is also an obvious biblical reference of Simon who carried the cross for Jesus when he fell before the crucifixion. I also noticed that like other writers we've seen (Toomer, and McKay) he discuss colored women as being beautiful, like in "A Song of Praise". I really like Cullen's poetry. I think he has a lot of meaning behind what seem to be meaningless phrases. He makes you look deeper into the writing and that's what good poetry is supposed to make you do.

Brownie's Book

I thought reading the passages from Brownie's book was very insightful. I liked the way that it addressed young children's problems and hardships of dealing with racism and descrimination. You could clearly see this in the letters the children wrote in to the magazine with issues that really bothered and distressed them. I was really surprised by how much pressure was placed on colored children to succeed and take opportunities thier ancestors were denied. Lines like "The only reward that yo'r unhappy fo'fathers ever will get is through you, an' if you fail, you disappoint yo'r whole race. (p. 35). When the little girl replied she echoed that pressure and said "I might have given up and been a failure and disappointment". As a teacher that made me cringe to think of a child calling themselves a failure and a disapointment. This pressure was also echoed in the poetry not only the stories. In th poem "Slumber Song" the last stanza states "You must nees be double true, Doubly strong in the task you do. Nor fail the Race that speaks in you, Brownie Boy." I think that the agenda of this magazine was very clear- to build up the next generation so that something like slavery won't happen again. I think that at the time it was probably necessary.

Passing Part II

This part of the story really delve deeper into the lives of the two main characters. It showed Irene's fears of her husband leaving to do what he really longs to do and her torment over making the "right" decision. It showed me how Irene seems to be stern about her opinions and strong about her choices yet inside she's really not as sure or secure as she pretends to be. It also showed how Clare is starting to act somewhat bitter over the choices she made for her life. It seems like in this second half Clare is running a huge risk and seems to not care anymore if she's caught. She longs so much to be back with and a part of the black community. Im very curious to see how the story plays out. I think that at this point Clare wont give up what she lost alreafy (her taste of being among her race) but she's worked so hard to gain security and passing for her and her daughter. Im very curious to see which she chooses.

The Gift of Laughter

Fauset's article was very intruiging to me. I'm not very familiar with plays and other forms of performing arts so the African American's role in acting was new to me. A few things that Fauset said stood out to me. One of them was "He was sad wih the sadness of hopeless frustration". In this articles Fauset showed us another area where the color of someones skill matters more than the talent and makeup of the person. African American actors and playwrites were limited by the role they were allowed to play; "His expansion was always upward but never outward". Once again thier actions were limited. I liked how Fauset showed how this can be and was worked around to show that the "funny man" was breaking with thier tragic past and that this can to be shown in thier role. In the end the gift of laughter was somewhat healing to them and Fauset believes it is a gift.

Mary Elizabeth

I thought Mary Elizabeth was a very interesting story. I think it brought up some interesting topics. The first I noticed was how naive the narrator was to Mary Elizabeth's sufferings from slavery and that even though it was abolished at the time it still had long term effects on people. At one point the narrator states "It had been such a long time since I had thought of slavery". This stood out to me because she could forget about slavery. To her it was an awful thing that happened and now it's over. I think the author really wanted to make that statement that some people can't forget. The other thing that stood out to me was the ending. The double standard of gender was painfully obvious when Roger told her that Maggie should have waited for him yet it was okay for Cassius to marry again. He then told the narrator that if she did that to him even though he had married fifty times he would kill her. That made such a statement in my head and it made me think- are things really that much different now?

Cane 1-25

I thought the first section of Cane was interesting. Some of the readings I was really confused about but most of them I found very interesting. I thought "Song of the Sun" and "Georgia Dusk" were similar in that they both were discussing the Negro songs and how they might be broken and weary in the day they come alive at night. In "Song of the Sun" he writes "for htough the sun is setting on A song-lit race of slaves, it has not set."
I also noticed the main characters of the story were tragic women. All them had something horrible happen to them and they all had a deep sadness and a sense of being outcasted."Carma" was one of favorites and also confusing to me. I wasn't quite sure I understood the ending but I loved the writing style. "Words, like corkscrews, wormed to her strength" was a great line. "Fern" was also a perplexing story which left a feeling of sadness and desperation with the reader. I think that Cane speaks to a lot of people about a race truly torn apart. There are these private portraits of people in absolute desperation and hopelessness and never a solid happy-ending conclusion.

Claude Mckay

I really enjoyed the poems of Claude Mckay. I think he he said what he wanted to say and felt no remorse or fear of repercussions. His feelings were clearly presented through his writings. I especially loved "The White House" and "Harlem Shadows".
I think that in "The White House" Mckay portrays his anger and his strength to never succumb to the constant hardships he's slammed with nicely. His words are strong and direct and the first line says it all "Your door is shut against my tightened face, and I am sharp as steel with discontent". He's never going to settle and give in to what he feels is unjust. He made a strong statement.
I thought "Harlem Shadows" was heartbreaking. He portrays how his own heart is breaking at the sight and sounds of "his own fallen race" being pushed into such horrible situations and how it's unjust. He makes you feel bad for these girls just as he does and he almost portrays them as innocent ("ah, little dark girls who in slippered feet...") despite what they are doing. It shows the situations that whites' oppression put them in.

Johnson, chapters 6-9

Chapters six through nine really were a distinct time in the narrators life. It seemed he left young adulthood with his friends and his mother then after he left college he seemed to turn into a different person. He was more wild and yet still very dependent on others. He seems like a tag-along in these chapters. It wasnt until chapter nine that he really seemed to figure out who he was. This struggle has played out throughout this entire book so far and I think the difining moment finally occured. The scene in the theatre with his sister and father portrayed that inner struggle of not knowing who he is or where he belongs. The millionare also portrayed that struggle in his speech about being better off living the "white" culture than coming out as a black musician. I think that this point in his life really made him question who he is and who he wants to be.

About Me

Hi my name is Kristen. It's my senior year at St.Rose. My major is early childhood education with a concentration in American Studies (thus taking this course). I'm turning 22 this month (yeah!) and I expect to graduate in May :)