Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 122

Summary - Essay Example which contributed to the development of the New Negro movement and culture. The book helps us better understand the reasons and realms of political and social struggle of Afro American people as well as get acquainted with the major cultural achievements of the time. Lewiss article â€Å"The City of Refuge† may be nominally divided into two sections: in the first part the author gives an overview of lifestyle and conditions in Harlem of the late 1910s, while another part is dedicated to Marcus Garvey – his biography, views and activity. Action is majorly focused between 130th to 145th Streets, where the number of Afro American inhabitants was the highest. â€Å"Everybody in Harlem was rich†, - David Lewis (1997) wrote. Hotels, cabarets, vaudeville houses, casinos were everywhere in Harlem. They brought together talented and famous composers, musicians, singers, dancers, poets and others. It was the time when â€Å"Negro† music such as jazz and dances became popular all over America. Names of Jim Europe, Irene and Vernon Castle, Nick la Rocca were well-known and celebrated far beyond Harlem. At the same time, Harlem was a â€Å"forum for serious racial palaver† (Lewis, 1997), where the views of Marcus Garvey were hears for the first time. Bearing pan-African ideas, he stayed for the recognition of African nationality, proclaimed the necessity of creating the country of New Africa that would be a motherland for Negros all over the world, defended ethnic identity and equal rights with â€Å"whites† of â€Å"black† people. Another Lewiss article â€Å"Stars† outlines lives and works of four outstanding poets of Harlem Renaissance: Claude McKay, Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen. In their poems and ballads, authors strove to â€Å"promote racial advancement through artistic creativity† (Lewis, 1997) and showed that â€Å"black† poetry can be not least worthy than non-blacks. These poets laid