Brother to Brother Essay Prompt #2

In the movie Brother to Brother, it shows how hard it is for Black writers to tell their own story and the pressure they face to tell a story that matches white Americans perception of Black Harlem.  Wallace Thurman, Zora Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Bruce Nugent all worked very closely on this project. They all wrote about topics like gay and lesbian, cross dressers, prostitutes, and homeless people. There were things that their community didn’t believe should be showcased. Wallace and Zora both went to a publisher in hopes that their side of Harlem would get recognition.

 The white publisher, named Mr. McAllister, wanted both authors to censor or change what they had already written and rewrite it for white people instead of Blacks.  The publisher told Wallie that “I read the manuscript , a few minor adjustments, and I would seriously consider publishing it”. He told wallie that he wanted to “play up the nightclub atmosphere making it darker and more menacing” to show that Harlem was a place to fear because it was dangerous, and it was “dirty”. The publisher told Wallie that the whites had a ‘hunger for the reality of Harlem life, telling it like it is” when really the publisher was stereotypical and not thinking what Harlem actually was, a place of love, music, and diversity not the dark violent images that people associated with Harlem. The publisher told Wallie that “the public wants danger, sex, and violence form the Harlem stories. A good writer has to make concessions to what the public wants.” The publisher didn’t realize that to Wallie the public was his community. The publisher tried to make Wallie see that a “Negro writer has more insight into their world would better than a white writer,” which of course is right, A white person cannot live the life of a black person. The publisher was just so full of it, trying to have a black man write that all the stereotypes of their race were true. The publisher also did this to Zora Hurston stating that her writing was eligible for a “white” person to understand. “How hard is it to translate it so it’s something everyone can understand?” He didn’t understand that she was writing for the people that understood Harlem, not for the people who would only judge it. He told her that she would have to rewrite her manuscript because it was in a language that he didn’t understand. He told them that “you wanna know what the bestselling book has been for a couple of month? Nigger Heaven, from a white author. Imagine how the public would embrace the authentic Negro perspective” He never really understood the value of their perspective.  He saw his stereotypical perception of their world as the only option.

Wallie and Zora both did not react very well when they heard that this publisher wanted them to completely alter the story they presented. Wallace reacted when McAllister told them to change the club scene Wallie said”It‘s completely untrue to the character. He is opening up to the club to turn his life around.” McAllister had no idea what this story even meant. He just wanted the overall “white” community to  have this stereotype and have it be out there. McAllister also talked to Zora about her piece and said it isn’t “English”. Zora exclaimed “It is English, Negro English…… It’s old Negro tradition the people who are a part of it recognize it, I’m not speaking for these people, I am these people”. She is saying that she cannot stop writing like this because it is who she is. She can’t stop being who she is just to get published. They both left McAllister’s office not signing with him because they did not agree with his ideas.

I agree with Wallace and Zora. They have to right to write whatever they want without being censored. They had pride in their work and were right not to let McAllister take it away from them. They chose their pride over the money they would have gotten. It shows something very significant about these two characters. They are striving to be heard and don’t care about what they get in return. I think that more people should do something they love, and not think about how much money they are going to make, or what else they are going to get in return. I also think that Mr. McAllister contradicted himself. He said that he wanted the real truth about Harlem, but when they gave him a view of life of Harlem as it really is. He wanted them to change it and make it more dangerous or easier to read. This movie is a great example of truth and the importance of love for what you do

Lindy Hop

This type of dance, called the Lindy Hop,was discovered in Harlem. It started in 1926. It was based on the popular Charleston step and tap dancing. Lindy Hop really developed in the Savoy Ballroom where everyone showed their own style of Lindy Hop. It is a combination of athletics and dancing skills. The dancers look like they never get tired and  put all their attention to every little detail of their dancing. There is a lot of technique  being shown in this dance- the ability to swing and be picked up and thrown about. While at the same time still smiling and laughing. It looks like really hard work. It connects with the Harlem renaissance because it was made just around the same time as the renaissance.

The Lindy Hop is a partner dance that consists of 6 and 8 count steps. It is a wild and spontaneous dance that can be improvised in many different ways. It is done so that people can have fun, listen and grove to music, and enjoy dancing with their partner. It was a cultural phenomenon that broke race barriers and stigmas even when segregation was still the norm. These dancers were able to shine a light on their talent and extreme passion for their dancing. It was something new, and people loved to watch.

I chose this clip from YouTube because it looked very realistic for the time period. It was the style of dance that was shown in class, and thought that their technique was astounding. They knew every step of their routine and put their heart into it. You can tell that in every step they love what they are doing. They really understand that what they are doing is inspiring others to dance and open their hearts to the music. It is about letting go into a new world and not caring about what is happening around them. They are carefree and enjoying life. You have to smile when you see them dance because it looks like so much fun. You enjoy what they enjoy and that is dancing. I think the video really shows what talent was like back then, and you get a sense for what they really did when they had free time.

Good Morning Heartache By Billie Holiday

 

 Billie Holiday is renowned singer and performer who made a lot of history though her short life. Holiday was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. She moved to Harlem in the late1920's and lived in a prostitution house where she made her living. There she began singing in bars and clubs around Harlem. She became recognized and seen as a singer with great talent. Good Morning Heartache is a classic song that expresses the hardship in Harlem. The lyrics of "Good Morning Heartache" rely on personification because you can't really say good morning to a heartache. They also show another part of everyday life in Harlem, because there were two different sides of Harlem. There was the thriving area and there was the run down and more industrious side. The industrious side had women called "Thursday Girls" who were gamblers, homeless craftsmen, and hookers. Many people at that time thought of them as domestic slaves. This song shows what their life was like, how they woke up every morning with this heartache of feeling worthless, but having to get up anyway. When Billie was a prostitute she would wail "Good Morning Heartache" because of  where her life was going and how she and many others were taken advantage of. She spoke for many people in Harlem who were taken advantage of, and always carrying that heartache. 

I like this song. It is very sad and gloomy but combining great lyrics with great music makes a great song. Billie is a great singer and this song  shows the talent and joy she has for singing. Her voice shows her heartache and I feel like she is singing from her heart. Her voice fills up the room with the heartache and sorrow of her life story. I think that she is a brave woman who shows other women that even thought they go through hardship there is a brighter day ahead. This song really spoke out to me. She speaks for many that are in pain and shows that darkness has a light. She inspires many people to fight against their hardship

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

This song is called Summertime and was preformed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Fitzgerald was born in NY. While she was growing up she was very inspired by the performances and  the music from the Harlem renaissance. She loved to sing and dance and started out just wanting to dance. When she found that her strength was singing she focused on that and loved it.Even though she wasn't in the same time period as the Harlem Renaissance she was deeply connected by the idols that she loved as a kid. She sang with many performers that were in the Harlem Renaissance such as Louis Armstrong and many others. In this song she sings with Louis Armstrong who was a amazing jazz musician who was very much a part of the Harlem Renaissance. He was born in New Orleans and learned how to play jazz. He had many idols in Louisiana and loved music. He moved to NY in early1924 and  began recording with major singers such as Bessie Smith, Clarence Williams and countless others. He was famous in Harlem and many people adored him as a jazz musician. This song is from Porgy and Bess, an opera created by George and Ira Gershwin. It illustrated the hardships of everyday life. Even though Porgy and Bess was written after the Harlem Renaissance I thought that it connected because of the way the lyrics of the song it ties to the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem life did influence Porgy and Bess. Even though the movie was made in Hollywood there was still the authenticity of the Harlem lifestyle.

I think that the determination to fight against oppression comes through when she sings "And one day he's gonna rise up singing" I like the child will fight against all the hatred in the world. Then when she says "Hush little baby don't you cry" I thought that it was saying that it's not your time yet to fix the world let others try then you can save it. I feel the baby symbolizes the hardships that they've gone through and that the struggles are not over yet. That there are still bumps in the road that we have to smoothed out in order to make it good for everyone. It opens people's eyes to see what others go through in the United States. It shows the life that cannot be seen on a television screen but only through someone's eyes. Watching their experience unfold and see what they do. You detach from regular life and start to see through their eye's, feel their hurt, pain, and love. Your feel happy when they are happy or sad when they are sad. You start to understand them and want the best for them. How they are fighting the oppression that some of us don't see. They are still  fighting for that freedom that we all feel we have.

I love this song and the arrangement that Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald made of Summertime. The song brings back many memories for me. It's a song I love to sing, especially the lines " Summertime and the living is easy," the opening line is the best because of the range of notes. I love the sound that the voice makes when it hits the top note and comes down for "the living is easy." I think that this is more than a song. It is a stance against the world that we are fighting that says we will win. It is one of my favorite songs from Porgy and Bess. Another reason why I love the song is because  of the emence amount of soul and power that Ella gives to this song. She sings it with such pride and glory. It makes you feel that you can reach and grab the amount of fire that she feels, that the lyrics mean something to her and that she will make them come true. She inspires me to sing more fully and embrace every lyric that I sing. She shows me how to fully commit to the song. She is an amazing singer and performer, and I look up to her.

Fashion in Harlem Renaissance!

This picture is a modern version of what clothing looked like during the Harlem Renaissance. The style was simple with colorful patterns with buttons, and stripes.  They would not wear anything that showed too much cleavage or skin. They were very aware of every detail of their outfit. They saw their clothing as an expression of class and stature. The models look very accurate for the time because they have a proud look in their face. Many women liked to mix different patterns with each other for the dramatic effect. They loved to be the center of attention and complimented for their clothing. Many women went out of their way to get the best  clothing so they would stand out from others. They loved to wear minks, scarfs, and gloves much like the people in "white" Hollywood.

There is a lot of pride present in this picture, the way that the women tilt their head as a sign of class. The way they smirk as they model the clothes to illustrate that they think that they are better than everyone else. I think that this goes back to the Harlem Renaissance too, because those people took great pride in the way they dressed. They were careful not to wear something twice or to look too "normal. They wanted to look flashy and different in order to stand out. The clothes are very beautiful and charming, I can see women of the  Harlem renaissance wearing these exact outfits. They would be strutting down the street bringing a flair and uniqueness  to what they wore. 

I chose this picture because I thought it looked different than the other fashion images that I found. In the picture they look less posed and more natural with the light. It caught my eye because of the unusual type of fashion. It was something totally different than what I am used to with fashion. I like the combination of  patterns and how the different textures go together. It is very simple, yet so complex at the same time. It is complex because all the different colors can be hard on the eyes. Yet it's so simple because of the way the main two piece suit all goes together. 

I really like this picture because it gave me insight into the type of clothing that the women in Harlem wore. I always wondered what they were wearing outside of the Savoy or any of the big clubs. Did they wear jeans or capris? I had no idea, but when I saw this picture I finally knew what they wore in everyday life. I realized that women in Harlem always dressed up to go places, whereas in other places women wouldn't dress up as nice as they did in Harlem. The women in Harlem had class and  poise when they went out. I thought that it was so refreshing because goes against the way women in Harlem were constantly oppressed by other in societies.

Party Picture

This is a watercolor painting on 14X17 inch paper called the Jeunesse made by Palmer Hayden. It is   was inspired by his love of Jazz. Hayden really enjoyed Jazz music and the Savoy club life. He was born in Virgina, then he went to NY. He loved it, and decided to go to Columbia University, where he learned more about art. He loved to paint and to draw and became an art teacher. This picture is about how people love jazz and enjoy dancing. It embraces the freedom of people find in dance and music.There is a main pair in the front and  many people in the background. I feel that the people in the front symbolize the new generation coming about because they are dancing a new dance and wearing different clothes. They are the ones that will be making a difference, while the others are going with the flow. The others blend into the backround while pair in the front are standing out, and making a stand. They are expressing themselves and seem and enjoying their freedom.

In this art I see the pride and determination to fight against oppression. They seem to be going against what the others are doing, and doing things that the "whites" are doing. They are wearing light colors and short dresses, to show that they are just the same as the others, that they are no different, and that they should be treated the same way as the whites. They look like they are having fun with the change that they are making. They have pride in the work that they are creating and that they think that others should follow in their footsteps. The artwork shows them going into the modern age along with Hollywood in that time period. The white shoes and the short dress, and the way that they are doing a new style of dancing shows they are breaking out of the norm and creating something different for themselves.

I chose this picture because it can have two different meanings, it can be seen as a dancing picture  or  as a fighting back picture. I picked it for both those reasons. I also love this picture for colors and the way the dancing silhouettes stand out. The picture also seemed to hold a secret that made me look twice. It intrigued me to see something so simple yet so complex in its meaning. I liked it the way it made me think of the bigger picture,  not just was on the paper. It showed me a different aspect of life, something very different from my own. It was like seeing something through someone elses eyes.