"Why is studying the Harlem Renaissance still worthwhile in the 21st century?"
When I saw that Harlem Renaissance Literature was on my schedule for my first semester of college, I was pretty content with what I believe would be a class filled with information I'd already learned. Several of my English classes during high school had done units on this movement, and I figured that I knew the basics already. Now, after completing the course, I realize that, literally, ALL I knew was the basics. From the time I have spent learning about the art, literature, music, stories, culture, drama, and politics of this time period, my mind has been greatly expanded on all things regarding the Harlem Renaissance. Up until this course, I simply thought of the Harlem Renaissance as a time period where Langston Hughes wrote a lot of poetry and jazz music started to become popular. However, from immersing myself in the atmosphere of the Harlem Renaissance, I've learned that this movement was a time when the African-American culture struggled to find identity, and also a time for all kinds of Americans to read the thoughts of African-Americans, deriving their expressions, personalities, styles, and personal stories.
Much of the Harlem Renaissance was centered around struggles for artists and writers: struggling to overcome challenges and be accepted by blacks and whites alike and struggling to escape the painful memories of slavery. I imagine that some individuals would argue that the Harlem Renaissance, because of its ties to slavery -- like the Holocaust -- has so much struggle and pain associated with it that it isn't worth studying and rehashing over and over. However, I truly believe that the only way to avoid having history repeat itself is to continue to study it, and learn from our mistakes. The Harlem Renaissance was the first emergence of African-American culture in American society, and the recognition that was eventually gained by the artists, poets, and performers of the Harlem Renaissance helped countless culturally-minded thinkers of all races make advancements in the future.
From this class, I've drawn a strong conclusion that the Harlem Renaissance was an invaluable part of American history, setting the spark for African-American artistic expression. Halting the study of the Harlem Renaissance would be like trying to deny a chunk of America's heritage.
3 comments:
I definately agree that instead of having history repeat it is better to talk about it and inform people who are unaware of the history that has occurred. This was a time where African Americans struggled for their identity. It was also a time for African Americans to write about their struggles and become well- known authors even to this day. The Harlem Rennaissance was a time of struggle and hardship, but African Americans stayed strong and overcame the hardships they lived for so many years. It is important to identify these moments and learn from them.
I'm soo suprised that this is your first semester of college. I had to wait until Sr.year to take this class.
I agree that we are learing from our past when we learn about the Harlem Renissance. I think a great part of what everybody has become is in great inluence to thei stime period. The writing styles of authors, the music of Jazz, and then there is the past of slavery. Some would believe that bad memories are best left in the dark where they won't grow, while I say lets let it out in the open and learn from the past!
Post a Comment