Journal #24

"The White Witch"draws attention to the white race that deceives other races. There is no "ancient hag and snaggle tooth... the witch appears in all the glowing charms of youth." The poem's sends the message, do not trust the white witch, alluding to the white race as a whole. Johnson works with adjectives that are opposites, describing the white witch as a seemingly beautiful, graceful and soft character. She is none of these things, her lips burn and sear, she has the spirit of a vampire, she is fierce and her glance is a snare. What we see on the surface is not what we get. External beauty cannot match internal kindness. This poem is meant to show minority groups, mainly African Americans, that the white race cannot be trusted. No matter how beguiling they may be, the hatred and contempt for other races does not show on the outside, but it does exist. I think that this poem is a little stereotypical, if the witch does represent the white race as a whole I would say that not every white person is appealing, or racist and not every white person hides their true feelings about their beliefs.

"Go Down Death" is a funeral sermon in honor of Sister Caroline. Today, we might assume 'Sister' meant that she was a nun, but in this time period the terms 'sister' and 'brother' were extremely common terms that African Americans used for those of their race to identify gender. Sister Caroline was probably a slave who dies because she is over worked. I think it is important to reference the strong presence of religion in this poem, God's presence, as well as the presence of Jesus, Angels and Death itself. Death is characterized as a pale being on a white horse. Death is not something to be feared, but instead a relief from Caroline's toils in life.

"Go Down Death" is an appropriate name for this poem because he has to descend to earth and go south to Georgia in order to collect Sister Caroline. Through heaven's pearly gates death rode, on and on and on. The poem calls attention several times the journey that Death must take to get Sister Caroline. Perhaps Johnson is telling the audience that Georgia is far far away from Heaven, in physical distance maybe, but more certainly farther away in terms of morals. Georgia is a slave state, a violent and terrible place for these brothers and sisters of god. No place so immoral could be a close distance from Heaven. "Death didn't frighten Sister Caroline" because she was relieved to go. Finally at the poem's end, Caroline gets her rest. At first I thought that this poem might be more appropriately named "Rest Sister Caroline," or something related to that. But then I realized that the title "Go Down Death" is meant to draw more attention to the fact that death must travel a great distance to get to Georgia. Down, down, down alludes to the depths of hell itself, and at that time Georgia might not have been far from it, at least according to African Americans.

"The Creation" describes God's creation of the world, but with the aid of metaphors, Johnson reveals a twist to this age old story. God made darkness first. The darkness represents the black race, creating images of the beginning of time. Next came the light. The light seemed to have invaded the dark, taking away the things that the dark had first. The light stole God's attention in a way that the dark had never had before. It is important to note that when God made the light he smiled and rolled darkness up on one side. Whites invaded black territory, they became the center of the universe, they were given the power and the privileges. The light was considered good, evolving ideas that all that is white is pure.

The sun represents the white race while the moon represents the black. The stars are their mixed children. The contrast between the dark and the light and the sun and the moon appear often in the poem. Johnson attempts to show the deep contrasts between the two races, that have existed since man's beginning through the story of Creation.

Works Cited

Johnson, James. "Poetry Selections." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 279-288.

Journal #23

It all started with an invitation. An invitation for Hughes and his brethren to Moscow to shoot a film titled "Black and White." Some of the entourage only had enough money for the ticket. The Russians were astonished to behold twenty-two Negroes of all shades and were not prepared for their arrival. Three weeks passed and Langston was finally given a translation of the script from Russian to English. Russia was experiencing economic hard times, but the cast was still paid as promised. Langston found he was treated differently for being a foreignor. Unlike in America, their color was seen as a badge of honor.

They were seeking adventure on this trip, but also understanding. Learning about the communist system and filming was supposed to expand their knowledge. But this was not the case, as the film was rejected and it was an outrage to Negros. However, it was only the begining for Hughes, as he spent many months in intensive contact and study of the customs, culture and economy of the Turkiman and Uzbeck peoples.

Langston learned a lot from his travels to Russia. How fast a country can turn from a majority of the population being illiterate to educating all children, exchanging serfdom for wages and getting rid of segregation altogether in less than a decade! If anything, Hughes got hope from this, that change can occur.








Patterson, Louise. "With Langston Hughes in the USST." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 182-189.

Frazier, E. Franklin. "La Bougeoisie Noire." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 173-181.

Journal #22

The Negro Digs Up His Past
Negros need to become motivated to strive for the good of the race. Such a dark history is painful to be 'dug up' yet it must be done in order for blacks to face the future. Understanding and learning from the past is how people move on. Repairing the social damage that slavery had upon Negros is not easily done, the only way to move past it is to look for the good moments, moments of pride and moments of determination that led to a revolution. "The work our race students now regard as important, they undertake very naturally to overcome in part certain handicaps of disparagement and omission too well-known to particularize."

"The Negro has been a man without history because he has been considered a man without a worthy culture." There is no way to forget the past or to change it. Slavery will always be a black mark on our nation's history. The only way to move on from it is to accept that it did happen, and hopefully the world learned a harsh lesson from it, in order to progress.

McDougald similar to Schomburg, fights for the image of Negroes past, except McDougald focuses her analysis on women. She urges the public, no longer should black women be ridiculed, used simply a tool to portray feminine viciousness or vulgarity. There is a softer side that has yet to be discovered. Why is it that what is left of chivalry is not directed towards them? Negro women are often times less confident and in doubt when it comes to the portrayal of themselves. Getting beyond this lack of self-esteem, these women are making progress, overcoming occupational and educational obstacles to establish a firm place in American society.

"We find the Negro woman, figuraively struck in the face daily by contempt from the world about her. Within her soul, she knows little of peace and happiness." It is a constant struggle, but accomplishing a sense of hope and pride to the long stereotyped and mistreated African American woman, it is worth the struggle.

Both authors have experienced their frustrations with the African American past. Yet both write to prove that there is hope, there is a chance to forget the evils of the past and still learn from the mistakes of generations long gone. The African American race has accomplished a lot since the days of slavery, and has so much more to achieve.


Works Cited
Schomburg, Arthur. "The Negro Digs Up His Past." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 61-67.

McDougald, Elise. "The Task of Negro Womanhood." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 68-75.

Journal #21

The ill-fated "Mule-Bone" by Langston Hughes and Zora Neal Hurston was finally performed on stage in 1991 for the first time after years of controversy over the rights to the play. Knowing a little about its history, I think that readers who are aware of it approach this text differently. I found myself thinking "that's so Zora," and also imagining Hughes writing in certain parts. This play is very comical, full of irony, satire and even an unexpecected theme of brotherhood at the end.

Although it never tells us for sure, I think that Dave was white, Jim was black and Daisy must have been a mix because both desired her, and she desired them, but she could not decide which man to choose. (When Daisy tells Dave "I ain't done nothin' to you but treat you white," I wasn't sure if that was revealing his race, or if in her mind, she was treating him better than a black man should be treated). If Daisy had been white, keeping in mind the cultural context, it seems like a no-brainer. Dave would have been selected without question, because frankly, life would have been very rough for a white woman and a black man at this time. And yet, she could not have been very dark in her skin tone if Dave was white and not afraid to call her his wife.

We enter the scene in the middle of the controversy. Jim is kicked out of town, we don't find out why until the end. Apparently he hit Dave with a mule-bone when they fought over Daisy in town. As each man professes his undying love for Daisy, they promise ridiculous things in order to out-do each other and to win her affection. Daisy is a complete air-head, relying not on her love for either of them, but on their abilities to win her over with their words.

The ridiculous lengths the men go from promising Daisy trains and boats, to walking on water, make the ending even more ironic. After all of these lies Daisy chooses Jim. They discuss their future together and Daisy tells him that he could get a job doing outside labor. Abandoning his dedication to Daisy, Jim says that he simply cannot go around lifting anything heavier than his box. Daisy is very annoyed and decides that maybe Dave is the one for her. Dave tells her that he can barely carry his feet forward, much less work a job to support her. This really sets her off and she announces that there are plenty of men who would. This leaves Dave and Jim to salvage their friendship that was temporarily broken because of Daisy.

The dynamic change in the story is just so abrupt and surprising it really is comical to engage in the dialogue and realize how quickly things can change. One moment Jim was alone and kicked out of town, the next Daisy decided to marry him, shortly after she leaves them both, Dave convinces Jim that he can return to town, and everything falls right back into place.

Works Cited

Hughes Langston and Hurston, Zora. "Mule-Bone." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 729-738.

Bontemps, Arna. "Poetry." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 224-226.

Journal #20

Zora autobiography "Dust Tracks on a Road" tells us a little about where she came from and how those experiences helped her get to other places. Growing up in Eatonville, Fl Hurston wrote stories about her roots and eventually made a name for herself through them.

Zora is far from a typical writer, even by Harlem standards, she travelled a long road in order to establish her place among the famed Harlem Literati. She left home as a teenager and when she finally decided to get her high school degree she was already 26, so she lied about her birthday and remained 10 years older than the date on her school records. With a lot of help from her friends, Zora succeeded in her education. Provided with free room and board, given loans and votes of confidence from influential people, Zora attended Howard University (the black equivalent of Harvard), worked several jobs and wrote many wonderful stories and poems.

She was offered a job as a manicurist at an all white barbershop and established many important connections with its patrons. One specific memory she recalls in her biography is when a black man asked for a haircut. The owners threw him out, even though they too were colored. Zora wanted him out as well because a black customer threatened the success of the shop, meaning her own welfare. It was only later thinking back that she questioned their actions. She had been only thinking of herself when that man walked in, but really her race was enforcing and implementing the Jim Crow laws that they should be resisting. She learned a lesson that day, people will think of themselves first, making sure that they can make a living before making any moves to benefit their race.

Zora's biggest influence at Howard was Dr. Lorenzo Dow. He inspired her to become an English teacher. Illness and insubstantial funds led her to drop out after 1 1/2 years. After she left Charles Johnson took her under her wing and published her story "Spunk." Later she travelled to New York, became Fannie Hurst's secretary and enrolled at Barnard as the first African American student in the college.

Hurston was approached by an editor from the J.B. Lippincott Co, they were interested in publishing a book. She told them she was working on one (even though she did not have one word written for it at the time). She spent three months barely scraping a living until she finished "Jonah's Gourd Vine." Zora was infamous for her money troubles and sure enough when she completed her book she did not have the funds to type it. A friend who read her novel agreed to do her the favor after determining that they would surely publish the book. After it was typed Zora only had to send it to the publishing company, however she could not afford the postage. She was lent the money from another friend on the condition she pay it back. Once Zora needed a nickel to go downtown. She took it from a blind beggar on the street saying "I need this more than you do today," and headed on her way. She has no problem borrowing money from anyone. Luckily, she recieved a wire telling her that Lippencott wanted to publish the book and Hurston had her very first book under her belt.

Hurston, Zora. "Dust Tracks on a Road." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 142-155.

Journal #19

I was especially interested in reading the work of Zora Neal Hurston. I have been working on a biography of her for class and she seems like an amazingly outgoing, friendly and bizarre woman who won the affection of most of the most noble artists of the Renaissance. I was not disappointed when I finished "Drenched in Light."

I thought Isis was a phenomenal character, she had me laughing aloud numerous times in the short section. Zora has a flair and a hilarity that I have not seen so far in the literature of the renaissance, it was very refreshing to read Drenched In Light. The whole part about shaving grandma and then wearing grandma's table cloth as a dress is so funny, it is hard not to love the characters or the plot. I want to know more about the white couple, what is their story? Their instant attraction to Isis makes me think that they tried to have kids of their own and failed. The wife even says at the end "I want a little sunshine to soak into my soul. I need it." There is definitely some tragedy of her past and she tries to use Isis to forget it.

Why was grandma so easy to lend Isis to the white couple? Was she really so enamored by the 5 dollars that they gave her that she willingly gave her granddaughter to them for the night? Obviously things were different back then. People were more trusting. Kids were given free reign to run around and get into trouble. The childish innocence that dominates this piece is so endearing. This quality is something that the Harlem Renaissance lacks on the whole, that Zora Neal Hurston lends to the period.


"Color Struck" really does strike the issues of skin tone, similarly to "The Blacker the Berry." Emma deals with an inferiority complex because her skin tone is very dark. She is so jealous of the mulattoes that she loses the love of her life in her crazy assumptions that he would leave her for someone of a lighter skin tone. At first she just appears as a jealous psycho, fearing any woman the John spoke to was a threat, but eventually it becomes evident that she only fears the mixed race women because she thinks that they are more attractive.

No matter what John tells her, she cannot get over her jealousy. He tells her "the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice," but she pays no attention to his adoration. She is consumed in her jealousy of Effie, the mulatto woman who attended the cake walk with them.

When twenty years pass and John returns to her in hopes that she will see that he has loved her all along. She returns his love, but her obsession with skin color prevents them from reconnecting. Her daughter, who is half white, is deathly ill when John returns. Why doesn't she go to the doctor? Why is she so afraid to leave her daughter in order to make her better? John begs and begs her to go and all she can think about is if he is going to leave her again. We aren't told details about the daughter, but it is strange that Emma would have born a child with a man of lighter color, knowing her jealousy issues. She is jealous of her own daughter, and she hates the color of her skin so much, she cannot imagine why anyone would think it beautiful. When the doctor finally arrives he admonishes her, why didn't she call sooner? She may have allowed her daughter to die by her stubbornness. She sees John giving her daughter water and comforting her and she slaps him, outraged thinking that he wants to be with her daughter because she is so fair. She has gone beyond the breaking point, the daughter is near death, and still she is 'color struck' and can think of nothing but those shades that separate her from her daughter. John leaves realizing that she never could get over her color issues.

Works Cited

Hurston, Zora. "Drenched in Light." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 695-728.

Hurston, Zora. "Color Struck." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 695-728.

Journal #18

Sterling Brown's poetry has a very different style and feel than the poetry I have read so far in the Harlem Renaissance Reader. She really uses the African slang in almost every word she writes. Her language seems similar to Zora Neale Hurston's in that regard.

"Southern Road" is a very sad and almost spiteful poem that tells about the hardships of slavery. Every stanza is repeated, and I'm not really sure why she wrote it that way. If I were to guess I would say that she repeats the lines to signify a slave's life and repetition that their lives consisted of. Day in and day out, swinging that hammer, a hard life, but also dull and monotonous. The lines that I found most significant were "Double shackled-hunh, guard behin; Ball and chain bebby on my min'." The image of chains is very vivid, you can almost hear the clang and although very few readers could ever empathize with the horrible life of slavery, she lets you live it in her brief poem.

I was kind of disturbed by the poem "Frankie and Johnny." The story of the white girl's love afair with the black slave is always a sad tale. I noticed that Frankie is almost demonized in the story, as if her behavior was all her own fault as well as her love affair with Johnny. She was beaten and treated horribly by her family, obviously her life could not have compared to Johnny's. They knew their actions would have to lead them down a very tragic path, and so it did. Sterling's words are graphic and she leaves out few details. This is usually the sign of a great poet, unafraid to speak the truth, but it doesn't make the poem any less morose. If she had told this story in a different way, that did not include any visuals of Johnny's death, would it have made the same impact? Would we be reading this poem in class if it did not have the shock value that it does?

"Ma Rainey" feels like more of a song to me than a poem. There is a definite rhythm to it even though the poem is seperated in sections. I'm not sure why it is arranged that way, but I think it gives her words more flavor and keeps the reader interested with the different patterns instead of the same old thing. "Ma Rainey" makes you feel at home, like you know this woman and join in on the contagious laughs. So much different than her previous poems, "Ma Rainey" makes you feel like you belong.

Brown, Sterling. "Poetry." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 227-237.

Journal #17

Schuyler is extremely cynical of the "Negro Arts" movement, which he believes is still yet to make an appearance in Harlem. He believes that with every piece considered 'Negro' there is some European, Anglo-Saxon influence. Negroes cannot shake off the influence of the white man. The artworks should not be created to please the white man, or the black man, they should be authentic representations of the culture if that is what they are going to label it. Negroes even during the Renaissance, did not live so differently than Caucasians. Most work in similar places, attended similar schools, practice the same religion, live in the same types of houses, drive the same types of cars and spend their time and money on the same types of entertainment. Beyond skin color, what separates the Negro from the Caucasian?

If art is an expression of identity, and the artist claims that it is his/her racial identity, how can they make that claim? Schuyler is obviously unhappy with the way black artists advertise their art as Negro. "How can the black American be expected to produce art and literature dissimilar to that of the white American" (98)? Schuyler at least acknowledges that coming up with artistic movements that are solely of the black culture is difficult when surrounded by white influence. He ends the piece by saying that only intelligent people reject this art, knowing the reasoning behind it.

Works Cited

Schuyler, George. "The Negro Art-Hokum." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 96-99.

Journal #15

Cordelia the Crude
Cordelia is one of those rebellious and lost teenage souls. She is willing to sell her body to strangers in order to make cash rather than to hold a decent job. She rejects her responsibilities and resents the fact that she probably plays the role of the mother of the household to her 6 younger siblings while her actual mother is at work. All Cordelia wants is to have a good time and to turn heads to get some attention. She rarely gets attention from her parents because they have 6 other kids to worry about, the only attention she seems to get is the negative kind which she is all too happy to give them. If her family had listened to her please to stay would her life have turned out differently? Would she have married John Stokes the pig farmer and live happily ever after as she seems to fantasize? Maybe. Maybe not. Her wild and reckless side would have probably emerged regardless of her location, however, she is bitter about the move to Harlem and upset that her parents don't seem to listen to her opinion or regard her needs at all in the decision. The Joneses were all labeled to have 'bad mixed bloff in em' according to Mrs. Stokes. Maybe Cordelia's behavior was less influenced by her environment and more influenced by her genes. Did her parents have a wild side?

As her methods for prostituting are described the details are kind of blurry. She goes to the theatre and waits for a man to approach her. Using her 'skills' to identify which ones were worth her time, she made her selections. The narration that started out as 3rd person becomes 1st person as we witness this transaction through the eyes of one of her 'customers.' As they kiss and flirt their way to her house he decides not to go through with it. Giving her 2 dollars he takes his leave. When they run into each other months later, even in her drunken state she soberly recognizes him. "The guy who gimme ma' firs' two bucks..." Is that really all he is to her? I think that he broke some of her confidence when he rejected her and she may even have been insulted that he gave her money. She could have been looking for something more than that, she realized that he was different than most men. She puts on an emotionless facade and tries to come off to her friends as if she didn't care about him, only about his money.

Works Cited

Thurman, Wallace. "Cordelia the Crude." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 629-633.

Journal #14

Alex is a very frustrated young boy who's thoughts are being told exactly as how he thinks them through a 3rd person narrator. Readers experience the death of Alex's father's through the broken and fragmented pieces of his thoughts. He is angry that other people show more grief during the funeral than he shows, they don't have the right to be as sad or even to cry unless he cries himself. His sadness turns to angry tears as he witnesses these people grieve. He gets even more angry when he is compared to his father because he knows that he is not like him and he is bitter about that too.

"A fine feeling that... to be misunderstood... it made him feel tragic and great" (574) Alex is always misunderstood, even by himself as he cannot chose a profession or even what sexuality he is. He is constantly conflicted and attempting to figure out his own voice among the many brilliant ones that surround him.

Alex felt the music within his soul, it helped him to see colors and to feel them. I found it interesting that this story was not about crossing racial boundaries but crossing the boundaries of sexuality. The images of red lilies seem to arise constantly, symbolizing his desire for a woman (Melva). The black poppies symbolize his desires for men (Adrian aka Beauty). He is confused, he has no idea what he really wants. His thoughts are all jumbled together almost as if he enters in and out of consciousness. The blue smoke is ever present in this short story, leading me to think that he is doing some type of drugs beyond cigarettes. He finally accepts in the end that he can love men and women, and not be ashamed of that. This does make me question how homosexuality was viewed during the Harlem Renaissance. Was it accepted as long as the couples were of the same race? What did they think was more important, racial values or sexual preferences? Today, I would say sexuality is more of a hot topic of discussion as compared to inter-racial couples.

"Song" by Gwendolyn Bennet is both uplifting and depressing. I see a girl speaking the words at the beginning, with no recollection of the terrible history of her race, only optimistic words of sweetness, mirth and dark lips. But then a darker side follows. I see a woman who has known deep pain and heavy burdens, a woman who wants to remember the old forgotten bano songs. She is "the cry of a soul." The past weighs down on her to "make my singing sad." She represents the praying slave. The girl represents the jazz band after.

The poem kind of sounds like what white people back then thought of black people. During the Harlem Renaissance associated black people with merely slavery and jazz. Those who do not delve deeper can never understand the song.

Hatred stings the reader, although we don't know who it is directed towards we can take a guess. Hating has become a "game played with cool hands" which means that finally after years of oppression black people can stand up and retaliate, after decades of losing the game they can not have a shot. I think the most important part of the poem is "Memory will lay its hands upon your breast and you will understand my hatred." As though memory itself is a living thing, a beast that has been captivated and finally freed to seek its revenge. This is a very powerful poem that calls out the enemy and says "you will pay!"

Works Cited

Nugent, Richard. "Smoke, Lilies and Jade." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 569-583.

Bennet, Gwendolyn. "Poems." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 221-223.

Journal #13

Gwendolyn Bennet
A woman of many talents, she was a poet, a writer, an artists, a widow, a mother, a teacher and even an antique salewoman. She was the first black person elected to the school's honor society. She used her talents to write for the Crisis, and eventually becaome the director of the Harlem arts center. She was constantly being investigated for Communist activity and was eventually let go because of these suspicions. She became a teacher after she was let go. She wrote "Wedding Day," which was one of our class readings. She used her life experiences to become an authentic writer. Wedding Day opens up a discourse, if Paul could marry a white woman, isn’t he capable of getting over his prejudice of white people? Paul sought acceptance, and he became willing to sacrifice his stubborn prejudice for her. All it takes is love to unravel a lifetime of hate.

Langston Hughes
Bennet and Hughes shared a lot of similarities. Born in 1902, his parents split up shortly afterwards. They moved a lot and his childhood was very unstable. His relationship with his grandmother was very important to him and she inspired him. He wrote for the Crisis (along with Bennet) and attended Columbia University (also like Bennet) and decided to leave. He quit school altogether, he wanted to get away from the US, visiting Africa and experiencing first hand the effects of Colonialism in Africa which would later influence his writing. He wrote and revised the Weary Blues, one of his most famous poems. When he finally returns to America and works as a busboy. When Vachel Lindsay ate there he read his poems and was “discovered” by Lindsay. Both writers felt that it was important to write about the real “black experience.” He and Zora Neale Hurston worked on a play together, but had a falling out when they argued over ownership of the work.

Dorothy West
Encouraged by Jackie Kennedy to finish her novel the Wedding. She was 88 years old when she finished that novel. Oprah Winfrey supported her efforts and Halle Berry starred in the movie. She died in the same year that it was published.

Journal #12

The Wedding Day is a story that gives hope and then takes it away. Paul was about as racist as they come. He looked forward to having the chance to beat up on those "white American crackers." All they had to do was utter the 'nigger' and he would unleash his fury and hatred. Paul's feelings were known throughout the bars in France that he frequented. Once he shot two white men and was sentenced to jail. He was released to fight in the war, but during all of these years he had not changed his attitude and malice still filled his heart.

Paul was so full of hatred that he couldn't even entertain the idea of being with a woman. The thought of someone whispering sweetly into his ear did not sound appetizing in the least. One day he is caught completely off his guard when he meets Mary. She is a white woman, lost and hungry, who claims to have not qualms against black people. Paul's first reaction is to walk away, can't trust Americans or women, and she was both! Yet there was something about her urgent pleading that made him want to help her. Since then they became a couple. Even though she had made a lot of mistakes in the past, Paul was willing to look past her years of prostitution.

They were to be married that day. No one could believe that the Paul they knew was about to wed a white woman. It went against everything that he stood for. But this story shows that anyone can change, racisim is not something that we are born with, it can be thrown away. It is possible to open your heart to someone, to trust. Paul wakes up on his wedding day to a letter, the content is not revealed until the end as he boards a subway. He is slightly delusional, convincing himself that a beautiful day will protect the marriage when all along he knew that she had left him. She just couldn't do it, we do not know the real reason. I suspect it was because she knew that she couldn't settle down, she wasn't the type. She knew she wouldn't make Paul happy and he would not have been able to make her happy either. Race could have had something to do with it, or it could have played no part at all. But Paul's heart was broken, and with that he may have come to adapt his old ways and continue to hate.

The Typewriter reminded me of the last chapters of Quicksand. Like Helga, this janitor was stuck in a job, a family and a life that he realized he had no desire to have. He wanted an escape from all of the nagging and the responsibilities. When his daughter Millie needs a typewriter to acquire the skills for a job, he concedes to buy her one. At first he loathed the terrible clacking. But then he began to use it as a means of escape. Living vicariously through the names of 'big time' lawyers he could imagine that he was something more than just a janitor. He put all of himself into his letters, imagining multi-million dollar business deals and accomplishing important transactions that would impact the nation. He grew to love the typewriter, and used Millie as a means for his fantasies.

When Millie gets the job that she wants, she sells the typewriter. Her father is stunned at it's disappearence and realizes that she has sold it. His outlet to his dream is gone, and he is left with the same life without accomplishment. Not willing to continue his dismal existence and unable to appreciate what he does have in life, his life ends. Why can't he appreciate what he has? Did he ever really try to make something of himself or did he resign to the life of a husband and a father thinking that he would never be able to achieve anything?

Works Cited
Bennet, Gwendolyn. "Wedding Day." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 363-369.

West, Dorothy. "The Typewriter." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 501-509.

Journal #11

Luani of the Jungles by Langston Hughes
Poets share an intellectual bond that non-poets cannot fully grasp. The poet in this story is comfortable telling another poet about his love. Luani was a natural, wild beauty from an African tribe. The poet was a white Frenchmen. When they met they were fascinated with each other. This fascination quickly grew to obsession when he accompanies her to her homeland. "The jungle will take you and you'll stay there forever," she warns him. She is his jungle, as he never wants to leave.

He becomes transfixed by Luani and succumbs to her every wish. When he accompanies her to her village in the junfle hecannot understand her language or lifestyle. She takes off her European languages as she does her European clothes. She is multi-lingual and multi-cultured with the power to be able to transition between the two very different worlds that her lovers cannot possibly do. The Frenchmen represents the side of her that is refined, elegant and materialistic. He is the world of structure and order. But Awa Unabo, the chief's son, is a part of her first culture and language. Though she is fascinated by the poet, she cannot turn her back on her home or Ana Unabo because she is bonded with them. The poet cannot reason with himself or get over his attraction to her. She is every poem he writes and the torturous reminder that he cannot have her. Thus, he destroys his poems, for they are only bitter reminders of his loss. Neither can truly fit in to the other's life due to race and cultural differences. Did Luani know that she would never end up with him? Or did she think that she could possibly become a part of his world? Did she think that he would fit in to her own tribe? What might have happened if she had stayed with him?



Works Cited

Hughes, Langston. "Luami of the Jungle." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Ed. David Lewis. New York: 1995. 585-627.