Introduction
The Harlem renaissance is an era in American literature that was characterized by the rising of black authors who aimed at exalting the black heritage and fight for the black man’s space and recognition in society. The Harlem renaissance rose due to social injustices and imbalances that were present during those times. Though slavery trade had officially ended, blacks were still being treated badly by their white counterparts (Nathan 29). This made the black people led by intellectuals like Langston Hughes, Marcus Garvey, Countee Cullen, Du Bois and others to revolt against such treatment through all means. Some of the means was through literature where a number of intellectuals started writing literature on the black people in America. The literature at this time was therefore greatly influenced by the conditions that the black man was being subjected and the need to be recognized. The literature therefore touched mostly on issues faced by the black people which included racial discrimination and injustices that were being meted on the black people and the need for the black people to liberate themselves. In this study, Souls of the black folk will be reviewed. Of emphasis will be how the social factors influenced the literature of Du Bois in the Souls of black folk.
Souls of Black Folk
The book Souls of black folk by W.E.B Du Bois is not only a reflection of the social imbalances that existed in America during the Harlem renaissance but also represents the reaction by the black people towards such imbalances. In souls of black folk, Du Bois presents vividly the poor and harsh conditions the black people get subjected to (Nathan 31). The author attributes all these problems being experienced by the black people to racial discrimination. The book also analyzes the progress made in stamping out racial discrimination, the hindering factors and the possible progress in future.
Du Bois analyzes the years after the civil war and looks at the role of the Freedman’s Bureau in reconstruction. He argues that the failure of the bureau was mainly due to biasness in the courts, national neglect and opposition from the south. He is critical of Booker T. Washington who he accuses of being submissive and allowing segregation when serving as the spokesman of the black race. He says that Booker had allowed enactment of policies that were meant to propagate further discrimination against the black people. The author also criticizes the education system in America, which concentrates only on teaching people how to gain wealth. This, he says, ignores other important aspects of life. He says that blacks should not be taught how to earn money only. Rather, he argues, there should exist a balance between formal training that is meant to help gain money and the teachings on human culture and required ideals in life. In this instance, Du Bois advocates for the black people to be taught about their culture so that they can be proud of it. The part of the students being taught the ideals of life was to be used to end racial discrimination between the blacks and whites. Du Bois asserts that education should not be used only as a tool that can be used to make money but one that can also be used to change people and the world.
Du Bois continues his examination of the rural life of the black Americans by looking at Doughty County in Georgia. The author uses this county as a representative of the life lived by the black people in the southern Black Belt (15). He examines the conditions of the people in the county and presents them as a people who are living in poverty. The legal system in the county, he says, has done little to remove people from slavery. The tenant farming system also has made the black people virtually slaves again. Du Bois also examines the development of African American religion by looking at its origin in Africa, how it has developed through slavery up to the point of formation of Methodist and Baptist churches (27). He advocates for the development of the history of the Negro religion arguing that the history is not only a vital part of the total American history but it is also an interesting part of the American history.
Du Bois concludes his book by looking at how racial prejudice affects individuals (p. 58). He is bitter about racial prejudice and at one point, though mourning the death of his son, says that the son is better dead than growing up in racially prejudiced society. He relates a number of stories of black people who had to struggle and who were denied chances to advance in life on the basis of their color (Du Bois 117). He gives the example of Alexander Crummel who was denied the chance to become an Episcopal priest because of his color. Another example given by the author is that of a young black man called John who attains an education but because of his color, he is denied a chance to apply his knowledge by the whites. The knowledge gained by the young John puts him at loggerheads with the southern community and this result to his destruction. The book ends with written songs which express the pain, sorrow, and exile that is experienced by the African Americans.
This is one of the pieces of literature that gives a reflection of the reaction by black Americans against the social forces and social injustices present during the Harlem renaissance. The author advocates for the rising of the black people against social discrimination and racial prejudice. By the bringing to the fore the ills done against the African Americans, the author wanted to raise the consciousness in the people. Du Bois was against racial prejudice and racial discrimination (47). He advocated for equal rights for the blacks through his writings. He also advocated for the recognition of the black people culture, heritage and religious beliefs. His was a call to African Americans to view themselves as important and people with an origin that is culturally rich. He also advocated for the black people to given a relevant education, an education that does not only teach how to make money but one that also teaches cultural values and good ideals. This was meant to instill a sense of belonging and identity in the black people. Teaching students ideals of life was meant to impart to them the knowledge that racial discrimination and prejudice was bad and that all human beings are supposed to live together in harmony (Du Bois 209). The book Souls of black folk is a good reflection of how the black Americans reacted to the social imbalances that existed in the American society during the Harlem renaissance.
Another piece of literature that reflects the social imbalances and injustices that existed during the Harlem renaissance era is a poem called Harlem by Langston Hughes. Hughes was one of the prominent writers during the Harlem renaissance, though most of his works were criticized by fellow black scholars of presenting a bad picture of the black Americans (Wulff 63). Hughes presents the poem in form of questions. He asks what happens to a deferred dream. Does it just wither away or continue to be present but fester as a wound. This is a poem that reflects the kind of frustrations that were being experienced by the black people. Hughes saw the dreams of many people being crashed. However, he asks whether those dreams die out completely or do they turn into something ugly (Wulff 122). The last line of the poem acts as a subtle warning that marring people’s dreams could lead to social unrest. The author talks of the dream exploding. This reflects the kind of reaction expected from people whose dreams have been frustrated. This is the kind of scenario that existed during the Harlem renaissance era. Many people were denied chances to realize their dreams because of their color.
According to Wulff Harlem renaissance era was characterized by a kind of literature that mostly touched on social injustices and racial discrimination that was being witnessed in the American society (78). Most African American authors reacted to these injustices by writing works of art that condemned them and those that called on black Americans to rise up and fight for their rights. This led to the rise of many activists that advocated for equal rights for the blacks.
Works Cited
Du, Bois W. E. B. The Souls of Black Folk. Rockville, Md: Arc Manor, 2008. Print.
Nathan Irvin Huggins. Harlem Renaissance. Arnold Rampersad: Oxford University Press, 2007.Print
Wulff, Antje. The Role of Urban Life in the Poetry of Langston Hughes. München: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Internet resource.
