Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance - Thesis Example

The people of Harlem were very much convinced about their contribution to a larger meaning and literary dimension to the rest of the world. Renaissance was the birth of new ideas, which carried a newer meaning in the lives of Black communities. They found a direction for themselves- something far better than mere physical activities that a majority of Blacks did on a daily basis. From this perspective, the Renaissance could be regarded as an awareness arising from the singular self-consciousness of African- American communities that migrated to New York and adjacent places in America. It all started with the development of self-consciousness among the cream of Black society. The positive self-image that the Blacks developed during that time was helpful in achieving larger goals. They were the ones who first conceived the idea of building a race, basing on the potentials of its people. Not only the Blacks but the whole of America was highly affected by the crisis generated during the initial years of the Great Depression, making the condition of the Blacks worse than any other minority race in America. This explains why the Blacks attached so desperately to the ‘Dusk of Dawn’, Renaissance, and connected themselves every other aspect of their life with the new ideas, principles, and cultures (Huggins 2007, pp. 3-5).
The Renaissance period brought with it newer ideas and exciting ways. The waves of change extended beyond the womenfolk of Harlem and even reached to White women, a large section of whose were still confined within their house. As per the popular beliefs and cultures, white women too were expected to stay back at home, raise children and look after the household. But the condition of African- American women was the worst. Due to the biasness of the State, most Black women were denied their rights to attain education institutions like schools and colleges, leave alone recognition and development. Most of the black women were forced into professions that involved physical work, like, babysitting, laundry, housekeeping, waiters, and every other type of profession which involved rigorous physical activity.