And Do You Locke, Take Thee Hughes? Essay

In a comparison of the essays â€Å"The New Negro† by Alain Locke and â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain† by Langston Hughes, there exists both similarities and differences. But, what are most striking are the differences between the two, especially in terms of purpose, tone, and audience. Locke and Hughes wrote their essays during the heart of the Harlem Renaissance; 1925 and 1926, respectively. Both men were writing from that vantage point, and with a gaze set firmly on bettering the conditions of those they held in common – the Negro. But these similarities are, in a sense, superficial. After all, there were many writers in that era – any era really – both Black and White, who felt a moral imperative to right the racial wrongs of their time; to wring justice from the cloth of unwarranted suffering. The differences between Locke and Hughes, however, serve as a model; one that illustrates a chasm between the ideas and opinions of that era in terms of how to better their people, as well as why their condition is such that it needs tending. In â€Å"The New Negro,† Locke is saying that the so-called New Negro is already here – in fact, has been here for some time. And, by extension, he’s arguing for the integration – even assimilation – of Blacks into the larger pool that is America. This sentiment is expressed rather poignantly when he says, â€Å"The fiction is that the life of the races is separate, and increasingly so. The fact is that they have touched too closely at the unfavorable and too lightly at the favorable levels.† (20) And it is further strengthened when he says, â€Å"We realize that we cannot be undone without America’s undoing.† (22) That statement holds equally true if one were to rearrange it to read, â€Å"America cannot be undone without our undoing.† Locke has, whether happily or not, acknowledged that the Negro race – for better or for worse, and until death do they part – is indeed married to America. Thus, he is advocating for integration as a means of survival as much as a means of advancement. Hughes, on the other hand, seems to champion the cause of racial distinction insofar as the Negro should be proud to be a Negro. This desire is laid bare when he says, â€Å"But, to my mind, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist†¦ to change through the force of his art that old whispering ‘I want to be White,’†¦ to ‘Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro – and beautiful.’† (28) Perhaps Hughes, too, would acknowledge a state of matrimony between the Negro race and America. But where he seems to diverge from Locke is in his almost visceral advocacy for the spouses’ maintenance of their own identities within that marriage. With Locke, although he doesn’t use the metaphor â€Å"racial mountain† in his essay, it is apparent that such an impediment exists. His path forward – whether to the top of that mountain or around it – lies in fostering meaningful relationships between the elites of both major races. This is expressed when he says, â€Å"†¦more immediate hope rests in the revaluation by white and black alike of the Negro in terms of his artistic endowments and cultural contributions, past and prospective.† (24) And, more eloquently when he says, â€Å"He now becomes a conscious contributor and lays aside the status of a beneficiary and ward for that of a collaborator and participant in American civilization.† (24) Returning to the marriage analogy, these sentiments politely convey a sense of frustration, perhaps not unlike what many married women in that time period felt; a sense of, â€Å"I’m not feckless or helpless, and I needn’t be a ward or beneficiary; I’m sturdy and bright and equal to any task that’s laid before me; I just need the space and resource to prove it!† For Hughes, conquering the mountain is to be accomplished using a tack different from that of Locke. In Hughes’s world, victory for the Negro hinges on a tempered dissociation from the white race; not to showcase or inflame racial differences, but to highlight the unique, distinct, and high-minded attributes of his own race. In other words, the Negro should be proud of his culture and his race; the Negro is a corollary to, and a parallel of, the American body, and not merely one ingredient in a larger amalgam. As a stepping stone to accomplishing this, Hughes argues that the fabrication of the â€Å"racial mountain† is due largely to the misguided deeds of his own people – the middle-class Negro in particular. This stance is taken from the outset of his essay when chides the young Negro poet for having said, â€Å"I want to be a poet – not a Negro poet.† (25) To Hughes, such a sentiment is tantamount to wanting to be white. He goes on to say, â€Å"The road for the serious black artist, then, who would produce a racial art is most certainly rocky and the mountain is high.† (27) If one operates under the assumption that Hughes makes his case, then it can logically be said that â€Å"wanting to be white† is tantamount to denial both of â€Å"who we are† and â€Å"where we’ve been.† And that’s the rub; how can an artist be true to him or herself if they don’t even know who they are? And worse, how can they ever hope to elevate their position as a people if, by attempting to do so, they give up their very identity by hewing to the strictures of the White world? Let us not forget, â€Å"An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he must choose.† (29) In terms of their respective tones, there are marked differences between Locke and Hughes. While both are persuasive in nature, Locke’s tone comes across as somehow intimate, and yet fairly matter-of-fact. Whether backed by hard truths or not, he lays out his case in such a manner. He also comes across as subtly – even warmly – patronizing; a confidant or cohort who’s merely guiding his readers to the truth. This can be seen when he says, â€Å"But while the minds of most of us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"Recall how suddenly the Negro spirituals revealed themselves†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His tone is like a proverbial â€Å"arm around the shoulder† and an invitation to the obvious. Hughes on the other hand is more visceral, coming across as chiding, cajoling, and cynical. Whether warranted or a fabrication of his own mind, he bursts from the gates with a thesis statement that doubles as a heavy accusation – that in wanting to be a poet, and not a Negro poet, the young man actually meant that he wanted to be white. And he leaves no room for discussion on the matter; in his mind, it is settled. He continues with this tone when he describes what he believes is â€Å"a fairly typical home of the colored middle class.† (25) And this belief – as far as any evidence offered in his essay – is predicated on no more than this one young Negro poet. He goes on to charge that â€Å"the word white comes to be unconsciously a symbol of all virtues. It holds for the children beauty, morality, and money. The whisper of ‘I want to be white’ runs silently through their minds.† (25) Locke and Hughes are also appealing – at least in part – to different audiences. Locke, while certainly writing to the Black community at large, is deliberate in his inclusion of Whites. This inclusion, in fact, is necessary for his argument to work; his argument for integration. He even addresses those who are undoubtedly white in the beginning of his essay when he says, â€Å"The Sociologist, the Philanthropist†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (17) And he leaves no doubt as to white inclusion in his audience when he says, â€Å"But while the minds of most of us, black and white†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (17) Hughes’s appeal is to the Black community at large too. But it is aimed more at the black elites, the black artists, and the black middle class far more than it is at whites. This is apparent when he cajoles the black artist by saying, â€Å"†¦it is the duty of the younger Negro artist†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (28) And it is clear when he condemns the â€Å"prominent Negro clubwoman† for paying eleven dollars to see a white singer while dismissing â€Å"a great black artist† as â€Å"that woman.† (27) Regardless of the differences in style – purpose, tone, and audience – both of these essays have merit and hold power in their respective goals, which, for the most part are one in the same: to improve the Negro’s standing within the American marriage. Works Cited Locke, Alain. â€Å"The New Negro.† Course Reader, English 1B. Ed. Kelly Vogel. Fall 2012. Print. Hughes, Langston. â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.† Course Reader, English 1B. Ed. Kelly Vogel. Fall 2012. Print.