BookAnalysis: Harlem Renaissance and New Historicism
BigTwo-Hearted River by Hemmingway is a story about living with memoriesand heartaches that the World War I caused. It is a psychologicalstory that narrates the fictional life of Nick Adams nevertheless,it also depicts Hemingway’s troubled mind due to his experiencesduring the war. His mind was turbulent and we see this from hissymbolic images that illustrates an individual’s suffering(Stewart, 2001). The biggest event and inspiration of this story ishis fishing trip with his friends at Michigan well as his experiencesduring his service at the World War I.
YetDo I marvel by Cullen is a poem that tries to analyze the narrator’srelationship with God as well as the imperfections of the world. Thenarrator talks about his role and place in this world. According toCullen, it is difficult for human beings to understand why thingshappen the way they do. One of the classical reference of Cullen inhis poem is the Greek reference of numerouno.Tantalus is brought out as a classical reference to the Greek cultureand mythology (Beach, 2003). Tantalus is tortured by a forbiddenfruit which references a black poet who is not allowed to sing. Thereference to the Greek culture is a depiction of Cullen’s owneducation and his ability to write poems in a way that the whiteswrote in the past. In this reference, he is trying to put his pointacross that he deserves to be heard just like the whites because hecan write and sing just like them.
TheNegro Speaks of Rivers is a poem by Langston Hughes he tries to showus the meaning of being a black American. Rivers have beensymbolically used in this poem one of the symbolic meaning of riversis that they represent the history and timelessness of humanity(Hughes & Earl, 2009). This is because they have been known to beancient in the history of the earth. He also illustrates that riversare like the soul it (the soul) is so deep. Nevertheless, this isalso likened to the never ending quest to know ones identity.
WorksCited
Stewart,Matthew. Modernismand Tradition in Ernest Hemingway`s in Our Time: A Guide for Studentsand Readers.Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2001. Print.
Hughes,Langston, and Earl B. Lewis. TheNegro Speaks of Rivers.New York: Disney Jump at the Sun Books, 2009. Print.
Beach,Christopher. TheCambridge Introduction to Twentieth-Century American Poetry.Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2003. Print.