Is everyone born equal? This debatable question leads society into chaos, which creates two separate worlds that defines power through races. As we go back in time, the American society where considered to be perfect, each race had its own form of life style. Whites would go to work and come home with money while blacks would work in the fields and bring goods for their masters. Having this image set in our minds, we have created different powers and stereotypes that bring a new definition for the races. As we know, an African-American man will always be underestimated without realizing the qualities that he has. This creates a poor reputation for their culture, which demonstrates the oppression that the Negro culture faces each decade.
When professors say, “white person” words such as power, superior, and economy would come to mind, but when they say “black person” sometimes are slavery, poor, and dirt. This is what people would call it as “The reality,” an ugly reality that has been tattooed in our brains. However, some people have been fighting to erase such images to show pride for their race, and to show a new perspective that can define everyone equally. Meanwhile, others are just accepting this reality that portrays their failure. One way to represent this struggle is through art. In American art, white artists dominated the art field even though African-American artist have tried to establish their culture through art. However, due to the unfair critics, African-Americans did not receive the credits deserved for their work.
Famous African-American writers such as George S. Schuyler and Langston Hughes are the type of writes that show different ideologies of accepting the “reality.” On Schuyler’s essay the “The Negro-Art Hokum,” Schuyler is giving a wide range of ideas concerning equality with a conclusion of “resistance is worthless, and the ‘reality’ cannot be changed.” On the other hand, Hughes’ essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” believes in the Negro culture, and feels that Negro Art is a reflection of their pride. On Schuyler’s essay, he does not use any type of evidence to support his essay; his ideas through out the essay are based on his ideologies, which creates skeptical ideas of whether what he is saying is true or false.
Schuyler mentions on his essay, “Negroes and whites from the same localities in this country talk, think, and act about the same.” but how could this be true when back in the 1920’s African-Americans did not have enough money or the same “equality” to interact in activities with the whites. Unless, they are in a “high-class” environment in which they live “like white folks” as Hughes mentioned on his essay. Before establishing the Civil Rights Bill in 1965, there were two societies that separated each race; it was impossible for a black person to share a bar or a restaurant without being discriminated or kicked out. Also, what stood out the most on his essay was this sentence, “education and environment were about the same for blacks and white.” The environment might have been the same but very doubtful about education; African-American did not have the chance to receive education, if there were it was the worst. If some sort of evidence supported this statement it would have been more believable but due to his lack of evidence, it is almost impossible not to agree with him since he writes beautifully that it distracts you. Whereas Hughes uses the same technique that drags your attention into agreeing with what he says. On his very first paragraph he mentions that a young Negro poet said to him “I want to be a poet—not a Negro poet.” This sentence can be understood in so many ways and not as a lack of self-identity as he tries to portray. This could mean that the young poet does not want to be stereotyped and wants to fit equally, but Hughes reflects that he wanted to be “white” and not “black.”
As Schuyler believes, there is no such thing as Negro art because it is the same as any other art. “As for literature, painting, and sculpture of Aframericans—such as there is—it is identical in kind with the literature, painting, and sculpture of white Americans: that is, it shows more or less evidence of European influence.” With this idea, Schuyler does not believe that African-American has created any form of art that represents their culture; moreover, because Schuyler was from the North, he believes that Negroes from the North are not the same as the South.
“True, from dark-skinned sources have come those slaves songs based on Protestant hymns and Biblical texts known as the spirituals, work songs and secular songs of sorrow and tough luck known as the blues, that outgrowth of rag-time known as jazz... no one can or does deny this. But these are contributions of a caste in certain section of he country. They are foreign to Northern Negroes, West Indians Negroes, and African Negros. They are not more expressive or characteristic of the Negro race than the music and dancing of the Appalachian highlanders or the Dalmatian peasantry of the South, very well. Any group under similar circumstances would have produced something similar. It is merely a coincidence that this peasant class happens to be of a darker hue than the other inhabitants of the land.” (Schuyler, 1)
Schuyler describes that the Blues is as “hokum” as any other creation that the Negroes from the South has created. Whatever it is from the South, it is considered to be “foreign” for the other Negroes simply because they cannot relate themselves to those creations. When in fact, Hughes believes that “Negro artist can give his racial individuality, his heritage of rhythm and warmth, and his incongruous humor that so often, as in the Blues, becomes ironic laughter mixed with tears.” Even though both writers have the opposite ideas of the Blues, they are both correct about each statement. The Negroes from the North did not recognize themselves with the Blues since they have not experienced what the Negroes from the South have. This shows how Schuyler makes a point in which Blues sometimes can be foreign while for others is a representation of the Negro culture.
In order to be recognized as a Negro artist, he has to work double in order to reach the level of any other artist in America in which Hughes mentions, “The road for the serious black artist, then, who would produce a racial art is mot certainly rocky and the mountain is high.” The use of metaphor and imagery indicates the difficult path that a black person has to go through in order to be taken seriously in the society. The word “rocky” gives a sensation of roughness, and “the mountain is high” indicates that it is a long journey. Through out the route of reaching the top, the approach will be challenging and difficult, which reflects a stressful directions that the artist will encounter. Despite the challenge, it will be worth it by the end of the day; Hughes believes in the Negroes culture, and what represent them are the hope and the pride for being an African-American.
So I am ashamed for the black poet who says, “I want to be a poet, not a Negro poet,” as though his own racial world were not as interesting as any other world. I am ashamed, too, for the colored artist who runs from the painting of Negro faces to the painting of sunsets after the manner of the academicians because he fears the strange unwhiteness of his own features. An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he must choose. (Hughes, 4)
Hughes uses a persuasive tone as a way to portrait that the Negro-Art is part of the American art. They should not be “afraid” of their choices that create their identity. He mentions that “colored artist runs from the painting of Negro faces” because they “fear” the lack of whiteness on it, which reflects the oppression felt for being black, and they have tried to obey the voice that does not belong to them in order to be part of the society. Their submissive position is only psychological that decreases their self-identity, forgetting the qualities that truly represents their soul. In order to recover their voices, they “must never be afraid to do what [they] must choose” since that would demonstrate the little hope existing in themselves.
Both authors are focused on race pride but one believes that it will not survive. Hughes encourages people to believe in themselves, and the power that they have to survive in the society. However, Schuyler is telling people to quit their fights seeing that they will never win their pride. Even if quitting this hope, the unscrupulous mind of the people won’t change until they keep on fighting to overcome this “reality.”
Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” The Nation. N.p, 16 June 1926. Print.
Schuyler, George. “The Negro-Art Hokum” The Nation. N.p, 23 June 1926. Print.
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