Harlem Renaissance: Women Writers - Term Paper Example

Due Harlem Renaissance: Women Introduction According to Dorantes, (2009 pg 49), Harlem renaissance started in 1920 during American art era. It was glowed by literary deliberations in Greenwich and Upper Manhattan and was known as the Negro Movement founded in 1925 by Alain Locke. The name referred to black Americans in the United States who had moved to search for education, job and suffrage during the Great Migration that took place from Southern cities to the Northern. The term was used to describe the African Americans as sophisticated, conscious and artistic despite the stereotypes of them being instinctively servile. It involved a group of different writers and intellects associated with Manhattan district and Harlem. The period was known as having a rebellious edge since it acted a celebration and development of the intellectual gains of the African Americans. Jim Crow also described it as the social uprising and literary movement against racism implementation. The main objective of this period was to recreate Blacks identity in museum, literature, arts and music. This paved way for the New Negro Women in relation to writing poems, novels and other literary works. The women played an important role in the struggle of the minority African American women. They made use of this movement in expressing their opinions on gender and race (Deborah, 2011 pg 89). Thesis Statement: It is evident that Women writers have made a step in the literary world as compared to men writers from the history. Mother of Renaissance According to Edame, (2003 pg 66) in some of his book argues that, the major focus of Harlem renaissance women writer is based on the first three women who were referred to as the mothers of renaissance. They include Zora Neale Hurston, Jessie Redmon Faucet and Nella Larson. These women symbolized different voices of women, styles and vision in New York. Zora’s use of parlance in black folk societal was unpopular as evident in most of the literary works. Huston in her essay titled ‘How It Feels To Be Colored Me’ clearly depicts how she feels to be black woman besides being within the white people colony. Williams, (2007 pg 56) adds that among the three women writers of this period, Hurston had a typical thinking that influenced the modern forms of writing. Her work focused on the northern region of her birth. Most of the writers during her era in literacy had not come across ‘Tragic Negro’, which was her piece of work hence sought to transcend. Faucet during her teaching profession at Fisk University, challenged other writers on the race issue in the coming period. Hurston experience of the black people contributed much to her work since she was born and raised in the black region. The memories of the southern life made most of her work parallel with other women who were within the white States. Hurston was the first woman writer in the canon of Harlem through her recognized value in writing. She opened the door for other women writers and artists in the society of literature despite their contribution being of no importance to the society but later recognized after their death. Faucet was recognized as the mother of Harlem because she was the first woman among the black women writers to be matriculated at Cornell University. She helped in selecting various works on the board for publication (Harold, 2004 pg 89). This woman shared most of her expertise and contact with other up-coming young writers whose works could not make it to publishers. She edited they work and help them through publications. This made her novel; ‘Plum Bun’ to be the best in the country. She re-created the climate that produced and sustained the walls of the Harlem renaissance in her chapter. The extensive publication of her work was the innermost figure during this period thus contributed to her advancement of other artists. Laying the Foundation Sacvan & Patell, (2008 pg 120) asserts from their research works that, chapters concerning Larsen and Hurston the entertaining pace gave power to her literature. The Harlem renaissance made the birth of the writers since it gave them the opportunity to display their potentials to the world. This was not through magazines but through literature ‘…even if the fad for our writing passes…as it is bound to do…we will in the meantime have laid the foundation for our permanent contribution to American culture.’(pg121). In 1920 and 1930, Harlem had made place and people recreate the meticulous wall hence most of the readers had sense of black artist wonderlands being creative in Harlem. New Negro were multi-ethnic, educated and middle class this enabled the whites give them sponsorship out of there artistic expressions and literature works. This was the best time for the black women writer in the United States of America and hence encouraged many other writers both men and women to literature and artistic. These writers gave any interested African woman to join and be great through them this by supporting and editing their works besides publishing their literature in magazines and books. The three women, who participated as symbols of Harlem in America for the African American writers especially the women, sought their voices as an identity to establish the touch upon race and gender discrimination. Complex Existence The general viewing of black women in the Anglo-American society gave them the seductress image, wild jungle and the native savage. This placed a vise on the literary works to the limelight. The wall contributed to their scholarship hence making the period of renaissance known all over the world. Most of these black women writers were able to condense the long literature to readable articles to reduce boredom of reading long and tiring text. Their creativity in literary critics helped them become renowned authors and writes to the present era of literature. Despite there difference in literary text, these women made it possible for the evolution of literature in the modern life situation (Laurie, 2002 pg145). Hurston used her passion for black folk culture as the foundation of her stories and research. The voice of Hurston to the traditions and past events has anticipated to the Harlemites to rise above their standard of textual literatures. The life of Black women writers is still under consideration from the past to the present day in the literary world. This is because of Hurston’s well-placed text in the literature charts. Women currently all over the globe have out done men artists to shine out of literature works since their text are more of inspiration than of men. Conclusion In summary, it is clear from the history of women writers during the Harlem renaissance that women are great literature writers and hardworking. They struggle to make it out of passion and love of their literary work. Currently men have managed to be the main competitors with women after being challenged by these women of great ideas and personalities. Women are the great thinkers of the world as seen from their historical literature works ever since they joined the field of writing. Most of the literature works preferred by many audience or individuals who like reading novels, poem are those written by women since they believe women write out of experience. It is upon the audience and the nation at all to support every woman with a passion or love of literature text since they make it to their success. Work Cited Adams, Laurie. Art across time. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Print. Bercovitch, Sacvan, and Cyrus R. K. Patell. The Cambridge history of American literature. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press, 19942005. 2008. Print. Bloom, Harold. The Harlem Renaissance. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2004. Print. Egar, Emmanuel Edame. Black women poets of Harlem Renaissance. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 2003. Print. Hatch, Shari Dorantes. Encyclopedia of African-American writing: five centuries of contribution : trials & triumphs of writers, poets, publications and organizations. 2nd ed. Amenia, NY: Grey House Pub., 2009. Print. Hillstrom, Kevin. The Harlem Renaissance. Detroit, MI: Omni graphics, 2008. Print. Page, Yolanda Williams. Encyclopedia of African American women writers. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. Print. Plant, Deborah G.. Zora Neale Hurston: a biography of the spirit. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Pub., 2011. Print. Read More