Symon 1

Olyvia Symon
Ms. Renner
APE Literature
9 December 2015
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was set during the 1920s and early 30s in Harlem, New York
and focused primarily on the publication of the work of African American authors which
described how the black side of America felt about their race. It provided much more freedom of
speech for African Americans, which was a very large step for their race. Many African
American authors who began writing during this time period, such as Zora Neale Hurston, used
their work to describe how prideful they felt about their race and how they should be given equal
rights.
Zora Neale Hurston was a very influential writer during the Harlem Renaissance. Not
only was she important because of what she wrote, but she was also important because of the fact
that she was a woman, which added to her popularity. She believed, like many others during the
Harlem Renaissance, that whites and blacks were equal, and that they should be treated as such
(Hemenway). Hurston also believed that African Americans were truly steadfast in their ways of
living and tried to make the most out of what they were given (Zora).
Hurstons short story Spunk showed the pride that the black people of America had for
their way of speaking and how Hurston did not wish to hide that from the rest of America. The
Harlem Renaissance was all about free expression of African Americans, and the way they spoke
was very present in this short story (Wall). Not only were they prideful about the way that they
spoke, but they also just simply enjoyed speaking, as shown by the character Elijah. Looka

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theah, folkses! cried Elijah Mosley, slapping his leg gleefully. Theah they go, big as life an'
brassy as tacks (Hurston).
One of Hurstons most famous short stories, Sweat, tells of a resilient black woman
who stands up for herself despite her surroundings. Resilience was a common theme among
black people during the time of the Renaissance, and the power that they could overcome any
obstacle was clearly shown in this story. (Zora Neale Hurston and). The main character, Delia,
shows resilience towards her husband by standing up to him. She seized the iron skillet from
the stove and struck a defensive pose, which act surprised him greatly, coming from her. It
cowed him and he did not strike her as he usually did. (Hurston, Zora Neale. Sweat). Delia also
showed that she could defy her surroundings and still stand up for herself. Delia's habitual
meekness seemed to slip from her shoulders like a blown scarf. She was on her feet; her poor
little body, her bare knuckly hands bravely defying the strapping hulk before her (Hurston, Zora
Neale. Sweat).
The Harlem Renaissance was a time in which African Americans showed all of the pride
that they felt for their race and how they felt about being not equal to whites. Many new authors
arose during this time, such as Zora Neale Hurston, who described their own feelings towards
this movement and how their influences changed the course of history. The Harlem Renaissance
was truly the revealing age for the lives of all African Americans.

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Works Cited
Hemenway, Robert. "Zora Neale Hurston and the Eatonville Anthropology." The Harlem
Renaissance Remembered. N.p.: Dodd Mead, 1972. 190-214. Rpt. in Contemporary
Literary Criticism. Ed. Phyllis Carmel Mendelson and Dedria Bryfonski. Vol. 7. Detroit:
Gale, 1977. Contemporary Literary Criticism Online. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Sweat. 1926. Web. 9 December. 2015
Hurston, Zora Neale. N.p.: n.p., n.d. The Harlem Renaissance: Zora Neale Hurston's
First Story. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.
Wall, Cheryl A."Zora Neale Hurston: Changing Her Own Words." American Novelists Revisited:
Essays in Feminist Criticism. N.p.: n.p., 1982. 371-93. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary
Criticism. Ed. Jean C. Stine and Daniel G. Marowski. Vol. 30. Detroit: Gale, 1984.
Contemporary Literary Criticism Online. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
"Zora Neale Hurston." Feminist Writers. Ed. Pamela Kester-Shelton. Detroit: St. James, 1996. N.
pag. Biography in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
"Zora Neale Hurston and the Harlem Renaissance: Searching for Identity @ Project
Mosaic: Hurston." Zora Neale Hurston and the Harlem Renaissance: Searching for
Identity @ Project Mosaic: Hurston. Project Mosaic: Hurston, 12 July 2011. Web. 07
Dec. 2015.