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Similarities Between Harlem Renaissance And Postmodernism

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The Harlem Renaissance and Post Modernism time periods are very different. So many things happened during their time period like the Great Depression, WWII, and the African American civil rights movements. However in the midst of all this worldly change the lesser known changes have occurred in literature. The Harlem Renaissance tends to focus on inspiring people and the struggle of people unified by a race, but Postmodernism focuses on the feelings and the attitude of humanity.
First, the Harlem Renaissance occurred around the time of the African American civil rights movement. Much of the literature was inspired by African Americans and their goals of achieving civil rights. All of these literary works that are published around this this serve as a foundation for African American culture seeing as they had …show more content…

The poem serves to inspire those who read it to be courageous at all times, even in the face of death. The most powerful part of the poem is the end where it states “Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!” (McKay 14-15). This is very similar to early American literature like the Declaration of Independence, which inspired people to fight for what they believe even if it is against all of the odds. This is the most significant part of the Harlem Renaissance era, the inspirational literature. The postmodern poetry can't stack up to the Harlem Renaissance in terms of Inspiration. The Postmodern poets tend to look at live from a new point of view, breaking the laws of language and choosing to write about abstract things rather than the obvious. The Postmodern poet Charles Simic expresses these views in the poem Watermelons, stating, ”Green Buddhas-On the fruit stand.-We eat the smile-And spit out the teeth.” (Simic 1-4). On the top layer this poem has barely any meaning and might even be disturbing, but when analyzed further we see a much deeper meaning. Simic is expressing the fact

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The Harlem Renaissance was a period in American history, which occurred in the 1920s in Harlem, New York. The cultural movement was an opportunity for African Americans to celebrate their heritage through intellectual and artistic works. Langston Hughes, a famous poet, was a product of the Harlem Renaissance. One notable piece of literature by Hughes is “Dream Deferred”. However, the discussion of African American culture isn’t limited to the 1920s.

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During the 1920’s while segregation existed between blacks and whites, The Harlem Renaissance also known as the New Negro Movement developed in Harlem New York City. The Harlem Renaissance allowed was very benficial to African Americans because it allowed them to express themeselves. ‘Harlem gave African American people a new sense of their own beauty and power” (Haskins,2). During the harlem Renassance African AMericans expressed themselves through different types of art such as music, poetry, dance,and paintings.

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The 1920s paved the way for many developments in African American culture and resolutions to their challenges. Consequently, out of the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance was born. The Harlem Renaissance was a reawakening of African American culture throughout the decade. During this period, an explosion of art and music, particularly jazz, advanced the perception of African American culture and people (Document H). Additionally, the Great Migration made a better life possible for African Americans.

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1392 Words | 6 Pages

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement that emerged in the 1920s and lasted until the mid-1930s. It flourished in literature, music, visual arts, and political consciousness. During this time, Harlem became a hub for black artists and thinkers who were seeking to express their identity and experiences through their art. The Harlem Renaissance changed American culture and history by highlighting the contributions of African Americans, challenging racial discrimination, and paving the way for equal civil rights.

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1645 Words | 7 Pages

The Harlem Renaissance was a black literary and art movement that began in Harlem, New York. Migrants from the South came to Harlem with new ideas and a new type of music called Jazz. Harlem welcomed many African Americans who were talented. Writers in the Harlem Renaissance had separated themselves from the isolated white writers which made up the “lost generation” The formation of a new African American cultural identity is what made the Harlem Renaissance and the Lost Generation unique in American culture because it influenced white literacy and it was a sense of freedom for African Americans.

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Blacks and whites began mixing socially; and it was the art of Black America that made this connection between the races possible. The Harlem Renaissance had a big impact on the art world and for African Americans. While the Harlem Renaissance was built on African American traditions and culture, it was also influenced by European and White American artist. Art has always been a form of expression, and for African American it became an outlet for opposing racial inequality and to quote, “primitive/savage” stereotypes placed upon them.

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Urban cities became populated and rural towns became desolate. This was called The Great Migration, it was partially caused by racial violence and economic discrimination against blacks in the south, however many white folks moved into urban cities due to “new money”. Blacks who traveled, and even those who didn’t, saw this as a period to finally express themselves through literature and art. The Harlem Renaissance was created by a bunch of African American men and women who felt the need to express themselves through whatever they could, and everyone appreciated their art. The Harlem Renaissance produced many outstanding poets.

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The Harlem Renaissance was a period of great cultural growth in the black community. It is accepted that it started in 1918 and lasted throughout the 1930s. Though named the ‘Harlem’ Renaissance, it was a country-wide phenomenon of pride and development among black Americans, the likes of which had never existed in such grand scale. Among the varying political actions and movements for equality, a surge of new art appeared: musical, visual, and even theatre. With said surge, many of the most well-known black authors, poets, musicians and actors rose to prevalence including Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Louis Armstrong, and Eulalie Spence.

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I learned that the Harlem Renaissance was one of the biggest out burst of many different art and culture. The reason that African Americans moved was because to find better paying jobs, because in the south wages were very compact. New York was also filled with black people after WWI. Harlem produced a richness like none before. Many events happened.

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African Americans lived in a world of racial injustices and cultural restrictions until the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a time where there is an African American literary and art movement in the uptown Manhattan neighborhood. It is the turning point in African American culture, as well as their place in America. The African Americans were starting to become equal in American society. While the Renaissance built on earlier traditions of African American culture, it was greatly affected by the trends of the Europeans and white Americans.

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With those new opportunities they took to art, literature, and music, and gave themselves a voice to express life beyond the slave oppression. The Harlem Renaissance started a change for African Americans that motivated them to express themselves through their own culture and history. The legacy of the writers/poets, artists, and musicians had a great effect on the African American community by giving hope for better days.

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The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that reflected the culture of African Americans in an artistic way during the 1920’s and the 30’s. Many African Americans who participated in this movement showed a different side of the “Negro Life,” and rejected the stereotypes that were forced on themselves. The Harlem Renaissance was full of artists, musicians, and writers who wrote about their thoughts, especially on discrimination towards blacks, such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Langston Hughes. The Harlem Renaissance was an influential and exciting movement, and influenced others to fight for what they want and believed in. The Harlem Renaissance was the start of the Civil Rights Movement.

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The poem “Harlem” seems like a simple poem that talks about a dream that fades away. The poem is more symbolic than it seems though. The three sentences that have a huge impact on this poem’s symbolism are spread out through the poem. A reader needs to keep in mind that the speaker is talking about a dream in these sentences. “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”

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If they before were disregarded, in the 1920s their works were widespread. Harlem Renaissance has changed not only cultural but social and political position of African-Americans in American society. The mass migration to the North changed the image of the African-American person, he was not an ignorant and illiterate peasant anymore, he turned into a smart and educated representative of the Middle class. Thanks to this changes, African-Americans became the part of the American and then the world cultural and intellectual elite.

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The Harlem Renaissance was a development period that took place in Harlem, New York. The Renaissance lasted from 1910 to about the mid-1930s, this period is considered a golden age in African American culture. This Renaissance brought about masterful pieces of music, literature, art, and stage performance. The Harlem Renaissance brought about many prominent black writers such as Richard Wright. Richard Wright is a highly acclaimed writer, who stressed the importance of reading, writing, and words.

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