Harlem Literature

The reading The Negro Digs Up His Past I believe is an interesting piece because the author (Arhtur A. Schomburg) wants the reader to feel the need and desire to know his past and to remember the struggles that his ancestor has been through and what it took to get us to the place that we are at in society today. He also wants us to know our past, to never forget where we came from, and to never think that we always belonged in society because some of us have forgotten where we come from and believe that we are better than other members of our African American race. Also, Marcus Garvey wrote two wonderful persuasive essays that were for his cause in having us to move back to Africa. These pieces were well written and were not overwritten like some of his contemporarie's literary pieces during this time with long words that either bored the reader or made them drift off in their thinking. Marcus Garvey spoke in more simpler terms. The part of his essay, Africa for the Africans that I really liked was the part that spoke on those Negroes that assumed just because they were going back to Africa they thought they were going to rule over the native Africans. These kind of opportunists were not wanted and were not welcome. I enjoyed this because to this day you have blacks that are like this and think they are better than others. I read and see these kind of people daily and am sad for their ignorance. Time has not stopped for people like this and they are always available and make you feel ashamed to be an African American sometimes because of the way they talk to there own people but with other races they concede and show favoritism towards people that is not of their own stock. The second essay, The Future As I See It, speaks of the potential for Africa to become a powerful nation with the African Americans coming home and the aristocracy that we created through hard work and determination.