Bam As A Black Writer

During the 1900’s, society limited the rights of African Americans. Gwendolyn Brooks was a writer who experienced discrimination from the white population, and even African Americans who were fairer in complexion. She originally wrote about the oppression of African Americans, and their day-to-day struggles. Later on, she expanded her writings to include the struggles of African Americans everywhere. By the end of her life, she inspired thousands of young writers to write about things they’re passionate about. The impact Gwendolyn Brooks has on my life is incomparable to any other important figure I've studied. It's the steps that she took that made her a global leader and will impact my development as a global leader.

One way she covers this is by highlighting Morrison’s disregard for censorship in her work. By presenting us with the raw truth, Morrison’s novel becomes all the more compelling. The author wants us to be condemned by her work; she inspires us to think deeper on its roots. Morrison accepts black history for what it is and therefore can use her work to express her opinion and take a stand for her beliefs. This article shows us the power of censorship and the strides we could potentially make if we were to cast it aside when dealing with things like

Within Zora Neale Hurston’s writing, no matter if it be fiction or non-fiction, she makes it known that she isn’t just writing for fun: she’s writing to make a point. In her article, “What White publishers won’t print” she’s writing about the fact that literature that displays anything other than Black suffering will not be published. She makes this point by talking about how “Anglo-Saxon” people can’t see that we are more than just the stereotypes they created. This article is still relevant to this day, due to the fact that Black people still feel a very strong disconnect to White people when it comes to our personal stories and emotions. While reading the article I have come to the conclusion that Hurston does have a valid argument due to: their inability to look past preconceived notions that they created; the lack of interest of White audiences to Black stories; and, they’re indifference toward Black lives higher than servant status.

Despite her criticism, Brooks deals with race relations objectively and implicitly recreates the black experience for her readers. Brooks shed the light on the African American story through writing. While she does not take a radical approach, such as young Amiri Baraka, in making demands, or use explicit terms such as “white supremacist”, Brooks, on her own platform, shows intellectuals and color-blind conservatives the horrors of being Black in America. Her main stream style of writing was able to reach people that marches, race riots, and church leaders could not (although, later she wrote

Reading the content in this book made me get a picture of what it was like to be a colored person in this time. My eyes were opened to the meaning of the word “nigga”. Nigga is such a derogatory term, yet now-a-days it is used by people so much. Kids in this generation use it as a term of endearment when they see their friends, or they say it when they are shocked by something. Frankly, I don’t believe they know how serious it really is. The fact that white people could look at a person and see less than a human being when they did nothing wrong distresses me. They (white people) treated them as if they were property and below them. Even though we don’t have racism to this extent

In Blueprint for Negro Writing, Wright criticizes the African America artist. Wright believes that African American writers were writing for their white audience, and not themselves. Wright calls Black artists “French poodles” that perform tricks for the masses (Wright 97). Black artists were pressured conform to what their white audience wanted and expected from them. Since the majority of the audience is white, African American artists were expected to create works that appealed to white people.

Furthermore, Biman Basu’s The Black Voice And The Language Of The Text: Toni Morrison’s Sula, investigates what he calls “one of the most significant developments in African American tradition…the formation of a class of intellectuals” (Article). More precisely, Basu is speaking of individuals like Morrison, who have not only broken down barriers for herself as a woman writer, but the others whom have followed in her footsteps to publish a rich tapestry of African-American literature. Furthermore, Basu’s investigates the conflict that arises when one class overtakes another stating that the conflict “on one hand, is between African-American and American Culture, and on the other, between this class of intellectuals and the ‘people’”(article).

One of Beverly Tatum’s most popular works, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, outlines racial identity development and shows us what it means to be Black in today’s society. Tatum uses reasonable examples of her experience both as a parent and as a college professor. She is able to get readers to think in ways that might not be comfortable but are necessary and compelling. Recognizing understanding and embracing

Addresses the ways in which that once black authors made several attempt at encouraging black people to read once they became aware of their real audience. Identifies Wallace Thurman as a Harlem Renaissance author who was unapologetic in his work and criticized black authors and audiences alike who expected him to modify his content to appease white people. Explores how Wallace Thurman’s intended work of art The Blacker the Berry (1929) unconsciously became propaganda for its references to racial prejudice which made prejudice within the race possible. Explores how Thurman’s satiric work calls attention to the complete futility of the aesthetic movement that was the Harlem Renaissance by critiquing and identifying its flaws and contradictions.

At points though, he goes into too much depth. When at Howard University he did not need to go in as much depth as he did about meeting women. Although this did show that there was a wide range of diversity on campus, it was not necessary to get across his point of the endangerment or struggles of African Americans. Also, since the book was published in 2015, while an African American President was in office, he could have discussed more of the similarities and differences between his childhood and the present day racial

The time period of the novel created an uncomfortable setting for the prominent black characters in the story.  During the 1960’s, there was a prodigious divide between blacks and whites.  Being set during the time

Both Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes were great writers but their attitudes towards their personal experience as an African American differed in many ways. These differences can be attributed to various reasons that range from gender to life experience but even though they had different perceptions regarding the African American experience, they both shared one common goal, racial equality through art. To accurately delve into the minds of the writers’ one must first consider authors background such as their childhood experience, education, as well their early adulthood to truly understand how it affected their writing in terms the similarities and

White Americans, especially those who agreed that African Americans should be equal, found it interesting when they read a book and saw the world from the point of view of an African American. “Book publishers soon took notice and patronized many of these talents. Zora Neale Hurston was noticed quickly with her moving novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God...” (The Decade That Roared, page 1).

In an autobiography, Brooks wrote a passage that the Poetry Foundation quoted from stating, “I know that the Black emphasis must be not against white but for Black…” (Halley). Brooks feels strongly that blacks should take more pride in themselves and their heritage and take positive actions to make things better for themselves.

Richard Wright’s Blueprint for Negro Writing uses criticism to aid in promoting the success of African-American writers. He did this because of how he viewed the literature standards and works of the writers