Love as a Driving Force in Black History and Culture

Love is expressed in different ways and is a key term in the black community. The definition of love is an intense feeling of deep affection. In Malcolm X, Things Fall Apart, Raisin in the Sun, and Poetry of The Harlem Renaissance they all express love. Some of them express love in different ways and some express love in similar ways.

RAISIN IN THE SUN

In Raisin in the Sun, a black family live in a small apartment complex where they have to share the bathroom with the whole floor. The people that live in the apartment are Mama which is the mother of two, Beneatha, and Walter Lee. Walter has a wife named Ruth and they had a kid named Travis. No matter how broke or poor they are they still love each other. There is always a problem in the house for example Walter is mad at his family because no one understands him. “Nobody in this house is ever going to understand me!” This quote shows him yelling at his family because he was mad that they didn’t understand him. Even if he is mad he still loves and supports his family for example Walter talks to his son Travis about his future which it states. “Just tell me where you want to go to school and you’ll go. Just tell me what it is you want to be – and you’ll be it ...Whatever you want to be.” The quote shows that Walter wants his son to be whatever he wants to be and he will be there no matter what.

MALCOLM X

Malcolm X also expressed love with the black community. Malcolm fought for black rights and everyone looked up to him. He grew up in a poor neighborhood and when he got older he became a gangster his name was Red. He got involved in drug dealing, gambling, and prostitution later on, he was sent to jail for ten years for sleeping with white women and robbery. In jail, Malcolm X joined the black Muslim community and changed his life when he got out of jail he fought for the rights of blacks. Malcolm X did speeches in front of huge crowds who all believed he could help them for example,“In fact, by then, I didn't really have much feeling about being a Negro, because I was trying so hard, in every way I could, to be white. Which is why I am spending much of my life today telling the American black man that he's wasting his time straining to 'integrate.' I know from personal experience. I tried hard enough.” This quote states him talking to his fellow brothers and sisters trying to motivate them that we can’t just give up. Malcolm also tried to get a proper education for blacks. “Later, I remember, we came to the textbook section on Negro history. It was exactly one paragraph long. Mr. Williams laughed through it practically in a single breath, reading aloud how the Negroes had been slaves and then were freed, and how they were usually lazy and dumb and shiftless.” It states here he was showing his people why they need a proper education because the whites think that the black community is dumb.

POETRY OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

During the Harlem Renaissance, the black community wrote a lot of poetry to express their feelings and their love for each other because the Harlem Renaissance was a hard time for the black community. For example, this poem “poem” by Helene Johnson talks about her feelings about a jazz boy. “And I love your eyes flashing, and your hands, and your patent-leathered feet, and your shoulders jerking the jig-wa.” this quote states that she is in love with the jazz player and jazz was a big thing for the black community during the Harlem Renaissance. Also in another poem Fantasy by Gwendolyn Bennet he talks about a beautiful black lady. “I sailed in my dreams to the Land of Night where you were the dusk-eyed queen.” This quote states that the queen was a beautiful black lady.

THINGS FALL APART

In Things Fall Apart a man named Okonkwo lived in a tribe in Africa. He is a strong warrior in his tribe, but he is a very violent person. He had to take in a kid from another tribe, the kid's name was Ikemefuna. Okonkwo grew very affectionate with Ikemefuna like it was his own son and Okonkwo is a person who wouldn’t show or share their feelings. “Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy – inwardly of course…there was no doubt that he liked the boy.” This is evidence that even though Okonkwo acts like he has no feelings he shows love to his adopted son Ikemefuna. He also shows love for his mom.“Then quite suddenly a thought came upon him. His mother might be dead. He tried in vain to force the thought out of his mind.” This shows that he is scared for his mother because he loves his mother even though he is a hard person.

The black community has been through a lot but they have enough time to show and share love to one another. Even though you live in a poor neighborhood like in Raisin in The Sun and Malcolm X there is still love. Also if you are a hard person or an unaffectionate person there is still love in you. Even if you are getting beat, getting made fun of, and fighting for your rights you can still show love in any type of way like music or poetry like the Harlem Renaissance.