In the year 1903, W.E.B Dubois wrote the book The Negro Church. This book was later to be recognized as one among the most instrumental literary works in the Harlem Renaissance of 1918 to 1937. Dubois, much like other African American writers contributed greatly to American writing through philosophical thinking and ideology. James Baldwin is among the most prominent writers whose works are a portrayal of the prominent role of religion in African American literature. His book, Go Tell It on the Mountain, which narrates his life as the son of a Christian minister, is an explication of the role of religion in contemporary African American literature. It is important to point out that religion is among the factors that upheld black literacy. This is especially so because such churches as the African Orthodox Church and the Presbyterian Church promoted and sponsored schools that saw the rise of African literacy – arguably the strongest factor in the rise of Harlem Renaissance (Swatos 2). Today, thousands of educational institutions are named after such African writers as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B Dubois. This paper seeks to explain the role influence of religion on contemporary African American literature as well as the contributions of prominent African American writers to American writing.
Harlem Renaissance has been described as a powerhouse in African American literature. This movement saw African American artists; writers and musicians rise up in fighting for coexistence – a situation that could see Africans considered as an integral part of the American society. In fighting for such social positions, African American writers used various forms of art and literature to pass their message to the authorities of the hostile white dominated world. Harlem Renaissance was a movement that saw writers, such as Langton Hughes, write poems and collections of short stories, which reflected the suffering of the people of African descent due to the stringent conditions that upheld segregation and apartheid (Gates 58). The poems and short stories associated with black literature were quite effective in convincing thousands of people to believe that African intellectual and social capabilities were exceptionally remarkable. In the 1920s, religion was considered a haven of peace, where people of African American descent took refuge in the hostile white society. Religion was a primary point of reference, which provided motivation to the people in Harlem.
During the Harlem Renaissance, literature and religion had a common appeal to life. They were a source of imagination and fresh ideas. The people in Harlem were so much into religious beliefs, that most of the writing done by the African American authors was rooted in religion, the roots that literature had in religion can be attributed to the fact that during Harlem Renaissance, African American writers were so much concerned with values that were supported by Christianity. Notably, African American writers such as Alain Locke were most concerned about equality and fair treatment of all people irrespective of the roots of such people. The Christian churches preached on the same values all through. The churches emphasized the fact that man was created without such prejudices as color. Most books, such as James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain were deeply rooted in religion (Spencer 1). The book was an effort to explain the plight of the African people through religious approaches.
Religion, particularly Christianity, provided the themes for the African American literature. Most themes in the poems and books of Langton Hughes – arguably the most prominent writer associated with Harlem Renaissance – borrowed a lot from Christianity, and more so the Bible. Other themes such as anti-apartheid idea, which were prominently addressed by Nikki Giovanni and Arthur Schaumburg, were based on religious teachings. The black religion of Harlem renaissance preached African supremacy and emphasized that there was nothing so peculiar about being white. On the contrary, the black religion emphasized that all people were equal, and if anything, the black people were stronger, especially considering that they had survived the torturous life in the south. African writers borrowed a lot from this religion as well as other religions that taught the paramount nature of love. Love was a key theme in African American writing. Harlem Renaissance was an artistic revolution that began in the modest neighborhood of Harlem, New York. Africans lived together in Harlem and were not residents of the uptown suburbs of New York. Most writers, especially Rudolph Fisher wrote stories that implied that the decision of African Americans to live together in Harlem was founded on the love blacks had for one another.
Phyllis Wheatley is synonymous with early African American literature. Together with Olaudah Equiano, Wheatley opened the arena of African American writing. These writers are associated with Harlem Renaissance and are considered the motivation behind revolutionary African American literature. Wheatley, whose works also relied prominently on religious poems, has been recognized as a role model to all other African American writers (Rhodes 1). Wheatley and other contemporary black writers have contributed greatly to American writing. The writers have contributed in various ways, the most prominent being the fact that they have added richly to the subgenre of poetry. Apparently, the most prominent and loved poets of all time are African American writers associated with Harlem Renaissance. Such writers as Langston Hughes are known for their influential poems of the renaissance period. The most significant contribution of Hughes to African American literature is The Book of American Negro Poetry. Through his book, Hughes uses short poems to express powerful ideas on African circumstances in the hostile American society.
Harlem Renaissance contributed greatly in motivating women writers, who have since been instrumental in American writing. How, one may wonder. During Harlem Renaissance, such writers as Zora Neale Hurston emerged as powerful writers with different themes from the common politically motivated ones associated with Marcus Garvey, Ernest Gainee and Countee Cullen. Hurston, much like Wheatley, was a role model to African American women writers. They motivated African American women to try the art of writing – efforts that could later see sympathetic whites sponsor Harlem writers to improve American writing in general. Such motivations are the explanation behind the uniqueness of American writing. The poems of Hughes are what define contemporary emotional writing in the American society. Worth mentioning is the reality that during Harlem Renaissance, white people, especially those in the field of literature identified the fact that African Americans were quite strong intellectually and socially. This saw the stakeholders in the field of literature, such as publishers promote many capable minds.
Another way through which the African American writers contributed to American writing is through enhancing philosophy. W.E.B Dubois and Alain Locke are recognized for their philosophical writing. W.E.B Dubois is prominently known for writings which emphasized religious philosophies. Dubois and Locke, prominent educators saw various institutions adopt their philosophies in encouraging Africans to rise up (Champion 67). The philosophies were later to be used in backing various constitutional amendments such as the first amendment in the bill of rights, which upholds equality and justice. The philosophies of W.E.B Dubois and Alain Locke are particularly important as they are the basis for the ideas written on by various American writing in the contemporary world. Summarily, Dubois and Locke contributed greatly to American writing as they came up with and wrote on various aspects of the relationship between religion and politics of society. Similarly, the poems written by Langton Hughes are quite important as they are the subjects of study in American literature today. Apparently, the classical poems of such writers as Wheatley are quite influential in the writing circles of the American society today.
The relationship between religion and African American literature can be explained by the fact that religion was the foundation of most themes adopted and addressed by the black writers. Before the American civil war, the primary theme of African American writing was slavery. Later on, such themes as the role of Africans in American society came into the lime light. Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou wrote about the importance of coexistence. They contributed greatly to American writing by coming up with the basic principles that would later see American become a multi-racial society (Champion 98). By multi-racial, it means that the American society comprises of many races and cultures. Today, America is a boiling pot of cultures. By addressing such themes as racism and apartheid, Maya Angelou and Walter Mosley diverted the course of contemporary American writing towards co-existence. Chester Hines, another prominent African American writer contributes greatly to American writing by addressing the importance of culture. The African American writer greatly concentrated on explaining the need to develop cultural identity in a society where inequalities were a norm.
Cultural identity is a common theme in contemporary African American writing. Cultural identity is a theme prominently associated with Harlem Renaissance writers. During the mid 1920s, Africans found their identity in pan Africanism and religion. The religions in Harlem in the 1920s were associated with black people as they emphasized the need to be equal in society. The cultural identity that sprouted out of Harlem Renaissance was later to be the core of American writing. Besides contributing to the emergence of cultural identity in American literature, African American writers were exceptionally instrumental in establishing the subgenre of Slavery Narrations. This subgenre is quite common in contemporary American writing because the institution of slavery is quite noteworthy in American politics. Apparently, African American writers also contributed greatly to the development of arts and music. The popular pop culture has its roots in contemporary American writing associated with the black writers.
Through his books The Weary Blues and Not without Laughter, Langton Hughes contributes greatly to American writing through explaining the effectiveness of literature as a tool for revolution (Gates 46). Harlem Renaissance, arguably the biggest revolutionary culture in the United States history was a unique approach to social upheavals. Langton Hughes contributed significantly to American writing by writing popular columns in news papers and magazines. Langton Hughes is known for his popular columns in the Chicago Defender and the New York Post. Such columns were not only interesting to read but also influential to both the citizenry and aspiring authors. This usually motivated young poets of both white and black descents to work aggressively towards achieving their dreams (Champion 78). The net effect is the attainment of a rich literary culture. Many contemporary writers, especially women writers, refer to Zora Neale Hurston as a role model. They have constantly cited their works, especially the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, which was written in 1937 – towards the end of Harlem Renaissance. Other female writers such as Jean Toomer, prominently known for her book, Cane, contributed greatly to African American writing through explaining the bitter life of Africans in rural Georgia and urban north. Such books were quite instrumental in promoting revolutionary ideas. Similarly, Harlem Renaissance saw the rise of such female writers as Dorothy West, commonly known for her work The Living is Easy. This writer was known as a silent writer for quite a long time because she kept away from politics, but explained social phenomena through unique sarcasm (Champion 112).
In conclusion, it is plain to see that religion had a strong impact on the contemporary African American literature. Further, it is clear that, from the foregoing, African American writers have greatly contributed to American writing. The writers, such as Hughes are recognized for their works, especially poems and short stories. Additionally, the African American writers during the famous Harlem Renaissance contributed efficiently to philosophy and political spheres. Speaking of politics, Marcus Garvey was quite instrumental in promoting Universal Negro Improvement Association – a movement that could later be important in seeing the civil rights movement come into place. Summarily, literature and religion are quite indebted to one another in the context of contemporary African American thinking.
Works Cited
Champion, Laurie. American Women Writers: 1900-1945 : a Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press, 2000. Print.
Gates, Henry L, and Evelyn B. Higginbotham. Harlem Renaissance Lives from the African American National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
Rhodes, Henry. "The Social Contributions of The Harlem Renaissance." Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, 18 Apr 2013. Web. 13 Jul 2013. http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1978/2/78.02.08.x.html
Spencer, Michael. "The Black Church and the Harlem Renaissance." African American Review. 30.3 (1996): 453-460. Print. https://umdrive.memphis.edu/ajohnsn6/voices of the black church/articles/the black church and the harlem.pdf
Swatos, William H. "African American Religious Experience." Encyclopedia of Religion and Society. (2013): n. page. Web. 13 Jul. 2013. http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/african.htm
