Race and prejudice in American Literature

Race and prejudice in American Literature
The nature of every human being is to draw towards what is similar to him and protect himself from the unknown. For this reasons, there are multiple misunderstandings in multiethnic communities. This difference has for a long time been accentuated by the economic and social differences in the American community. The North American community was constructed over a lengthy period through migration from various corners of the globe. Anglo-Saxon communities through exploration and search for better livelihoods arrived and settled in America and established productive farms. On the other hand, Africans came to America chiefly through the slave trade and were sold to the Anglo-Saxon farm owners. Through this, the unequal relationship between the two races was established. The white race has occupied the superior position in everything that can be considered desirable while black presented human poverty and undesirability. As a result, the black race has suffered immense difficulties both internally and externally in accepting and depressing its authenticity especially in the American literary.
The “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” by Langston Hughes magnificently expresses the foundation of his difficulty and the reasons why it persists. According to Hughes, the black community is the chief reason why the problem of racial prejudice persists in the American society. According to him, the acceptance of the black culture can only begin when the culture is accepted by the black people first.

In analyzing the dream of a black poet who wants to become a poet but he doesn’t want to a black poet, Hughes dissect the mindset of the African-American individual? The elite segments of these communities work hard to distance themselves as much as possible from the black heritage. (Hughes 1) If they live in the north, the attend churches with majority white populations and go to entertainment joints that display white movies and images. If thy live in the south, then they imitate the lifestyle of the white communities by purchasing all the conveniences available in a white community. This, according to Hughes serves as the primary killer for the African-American cultural heritage. (Hughes 1)
This is because these are the people who can perpetuate the culture. This elite segment is the one capable of producing poets and artists that can express themselves and present their culture to the rest of the world. Instead, those who are not afraid of they are the common people living in the low-income areas who do not regard themselves with any importance. While this population is vital to the perpetuation of the African American heritage, the challenge is that a great poet may not rise from the community. Hughes, therefore, sees the older black generation as the reason for the extreme prejudice in literature. Black parents admonish their children for behaving in a negro-like manner and encourage them to act like the white. In later years, even though the youngsters may wish to express their authenticity, their opinion of reality is already corrupted by the notion they grew up with. They already identify black with evil and white with righteousness.
On the other hand, Henry Louis Gates Jr., investigates the origin of this trend in the demonization of the black trait. Since the encounter of the two communities, suspicion and fear prevented coherent integration. (Gates 3) The superior position of the white community made them doubt the humanity of the black population. It must be noted that the superiority of the white community was only perceived and apparent according to the standards of that time but cannot be regarded as real. For example, in the Anglo-Saxon communities, English, and other Germanic languages were considered as the standard human language of communications. African dialects were thus perceived as barbaric chattering that. Because of the different in the geographical regions of origin, essential skills in the two communities were very distinct. (Gates 5) The white master’s culture was taken to be superior while the Black was relegated to be inhuman. ‘
As a result of this, to prove his humanity, the black person needed to assimilate himself into the white people’s ways. For example, any person of color who was able to write the Greek syntax was to be regarded as human. Accepting and perfecting the art of white civilization thus marked the humanity of the black person. Furthermore, writing and reading, both primarily white characteristics rapidly became synonymous to civilization. The result of this is that characters which were inherently black were quickly becoming associated with barbarism while those associated with the white society being labeled as civil and appropriate. In an attempt to alleviate himself from the problems of slavery, the man of color had to concentrate on learning the white man’s ways. This is not just hypothetically used in literal analysis but can be verified in reality. Every individual in the world has to learn to read and write to be considered civilized. This is factually correct because being able to read and write enables one to be able to communicate them. It also enables the individual to contribute to analysis and solutions of the modern world. However, the challenge is that an education takes a stance that is against people of color. African heritage is considered the farthest from civilization and thus unworthy of investigating and perpetuating. Digressing a bit into the situation in Africa, it is probably among the few places where children start elementary school in a second language. The Africans are taught to leave their heritage and culture, especially in the language as soon as possible since it is inferior.
Since a considerable part of an individual’s culture is perpetuated through language, the loss of it leads to the loss of personal identity. Perhaps this is the reason why black people have difficulty in accepting the beauty of their heritage. The club woman in Hughes narrative does not understand the beauty of the spiritual and traditional folklore even though she listens to classic songs that are sung by white individuals. (Hughes 1) Over time, circumstances have forced her to abandon her nature and assimilate the white culture. Apart from the loss of personal identity in the loss of language, the phenomenon leads to its extinctions. There are few individuals who can claim to know their original language authentically. The rich culture that these people came with from their African setting has thus been lost.
Despite the loss, the African-American remains unique. He is spiritual, and he is black. These are characteristics that he cannot be able to alienate himself from. An attempt to deny the attributes is equal to the desire to change oneself into another race which is impossible. This according to both Hughes and Gates is the main failure of African American heritages. A black person does no wrong in learning to write. However, he can learn to write about himself, about his culture and his people. Learning the skills of reading and writing should be able to enrich his identity rather than delete it. Hughes anticipates the reason why this can be difficult to achieve. This challenge is part of what he calls the mountains inhibiting young people of color from becoming authentic artists. The chief reason is that perpetuation of talent requires money. Since the majority of the colored people are infiltrated with the idea that the ‘negro’ is evil, they are unwilling to purchase work that is black in composition. On the other hand, the white community considers it either strange or amusing and therefore also does not invest in it. As a result, any African American artist who wishes to thrive must find a bargain between the two cultures. Ironically, for the black, he has to avoid presenting the black person as he is. He has to add some level of whiteness in his characterization. This personification of the black character into a near white man also impresses the white clientele. The technique shields both communities from shifting from their longer term illusions. (Johnson 1) By presenting a modern black man who has achieved considerable white success, it offers the black person the false consolation and indication that is it possible to achieve this in real life. It thus furthers the colored person attempt to escape his personality. On the other hand, this trend allows the white community to reserve its opinion and view of the black community. The African American authors are therefore the chief betrayers of the African American authors. According to him, the literature will be accepted when they no longer care about who listen to the music. When the art is drawn as an expression of what the artist desires to communicate rather than to get appreciated, then it is more likely to hit the chords of the hearts of men.
The two analyses present the African American individual as a victim of circumstances. He came to American in an inferior position, and this has been a major contributor to their woes. One may question the reason then, for their inability to coalesce now as they are a significant portion of our society with the aim of creating something for the community. Prejudice is an essential part of the community. It is a physical need that allows individuals to group together for support and protection. The disintegration of this leads to the exposure of individual and the community resources. This according to literature is what happens to the colored community. (Schneck 1) The division of the black people and a constant battle against their culture has meant that the community has nothing to bind it together. This is the reason that even they have a problem in accepting literature and any art that is made in honor of their heritage. These individuals are no longer even aware that something like that exists. Their lives have been formulated to accept the white man ways.
The inability of African American communities to produce authentically black literature and art has negative repercussions for their social-economic lives for the entire community. Hughes points out that the reason white editors do not want the authentic white story is because they do not wish to kill the illusion they have about the black community. However, as it is commonly laid pout, the pen is mightier than the sword. Good writing is the only way that the artists can express the struggles of the community. The regular shift in search of political correctness in the artists’ work that happens results in failure to present the real predicaments of the black community. This means that these problems cannot be resolved or take longer to be resolved because no one offers these needs to the society.
The chief aim of literature is to become the eye of the society. Literature criticizes, satirizes, educates, humor and corrects the society. If the black people have been treated unfairly in the history of the United States, accurate literate is the only way that individuals can express everything that is desired or undesired. Literature that is modified to fit into the expectations of the individuals that will read the book has therefore lost its meaning and influence. Hughes doubted whether the young man will ever become a great poet because he wishes to be another. Affective poetry should be able to explore an individual’s challenge and cause of dissatisfaction. Logically, such a young person’s desire should have been to express this difficulty he feels. The challenge of belonging to one race and being forced to recognize the other race solely is distressing. His poetry would have been effective if it was written to express the lost quality authenticity of is self. This way, his art would have been vital for the community because it would have illuminated their problems to the rest of the community. Black people must realize that their works fail to meet the primary role. They must be tuned up to real challenges affecting the community and then they can be useful in correcting the society.
However, such literate may have its risks. Although authors must be encouraged to present their predicaments, there can be a significant problem for their community. It is possible that individuals concentrate solely on the problems within the black community and forget to states its benefits. The expression of these challenges can lead to the problem normalizing the problems. Many black literature artists who decide to accept the challenge of writing as black individuals often insist on the poverty, perceived or real of the black life. (Dudek 1) In fact, it is true that most of the works present deplorable African conditions. Normalization of the problem means that t is accepted by the society. This happens because artists and authors do not prompt the exertion of something better in person. When the African American writers accept the challenge of being African and writing critically about the demographical segment, he must first be aware of the possible beauty that exists within the group. This type of literature will improve the literature that expresses the problems of the individuals. This kind of literature points out to the positive trends that the community should have strengthened. (Culp 1) When only the challenges that face the community are presented, the mass gets tired of the information and eventually simply ignore the details. However, when there is something that expresses the positive side, a clear comparison can be made.
Man’s heart is naturally drawn to beauty. It is, therefore, more pleasurable to read the beauty of the community rather than its challenges and problems. While there is constantly complains about the poor market conditions for black literature, it is essential to consider the results when art is politically neutral and concentrated positive aspects in the community. This means that the literature can be concerned with such aspects as the name of a song and the beat that can be emphasized. Additionally, these artists can offer online explanations of their song and benefits. This will make those African Americans who feel detached from their roots return into the fold and continually tempts them to try out the African treasure and harmony. (Culp 1)
After analyzing the negative content of the African literature, the work must be checked for biases and confrontational urgency. Racial active books tend to emphasize on a confrontation between the two races in question. For this reason, the black literature texts are often full of criticism for the continued and condemnation of the white race for causing the woes of the African American citizen. Accusing other people does not benefit the society in any way. In any case, it arms the other community and makes it prepare to defend itself. This, therefore, creates more antagonism that affection among the individuals of the two communities. This is why the black community must revolutionalize their writing. It would be encouraging if the writers can also include a segment of the positive aspects learned from the other communities. This will reduce the displeasure that every society expresses against the other. In fact, there is the need for dialogues that enable individuals from various communities understand the other and understand how to treat them. As indicated since the beginning, the chief source of segregation is the lack of understanding and fear. If the literate, therefore, takes the opportunity to explain the people and their culture, then the differences among the communities will reduce this fear and encourage coherence.
However, even as it is with modern alterations and complaints, the African American literature still carries out a vital role to individuals who want to study the outstanding beliefs of particular communities. . (Brawley 1) Whatever is written is implicitly informed by race and therefore even though it may be concealed by other factors. However, if an individual earnestly reads the book, he can understand the expressions of the book. Prejudice and opinions are rarely prevalent in a single individual and non-existent in the other. They are an integral part of the society and present how feel and their enthusiasm. Understanding the literature as it is can, therefore, be paramount to social workers and government and non-government workers who want to influence the life of the community. Reading about the daily interactions between these people and the wider community will help in understanding the nature of their struggles and what they truly desire among their communities. (Usuniete 1) African-American literature can, therefore, be used a way of scheduling developmental projects in these areas.
Additionally, literature offers a library that can avail information that can educate us about past injustices and occurrences. It is thus crucial that colored authors write the exact occurrences whenever writing non-fiction books. This will serve as lessons for future generations. This will not only keep alive the injustices and thus probably ensure compensation in the latter futures but also promotes sustainability of the community itself. Hughes was concerned about the deterioration of the African-American culture and its loss in the modern communities. This continues to reduce with time as the black people become educated and leave the common fold. In the future, literature may be the only source of information regarding the tribe. On the other hand, many young people are discovering that life is beautiful within their cultural heritage. However, the mountains erected by former generations that raised them are still problematic. Literary texts can offer a bridge that connects the modern and future generations to the cultural heritage in America.
Despite the persistently observed discrimination against the black race in American literature, its persistence in undeniable. This establishes the back culture and a dominant force in the United States. The US society is widely multicultural, and there are people of diverse heritages. However, there are none of the communities that get more credit that the back people. This is despite the fact that it is not the largest non-white group in the United States this position being reserved for the Hispanic community. The insistence of factors affecting it means that its political and socio-economic influences are vital to the public as well as the private sphere of the American society. This should increase the black people’s enthusiasm of their heritage. It should give those who are embarrassed by their heritage a point to think about. It is desirable to be part of a large movement that benefits the individual than attempting to cross the bridge into another race where one can never be fully accepted. Besides, it can help the community understand their position in their society. (Brawley 1)This will assist it in bargaining for better services and assistance. It will also help the black community appreciate its strength and therefore motivate them to accomplish better social status independently.
Literature offers an immense wealth of information to society. Art presents individuals in a community the ability to express themselves. It is thus an important tool in understanding ethnic relationships birth from the reader’s point and the writer. Black literature, therefore, helps in shedding light on the life of African Americans in the US. In the literature analyzed in this essay, we encounter authors who are unsatisfied by the way that black people are treated and in turn treat themselves. These books primarily indicate the fallacy that is lived by the black community. They express the innate failure of a system that emphasizes the need for the black people to become white instead of choosing how to improve their lives within the cultural setting of their community. The writes refute strongly the notion that white is superior to black. This is a global concept that can be indicated by the simple denoting of God with white and evil with black. For a long time, African writers have been pushed to the wall by a system that is very hostile to black writers. However, these articles invite the readers to concentrate on the failure of the Africans themselves. Most have aped the white people’s behavior and reject anything ‘negro.’ It is thus essential that communities first embrace themselves and then the positive energy can flow into the other parts of the society around them. This can pave the way toward mutually beneficial coexistence.

Works Cited
Brawley, Benjamin. “The Negro In American Literature (1923)”. Gaslight.mtroyal.ca. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
Culp, Daniel Wallace. Twentieth Century Negro Literature. 1st ed. New York: Arno Press, 1969. Print.
Dudek, Izabel. “Stereotypes In American Literature | Tekst Nr 17527”. Edukacja.edux.pl. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
Gates, Louis Henry. Talking Black: Critical Signs Of The Time. 1st ed. New York: N.p., 2016. Print.
Hughes, Langston. “”The Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain” (1926)”. English.illinois.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
Johnson, James Weldon. The Book Of American Negro Poetry. 1st ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co, 1931. Print.Schneck, Peter. “The Reflection Of Race And Law In African American Literature”. American Studies Journal 1.58 (2008): n. pag. Print.
Usuniete, Konto. “How Are Slavery, Segregation And Racism Reflected In American Literature? – Forum American Studies – Goldenline.Pl”. Goldenline.pl. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.