“ The Harlem Renaissance was a significant movement during the 1920’s. African americans came together and created art and literature that became unique to african americans, influencing thousands of the same race to stand together in a white dominant culture.”
As a result of the significant movement there was many writers, artist, poets who played a major role and a big influence on the renaissance. Two people who grew up in the african american community particular are” James Weldon Johnson and Maya Angelou”, as a result three main points about them and how they influence and played a part in the Harlem renaissance and focus on how they impacted the renaissance, what inspired them to do it , why they made a difference.
Finally, to prove to others and share the significant of what theses two writers did is share their story and what they went through, to share to you and others how theses poets and writers did and how they stayed and sticked to their story, what made them want to be apart of the renaissance , how did they continue to put up with discrimination of a white.
James Weldon Johnson was the intellectual of literature while on the other hand Maya Angelou managed to make things enjoyable while writing literature and autobiographies. Although African Americans made the highest rank to writing literature, Johnson and Angelou may have been far most the best writers in history. They even shared the same subjects as in the meaning the emotion and tone used to set the feeling of the poems and novels. Johnson and Angelou both shared a major part in african american experience, from the words they used to create the images of their poems. Maya Angelou was a temporary writer at the time while James Weldon Johnson was a major writer when the renaissance started basically a” come up”.Maya Angelou takes poetry to another level in her poem “I know why the caged birds sings” when Angelou has an intellectual conversations with her mother. He said, “Annie, I done tole you, I ain’t gonna mess around in no niggah’s mouth. ” I said, “Somebody’s gotta do it then.” And he said, “Take her to Texarkana to the colored dentist.” Angelou gives you her perspective on how she sees the world in this stanza of her poem. As a result Johnson give a religious perspective from the poem “ The Prodigal Son “ Oh-O-oh, sinner, When you’re mingling with the crowd in Babylon-Drinking the wine of Babylon-Running with the women of Babylon- You forget about God, and you laugh at Death . . . Johnson refers to the poem in “ God’s Trombones “ that the preacher was a intellectual force.For a example it will be the greatest influence to african americans. Maya angelou as well talked about religious things in her poems. For example in she talks about being in church and the pastor is talking about the people of the church in the poem “ I know why the caged birds sings”. As a black African American most didn’t have a chance to be able to pursue a good career and go to school but as theses writers did just as that but even when they did go school they were bullied about there shade of their skin.
Maya Angelou grew up during a time of racism and discrimination, Although she dealt with the harsh realities of a racial society, she was still able to focus on the things that mattered most in her personal life.As a example her poem “Still I Rise” that was published 1978. As a result she talks about as being a black African american when they discriminated her people for the color of their skin when we all bleed the same blood .Next example that takes place in that same poem is the verse “ Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops. Weakened by my soulful cries. Talks more about getting up and fighting back that this is wrong you can’t let them bring you down whether the color of my skin is darken and my hair is nappy and not silky like them she wants to be proud in her skin and make sure others do too . She mostly experienced a time of hope and prosperity because writing about things that happens on a daily and in the time of Harlem she found hope to keep her head high and encourage young African American men and women to be phenomenal and be great no matter if someone puts you down. One of her poems that helped inspire women is phenomenal women celebrating a change for women of all colors. James Weldon Johnson became famous for writing today’s national anthem “Lift Every Voice And Sing “ this was written for millions of Africans Americans and as a result he helped get America back to the right shape and place.
One of the examples James Weldon Johnson wrote was the the national anthem that was first published as a poem and then sang by 500 schools for the first time for Lincoln’s birthday. Another example of James Weldon Johnson wrote an autobiography of the “ The Ex – Colored Man “ he became best known for this novel and many others. He contributed a lot to the African American economy and still did more. James Weldon Johnson mostly took his time to shape the community and make a difference. They called him the “African American man of letters “ he was a civil rights activist and writer and had many jobs in his community . “James Weldon Johnson and Maya Angelou poetry connects and talks about the same thing just their own perspective. For example” Maya angelou gave a inspiration to James Weldon Johnson “The book of negro poetry “
