Harlem Renaissance Poets - Research Paper Example

Moreover, before, poetry and literature had been dominated by the white people and was all about white culture. However, he brought an explosion of black literature; hence, giving the minority groups a voice. He also gave them pride and hope of a brighter future; hence, encouraging them to reject the principles that had been set out by the white models by expressing their creativity and individuality (America’s Story, n.d). Countee Collen was born in the year 1903 in New York and was an American poet and a leading figure during the period of Harlem Renaissance.

He played a major role because he was able to establish a new aesthetic as far as racial statement was concerned with the help of his colleagues by writing poems. His formal education in an environment that was full of white people shaped his literary life in believing that no race was superior to the other; hence, wrote poems on racism and how unfair it was. Research shows that he was the most representative voice during that era and helped in ensuring impartiality for all. He also believed that art transcended all races; hence could be used as a means of minimizing the distance between the white and the black people.

He also gave hope to black poets by showing them that they could excel in a realm that was dominated by white culture (Poetry Foundation, 2014). The Harlem Renaissance period was characterized by dualism, which was also known as double consciousness that was focused on evaluating whether black artists ought to remain bound to their African roots or cultural assimilation was inevitable for them. For instance, ‘the Negro Speaks of Rivers’ is a poem by Langston Hughes that addresses the rich history of the black people.

In his poem, the audiences are able to visualize and create mental images on how the black people struggled with their identity. Hughes uses elements such as symbolism to present the main relationship that existed