Alain Locke’s The New Negro: Aspects of Negro Culture Essay

Alain Locke, in â€Å"The New Negro,† suggests that the â€Å"old Negro† is really nothing more than a myth or an ideal. He talks about the fact that there are aspects of Negro culture – such as the spiritual – that were beaten down but were accepted when finally allowed to emerge. Locke then takes a look at some trends, including the tendency toward moving â€Å"city-ward,† and says these are not because of poor or even violent conditions in the south nor of the industry in the north. Instead, he attributes this migration to â€Å"a new vision of opportunity. † Locke then points out that the Negro is willing to work for better conditions and that this migration is not only toward the city and away from the country life, but also away from the old ways and toward the new. New Negro is a term popularized during the Harlem Renaissance implying a more outspoken advocacy of dignity and a refusal to submit quietly to the practices and laws of Jim Crow racial segregation. The term â€Å"New Negro† was made popular by Alain LeRoy Locke. The New Negro,† Locke described the landscape of Harlem as filled by different notions of what it meant to be a black American. -Old Negro† as â€Å"more myth than a man† and the blind acceptance of this â€Å"formula† against ideas of â€Å"the thinking Negro† and the true diversity of actual human beings This move is significant because Locke uses this idea to create space for a more accurate representation of the Negro community in light of the antecedent ideological poles of the moral leadership and imaged blackness. Locke’s primary goal in the essay â€Å"The New Negro† is to migrate from monolithic notions of an â€Å"Old Negro†, as well as from the exhausted frameworks of bourgeois intellectual black leadership toward an idea that gives creative agency and credibility to the â€Å"rank and file† of Negro life (Locke, New Negro: 6). -New Negro† as a means of rediscovering individuality of voice in the context of community. –// In a 1925 essay entitled â€Å"The New Negro,† Alain Locke described this transformation as an embracing of a new psychology and spirit. Locke felt that it was imperative for the â€Å"New Negro† to â€Å"smash† all of the racial, social and psychological obstacles that had previously kept the Black man from reaching his goals. –â€Å"The intelligent Negro of today is resolved not to make discrimination an extenuation for his shortcomings in performance, individual or collective; he is trying to hold himself at par, neither inflated by sentimental allowances nor depreciated by current social discounts â€Å"By shedding the old chrysalis of the Negro problem we are achieving something like a spiritual emancipation â€Å"Negro life is not only establishing new contacts and founding new centers, it is finding a new soul â€Å"So for generations in the mind of America, the Negro has been more of a formula than a human being –a something to be argued about, condemned or defended, to be â€Å"kept down,† or â€Å"in his place,† or â€Å"helped up,† to be worried with or worried over, harassed or patronized, a social bogey or a social burden? † â€Å"In the intellectual realm a renewed and keen curiosity is replacing the recent apathy; the Negro is being carefully studied, not just talked about and discussed. In art and letters, instead of being wholly caricatured, he is being seriously portray eel and painted. Alain Locke, in â€Å"The New Negro,† suggests that the â€Å"old Negro† is really nothing more than a myth or an ideal. He talks about the fact that there are aspects of Negro culture – such as the spiritual – that were beaten down but were accepted when finally allowed to emerge. Locke then takes a look at some trends, including the tendency toward moving â€Å"city-ward,† and says these are not because of poor or even violent conditions in the south nor of the industry in the north. Instead, he attributes this migration to â€Å"a new vision of opportunity. † Locke then points out that the Negro is willing to work for better conditions and that this migration is not only toward the city and away from the country life, but also away from the old ways and toward the new. New Negro is a term popularized during the Harlem Renaissance implying a more outspoken advocacy of dignity and a refusal to submit quietly to the practices and laws of Jim Crow racial segregation. The term â€Å"New Negro† was made popular by Alain LeRoy Locke. The New Negro,† Locke described the landscape of Harlem as filled by different notions of what it meant to be a black American. -Old Negro† as â€Å"more myth than a man† and the blind acceptance of this â€Å"formula† against ideas of â€Å"the thinking Negro† and the true diversity of actual human beings This move is significant because Locke uses this idea to create space for a more accurate representation of the Negro community in light of the antecedent ideological poles of the moral leadership and imaged blackness. Locke’s primary goal in the essay â€Å"The New Negro† is to migrate from monolithic notions of an â€Å"Old Negro†, as well as from the exhausted frameworks of bourgeois intellectual black leadership toward an idea that gives creative agency and credibility to the â€Å"rank and file† of Negro life (Locke, New Negro: 6). -New Negro† as a means of rediscovering individuality of voice in the context of community. –// In a 1925 essay entitled â€Å"The New Negro,† Alain Locke described this transformation as an embracing of a new psychology and spirit. Locke felt that it was imperative for the â€Å"New Negro† to â€Å"smash† all of the racial, social and psychological obstacles that had previously kept the Black man from reaching his goals. –â€Å"The intelligent Negro of today is resolved not to make discrimination an extenuation for his shortcomings in performance, individual or collective; he is trying to hold himself at par, neither inflated by sentimental allowances nor depreciated by current social discounts â€Å"By shedding the old chrysalis of the Negro problem we are achieving something like a spiritual emancipation â€Å"Negro life is not only establishing new contacts and founding new centers, it is finding a new soul â€Å"So for generations in the mind of America, the Negro has been more of a formula than a human being –a something to be argued about, condemned or defended, to be â€Å"kept down,† or â€Å"in his place,† or â€Å"helped up,† to be worried with or worried over, harassed or patronized, a social bogey or a social burden? † â€Å"In the intellectual realm a renewed and keen curiosity is replacing the recent apathy; the Negro is being carefully studied, not just talked about and discussed. In art and letters, instead of being wholly caricatured, he is being seriously portray eel and painted. Alain Locke, in â€Å"The New Negro,† suggests that the â€Å"old Negro† is really nothing more than a myth or an ideal. He talks about the fact that there are aspects of Negro culture – such as the spiritual – that were beaten down but were accepted when finally allowed to emerge. Locke then takes a look at some trends, including the tendency toward moving â€Å"city-ward,† and says these are not because of poor or even violent conditions in the south nor of the industry in the north. Instead, he attributes this migration to â€Å"a new vision of opportunity. † Locke then points out that the Negro is willing to work for better conditions and that this migration is not only toward the city and away from the country life, but also away from the old ways and toward the new. New Negro is a term popularized during the Harlem Renaissance implying a more outspoken advocacy of dignity and a refusal to submit quietly to the practices and laws of Jim Crow racial segregation. The term â€Å"New Negro† was made popular by Alain LeRoy Locke. The New Negro,† Locke described the landscape of Harlem as filled by different notions of what it meant to be a black American. -Old Negro† as â€Å"more myth than a man† and the blind acceptance of this â€Å"formula† against ideas of â€Å"the thinking Negro† and the true diversity of actual human beings This move is significant because Locke uses this idea to create space for a more accurate representation of the Negro community in light of the antecedent ideological poles of the moral leadership and imaged blackness. Locke’s primary goal in the essay â€Å"The New Negro† is to migrate from monolithic notions of an â€Å"Old Negro†, as well as from the exhausted frameworks of bourgeois intellectual black leadership toward an idea that gives creative agency and credibility to the â€Å"rank and file† of Negro life (Locke, New Negro: 6). -New Negro† as a means of rediscovering individuality of voice in the context of community. –// In a 1925 essay entitled â€Å"The New Negro,† Alain Locke described this transformation as an embracing of a new psychology and spirit. Locke felt that it was imperative for the â€Å"New Negro† to â€Å"smash† all of the racial, social and psychological obstacles that had previously kept the Black man from reaching his goals. –â€Å"The intelligent Negro of today is resolved not to make discrimination an extenuation for his shortcomings in performance, individual or collective; he is trying to hold himself at par, neither inflated by sentimental allowances nor depreciated by current social discounts â€Å"By shedding the old chrysalis of the Negro problem we are achieving something like a spiritual emancipation â€Å"Negro life is not only establishing new contacts and founding new centers, it is finding a new soul â€Å"So for generations in the mind of America, the Negro has been more of a formula than a human being –a something to be argued about, condemned or defended, to be â€Å"kept down,† or â€Å"in his place,† or â€Å"helped up,† to be worried with or worried over, harassed or patronized, a social bogey or a social burden? † â€Å"In the intellectual realm a renewed and keen curiosity is replacing the recent apathy; the Negro is being carefully studied, not just talked about and discussed. In art and letters, instead of being wholly caricatured, he is being seriously portray eel and painted. Alain Locke, in â€Å"The New Negro,† suggests that the â€Å"old Negro† is really nothing more than a myth or an ideal. He talks about the fact that there are aspects of Negro culture – such as the spiritual – that were beaten down but were accepted when finally allowed to emerge. Locke then takes a look at some trends, including the tendency toward moving â€Å"city-ward,† and says these are not because of poor or even violent conditions in the south nor of the industry in the north. Instead, he attributes this migration to â€Å"a new vision of opportunity. † Locke then points out that the Negro is willing to work for better conditions and that this migration is not only toward the city and away from the country life, but also away from the old ways and toward the new.