...Myesha Geathers Mr.Ryzski Honors American Literature January 9th, 2013 Zora Neale Hurston autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road, sketches her own life living in Eatonville, Florida, was the first organized self-government African American community. Many people saw the African American community as racism and segregation. Hurston implies that the nicest people she met in her early stages were whites who showed her compassion. According to her official website Zora Neale Hurston, “Dust Tracks on a Road, was her account of her rise from childhood poverty in the rural south to a prominent place among the leading artists and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance.” Many people viewed Dust Tracks on a Road, as a fantasy life she idealized not the actual truth. While others believed in Hurston’s portrayal. Zora Neale Hurston was the fifth of eight children of John Hurston and Lucy Ann Hurston. She was born in Notasulga, Alabama, on January 7, 1891. When she was 3 years old, her family moved to Eatonville, Florida. Zora Neale Hurston felt like Eatonville was “home” so she claimed it as her birthplace. Hurston glorify it in her stories as a place where African Americans could live as they desired, independent of white society, once her father became mayor. She would later call Eatonville, Florida a utopia. Hurston's childhood in this all black environment may have shaped her later views on race. Zora Neale Hurston represented Eatonville as a perfect place in reality. It was a Negro...
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...Harlem’s Own Language “Story in Harlem Slang” by Zora Neale Hurston is written entirely in Harlemese. It contains a three-page appendix, at the end of the story, with the translated slang she used to aid the reader. Harlemese is used to describe things taking place in Harlem and to create a sense that Harlem is its own place, almost a country inside of a country for Blacks. During this time many Blacks believed that living in the North was much better than living in the Jim Crow consumed south. The idea that Zora Neale Hurston centers the story around is the idea that the North is not necessarily better than the South for blacks for various reasons like poverty and other hardships Blacks encountered by “Russian” or running to the North. “Story in Harlem Slang” begins with Jelly who is a pimp. A pimp in Zora Neale Hurston’s slang is a male prostitute. Jelly is all about pleasuring women in exchange for food, money and weed. Because pimping is not easy and it is hard for him to find food Jelly wakes up late to avoid “dirtying plates”. Jelly throws on his zoot suit and heads to the corner where he proceeds to find women to pleasure so he can feed himself and his desire for “scrap-iron” and “reefer” which are liquor and weed respectively. Jelly spots one of his “colleagues” on the street and thinks he can get some weed out of him if he brags about his success on the street correctly to him. His colleague is Sweet Back who is also a Harlem pimp. Sweet Back and Jelly compete with...
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...Student Name Professor Name Name of school The Harlem Renaissance: A review of how the works in the oral tradition reflect key social, political, economic and artistic aims of the Harlem Renaissance. “Originally called the New Negro Movement, the Harlem Renaissance was a literary and intellectual flowering that fostered a new black cultural identity.” (Rowen and Brunner). It was the African-American boom of cultural expression that peaked in the 1920s. Though it was centred in the Harlem neighbourhood of New York, many French-speaking black writers from African and Caribbean colonies that lived in Pairs were also influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a celebration of African-American heritage expressed through an outpouring of art, literature, music and dance. It was also described as a “spiritual coming of age” in which the black community was able to seize upon its “first chances for group expression and self determination.” (Rowen and Brunner). With racism still rampant and economic opportunities scarce, creative expression was one of the few avenues available to African-Americans in the early twentieth century. The timing of the coming of age was perfect. The years between World War I and the Great Depression were boom times for the United States, and jobs were plentiful. The Harlem Renaissance was helped along by intellectuals and the expansion of urban cultures. Artistic expression and articulated appreciation of African-American culture...
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...Analysis of “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston Western Governors University Humanities C100 July 19, 2015 Analysis of “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston Initial Reaction I suppose my initial reaction to “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston was one of disgust. The story shows “Delia’s” husband “Sykes” to be both physically and psychologically abusive as well as an adulterer. “Sykes” shows no respect for his wife, their marriage or the work she does. “Delia” works every day, and all her hard work pays for their home and puts food on the table. I found this to be most evident in this line “Mah tub of suds is filled yo' belly with vittles more times than yo' hands is filled it. Mah sweat is done paid for this house and Ah reckon Ah kin keep on sweatin' in it" (Hurston, 1926, p. 46). I found it very interesting that “Delia” has stayed with “Sykes” for 15 years despite his abusiveness and apparent failure to provide a stable income for them. I enjoyed that “Delia” finally decided to stand up to her abusive husband. By his initial reaction when “Delia” threatened him with a frying pan, you can see the “Sykes” is nothing but a bully. This is also made apparent by the way the gentlemen in the store were talking about him, even thinking of murdering him, but ceased their bravado when “Sykes” showed up at the store with his girlfriend (Hurston, 1926). Analysis Hurston’s short story was written in 1926 and given the obstacles of African Americans during that time it’s amazing it was...
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...Literature: During The Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. Black poets, writers, scholars, and musicians all thrived during this time period. Notable poets of this time included Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Claude McKay. These poets not only encouraged African Americans in Harlem and around the world, they also paved the way for many subsequent African American poets. Each poet had a different style of writing and they each wrote about different things. For instance, Langston Hughes’ writing reflected his belief that black culture should be celebrated because it was just as valuable as white culture. Zora Neale Hurston’s writing reflected her belief that her people should be honored. She, like Langston Hughes, believed in celebrating black culture and uplifting the African American society. Lastly, Claude McKay’s writing reflected his belief that black aggression could suppress white supremacy. He wrote fairly militant poems challenging white authority in America. Although these poets each wrote about different topics, their contribution to the African American society will forever be remembered and embraced. To begin with, Langston Hughes embraced the African American community through his work of poetry and writing. In his poetry of “Fine Clothes”, Hughes explained the negative aspects of African...
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...Zora Neale Huston ever heard of such a beautiful name. Zora Neale Hurston was an influential author and anthropologist. She was also an appurtenance of the Harlem renaissance. Zora In the year of 1891 was born in Alabama. Zora was known for changing her birth year and day. It was also said that Zora wrote in her autobiography that she was born in Eatonville Florida being that she had moved there as a toddler. She was a daughter of two former slaves. Zora was born into a family of eight being the fifth child of John Hurston and Lucy Potts Hurston. Her father was a preacher and he mother was a schoolteacher. Zora Hurston moved to Harlem New York in the 1920s. She became a hero in the areas like art, with her apartment becoming a sanctuary for...
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...Spunk Kenny Leon’s True Color Theatre Company’s production of Spunk: Three Tales by Zora Neale Hurston at the 14th Street Playhouse on September 25, 2013, presented the audience with a very culturally embellished version of Hurston’s original three tales: “Sweat,” “Story in Harlem Slang,” and “The Gilded Six Bits.” Zora Neale Hurston strived to portray the reality of life as an African American in the early 1900s through native dialect in her short stories and novels. Her most notable production, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a prime example of her effort to illustrate the life of the everyday Negro in search of a better life. Each of the short stories portrays a different, yet comparable view on African American culture in separate areas of the United States. Director Hilda Willis depicts this play, adapted by George C. Wolfe, in the most literal variation of Hurston’s original stories; the actors from True Colors Theatre Company perform the short stories verbatim. This production is energized with selections of blues music to help the audience feel the attitude of the era in which the play occurs. Wolfe’s adaptation of Hurston’s Spunk infused the original three short stories with delineative and characteristic blues music, highlighting the mood during the era of the Harlem Renaissance and Black Migration. “Sweat” tells the story of a woman named Delia who suffers in an abusive relationship with her husband, Sykes. Her husband tries multiple methods of coercing Delia to...
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...Zora Neale Hurston, was born on January 7, 1891. She was born into the family of John and Lucy Ann Hurston; she was one of their eight children. Hurston and her family were originally from Notasulga, Alabama. However, they moved to Florida, when she was just a toddler and Hurston, had little, if no memory, of Notasulga. Many of her writings, reflect the culture and happenings of Eatonville, Florida. Hurston, was anything but a usual African-American woman. She defied numerous odds against her, to complete college, travel past the borders of her home town, and become something more than a poor housewife. Despite all difficulties, Hurston received her associate degree from Howard University, in the year of 1920. A few years later, she would begin working on her bachelors, at Barnard College, were she studied anthropology....
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...Danielle mordon Zora Neale Hurston's love of African-American folklore and her work as an anthropologist are reflected in her novels and short stories--where she employed the rich indigenous dialects of her native rural Florida and the Caribbean. In her foreword to Hurston's autiobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, Maya Angelou wrote, "Her books and folktales vibrate with tragedy, humor and the real music of Black American speech." A published short story writer by the time she came to New York in 1925, Hurston studied anthropology at Barnard, where she was the college's first African-American student. After graduation, Hurston pursued graduate work at Columbia with renowned anthropologist Franz Boas. She left New York to conduct research in Florida and in Haiti and Jamaica, and her field work resulted in the folklore collections Mules and Men (1935) and Tell My Horse (1938). Her classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God was published in 1937. Still, Hurston never received the financial rewards she deserved. (The largest royalty she ever earned from any of her books was $943.75.) So when she died on Jan. 28, 1960--at age 69, after suffering a stroke. Her neighbors in Fort Pierce, Florida, had to take up a collection for her February 7 funeral. The collection didn't yield enough to pay for a headstone, however, so Hurston was buried in a grave that remained unmarked until 1973. In 1975, Ms. Magazine published Alice Walker's essay, "In Search of Zora Neale Hurston" reviving interest...
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...During the Harlem Renaissance, an era is known to be an intellectual, artistic and social explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, which spanned during the 1920’s to early 40’s. This era was better known as the “New Negro Movement” which was during the Harlem Renaissance. Many authors such as Angelina Weld Grimcké (1880-1958), Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) and many others had influential works that bloomed from this era and movement. Many of these authors and writers were known as the ideals of the “New Woman” and the “New Negro” which was known to be the Negro Womanhood. For many of these women, they faced issues such as striving as African American women and attempting to defending the racial and gender stigmas, while taking control...
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...Born in Alabama in 1891, the prestigious Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the greatest writers of twentieth- century African American literature. As a leader in the Harlem Renaissance Hurston was credited for protecting the rights of African Americans through her folk writing style. However, one of the books I read by her quickly changed my perspective of her and I soon realized that she was not only a proud supporter of African American rights, but women`s rights as well. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston uses character Janie Crawford to speak out against the unjust treatment of women in their marriages. Zora Neale Hurston is an inspiring figure to me because she taught me the importance of self-reliance and how to...
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...Max Kiefer Mrs. Lisk AP U.S. History 22 May 2024 The Harlem Renaissance: A Flourishing of African American Culture The Harlem Renaissance was a pivotal period in American history that spanned the 1920s, marked by an extraordinary outpouring of African American art, literature, music, and thought. This cultural movement not only redefined African American identity but also had a profound impact on the broader American cultural landscape. The movement was characterized by a newfound sense of racial pride and a desire for social and economic equality. This book explores the contributions of key figures in the Harlem Renaissance, the impact of their work, and the lasting legacy of this significant cultural awakening. ORIGINS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE The Great Migration, which saw millions of African Americans move from the rural South to urban centers in the North, set the stage for the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City, became the epicenter of this cultural explosion. The migration brought a concentration of talented individuals who sought to escape the oppressive conditions of the South and to find new opportunities in the North. The vibrancy and diversity of Harlem provided the perfect environment for a cultural renaissance....
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...Zora Neale Hurston’s use of language in her short story Spunk allows the reader to become part of the community in which this story takes place. The story is told from the point of view of the characters, and Hurston writes the dialogue in their broken English dialect. Although the language is somewhat difficult to understand initially, it adds to the mystique of the story. Spunk is a story about a man that steals another man’s wife, kills the woman’s husband and then he ends up dying from an accident at the saw mill. Spunk believed that it was Lena’s husband, Joe Kanty, who shoved him into the circular saw, and the people in the village agreed that Joe Kanty had come back to get revenge. The language used by the characters helps to establish the setting of the story and gives the reader an understanding of why voodoo is a plausible explanation for the outcome. “Looka theah folkses!” is what Elijah Mosley states to the others in the store. This is the first indication that the characters in this short story are not the most educated, and are probably from some small backwoods town. We quickly get confirmation of this when we learn that he is alerting them that Spunk Banks, a giant, brown-skinned man, “who aint skeered of nothin’ on God’s green footstool”, is sauntering up the one street in the village, with a small pretty woman clinging lovingly to his arm. Clearly, the store is where people hang out, and everyone knows that the woman with Spunk is Lena Kanty, Joe’s wife...
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...The Harlem Renaissance's Impact on American Literature The Harlem Renaissance also known as the "New Negro Movement," was a cultural movement that spanned in the 1920's to the mid 1930's. It was a time in history that displayed the unique culture of African American expression, through literature, art, music, and dance. This African American culture grew out of Harlem, New York and symbolized freedom from the oppression of slavery. It was described as the spiritual coming of age in which African Americans had a chance to express their creativity. The Harlem Renaissance is noted as being a literary movement were African Americans could celebrate their heritage and reveal the truth about their life and the first time their literature was taken seriously by critics and publishers. The birth of the Harlem Renaissance came out of Harlem, New York in the early 1920's, "it was a time for a cultural celebration. African Americans had endured centuries of slavery and the struggle for abolition." (U.S History, 2008) It is described as racial pride and an intense desire for equality. It represented a time by the end of the war in 1919 where African Americans was going to be much more aggressive than their prewar brothers. Harlem was considered the capital of the black world, because it attracted thousands of blacks from the South and the West indies. It provided economic and education for African American artist. In Harlem, people demanded respect from those who continued to keep racist...
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...“Sweat” and the “Man Who Was Almost a Man” Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright were distinguished black writers from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Coming only two generations after slavery, this was an amazing resurgence of black creativity in all fields from writing, art, dance, and music to philosophy, history, and the social and natural sciences. The Harlem Renaissance died out with the Great Depression, but it has left behind a lasting legacy for all Americans including these powerful stories. One idea that emerged from the Harlem Renaissance was called "double consciousness." This theory developed by writer-activist W. E. B. DuBois articulated the psychological effects of living under racism. DuBois's theory focused on the ways that blacks who were confronted with stereotypes but also were aware of a reality of black life much different from the stereotypes lived with both of these conflicting modes of thought. Double consciousness is an idea that seeks to explain the effects of segregation and racism in the daily lives of blacks, and can be seen in the choices Harlem Renaissance artists made. Harlem renaissance authors wrote during a time of self-awareness, which also included an awareness of self as perceived by others, primarily through the eyes of racism. The language choices made by these authors reflect this duality, as the characters "code switch" (a linguistic term for the way people use both dialect and Standard English in different circumstances) between...
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