Berry, faith, Langston Hughes: Before and Beyond Harlem, Citadel, 1992 Langston Hughes spoke for most of the writers and artists when he wrote in his essay "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain- (1926) that black artists intended to express themselves freely, no matter what the black public or white public thought A number of factors contributed to the decline of the Harlem Renaissance in the mid-1930s. ... For example "Mother to Son- the mother says "So boy don't you turn back, don't set you down on the steps cause you find its kinder harder, don't you fall now-. ... In...

• Word Count: 1518
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Through Hughes" works that included: poetry, short stories, novels, and political essays, Hughes brought his words to life and educated many people. ... His parents, James Hughes and Carolina Mercer Langston, separated when he was a very young boy in 1903. ... At night they would read him stories from such works from popular black authors such as W.E.B. ... They would also tell him stories of black history, and encourage him to try to make positive changes someday. ... Even as a young boy he was ready to take chances in life. ...

• Word Count: 1483
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

And all that Bigger wants to do is "to merge himself with others and be a part of this world, to lose himself in it so he could find himself, to be allowed a chance to live like others, even though he was black" (226) and not have to continue being the black boy who is expected to conform to the accepted black stereotype. This longing to be free from the constraints of his home-life expresses Bigger's need to be free from the constraints of which society holds over him. ... What has this seemingly petty black man done? ... He defied a country, he represented every white persons fear, t...

• Word Count: 1638
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Malcolm X or Malcolm Little has become one of the leading black movement leaders. ... The three major changes in Malcolm X's life that will be examined in this essay are his life in Boston, his life in prison, and his pilgrimage. ... It is through this exploration that he sees the stark contrast between the middle class blacks, including his sister, and the blacks who live below the hill. ... Following this, it is his job as a shoeshine boy that develops much of Malcolm's life during this time. ... His mind opens up and he develops a sense of freedom, "In fact, up to then, I n...

• Word Count: 1903
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School