Essay on The Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, which was the first major movement of African- American life and culture. Hughes was influenced by living in New York Citys Harlem, where his literary works helped shape American literature and politics. Hughes strong sense of racial pride helped him promote equality, celebrate African- American culture, and condemn racism through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and childrens books (America’s Library). Hughes is referred to as a literary phenomenon. He was one of the first African- American men of literature who was determined to make a productive and profitable career out of his writing. The historical†¦show more content†¦One of his teachers introduced him to Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitmans poetry, who stood out as Hughes primary influences. Hughes graduated from high school in 1920 and spent the following year in Mexico with his father. Around this time, Hughess poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers was published in The Crisis magazine and was highly praised (The Biography Channel). In 1921, Hughes enrolled at Columbia University where he studied briefly, and during this time he quickly became a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Four years later, he was working as a busboy in a Washington, D.C. hotel restaurant when he met an American poet Vachel Lindsay. Hughes showed some of his poems to Lindsay, who used his connections to promote Hughes’s poetry and bring it towards a wider audience. Hughes’s poem, â€Å"The Weary Blues† won first prize in the Opportunity magazine literary competition. While studying at Lincoln, Hughes poetry came to the attention of novelist and critic Carl Van Vechten, who used his connections to help get Hughes’s first book of poetry, â€Å"The Weary Blues†, published by Knopf in 1926. Hughes was also among the first to use jazz rhythms and dialect to depict the life of urban blacks in his work (The Biography Channel). During the 1930s he continued to write and publish poetry and prose during this time, and in 1934 he published his first collection of short stories, The WaysShow MoreRelatedThe Harlem Renaissance By Langston Hughes1033 Words   |  5 Pagescalled the Harlem Renaissance. After World War I, many blacks migrated from the south to up to the north to places like Chicago, Detroit and New York. The people in Harlem felt the racial pride and this caught the attention of many musicians, writers, and artist. The Harlem Renaissance period lasted from 1920 to around 1935. Even though this period was short, it still lives on though all African American artists today. According to Biography.com in the article about Langston Hughes, there wereRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance with Langston Hughes1676 Words   |  7 PagesHarlem Renaissance with Langston Hughes The Harlem Renaissance brought about uniqueness amongst African Americans; everything was new. The visual art, the jazz music, fashion and literature took a cultural spin. During this time writer Langston Hughes seemed to outshine the rest with amazing works. The Harlem Renaissance brought about many great changes. It was a time for expressing the African American culture. It is variously known as the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Literary RenaissanceRead MoreLangston Hughes And The Harlem Renaissance1219 Words   |  5 PagesLangston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem renaissance is an artistic revolutionary period that took place between 1917 and 1937. This was after the First World War. Harlem was a district in New York. The Harlem renaissance impacted the social, cultural as well as artistic aspects of the black community. Many black people were encouraged to flee the southern sides where the caste system continued to oppress the black people. At this period, racial inequalities as well as other social injusticesRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance By Langston Hughes Essay1225 Words   |  5 Pages† - Langston Hughes The Harlem Renaissance took place in Harlem, New York during the 1920’s. The movement was an expression of African American culture across the Midwestern and Northeastern states of America, with Harlem being the heart of it. The Harlem Renaissance also left a lasting impression on black writers from the Caribbean and other African Colonies who immigrated to Paris. There were many artists of many different mediums that left a lasting impact of black culture, and Langston HughesRead MoreLangston Hughes And The Harlem Renaissance1909 Words   |  8 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance was a social and cultural movement aimed to alter the conventional notion of â€Å"The Negro† and to expound on African American’s adversities through literature, music, and visual arts. After World War I, Harlem, New York became a central location for African Americans for greener pastures and racial equality. Large quantities of black writers, artists, and intellectuals emerged within the urban scene and played a pivotal role of defining the movement in their respective fieldsRead MoreLangston Hughes And The Harlem Renaissance1736 Words   |  7 PagesAug 2017 The Dream Called Langston As an artist, or literature, music or visual art, there is power in creating pieces that move the masses. For an African American artist in the 1920’s, that power was fought for harder and dimmed due the racial inequalities across America. Being acknowledged as a credible artist was equated to being acknowledged as an American during a time where African American citizens were not considered an equal under the law. The Harlem Renaissance, spanning from the mid 1920’sRead MoreLangston Hughes And The Harlem Renaissance1476 Words   |  6 Pages Langston Hughes, a Voice for the Taciturn Take a time machine back to one of the most culturally-rich times in history, the Modern Age. More specifically, set your destination to northern Manhattan in the early 20s. When you step onto those bustling streets, you’ll find yourself swept up in the Harlem Renaissance. The contemporary writers you are surrounded by are legends such as Langston Hughes and W. E. B. DuBois, and the contemporary musicians you may hear at a local nightclub include some ofRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance By Langston Hughes1703 Words   |  7 Pagesis a quote from a well-known poet by the name of Langston Hughes who served as a prominent figure in African American history and is known for maintaining a significant role in one of the most culturally influential periods for African Americans -The Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance describes a significant era in time where hundreds or artists, writers and musicians living in Harlem came together to form a vibrant, creative community. Hughes along with many other talented and innovative AfricanRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance : Langston Hughes1145 Words   |  5 Pagesplace called Harlem and this is where it all started. Harlem became the training ground for blues and jazz and gave birth to a young generation of Negro Artist, who referred to themselves as the New Negro. The New Negro was the base for an epoch called the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance allowed for the materialization of the double consciousness of the Negro race as demonstrated by artists such as Langston Hughes. During the peak of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes created poetryRead MoreLangston Hughes : The Harlem Renaissance1151 Words   |  5 Pagesmass movement of people is called the Great Migration. One of the most popular places African Americans moved to was Harlem, New York. This city was a cultural and artistic polestar for people of color. It became known for the start of the African American cultural and artistic revolut ion known as the â€Å"Harlem Renaissance†. Out of the Renaissance came poet Langston Hughes. Hughes’ grandparents were abolitionists and worked to instill the same sense of justice into him, which can be seen in his writings

Should Gay Rights Be Legal - 1580 Words

Differences are dreaded by society today just because of a misunderstanding created through incorrect information given. The only change that has been made from the past until now is that there are more of the community that are seen, not embarrassed, not afraid, and no longer willing to hide what makes us happy. Gays, Lesbians, and Transgender have been hiding amongst the ages from the Roman era until current 2012 and even though many look at the community as infection, it is truth that makes us afraid of what we do not understand compared to what is seen. Just like slavery and women’s right, Gay, Lesbian, Quire, and Bisexuals community have been faced with adversity. Gay rights are an ethical issue because there is limitation set for our community due to sexuality. Sexual discrimination is considering a candidate or worker unfavorably because of a person’s sex, or affiliation with a group or groups related with a specific sex. The law forbids discrimination based on sex when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits and any other term or condition of employment. Gender identity discrimination, on the other hand, is more specific to people who don’t conform to stereotypes of gender identity and/or gender expression. Recently, however, some courts have concluded that transgender persons are protected from discrimination under Title VII and other sex discrimination statutes. NeitherShow MoreRelatedWhy The Constitution Should Be Legal956 Words   |  4 Pagesdebate on whether the constitution should be changed to allow gays/lesbians legal status, whereby the partners are protected while in the institution of marriage is a heated debated which has been ongoing in many years. There are those states whereby the rights of gays/lesbians to have legal marriages have been recognized, but in most of the states their right to legal marriage have not been recogn ized. This essay looks at the reasons why the American constitution should be amended to ensure that allRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Banned874 Words   |  4 PagesMany will probably disagree on the grounds that gay rights or same sex marriage should be banned or that it’s wrong under their religions. With that there are many factors that contradict against gay rights, such as religion, child adoption, and divorce just to name a few. Roger Severino, a graduate from Harvard Law School, and has a master in public policy claims the negative collusions that are against gay rights (924). Severino tells us that gay marriage conflicts with religious beliefs becauseRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1144 Words   |  5 PagesGay Marriage There are many issues the revolve around same-sex marriage. Many issues like: Whether same-sex should be legalized and should there be an amendment on same-sex marriage? There are multiple side to view this, but gay marriage but in my opinion gay marriage is socially accepted. it should be legal and it does affect American teens in a broad spectrum of ways. There have been a lot of issues on whether or not same-sex marriage should be legal or not. According to Burns, â€Å" The unionRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal Essay1666 Words   |  7 PagesSupreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry in all 50 US states. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy stated in the majority opinion: The court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them. Marriage between same-sex couples continues to be a heated issue of debate in society today. Denying gay marriage affects gay and lesbian couples and lets people think that is acceptableRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal in All States1632 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen Gay Marriage. Whether same-sex couples should be given the right to marry or even if same-sex couples should be given rights at all, this has been a contentious discussion which creates division and disunity thr oughout the country. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Gay marriage has been legalized in 17 states. But only 19 of 194 countries allow for gay marriage. Statistics show more than half the country supports Gay MarriageRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1205 Words   |  5 PagesRahime-Malik Howard Sociology 1301-93431 Gay Marriage Getting married is something that most people do when they find love, which it is an important event in their life. The GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) community now get the legal right of same-sex marriage, which they have fought for throughout the years; on the other hand, some opponents of same-sex marriage have called for a constitutional change towards it. Although there were some countries that allowed gay marriage before the United StatesRead MoreDomestic Partnerships Should be Legal Essay961 Words   |  4 Pagesthe right for same-sex couples to marry. Shoul d gay marriages be legal? Clearly we as a nation are undecided on this issue. Gay rights groups are fighting for rights while religious groups are fighting against gay marriage. I do NOT believe it is fair to discriminate against gays for being together. America is a free country and people should be able to be in a relationship with whomever they desire. Gay marriage is only legal in a few states. In some of these states, the uniting of two gays isRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1288 Words   |  6 Pagesbecome more open minded with human rights. As of right now, there are ten states that allow gay marriages to be legal. Ten out of fifty is not a lot, but it’s progress. Same-sex marriage is a hostile topic. Some people are against it and others are for it. I am for same-sex marriage because I believe that every human being should be allowed to marry the person they love. Everyone should be treated equal and given the same rights. Why should society have the right to determine who we love and chooseRead MoreGay marriage persuasive essay1663 Words   |  7 PagesGay Marriage in the United States The debate between whether gay marriage should be legalized or not has been a controversial topic recently. In the past twelve years, equal marriage rights have been legalized in 6 states of the U.S.. Eighteen states do not allow gay marriage and do not recognize civil unions. The other twenty six states allow civil unions, and some are debating legalizing gay marriage. Gay marriage should be legal across the United States. Not allowing gay marriage in any stateRead MoreShould Gay Marriage Be Legal? Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesShould gay marriage be legal? Gay marriage should be legal because as woman and man, all individuals have the same right in society; because same-sex couples can constitute a good based family; because it is just a way to make official a common union nowadays, even with the religious issue; because it is not related to polygamy; and because love matters and it does not differ in nature according to the sex of its object or the person who experiences it. The first reason why same sex marriage

Americans with Disabilities Act 1 Free Essays

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act Overview of the ADA of 1990 including its intended purpose, and what governmental agency oversees ADA claims The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) of 1990 was enacted by the United States Congress, signed into law by George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990, and amended in 2009 where some changes were introduced to the act. We will write a custom essay sample on Americans with Disabilities Act 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now ADA is a civil rights’ law that was intended to check against discrimination that can be encountered by disabled persons in the course of accessing certain services or taking part in day-to-day activities. It safeguards disabled persons against any form of bias or prejudice with respect to their condition. Whatever falls under category of disability is normally made on case-to-case basis. However, current substance abuse and visual impairment that can be remedied by lenses are not considered as disabilities by the ADA of 1990. The law was initially intended to guarantee civil right protection for people who were permanently disabled and their disabilities could not be reversed or weakened. The law was enacted enable disable persons access services enjoyed by persons who are not disabled thereby opening their horizons to all types of careers. The drafters wanted the law to be flexible to guard against eminent weakening by future case laws. To enable disabled persons enjoy equal rights with everyone else, President G. W. Bush signed ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) into law on September 2008 (Matt, 1). Title I of the ADA 1990 deals with employment. It empowers people with disability with requisite qualifications to seek for employment in covered entities. People with disabilities can be hired, discharged, compensated, and trained just like any other worker without being discriminated. Agencies that are covered by the law include an employment agencies, labor organizations, and labor management committees. As per Title I, discrimination entails restricting job application in a manner contrary to convention, preventing qualified persons people from applying or taking up job opportunities, or making irrational and illegal job requirements to limit persons with disabilities. If entrance medical examinations have to be done, everybody else should be subjected to the process and the medical records must be treated with a lot of confidentiality. This title does not offer protection to individuals currently engaged in illegal use of drugs (Matt, 1). Title II of the Act deals with Public entities. This title prohibits any form of discrimination that can be met on the people with disability by public entities at local and state levels. Access here implies both physical and pragmatic access. It is supposed to check against discriminatory policies instituted by such public entities. It applies to public transportation that public entities offer (Matt, 1). Title III captures public accommodation and commercial facilities. The title criminalizes discrimination based on disability with special focus on full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, or accommodations of any public accommodation by the proprietors, leasers, or operators. Public accommodation here means recreational facilities, lodgings, transportation, educational, and places of public displays. Under this title, all new constructions have to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines anchored in the Code of Federal Regulations. This title also applies to existing facilities. Exemptions to the regulation provided in the title include private clubs and religious organizations. However, historical properties and other public and private buildings must comply with the provisions of this title and failure may lead to legal proceedings. However, if following usual standards threaten to destroy historical significance of the feature of the building, they are under obligation to use other standards (Matt, 2). Title IV of the ADA deals with telecommunications. This title amended the Communications Act of 1934. All telecommunication companies are required to cater for the needs of the disabled especially the deaf and those with speech impairment (Matt, 3). Title V of ADA deals with miscellaneous provisions that are basically technical provisions. It also includes anti-retaliation or coercion provisions. Many government agencies act in concert to ensure that the ADA of 1990 is implemented. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission presides over employment related ADA provisions. The Department of Transportation regulates statutes related transportation. Other agencies include United States Department of Agriculture, Department of labor, Department of Education, United States Department of Interior, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and Federal Communications Commission (Matt, 4). Statutory definition of â€Å"disability† and â€Å"reasonable accommodation† under the ADA of 1990 The ADA Act of 1990 defines disability as an impairment that substantially limits major life activity. ADA defines impairment as a physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, anatomical, neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive losses. The Act further defines impairment as a mental or psychological disorder. Nevertheless, the explanations of impairment under the ADA regulation do not include physical traits, common personality traits, cultural and economic aspects as these elements come naturally and cannot be altered by man (Matt, 1). The Act excludes certain statutory requirements while trying to define disability like those currently using illegal drugs. Emotional acts such as thought, focus, and making contact with others also make up major life activities in reference to the EEOC. The phrase substantially limits features in the ADA definition of disability. An impairment on qualifies to be a disability if it limits life activities. For an impairment to be referred to as a disability, a person must be meaningfully limited in his or her competency to undertake certain activities relative to the average person drawn from the general public. Some of the very essential aspects to consider in this area are nature and extent of the disability, the time interval that the persons has been disabled, and how the impairment affects the individual’s ability to partake in everyday tasks (Acemoglu and Angrist 920). Reasonable accommodation in the ADA of 1990 protects persons with disabilities by ensuring that other than provision of physical access to buildings and provision of equal access to programs and services, this category of citizens access auxiliary services, aids, and removal of barriers in public utilities provided that this does not create undue administrative or financial burdens. The ADA 1990 defines reasonable ccommodation to entail â€Å"making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible and usable by disabled persons, job restructuring, part time or modified work schedules, re-advertisement to vacant person, acquisition or modification of equipment or devices and appropriate adjustment or modification of examination† (Matt, 5). Discuss the Supreme Court’s decisions in Sutton and Toyota Manufacturing In Williams’s case, The Supreme Court visited the question of severity of a condition that qualifies it to be a protected disability. The Supreme Court held that the employee’s medical condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome was not a disability because it was not substantially limiting. It was further stated that for an impairment to be referred to as a disability, it has to prevent or severely restrict a person from undertaking in tasks that are of essential value to a person in everyday life. The court underscored the need for strict interpretation of the phrase ‘’substantially limits. ’ The ruling in Williams’s case brought into fore the inability of ADA to accommodate cases characterized by dismissal of many disability cases (Raddatz, 2). In Sutton v. United Airlines, the plaintiff sued for discriminative acts by a potential employer. In the case, the plaintiffs were two twin myopic sisters who had applied for employment as commercial pilots but their request was rejected because they did not attain the minimum value for uncorrected eyesight. The Supreme Court held that the question of whether somebody is disabled and thus be protected by ADA must be looked at with reference to all mitigating measures. For instance, if a person is severely limited in undertaking day-to-day activities without medical intervention but is only slightly limited to undertaking these tasks after medical interventions, the medical intervention serves to negate the impairment from being referred to as a disability as outlined in the ADA (Raddatz, 1). The ADAAA of 2008 including its intended purpose and significant changes from the ADA of 1990 The ADAAA 2008 is an Act of the Congress that went into operation on January 1, 2009. It amended the ADA of 1990 and other nondiscrimination laws that were drafted for the good of people with disability at state and federal levels. The amendment was introduced with respect to myriad Supreme Court rulings on ADA 1990. THE Supreme Court decisions were viewed by the members of the United States Congress as limiting the rights of people with disabilities (Schall, pp. 192). The ADAAA indeed reversed those decisions. With respect to ADA Title I, ADAAA changed the definition of disability. It clarified and broadened its definition. One notable contribution of this amendment is to take into consideration of both the employer and employee. With ADAAA 2008, courts are expected to interpret ADA and other Federal disability non-discrimination laws and determine whether the covered entity has discriminated. This law preserves the original meaning definition of law as written in the ADA but alters the way that statutory term should be construed (Matt, 5). Legal analysis of Billy and Mandy’s requests applying both the ADA and ADAAA Based on the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, Mandy’s request should not be honored because she is not substantially limited in her daily activities without using medical interventions like consulting an optician to initiate corrective measures to remedy far sightedness. However, with the ADAAA, her request should be granted because the Act prohibits consideration of medication and low vision devices in determining whether a condition is a disability. Billy Beer’s request has to be granted because according to the Reasonable Accommodation and from the definition of disability in Title I, Billy’s condition is covered and indeed considered a disability. Moreover, ADAAA prioritizes discrimination initiated by covered entity as opposed to whether the person seeking protection under law has impairment that fits the statutory definition of disability. Works Cited Acemoglu, Daron and Angrist, Joshua D. Consequences of Employment Protection? The Case of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Journal of Political Economy 109(6), 2001, 915–957. Matt, Susan. Reasonable Accommodation: What does the Law Really Require. Journal of the Association of Medical Professionals with hearing Loses, 1(1), 2003, 1-13 Raddatz, Alissa. ADA Amendments overrule Supreme Court Decisions on What Constitutes Disability. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2011. Schall, Carol M. The Americans with Disabilities Act—Are We Keeping Our Promise? An Analysis of the Effect of the ADA on the Employment of Persons with Disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation 10(9), 1998, 191-203. How to cite Americans with Disabilities Act 1, Papers