Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and Such

"Shadows on the wall/ Noises down the hall/ Life doesn't frighten me at all." Maya Angelou, 6-7

"Well, son, I'll tell you,/ Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." Langston Hughes,124.

Onwards with the entry:

So, I think it was in my first entry that I mentioned that poetry, and prose as well, can serve as a reflection into the past, kind of a time capsule even. When others open the capsule in the future they will be able to get a glimpse of what life was like in the past. Such is the case with the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and other poetry by African American authors. In reading, this exceptional poetry readers are really able to get an idea about what life was like for African Americans living in the time of the Harlem Renaissance.

For instance, I can really see that in Angelou's poem Life Doesn't Frighten Me, the speaker feels powerful and as if she has control over her life. Formerly, barking dogs were scary, so were the boys who pulled on her hair. Now, these things are not frighetening. And it is in this moment, that the speaker says that she is not frightened that she is most empowered. It is the best moment and the most memorable...

Furthermore, I feel as if the reader is also empowered. It's almost as if Angelou is trying to give strength or courage to the next generation of readers. If anything, I can really guess that life was still very hard for African Americans at this time. When the speaker repeated the mantra " life doesn't frighten me," she seems to be becoming a stronger person.

Langston Hughes poem Mother to Son kind of confirms what I'm talking about. For the speaker, life has obviously not been a cakewalk. It's been hard, but I feel like this mother is better off for having suffered. I just sense that this speaker is a better person for having been through it all... Life hasn't been easy, and that's fine. It kind of helps her and her son even... In struggling she is made a better encourager. She is able to pick up her son when he falls and is able to cheer him on from the sidelines....

So in the end, after having opened the time capsule readers can really see what it was like for poets of the Harlem Renaissance. And I really think that we should count ourselves as lucky for having read these poems.