GET AT ME RICHARD WRIGHT.

Zora Neale Hurston was criticized by many prominent writers of the Harlem Renaissance, in particular a man by the name of Richard Wright. He stated:


"... The sensory sweep of her novel carries no theme, no message, no thought. In the main, her novel is not addressed to the Negro, but to a white audience whose chauvinistic tastes she knows how to satisfy. She exploits that phase of Negro life which is "quaint," the phase which evokes a piteous smile on the lips of the "superior" race."


I disagree with Wright's criticism of Hurston's book. I believe that Richard Wright felt this way due to the fact that he was a very opinionated political writer who enjoyed addressing the hardships of African American life in his literary works. In my eyes, he felt this way because it wasn't what he would've wrote, so therefor he was unhappy with it. I think he may have overlooked the talent Hurston exemplified in her writing, just so he could focus on how she wasn't raving about African American repression and rights throughout her novel. I also find that this criticism could have come up because Hurston and Wright focused on different things in their works. Wright wrote in very political terms,while Hurston stayed away from these issues of struggle.  I'm not trying to bash Richard Wright here, as I'm sure since he was so popular that he's a very accomplished writer, I'm just merely disagreeing with his criticism of Their Eyes Were Watching God. But hey, maybe that's because I'm white. 


Information from: "Zora Neale Hurston." Wikipedia. N.p., 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/

wiki/Zora_Neale_Hurston>.

Some Images for the General Public

^^Richard Wright^^ Image from: http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/wright/wright_photo1957.jpg

Zora Neale Hurston- A Blog Post

Facts about Zora Neale Hurston

• Zora Neale was born on January 7th, 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama.
• She moved with her family to Eatonville, Florida as a toddler, and has since then always considered it her home.
• Eatonville was an incorporated black township, so Hurston was never aware of racial inferiority. She grew up amongst great achievements made by African Americans which most likely led to her belief in her abilities as a writer.
• She was raised in a very Christian household, as her father was a preacher. 
• Zora had a rather happy childhood, and was encouraged to explore her vivacious spirit by her mother.
• Her mother died in 1904, when Zora was 13 years old.
• Zora's father quickly got remarried to a woman whom Zora often clashed heads with.
• She then skipped around many jobs until deciding to go back to high school in 1917 at the age of 26.
• She posed as a 16 year old successfully, due to her good looks and charming manner.
• When she died, she was a pauper. She was not largely recognized until her books were rediscovered by a young writer named Alice Walker.

Information from: Boyd, Valerie. "About Zora Neale Hurston." Zora Neale Hurston. Sonnet Media, 2007. Web. 12 Apr.

2011. <http://www.zoranealehurston.com/biography.html>.

Images of Zora Neale Hurston

picture of Ms. Hurston herself from http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Public_Domain_Photos/Zora_Neale_Hurston.jpg

image from: http://www.zoranealehurston.com/images/theireyes_std.gif

Okay guys this could become a problem I have fallen in love with the Harlem Renaissance and there's nothing anyone can do to stop me

An Overview of the Harlem Renaissance

• The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement of the African American community of Harlem, New York. 
• This movement lasted from the 1920s to the early 1930s, emerging towards the end of World War I.
• The Harlem Renaissance was primarily a literary movement, but it also helped develop theater, art, music, and politics.
• The Renaissance in Harlem sprung from increased education and employment opportunities following the Civil War. 
• The more educated and socially conscious people settled in Harlem, the more the political and cultural central of black America was developed.
• As the middle class grew, the advocation of racial equality grew too. 
• African American literature and arts (performing, visual, etc.) grew more popular during the Harlem Renaissance.
• The factor that united the participants was their sense of taking action for the same purpose and giving more expression of the arts to African American culture in Harlem.
• A strong sense of racial pride was one of the major push factors to make the Harlem Renaissance happen, but a want for both social and political equality. 
• There was much diversity shown during the Harlem Renaissance, which allowed it to appeal to a wide variety of people. Advances in literature, theater, music, visual arts, and many other fields offered something for everyone. 

Bessie Smith

• During the Harlem Renaissance she was also known as the Empress of the Blues.
• Bessie Smith was an American singer
• She recorded with many famous and accomplished musicians, such as Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong, in the early 1920s.
• She was the most popular blues singer of her time
• The "emotional power of her voice" really contributed to her popularity, along with the content of the songs she sang. 

A link to Bessie's song "Nobody Knows When You're Down and Out": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MzU8xM99Uo&feature=related

Langston Hughes

• Langston Hughes was an American writer
• He wrote many poems, plays, short stories, and novels
• He also wrote for a newspaper column
• His character Simple, which he created for his newspaper column, was very popular
• Simple depicted everyday experiences of black citizens

Josephine Baker

• Josephine Baker was both a singer and a dancer
• Her  career began around the time that mainstream America began to take a serious interest in African American culture
• She was one of the most prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance
• She moved to Paris in the mid-1920s 
• Josephine helped introduce European audiences to African American dance styles and music

A link to Josephine's song "J'ai Deux Amours": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHrOV8YorHI&feature=related

Image Sources-

Harlem Renaissance image: http://safetyfunandlearning.wordpress.com/

Bessie Smith image: http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bessie-smith/494457

Langston Hughes image: http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/04/22/specials/hughes.html

Josephine Baker image: http://musiclinernotes.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/josephine-baker/