Du Bois' Artistic Blueprint

Paper Summary:

This paper shows how Hughes and Cullen follow Du Bois' prescription in their creations of black art. The author focuses on Hughes' poem "Ballad of the Landlord" and Cullen's poem "From the Dark Tower," and derives his definition of Du Bois' artistic prescription from his essay "Criteria of Negro Art."

From the paper:

"Amidst the prevailing racial injustice during the Harlem Renaissance, W.E.B. Du Bois charges black artists to use their art to send a message to society: a message of unity to the blacks, and a message rejecting their so-called inferiority to the whites. Black art, Du Bois insisted, should be used as a weapon against racism, demonstrating blacks? worthiness of American status and their ability to conceive Beauty in their art. Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes, whether intentionally or not, followed the artistic specifications set forth by W.E.B. Du Bois in their respective creations "From the Dark Tower" and "Ballad of the Landlord."

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