Simone also challenged principles that are still strongly associated with liberal civil rights activism in that period, especially the viability of a beloved community of whites and blacks. As she sang toward the end of "Mississippi Goddam": All I want is equality For my sister, my brother, my people, and me. Yes, you lied to me all these years Ruth Feldstciti teaches history at Harvard University. For comments on eariiet versions of this essay, thanks to Paul Anderson, Lizabeth Cohen, Andrea Levine, Eric Lott, Lisa McGirr, Joanne Meyerowitz, Ingrid Monson, Je.ssica Shubiiw, Judith Smith, John L. Thomas, Sherrie
Throughout the poem, McKay ferries back and forth between his intense positive and negative feelings of both America and the American societal norms of the period. This particular poem was originally published in 1921. This was a very exciting time for many Americans as the roaring twenties were coming into full swing and society was celebrating the decade of carefree decadence, but there was a dark underbelly to America as well at the time. Blacks in the South, where McKay resided after emigrating from Jamaica, were being heavily discriminated against and Jim Crow’s ugly hands were clutched firmly around many of the supposed “rights” that were given to blacks. This bitter dichotomy of mixed emotion, which was the dominant attitude portrayed by blacks at the time, reigns supreme within this poem.
In the late 1920s Zora studied at Barnard College where she became famous for the attempt to disprove a theory that black people had smaller brains .She actually stood on a street corner measuring the heads of black people (Wall 22)! A strikingly gifted storyteller who captivated her listeners, Hurston’s writings sparkled with colorful language and comic or tragic stories from the
Al Capone was the FBI’s number 1 on their list and prohibition was booming along with the fight for women’s rights. There were two poems by Langston Hughes that stood out in the 1920’s, one is “I, Too, Sing America” and the other is “My People”. The poems that were written by Langston Hughes were read by the blacks and an insufficient amount of whites, at that time, which would take what he wrote to heart. It is believed that people from all walks of life have read Hughes’s poems and will continue to read them. They have enjoyed and learned from Hughes poems and will continue to enjoy and learn from them well into the future.
Published in 1896, “We Wear the Mask” is a lyric poem about oppressed black Americans forced to conceal their pain and frustration behind a cloak of happiness. During the time of the poem's publication, hostility and hate towards blacks was widespread throughout America. Although the Civil War had granted blacks their freedom from slavery and federal laws gave them the right to vote, own property, etc., they still were not treated as equals. Segregation become a big problem among blacks and whites. Schools, restaurants, libraries, even insignificant things such as water fountains were all segregated.
Jessica Thomas Mimi Taylor English 1102 October 25, 2010 Still I Rise: By Dr. Maya Angelou Still I Rise by Dr. Maya Angelou is a poem about the daily struggles of the African – American culture and the ability that all humans have to overcome adversity. Dr. Angelou’s writing has a way of making one feel inspired. This poetry discusses the treatment of the African-American culture and their struggle to be treated fairly rather than be stereotyped and ridiculed. I cannot relate to the struggles of today’s African American population as I am a Caucasian, middle class suburbanite; I can relate to the abuse Dr. Angelou endured by those who hated her because she was not like them. I have never been accepted by my peers for a variety of reasons but mostly because I grew up in an abusive household.
Both have a main character who is a black female dealing with some form of racial discrimination due to the color of their skin. Racism is something that often is witnessed or experienced in our every day lives. It is something that often times is overlooked or not spoken about. Although the similarities are not quite the same, they still have the same concept. I will compare and analyze these two writings in which one is a short story, and the other is expressive poetry.
In his poem “Jabberwocky”, Lewis Carroll uses many poetic devices that weave together an epic battle with the Jabberwock. Carroll uses nonsense words that seem to have no meaning on the first reading, to make sense of these nonsense words this poem needs to be read out loud. This use of onomatopoeia is used to evoke not only a feeling of being somewhere odd and strange but also what that place might sound like. The words have then been chosen not so much for their meaning but for the sounds they make when the poem is read. One of the best examples of these sounds is during the fight between the hero and the Jabberwock “The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!” (18).
His word choice emphasizes his point that poetry shouldn’t mean anything more then what it already says. MacLeish fosters synonyms such as “mute” and “dumb” or “silent” and “wordless” to reinforce his simplistic philosophy that poetry should be. Aside from the author’s choice of words, the repetition used in Ars Poetica further highlights various aspects of poetry. Often the speaker wishes to reveal to his reader the impression that poetry should be something felt or “palpable” as he expressed it. Nearing the end of the poem, MacLeish creates a complete view of poetry after saying that “a poem should be equal to: not true” and “a poem should not mean but be”.
“A Dream Deferred” “A Dream Deferred” was written in 1951 by Langston Hughes. James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri (Poets.org). Hughes, is particularly known for his insightful, colorful, portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties (Poets.org). “A Dream Deferred” relates directly to the suppression of African Americans aspirations during that time, due to lack of equality. Hughes uses figurative language and imagery throughout the poem to relay his message to the reader.