Understanding this poem, and its place in the larger context of Hughes' work, requires an understanding of Hughes' life. ... In opening the poem in this way, Hughes is declaring Cubism to be a style representative of the elite, white classes. This is key to the understanding of the whole poem. ... The poem is full of imagery that tries to show both sides of dualities at the same time. ... He is contrasting the flatness of his language with the prettiness of the people he began the poem describing. ...

• Word Count: 2547
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

And this is the way I look at the poems and short stories like Langston Hughes or Zara Neal Hurston wrote. ... But there is no clear evidence that the Harlem Renaissance started exactly at this time because there are scholars who see a poem by W.E.B. ... And I think the creativity of writing a poem, story or musical comes exactly from this state of mind. ... The steady loss of orientation of the social and political position of African Americans in America and the growing exodus of blacks from their homes in the south to the northern cities are issues that the Harlem writers tried to work thro...

• Word Count: 4309
• Approx Pages: 17
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

What was the Harlem Renaissance? What is a renaissance? A renaissance is a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity. There was a famous renaissance in Europe during the transition from medieval times to modern times that is still taught today. The Harlem Renaissance was an African American cultural movement of the late 1920s and early 1930s that was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. ...

• Word Count: 2619
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Undergraduate