Jennifer Condado

04/30/04

The Effects of History on African American Literature

            Many people can’t distinguish the difference between a minority and an immigrant, some even believe it’s the same label. The United States is made up of immigrants with diverse cultures, except for the Native Indians. However, what distinguishes the minority from the immigrant is their involuntary participation to make up the Land of the Free. A large segment of minorities is the African Americans who have had great influence in the American Culture. One of the most notable influences is by their literary works. Through writing narratives, poetry, prose, drama, and folklore they have been able to instigate a voice for themselves and be heard. As stated in objective 1b. “ Voiceless and Choicless”, sometimes to be voiceless means to have no choice in society. This is true in the African Americans experience that didn’t have a voice to be heard regarding their coming to America, and definitely didn’t have a choice about their experience. Although they were voiceless to the white man, African American kept their culture alive through verbal stories and music. Eventually this method of developing a voice became for formal into novels and more.

            In my research I wanted to learn how much of the African Americans past experience in America and the social conflicts had in literature. I wanted to learn more about their history and how it’s influenced each of literature. I began to read topic on slavery, then moved to the Harlem Renaissance, continued through Modern writers, and finally approached the African American Literature now.

Slavery

            Much of the American population is ignorant about the issue of slavery because it’s a very hard subject to discuss; however, this creates misconceptions and stereotypes about slavery. Africa is made up of more than 800 linguistic and ethnic groups that each has their own culture (Earle, 14), yet African Americans are categorized as coming from one culture. A frequent remark is slavery was a concept used in Africa before they came to America. I wanted to clear this argument and learned that African was not enslaved just by committing crimes, but many times by the result of war, and mainly due to the Portuguese’s trade. The Portuguese would sometimes even kidnap Africans in order to gain profit by selling them to farmers whose West Indians plantations were growing. The slaves were shipped as Olaudah Equiano describes it in his slave narrative, which they “were pent up together like so many sheep”(62) in order to be sold at an auction as he further describes it. The slaves were piled up in the ship with no space to stand, sit, or lie down. At that point they had become a piece of property, with their voice taken away. It was interesting to find out that the slaves were usually shipped to the West Indies like Cuba and Santo Doming, but mostly Brazil. The amount of slaves that were shipped to the United States was 400,000 compared to 8 million destined to arrive west.

  In Equinano’s narrative we read about the cruelty he experience and confusion he felt. Slave narratives were one of the first types of literature to try to get a voice across about the African American experience. Many times it may seem that they are exaggerating, but the pain and suffering was a reality. In Equinano’s narrative and other slave narrative the common factor identified is education. In Equiano’s experience he was lucky to have Miss Guerins care about his education and sent him to school and eventually was able to   read. Becoming literate and educated was and is still important factors in becoming a participant in society. Equiano hunger for books leads him to initiate the process of acclaiming a voice. The fact that the many Africans were transported to the West Indies influenced the African American literature when the migrated to America from the West Indies. These African brought much of the African soul to the United States and made an impact in the Harlem Renaissance time period.

Harlem Renaissance

            The Harlem Renaissance is dated from the 1920’s to the 1940’s; however, it was really ended before the 1930’s with the Great Depression. With the end of World War I, America became wealthy. Many white American lived lavishly and this motivated the blacks from the South to migrate towards the North looking for more steady income and jobs. Most of the African Americans began to live in the Harlem section of New York. The movement of literary arts began with the increased interest that the white Americans had on blacks life because it seemed exotic and exciting to them. Many of the exotic lifestyle that the white Americans liked was influence by the West Indies Africans who influenced the Harlem Renaissance by what they called it soul and incorporated African culture. They would visit the nightlife of Harlem and enjoy it. Critics were also attracted to Harlem and great authors began to immerge. Another factor of the movement was the primitive focus that the whites had on the blacks. The primitive focus was a concept that made African Americans is described as savages. Because many of the publishers and directors were white, they expected African American works to display the primitive theme and have other stereotypes included that made African American seem different than the white Americans. Many black authors and poets participated in the scheme because they would be given financial support by the publishers. Zora Neale Hurston was an author who accepted the publisher’s money in order to have her works published. She is notable for her style of writing in folklore. In her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, she incorporates the African American English language in the character’s dialogue. The novel is about a girl named Janie who is trying to find happiness in her life and have a voice.  In Hurston’s novel we see much of the African American reality, in the beginning Janie tells Pheoby, “ Ah ain’t never seen mah papa…Mah mama neither… Mah grandma raised me…Ah was wid dem white cillun so much till Ah didn’t know Ah wuzn’t white till Ah was round six years old. Wouldn’t have found out then, but a man cam long takin pictures and.. when we looked at de picture and everybody pointed out there wasn’t anybody left except a real dark little girl… Dat’s where Ah wuz s’posed to be”( Hurston, 8-9). The language is vivid throughout her novel ,and in this passage we know that many African American children were raised by their grandmother that took care of the white children. Hurston depicts real life issues like the position of a woman, the views of defying a traditional society, and racism. Although, Zora Neal Hurston was one of the main artists of the Harlem era, this novel wasn’t accepted by other African American writers because it didn’t portray the harsh African American experience that they wanted to get heard.

             A very prominent artist in the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes who contributed by his political poetry. Langston Hughes was interested in African American progress, as he told his father, “ I love them. That is where I want to be and that is where I will stay”(Bloom, 7) as he responded to his father question about why he wanted to write about black in a country that hated him.  His poems portray important issues, yet have a jazzy touch and use popular language. In his poem, “ Epilogue” he describes a servant who is sent to the kitchen to eat when company comes, but the narrator emphasis that he too is American and that one day he will be able to eat at the table. The dream that many African American have is beautifully portrayed. The poem also evokes a blues rhythm which makes the reader listen to what he is trying to say about his situation, and makes the reader sympathize with him.

            The Harlem Renaissance was the African American’s opportunity to express them, share their experience, and most importantly claim their voice.

            I can’t speak of the Harlem Renaissance, without recognizing W.E.B Du Boise influence. W.E.B. Du Bois, born William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, was one of the greatest activists in the Harlem community. He was an intellectual who promoted the idea of combining the intellects with the creative in order to get one voice across from the African Americans. He was influenced by his, “Enlightment worldview, a Victorian sensibility, and American optimism- came together to create a political philosophy for black America that was at once visionary but pragmatic” (Gates, 1). Du Bois was raised among the white community and not like a slave. When his mother died he was aided by the white church until he left to the South, for college. Living in the south, were slavery had predominantly been  used, he was able to connect with the black folk culture , but also experience the racial violence that inspired him to work towards the American dream of being free and equal. He began to express himself through literary works; the most famous is The Souls of Black Folk and continued to the Encyclopedia Africana.  Du Boise was a great support to many of the Harlem Renaissance writers like Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. He was able to envision a reality that other civil rights activist learned from like Martin Luther King, Jr to proclaim the freedom of the black man.

DRAMA

            Although, prose, poetry, and music flourished during the Harlem Renaissance, theater didn’t develop itself quite so fast because of many reasons. One of the primary reasons was the use need to fulfill the white mans expectations of a play. The white man was the one that was supporting many playwrights financially and African Americans had to portray the African American themes that were either primitive or stereotypical about them. Minstrel was a concept that was popular in theatre. It consisted of having the actors in black makeup. At first many black actors did this for satire, however, it was soon changed to become the entertainment for the white Americans. Wearing black makeup, while already being black made a declaration of white superiority. Because theater involved the participation of many, compared to the participation of just one writer, it was not as supported and successful within the African American community. Many middle class African Americans didn’t support theatre because it didn’t express the Harlem voice of rising from their economic status and being proud of being black.

Many of the theatrical works were one act plays that usually carried the theme of folklore. The first play that became a great hit was Shuffle Along, written by  Aubrey Lyles and Flournoy Miller. During the years however, playwrights have evolved and the themes in play have changed from the primitive views of African Americans to controversial issues.

In Amiri Baraka’s 1964 expressionist play, Dutchman, the major theme is the futility of a black man trying to get accepted in the white society. The protagonist of the play, Clay, is a black educated man, who is seduced by Lula, a white young woman, through her stereotypes. Lula can’t let her image of a black person be changed and remarks she knows Clay’s type, which doesn’t have “right to be wearing a three-button suit and striped tie. Your father was a slave, he didn’t go to Harvard” (1089). Lula expresses her anger towards the development of the African American community, yet Clay continues to try and get her approval. Clay seems to understand Lula at first because he has experience the same stereotypes before, however, she degrades and questions his intelligence, authority, and citizenship in America the drives him to death. The scene is set in a busy subway, but even though Lula eventually kills him, the others don’t try to lend him a hand and help Lula throw Clay overboard. Baraka is portraying the picture that no matter how much an African American tries to assimilate to American, he will not be able to because of the racial barriers, they will never have a voice, and he seems to suggest that African Americans should resist assimilation and separate from the dominant culture and participate in an African rooted community.

            Imamu Amiri Baraka’s name means Priest- Warrior- Blessing, which he changed from the original LeRoi Jones, and wrote in the Revolutionary Theatre. Although the Dutchman,  was written before he became an active participant the political and revolutionary views are present. Baraka writes that the Revolutionary Theatre “must EPOSE. Show up the insides of these humans , look into black skulls. White men will cower before theater because it hates them. “(1083). Furthermore, these type of opinion made man African Americans use this idea of liberating theatre to radical action. In the beginning the plays dealt with the political themes about the situation that the African Americans were in, but it wasn’t until Baraka’s play that they became violent. It was the assassination of Malocom X and closing down of BART, Black Art Repertory School/ Theatre, which lead Baraka to resist the white culture by divorcing his American wife and changing his name.  He became active in BAM and other political black activist parties like the Black Panther for Self –Defense; however, he is now a Marxist activist.

Literature Now

The modern African American literature like Maya Angelou’s Why the Caged Bird Sings and other literary work are based on the African American culture, they involve issues of assimilation in the white community and deal with the color code. As I was searching for children’s books with African American influence, I came across a book called, Born Beautiful: The African Americans Teenager’s Complete  Beauty Guide, I scanned through some of the commentaries and found that it made these beautiful young woman feel good about being black. They too are Americans but can’t always fit into the same American standards regarding body type, hair do’s, and color. The book imposed for the teenagers, who are already going through an identity problem, too appreciate their color and increase the self esteem regarding the different way they look. Many literary works tend to have the theme of color code, which makes it seem that white is beautiful, yet black is shameful, however we are starting to see how they are beginning to be proud of their color and still assimilate, but maintain separated by cultural differences.

            A great book to read to children in school is The Palm of My Heart edited by  David Adedjouma, which has African American children poetry. The collection is filled with poems that express the way they feel today, as equal but separate.

Black is the color of some people

But people are different

Differences are good because

No one else says

The same things

As you

By Shawanta’ya Jones

            The collection is proof that a literary work gives voice to the writer. From the slave narratives that shared the experience of the harsh livings of slavery to the expansion of literary art and music through the Harlem Renaissance, literature has played a major role in getting the African American Dream of becoming free and equal in a land that oppressed them. Through literature authors were able to overcome racial and political barriers by voicing their opinion. Although racism still exist today, we can say that the African American culture has evolved and so has their literature. Many of the modern themes are regarding acceptance and connection with their pride cultural values as equal but separate Americans.

Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. Bloom’s BioCritiques Langston Hughes.Broomall, PA: Chelsea

House Publishers,2002

Earle, Jonathan. The Routledge Atlas of African American History. Great

Britain:Routledge, 2000.

Equiano, Olaudah “The Intresting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or

Gustavus Vassa, The African”. The Classic Slave Narratives.  Ed. Gates, Henry Louise Jr.

Gates, Henry Louise Jr. The African American Century: How Black Americans

Have Shaped Our Country.New York: The Free Press, 2000.

Hurston, Zora Neale.” Their Eyes Were Watching God”. New York: HarperCollins

Publishers,1937

Jacques, Geoffrey. Free within Ourselves: The Harlem Renaissance. Canada:

Geoffrey Jacques, 1996.

Johnson, James Weldon. “The Capital of Negro Culture”. Harlem Renaissance.

Ed.McConnell, William. Famington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press,2003. 23-31.

New York:New American Library,2002. 20-242.

Jones, Shawnta’ya.” Untitled.” The Palm of My Heart. Ed.Adedjouma, Davi. New

York: Lee & Low Books, Inc, 2003.

Hughes, Langston. “I , Too, sing America”.The Collected Poem of of

Langston        Hughes. New York: Knopf Vintage Books, 1994. 30 April 2004.<http://www.poets.org/poems/poems.cfm?45442B7C000C07010E7A>