Poetry in The Harlem Reniassance

"Nightlife" by Archibald Motley Jr.

Origins

The Harlem Renaissance was a black cultural movement born in New York. There are an abundance of Harlem Renaissance poets and poems and taking a look into the poetry from this time and why this movement came about can help give insight into the history of the time. The Harlem Renaissance took place in the time between World War One and The Great Depression, a time during the “roaring twenties” where America was booming economically and culturally. This time of economic prosperity resulted in many black people in the south taking advantage of the job prospects in more urban areas. Subsequently, there was a large migration of black Americans moving to big cities, disproportionately moving to the Harlem area of Manhattan, thus the namesake of the Harlem Renaissance. In these urban areas, along with the economic opportunity, there was generally more racial tolerance than in the southern communities. The urban space created a tight-knit cultural hub that allowed for the sharing of ideas and this resulted in heightened cultural expression and innovation in many forms of art and culture such as jazz, literature, and of course poetry.

The Harlem Renaissance drew from many cultural influences. One big cultural influence on Harlem Renaissance poetry that was developed by black people around the same was blues music. Many elements of the beat and lyricism of blues can be seen in Harlem Renaissance poetry. As well, in the words of these poems there are many ideas of African American pride, identity, and struggle from the time.

When looking at the writing and poetry from the Harlem Renaissance it is easy to see the experience of black people living in this culture in the descriptive and vibrant poetry written. ETA by Melivin Tolson is a great example of poems that give insight into how it would feel to be a part of The Harlem Renaissance. These poems preserve moments, descriptions of real people and places and experiences weaved into the fiction of the poem. Writings preserve slang and vernacular speech in a way that things such as photographs or formal essays cannot. These poems share the lifeblood, the struggles, and the real authentic experience of The Harlem Renaissance. Yet, this makes it difficult to tell what is real and what is fiction in these poems. Poetry is not a perfect record, and while it can be extremely helpful in giving insight it should be taken with a grain of salt.

-Kate Snyder

Effects

The poetry that came out of the Harlem Renaissance permeates many facets of today’s culture. Academically speaking, the works of Langston Hughes, specifically his poem entitled “Dreams,” has become a staple of poetry classes throughout the United States. Claude McKay wrote poignant criticisms of the racist state of America in the 1920s with his poem “If We Must Die.”

Of course, poetry in the Harlem Renaissance evolved alongside one of the most influential music genres in the United States, Jazz. Both Jazz and Harlem Renaissance poetry embodied a rhythmic nature and, thus, the music influenced by jazz was also indirectly influenced by the poetry created in the same era. More directly, the cultural complexities of poetry heavily influenced rap. As a matter of fact, rap stands for “Rhythm and Poetry,” so it is unsurprising that the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance played an integral role in the development of the genre of music.

Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and modern rap as we know it share something important in common: they both deal with complex cultural issues, grappling the struggles of the African-American condition.The Harlem Renaissance would also set the tone for important eras of African-American efforts to ameliorate the oppressive condition in which they reside, such as the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter Movement.  In a way, the Harlem Renaissance was one of the first mainstream efforts by African-Americans to celebrate their heritage and fight for their freedoms as citizens, and poetry played an extremely important role in the pursuit of that.

-Anupam Sharma