And Do You Locke, Take Thee Hughes? Essay

In a comparison of the essays The in the raw lightlessness by Alain Locke and The Negro Artist and the racial Mountain by Langston Hughes, on that point exists two similarities and differences. plainly, what atomic number 18 most striking are the differences amidst the two, especi wholey in terms of purpose, tone, and audience. Locke and Hughes wrote their essays during the he fine art of the Harlem Renaissance 1925 and 1926, various(prenominal)ly. Both draw military capability were writing from that vantage point, and with a gaze set firmly on bettering the conditions of those they held in common the Negro. But these similarities are, in a sense, superficial. After all, there were many writers in that time any era really both lightlessness and White, who matt-up a moral imperative to right the racial wrongs of their time to wring justice from the cloth of unwarranted suffering.The differences amongst Locke and Hughes, however, deal as a model one that illustrates a chasm between the ideas and opinions of that era in terms of how to better their people, as well as why their condition is much(prenominal)(prenominal) that it needs tending. In The New Negro, Locke is saying that the questionable New Negro is already here in fact, has been here for somewhat time. And, by extension, hes arguing for the integration even engrossment of Blacks into the larger pool that is the States. This sentiment is convey rather poignantly when he says, The fiction is that the life of the functions is separate, and increasingly so. The fact is that they have touched as well as closely at the un approving and too lightly at the favorable levels. (20) And it is further strengthened when he says, We realize that we terminate non be undone without the Statess undoing.(22) That statement holds equally true if one were to rearrange it to read, America can non be undone without our undoing. Locke has, whether happily or not, ack directledged that the Negro race for better or for worse, and until death do they federal agency is indeed espouse to America. Thus, he is advocating for integration as a means of survival as much as a means of advancement. Hughes, on the other hand, seems to sentiency the cause of racial distinction inso farthermost as the Negro should be proud to be a Negro. This desire is laid bare when he says, But, to my mind, it is the duty of the junior Negro artist to change by means of the force of his art that old whispering I want to be White, to why should I want to be white? I am a Negro and beautiful.(28) Perhaps Hughes, too, would acknowledge a state of matrimony between the Negro race and America. But where he seems to diverge from Locke is in his almost visceral advocacy for the spouses maintenance of their own identities within that marriage. With Locke, although he doesnt use the metaphor racial mountain in his essay, it is apparent that such an impediment exists. His path forward whether to the top of that mountain or or so it lies in fostering meaningful relationships between the elites of both major races. This is expressed when he says, more immediate hope rests in the revaluation by white and macabre alike of the Negro in terms of his aesthetical endowments and cultural contributions, past and prospective.(24) And, more eloquently when he says, He now becomes a conscious contributor and lays aside the status of a benefactive role and ward for that of a collaborator and participant in American civilization. (24) return to the marriage analogy, these sentiments politely convey a sense of frustration, perhaps not unlike what many married women in that time period felt a sense of, Im not feckless or helpless, and I neednt be a ward or beneficiary Im sturdy and bright and equal to any lying-in thats laid before me I just need the set and resource to prove it For Hughes, conquering the mountain is to be accomplished exploitation a tack different from that of Locke. In Hug hess world, victory for the Negro hinges on a tempered dissociation from the white race not to showcase or inflame racial differences, but to highlight the unique, distinct, and high-flown attributes of his own race.In other words, the Negro should be proud of his market-gardening and his race the Negro is a corollary to, and a parallel of, the American body, and not merely one ingredient in a larger amalgam. As a stepping stone to accomplishing this, Hughes argues that the fabrication of the racial mountain is due generally to the misguided deeds of his own people the middle-class Negro in particular. This stance is taken from the outset of his essay when chides the young Negro poet for having said, I want to be a poet not a Negro poet. (25) To Hughes, such a sentiment is tantamount to wanting to be white.He goes on to say, The road for the serious black artist, then, who would produce a racial art is most certainly rocky and the mountain is high. (27) If one operates under th e arrogance that Hughes makes his case, then it can logically be said that wanting to be white is tantamount to denial both of who we are and where weve been. And thats the duty tour how can an artist be true to him or herself if they dont even know who they are? And worse, how can they ever hope to overturn their position as a people if, by attempting to do so, they roll up their very identity by hewing to the strictures of the White world? permit us not forget, An artist must be free to lease what he does, certainly, but he must besides never be afraid to do what he must choose. (29)In terms of their respective tones, there are marked differences between Locke and Hughes. While both are persuasive in nature, Lockes tone comes across as in some way intimate, and yet jolly content-of-fact. Whether backed by hard truths or not, he lays out his case in such a manner. He also comes across as subtly even w branchly patronizing a confidant or cohort whos merely guiding his rea ders to the truth. This can be seen when he says, But while the minds of most of us and recant how suddenly the Negro spirituals revealed themselves His tone is like a proverbial arm around the shoulder and an invitation to the obvious. Hughes on the other hand is more visceral, coming across as chiding, cajoling, and cynical.Whether warranted or a fabrication of his own mind, he bursts from the gates with a thesis statement that doubles as a heavy accusation that in wanting to be a poet, and not a Negro poet, the young man actually meant that he cherished to be white. And he leaves no room for discussion on the matter in his mind, it is settled. He continues with this tone when he describes what he believes is a fairly typical home of the colored middle class. (25) And this belief as far as any evidence offered in his essay is predicated on no more than this one young Negro poet. He goes on to fool that the word white comes to be unconsciously a symbol of all virtues. It hol ds for the children beauty, morality, and money.The whisper of I want to be white runs silently through their minds. (25) Locke and Hughes are also appealing at least in part to different audiences. Locke, while certainly writing to the Black community at large, is deliberate in his inclusion of Whites. This inclusion, in fact, is necessary for his argument to work his argument for integration. He even addresses those who are un interrogativeedly white in the beginning of his essay when he says, The Sociologist, the Philanthropist (17) And he leaves no doubt as to white inclusion in his audience when he says, But while the minds of most of us, black and white (17)Hughess appeal is to the Black community at large too. But it is aimed more at the black elites, the black artists, and the black middle class far more than it is at whites. This is apparent when he cajoles the black artist by saying, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist (28) And it is clear when he condemns the pro minent Negro clubwoman for nonrecreational eleven dollars to see a white singer while dismissing a great black artist as that woman. (27) Regardless of the differences in flair purpose, tone, and audience both of these essays have merit and hold power in their respective goals, which, for the most part are one in the identical to improve the Negros standing within the American marriage. plant CitedLocke, Alain. The New Negro. Course Reader, English 1B. Ed. Kelly Vogel. Fall 2012. Print. Hughes, Langston. The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain. Course Reader, English 1B. Ed. Kelly Vogel. Fall 2012. Print.