Introduction
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement in the United States in 1920-1930, led by prominent African-American writers, artists, and performers. This ultra-cultural movement got its name because the center of this movement was one of the districts of New York, Harlem, where the blacks lived. At this time, African-American culture reached its heyday, giving the world many truly talented and outstanding writers like Claude McKay and Langston Hughes.
Claude McKay: “To the White Friend”
Claude McKay wrote notable poetry books and established himself as a literary voice for social justice in the African-American community through his poetic texts. His poem “To the White Friend” discloses the notion of mastery and how it affected people’s lives. He asks the Lord to help stop this rage of whites toward blacks. The poem’s two first lines start with the inversion “think you” to appeal to readers and make them contemplate the outcomes of their actions (McKay 17). It calls to realize the fatality of their aggressiveness and deform their mastery.
Langston Hughes: “I, Too”
The other outstanding writer was Langston Hughes, who continuously fought for social justice and racial equality through his literature. His texts reflected the unfulfilled hopes and dreams of the country’s lower class, and the underprivileged lives were explored, expressing a sense of hope that the American dream would someday come true. His famous poem “I, Too” is the voice of a black person who claims his rights by using direct speech: “I’ll be at the table when the company comes.” He expresses the desire to share equal opportunities offered to the whites.
Conclusion
In sum, the cultural movement of the Harlem Renaissance had a huge impact on the culture of the United States as a whole. At this time, a new image of an African-American was formed: an educated, talented, and gifted person. The Harlem Renaissance also paved the way for the further struggle of the African-American population for their rights. Claude McKay and Langston Hughes were the primary contributors who managed to direct the matter of social justice to the world.
Works Cited
Hughes, Langston. “I, Too.” The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, p. 236, 2020.
McKay, Claude. “To the White Friend.” Spring in New Hampshire and Other Poems, West Margin Press, p. 17, 2021.