What is it to be black? What is it to be white? Why are so many people looking to fit under a color's stereotype? To be born black is no longer the only factor or standard of "blackness." Langston Hughes is a highly celebrated and commended author of the Harlem Renaissance. In his essay, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain," he addresses the mental state of one "Negro" artist wishing to be known as a poet, but not as a black one. Hughes takes this as saying that this man is trying to be and subconsciously wants to be white. In this I can agree. Langston tells of the subconscious effect on blacks, the different standards of blackness versus whiteness, and what is perceived to be a Negro artist in America.
The outline for the Negro artist in America was to use broken language, jazz rhythms, and urban stories. Anything more was perceived to be "white." Black readers wanted to hear about topics other than those that referred to their culture. Whites preferred black poets to focus solely on the dealings of their own personal backgrounds. Stereotypes were what whites wanted blacks to portray; on the other hand, blacks only wanted respectable description.
There are said differences within the conflict of standards between blackness and whiteness. Whites are seen to be landowners, politicians, and attorneys, while blacks are expected to be "less than." When blacks obtain this status of "whiteness," they tend to look down upon the distinct identity
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