Langston Hughes in “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” talks about how there is a conflict in the African American artist community to act white yet also be true themselves. In a disturbing conversation between Hughes and a young poet, the poet says "I want to be a poet--not a Negro poet," meaning, I believe, "I want to write like a white poet"; meaning subconsciously, "I would like to be a white poet"; meaning behind that, "I would like to be white." Langston Hughes says, “no great poet has ever been afraid of being himself” (1192). I agree with this, but also there is the promise of success that in some cases one sacrifices who they are for monetary gain.
This reminded me of the “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, a popular television show when I was growing up. The show is about a wealthy African American family living in Bel-Air, and their nephew from Philadelphia that has to adjust to his new life. Will Smith’s character is more connected to his African American roots, yet he is taught to behave “less black” in order to gain acceptance into the wealthy, predominantly white society. Carlton is the opposite of Will and fits in and often times gives Will lessons on how to behave. This show is a comedy so often times not looked at for what it is, an encouragement for people to “melt into” the dominant society. It can be argued that “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” gained its popularity because it tells the story of a black man adjusting to a white society. Had it been the story of Will’s character growing up in Philadelphia, would the show have been as successful?
Hughes is attempting to tell people to be themselves and create out of what they know. In the scene below Will and Carlton get pulled over because they are driving a Mercedes and “look suspicious. This is a valuable lesson to Carlton as it opens his eyes past the white society he has grown up in and introduces him to the harsher realities of the world.
Works Cited
"Carlton Learns about Discrimination." Youtube. Web. 15 May 2011.
Hughes, Langston. "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain". ed. Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment