Diary Of A Harlem Schoolteacher Analysis

“A Raisin in the Sun” and "Harlem (A Dream Deferred)," written by Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes, respectively, represent the complimentary themes of dreams. “A Raisin in the Sun” depicts a family’s struggle for survival. The Younger family who lives in Southside, Chicago, fights for their civil rights during the 1960’s. They each have dreams and goals. Hughes illustrates, in “Harlem” that sometimes dreams dry up like raisins in the sun. Two stories analytically provide unexpected irony at the end. Jason Miller’s article, “Foreground and Prereading,” references these pieces to illustrate ideas and obstacles in the character’s lives – defining how obstacles strengthen the family’s perseverance while demonstrating how dreams and hopes can be deferred but are not soon forgotten.

     Harlem Renaissance, an African American cultural movement of the 1920s and early 1930s that was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. According to Wintz:

In Harlem Runs Wild, Claude McKay depicts the Harlem Riot of 1935 as merely "…a gesture of despair of a bewildered, baffled, and disillusioned people." (McKay 224) The Harlem Riot of 1935 was spontaneous and unpremeditated. It was not a race riot in the sense of physical conflict between white and non-white groups as there was little direct violence to white persons. McKay states, "The mass riot in Harlem was not a race riot." (McKay 221) Its distinguishing feature was the persons' attack upon property rather than persons, and resentment against whites that, while exploiting Negroes, denied them an opportunity to work. Communists did not instigate the riot, though they

     The Harlem Renaissance was a time of racism, injustice, and importance. Somewhere in between the 1920s and 1930s an African American movement occurred in Harlem, New York City. The Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined African-American expression. It was the result of Blacks migrating in the North, mostly Chicago and New York. There were many significant figures, both male and female, that had taken part in the Harlem Renaissance. Ida B. Wells and Langston Hughes exemplify the like and work of this movement.

Within the poem “Schoolsville” by Billy Collins, the author describes his career as a teacher, highlighting the relationship with his students and how they have impacted him. Collins executes this through his creation of an imaginary town, intertwined with the reality of his profession and the real world. Through the frequent use of exaggerations, humorous imagery, and critical diction, Collins captures his weakening grasp on reality. The speaker captures himself in a dark moment where he realizes how detached he has become from his students and reveals his sense of hopelessness as a teacher.

Herbert, a coca cola executive uses appeal to logic and historical context to convince Seaver, the author of the book “Diary of a Harlem Schoolteacher” to change their slogan “It's the real thing” used by both companies to advertise their products.Seaver replies with references, hyperbole, and sarcasm to state that they aren't changing the books slogan. They both were trying to appeal to their audience, the people who buy Coca-Cola and the book. Whereas Herbert’s letter addressing the issue of both companies using the same slogan. Seavers response is more persuasive due to its use of rhetorical strategies such as references and sarcasm.The letters were made to persuade the audience the who has the right over the slogan that coca-cola used

On the surface things seemed to be going well for Herbert. In College, he remained involved with high school friends that were once close to Dean, which included James Gianera. Jim argued against the war; informing Herb of other options, such as becoming a Conscientious Objector. The spring and summer of 1966, Herbert experiences the hippie lifestyle, experimenting with other drugs as well such as acid. He dropped his relationship with his long time high school sweetheart. He grows his hair long, wears beads and tattoos. People who knew him are amazed at his total shift. Fall 1966, he cut his hair and put on a suit resembling a business man (Ressler, Shachtman, 1992). He worked hard at a service station and in school.

The Letter written by an executive from Coca-Cola conveys a snobbish tone throughout his body paragraphs. He writes, "there will always be likelihood of confusion" between the novel and the company of Coca-Cola. He truly believes the consumers will confuse words from a book and a pack of Coca-Cola. Herbert comes off as a demanding, corporal voice

Gilbert Osofsky’s Harlem: The Making of a Ghetto paints a grim picture of inevitability for the once-exclusive neighborhood of Harlem, New York. Ososfky’s timeframe is set in 1890-1930 and his study is split up into three parts. His analysis is convincing in explaining the social and economic reasons why Harlem became the slum that it is widely infamous for today, but he fails to highlight many of the positive aspects of the enduring neighborhood, and the lack of political analysis in the book is troubling.

“Education in our country is the social service equivalent of Katrina. Part of the challenge that we face in this nation is that we have to confront the fact that we have systems that are designed essentially to fail kids,” states Geoffrey Canada in his address at the Social Justice Leadership Conference (Newport, 2011). Canada has an innate ability to blatantly state the problems facing communities in this country. However he is not just talking; he is doing something about it.

The short but inspirational poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes addresses what happens to aspirations that are postponed or lost. The brief, mind provoking questions posed throughout the poem allow the readers to reflect--on the effects of delaying our dreams. In addition, the questions give indications about Hughes' views on deferred dreams.

During the 1920’s a new movement began to arise. This movement known as the Harlem Renaissance expressed the new African American culture. The new African American culture was expressed through the writing of books, poetry, essays, the playing of music, and through sculptures and paintings. Three poems and their poets express the new African American culture with ease. (Jordan 848-891) The poems also express the position of themselves and other African Americans during this time. “You and Your Whole Race”, “Yet Do I Marvel”, and “The Lynching” are the three poems whose themes are the same. The poets of these poems are, as in order, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude Mckay.

Nella Larsen was one of the few female American writers that were part of the Harlem Renaissance. Due to her success in both her novels Quicksand and Passing she was the first African American woman to receive the Guggenheim award in 1930. The novels took place in the late 1920’s; it focuses on the lives of African American women and their struggle of acceptance in society. In finding their own identity through race, class, and gender these two novels Quicksand and Passing show the struggles and misguiding of how African American women faced during the Harlem Renaissance.

In Langston Hughes’ poem, the author gives us vivid examples of how dreams get lost in the weariness of everyday life. The author uses words like dry, fester, rot, and stink, to give us a picture of how something that was originally intended for good, could end up in defeat. Throughout the play, I was able to feel how each character seemed to have their dreams that fell apart as the story went on. I believe the central theme of the play has everything to do with the pain each character goes thru after losing control of the plans they had in mind. I will attempt to break down each character’s dream and how they each fell apart as the play went on.

     Between 1910 and 1920, in a movement known as the Great Migration, hundreds of thousands of African Americans uprooted from their homes in the South and moved North to the big cities in search of jobs. They left the South because of racial violence and economic discrimination. Their migration was an expression of their changing attitudes toward themselves, and has been described as "something like a spiritual emancipation." Many migrants moved to Harlem, a neighborhood on the upper west side of Manhattan. In the 1920's, Harlem became the worlds largest black community; also home to a highly diverse mix of cultures. This unprecedented outburst of creative activity exposed their unique culture and encouraged