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Discrimination In Harlem Renaissance Poetry

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The Harlem Renaissance was a time of free expression, of trying to forget the goings on of the Great Depression and to also try to move on after WWI. The cultural and artistic explosion is something that is remembered many years later as a fruitful time for African-American music, art, and poetry. Quite a bit of it is based off of the racial discrimination that was aimed towards blacks, and a way of revolting without actually revolting was to express oneself as much as possible. The poetry, music, and art that came forth from the Harlem Renaissance is revered, and had very much impact on today's cultural and social habits. The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, was a time to express yourself and, through different …show more content…

Langston Hughes was a poet well known for his Harlem Renaissance poetry. "I, Too" by Langston Hughes is a wonderful example of a piece of poetry from this time period. Hughes speaks of a Negro who is not equal to the whites of the household, and when company comes calling, he is not allowed to sit at the table as their equal but instead has to eat in the kitchen. The powerful tone of the poem shows how much the narrator dislikes this form of discrimination, but is not going to throw too big of a fuss. Instead, he patiently waits for the day when he, too, can sit at the table with whites when company comes calling. "Tomorrow, I'll be at that table, when company comes. Nobody'll dare say to me, 'Eat in the kitchen' then." Another excellent example of a poem would be "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", once again by Langston Hughes. In this poem, a Negro speaks of all the things his people have seen as a whole. He "remembers" all that his people have been through, and what they have done throughout history. While this one is a bit harder to interpret, it may be that Hughes is saying that his people have already been through quite a lot and have seen a lot, and that this is something that they too would get over. "My soul has grown deep like the

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