In “My Early Days in Harlem,” Langston Hughes narrates his perspective and feeling toward Harlem. Hughes starts with the reason he moved to New York due to the attraction of Harlem. After visiting Harlem, Hughes describes it as a place full of distinctive culture and a welcoming place. Hughes talks about essential people, such as writers and singers, and the night at Harlem with Jazz and Blues, the Lincoln Theater, coffee shops, and other places. These artists formed the community that motivated him to buy Harlem’s house with music steps and chimes. However, coming back to Harlem after living in Europe and Africa for a couple of years, Hughes realized Harlem is no longer the same. The wealthy class (White) have fully controlled Harlem, while the Negroes struggled with their living. Hughes noticed all these happened in Harlem were inequality, which led him to write a short poem and included it in his essay. In his poetry, Hughes indicates Harlem’s where people shared their happiness and laughter while now has shifted to a place full of tears flowing inside their hearts.
The former of Harlem was the Negroes. Moreover, it carries various artistic that represents their happiness and its cultures. The dramatic shift has turned down all of their humor. Langston Hughes is a poet, that wrote the narrative essay/ autobiography called “My Early Days in Harlem.” In the essay, he informs his audiences about Harlem’s change because Harlem has played an essential role in his life. The author started with a tone of joy and happiness to pessimism when he sees the reality of 1925 the Negro Renaissance. He states, “Black Harlem was in white face, economically speaking” (313). In other words, the Negroes’ standard in Harlem has vanished on account of the wealthy. The higher-middle class isn’t just the owner of numerous businesses or controlled Harlem beside it ruling the Negroes’ life by their economic position. Which led Hughes to participated in this event and started using his literature to express his feeling toward Harlem and the inequality situation Black Harlemites encountered at that period. Throughout the essay, Hughes has a well-reasoned stance, and graves he notified the Negroes have many cracks inside their heart carry out with tears. Hughes has a good understanding of his topic and included a short poem in his essay to ensure the readers perceive the difficulties of Black Harlem. He states, “You do not think I suffer after I have held my pain So long?” (314). The author interprets the use of languages in this short poem to show the higher class, and the higher economy standard may not know how much the Black communities had suffered along with the pain inside of them. Hughes was targeting the Negroes audience in Harlem. He states, “Before it was over-our New Negro Renaissance. . .” (314). Hughes used the term “our” to recognize those whose experiences and suffered during the Negro Renaissance. The constraints from delivering these pieces into an essay would be better in a video because some audiences may not comprehend the change that had caused the Black Harlem to suffer from the White communities. Develop visually would help the other audience perceive the change before 1925 and during the Negro Renaissance.
Langston Hughes’s piece was meaningful and touched my heart deeply. For me, his essay wasn’t just his narratives but also the representative of other Black communities. When Hughes mentioned how Black communities have suffered from the White people due to the economic standard, it demonstrated the world’s reality. The wealthy people would be the controller or leader of everything, while the lower class would be the one that suffers from them, which led me to want to expand his idea into an art piece.
Challenges
I created the art piece name “Challenges” in response to Langston Hughes’s essay “My Early Days in Harlem.” This visual art is to demonstrate before and after the White has taken Harlem into their marketplace. I want to target the same audience as the initial author since it links to Hughes’s essay, but there shouldn’t have audience limits as it’s an art piece. The tone of the artwork was joyful to depress in visual. The Negroes at Harlem had suffered under the wealthy class (White), which came to severe issues. Furthermore, the art piece has a deeper meaning of delivering Hughes’s message. For instance, the two White men were smoking a cigar to illustrate two symbols, which is their revenue standard and adverse effect; back in the day, people who smoke cigars are in a higher class that can afford it, while the Negroes represent the lower class.
Additionally, the wealthiest they are, the more power they have to destroy the Negroes’ delight. The White men on the left side link with the party image; the flame represented the destruction of the old Black Harlemites’ happiness, start with the smoke from the White’s cigar to the fire flame, which means the White ruined their humor. In the art, I interpret with some use of language, on the White men’s t-shirt’s states, “We discover – Harlem’s potential.” Above the Negroes cup states, “Hope,” along with a bubble, “Isn’t end yet.” These choosing words represent two individual group view toward this situation. Throughout the visual art’s developed a serious stance toward the imbalance condition for Black Harlemites and followed by an exigence of motivating communication. The name of the art, “Challenges,” indicates the Negroes suffering under the White control, and it’s a challenging moment for them, but they still have hope, and isn’t the end. The constraints from delivering into visual art might make some audience not understand the profound meaning and need to include a description to further the importance of this art piece.
In closing, Hughes’s message from “My Early Days in Harlem” has inspired me to develop a visual art genre for more audiences to understand the condition during that period. Visual art can apply to any audience and doesn’t require much comprehension of languages and literature.
