The poetry of the Harlem Renaissance: The role freedom plays in poems
A common characteristic of poems from the Harlem Renaissance is the emphasis on freedom. Various lyrics have incorporated the use of imagery in bringing up the concept of freedom, as shown below. First, the work of Paul Laurence, ‘we wear the mask,’ has used imagery in several instances. Taking the case of the first stanza where the poet states that ‘we wear the mask to hide cheeks and at the same time shade eyes,’ explains that lack of freedom has made black people hide their true selves in fear of being judged. The use of masks symbolizes the lack of independence among the black society hence the need to be free for expression.
Secondly, Dream Variations by Langston Hughes has incorporated several incidences that bring out the message of freedom through the use of imagery. The most external use of imagery from the poem is the comparison of black people with night while at the same time comparing the white person to the daylight. Just as day and night coexist by each having its own time, the author displays the lack of freedom for him and the entire black society. As so, the author seeks equality in the nation for both black and white people living together in the same country.
Thirdly, the poem Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar extensively uses easily understood imagery to depict the nature of society during the renaissance period of poetry. Taking from the first stanza of the poem, the poet describes that the bird cannot escape the cage if nature is enticing. According to the above line, the poet symbolically uses the bird in the cage to describe the lack of freedom among the African-American community and the nature enticements as the American society that is not willing to let the ‘bird’ express itself freely.
Reference
Hughes, L. (1924). Dream variations. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, 40.
Dunbar, P. L. (1896). We wear the mask. Lyrics of Lowly Life, 167.
Dunbar, P. L. (1970). Sympathy. Poetry of the Negro 1476–1970.