Throughout these readings, the gaze and one’s perception and awareness of other individuals is a prominent theme. In the story of “Cordelia the Crude”, Cordelia is a young and promiscuous girl with the potential of being a prostitute and no more than that. She doesn’t work or go to school, and she spends her nights… Continue reading Blog Post 5 Draft #1
If you’re an American, the phrase “land of opportunity” is very familiar, and depending on how patriotic you are it may be a phrase that’s close to your heart. First used during the western expansion, the Homestead Act offered people of all races the opportunity to move west and claim government land for cheap to… Continue reading Harlem: The Land of Opportunity
In The Crisis, Survey Graphic, Opportunity, and perhaps the majority of black writing to come out of this time period exists not only a similar goal of the advancement of the black race, but also a yearning for a higher, more perfect way of being and living. It was not enough for Black thinkers at… Continue reading Mythologies of a New Negro and a Black Utopia – Final
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of time in Manhattan, New York where a movement took place that saw the revitalization of African American literature, performing arts, and illustrative creations. This effort became an essential part in debunking the continuance of the horrific ways African Americans were viewed / treated during and after the times… Continue reading About Harlem
The progress of African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance was changing in the “Social Progress” in the Opportunity Magazine. African Americans have been achieving and succeeding with art, music, writing, and education. Around this time African Americans have been acknowledged and received recognition to expand and increase their culture and to gain respect and to advocate… Continue reading Fighting for New Identity in the Social Progress during the Harlem Renaissance
While reading the Opportunity by Charles Johnson, the passages that stood out to me were The Corner By Eunice Hunton Carter and The High Cost of Keeping the Negro Inferior By John C. Wright because of the way perspective is utilized in each passage to explain the subtle and not so subtle wealth and class… Continue reading Different Sides of The Same Coin: the marginalization, objectification of African Americans
Something striking about Opportunity Magazine is the way that it is formatted. Poems, essays, and illustrations all follow one another throughout the magazine to create a seamless archive of Black achievements. One of those illustrations that seemed particularly significant appeared in the September 1925 issue of Opportunity. The illustration was drawn by Charles Robinson, and… Continue reading The Weary Blues and Social Progress
As James Wheldon Johnson described it in “The Making of Harlem”, Harlem was quite possibly the greatest Negro city in the world for the era of the Harlem Renaissance. It was the ground at which African Americans saw a revival of their culture and made progress like never before. The demographical details of black neighborhoods… Continue reading Blog Post #3 Final Draft
BLOG POST 3 “Pull yourself up by your own bootstrap” intrigued me. The phrase’s commonly accepted meaning evolved, and now when we tell people to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” it’s implying that socioeconomic advancement is something that everyone should be able to do. I thought this statement to be deceptive since the wealthy… Continue reading Dissecting the “Pull yourself up by your own bootstrap” Theory
Harlem became the hub of African American culture in the early 20th century. Here lies a place in New York City that radiated with new ideas, imaginations, and a new found identity for African Americans. What is recognized as the Harlem Renaissance is a movement that was curated to establish a foundation for social activism… Continue reading Blog Post #3 Inspire the Youth
