Discussion
The readings highlight the harsh realities suffered by the black community in America due to race and discrimination. The artistic works of Hurston and Hughes uncover the theme of freedom reflected through the struggles of African Americans. Zora Neal Hurston in her article “How It Feels To Be Colored” represents how black people feel indifferent due to the mistreatment that they receive from American whites. In the article, she tries to convey the belief that black people have dreams, but society treats them as black. Her comment “I am the granddaughter of slaves” reflects how difficult it is for the black people to remove the slavery tags (Nordquist).
Hurston in her article “Six Gilded Beats” also focused on the theme of freedom and associated it with the struggles of the black community. The artistic responsibility of the author appears as she tries to educate society about the adversities of discrimination. Hurston exhibits socio-political responsibilities as she mentions, “wish I could be like these darkies” (Hurston). The author tries to explain to the readers about how society can end racism and discrimination.
Artistic freedom is also visible in Langston Hughes poem “I, too.” The poet tries to fulfill his artistic responsibility by recreating events of the society that resulted in inequality and injustices. Socio-political aspects are visible in the line, “I am a darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen” (Hughes). Through his views, he tries to educate the readers that treating black people differently adds to their miseries and tragedies of life. The poet promotes the idea of freedom and equality. Hurston and Hughes in the sources exhibit artistic responsibilities as they play the vital role in representing repercussions of racially segregated society. The authors through socio-political opinions convince the readers to eliminate the destructive practices of race and inequality.
Work Cited
Hughes, Langston. I, Too. 04 04 2018 <https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/i-too>.
Hurston, Zora Neale. “The Gilded Six-Bits.” 2013. 04 04 2018 <https://biblioklept.org/2013/02/02/the-gilded-six-bits-zora-neale-hurston/>.
Nordquist, Richard. How It Feels to Be Colored Me, by Zora Neale Hurston. 2017. 04 04 2018 <https://www.thoughtco.com/how-it-feels-to-be-colored-me-by-zora-neale-hurston-1688772>
