In Leslie Collins's interview with Aaron Douglas, readers can actually experience the Harlem Renaissance from the perspective of one of it's famed paritipants. Douglas recounts the biggest moments of the renaissance, including his participation in Fire!! He was a famed illustrator during that time period, working with many of it's famed artists such as Zora Hurston, Hughes and Claude Mckay.
Douglas recounts the excitement that he experienced being a part of America's first all black society. He believes that young African Americans today share some of the passion that existed then. Douglas emphasizes that it was a movement that began with them, but they only lit the fire so-to-say. It is up to future generations to maintain that excitement, to have bold ideas and make them known. Fire!!'s creation disappeared quickly, as their hearts were bigger than their minds, they should have realized the funds involved in developing such a magazine. Although the magazine literally went up in flames, the ideas behind it remained and impacted the Harlem Renaissance culture.
The last couple of readings actually makes me think of talking to my grandfather about events from long ago, the way life used to be. He would talk about people I've never met and places I've never seen, all I could do was imagine, but never really know what it was like. McKay similarly attempts to set up a scene, telling readers how he used to admire James Weldon Johnson and how Hubert Harrison encouraged his work because it was for the good of the race. I prefer the short stories to the biographies of the people involved in the Renaissance (with the exception of Zora Neale Hurston's biography, she is such a fascinating woman!) because I can engage in the text without knowing the background story of all of the characters involved.
McKay was obviously a very important writer/poet during the Harlem Renaissance and he has a lot to tell about his life. But even he decided to get out and explore what the rest of the world had to offer, traveling across Europe to pursue new meaning. I think that McKay definitely comes off as a tough critic and even egotistic at times. He constantly judges the work of the other contributers of the renaissance.
Douglas recounts the excitement that he experienced being a part of America's first all black society. He believes that young African Americans today share some of the passion that existed then. Douglas emphasizes that it was a movement that began with them, but they only lit the fire so-to-say. It is up to future generations to maintain that excitement, to have bold ideas and make them known. Fire!!'s creation disappeared quickly, as their hearts were bigger than their minds, they should have realized the funds involved in developing such a magazine. Although the magazine literally went up in flames, the ideas behind it remained and impacted the Harlem Renaissance culture.
The last couple of readings actually makes me think of talking to my grandfather about events from long ago, the way life used to be. He would talk about people I've never met and places I've never seen, all I could do was imagine, but never really know what it was like. McKay similarly attempts to set up a scene, telling readers how he used to admire James Weldon Johnson and how Hubert Harrison encouraged his work because it was for the good of the race. I prefer the short stories to the biographies of the people involved in the Renaissance (with the exception of Zora Neale Hurston's biography, she is such a fascinating woman!) because I can engage in the text without knowing the background story of all of the characters involved.
McKay was obviously a very important writer/poet during the Harlem Renaissance and he has a lot to tell about his life. But even he decided to get out and explore what the rest of the world had to offer, traveling across Europe to pursue new meaning. I think that McKay definitely comes off as a tough critic and even egotistic at times. He constantly judges the work of the other contributers of the renaissance.
Works Cited
Douglas, Aaron. "Chats About the Harlem Renaissance." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 118-127.
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