Brother to Brother

Even though the film Brother to Brother was made and takes place about 75 years after the Harlem Renaissance, many of the themes from that time period in Harlem are still illustrated in the movie. Racial identification, pride, a determination to fight against oppression, and Negro heritage and history are present in Brother to Brother.

In the film, the main character is a black gay boy named Perry. His parents kicked him out of their house when they found out he was gay, and Perry struggles to live openly and freely. He meets Richard Bruce Nugent, a famous gay black poet and writer from the Harlem Renaissance. Nugent befriends Perry, and tells him about his similar struggles for blacks to have their voices be heard as powerful ones. Nugent, along with Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Aaron Douglas, and Wallace Thurman tried to publish a Zine called “Fire!” that contained pieces on sex, prostitution, drugs, and other sensitive subjects from the view of blacks, a change for the public. However, it was looked down upon by the rest of the black community, called “trash”, thought of as something that brought a bad name to Negroes.  This part of Brother to Brother depicts the theme of racial identification beautifully. It shows how a few revolutionary blacks tried to show the rest of the world what blacks really were, thought, and stood for.

Pride is a reoccurring theme in Brother to Brother.  From the start of the film, we learn that Perry, although discriminated against for being gay, is very proud of who he is. He is open about it, and doesn’t change anything about his life to better fit in anywhere. When Perry meets Nugent, we discover that he is very much the same-a proud, gay black man who is frustrated that he cannot openly voice who he is without being looked down upon for it. When Nugent tells Perry about his younger years in Harlem during the Renaissance, we see that Nugent was also an extremely proud young black man. Along with Hughes, Hurston, Douglas, and Thurman, he wanted more than anything to show the world who he really was.  He had the courage to try to publish his works about his views of the world, with full knowledge of the risks and public view of most Negroes. Nugent shows Perry that he is and has never been alone in his fight, and pride is shared from brother to brother.

Nugent, Hughes and the others have a strong determination to fight against oppression in Brother to Brother. They all are very aware that blacks face serious oppression, but nobody in Harlem has the courage to do anything about it. The five of them have the idea to start a Zine that would change the public’s view of blacks, and move towards and end to the oppression. When Nugent’s Zine isn’t published, and the rest of the black community becomes angry and hateful about “Fire!” he and the rest of his team don’t give up for a second. During the scene when the group of black men and women are burning copies of “Fire!” and shouting at Nugent and the others for creating such “garbage”, Nugent shouts right back at them, trying desperately to convince them that what they were trying to publish was for the good, to show the public that blacks weren’t just dirt, they were better than that. This Zine would bring hope to the Negro community, and maybe put an end to the bitter oppression they all face.

 
Negro heritage and history is the most apparent and focused on theme in Brother to Brother. The entire aspect of Richard Nugent’s flashbacks to the Harlem Renaissance when he is telling Perry about his life is a reference and a tribute to Negro heritage and history. Nugent describes Harlem in the 20’s as a predominantly black city, despite the fact that they were still segregated against. He tells Perry about the many brave and inspirational men and women who had the courage to become something more than a black citizen-they became icons of Harlem, the very roots of the Renaissance. The singers, the swing dancers, the people who ran clubs, provided alcohol, spoke up about their struggles, and like Nugent, wrote and sold poems about their lives. Brother to Brother is all about celebrating the beauty and splendor of the Harlem Renaissance, a key era in black history.

Incident

Incident

Once riding in old Baltimore,

Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,

I saw a Baltimorean

Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,

And he was no whit bigger,

And so I smiled, but he poked out

His tongue, and called me, "Nigger."

I saw the whole of Baltimore

From May until December;

Of all the things that happened there

That's all that I remember.

-Countee Cullen


In Incident, Cullen tells the story of going to Baltimore as a young boy, and on the way there, another boy his age calls him the "N" word. He is in Baltimore for the better part of a year, and that was the most significant incident to him. He is saying that this incident preceded his entire trip to Baltimore, and that that was what the rest of is stay there was essentially like. 


Incident shows negro heritage and history, in the sense that this was how many blacks were treated in public. There was a severe lack of respect for blacks outside of Harlem, and everyone knew it. Whites felt that they had a certain right to treat blacks poorly, despite their age or intentions.


Cullen uses rhyme in his poem, seen when the last words of the first and last lines rhyme. This is probably the most common poetic device used among poets, especially during the Harlem Renaissance. There are few poems from this time period that did not use rhyme.


When I first saw this poem, I decided I wanted to use it because I felt that the subject of Incident was completely relevant to some of the issues of the Harlem Renaissance. I also chose it because Countee Cullen was one equal to Langston Hughes as far as fame and writing skill goes. He writes beautifully, and knows exactly how to get his message and thoughts across. 

Tableau

Tableau

Locked arm in arm they cross the way,

   The black boy and the white,

The golden splendor of the day,

   The sable pride of night.

From lowered blinds the dark folk stare,

   And here the fair folk talk,

Indignant that these two should dare

   In unison to walk.

Oblivious to look and work

   They pass, and see no wonder

That lightning brilliant as a sword

   Should blaze the path of thunder. 

-Countee Cullen


Cullen's poem talks about the unheard of equality and unity between whites and blacks, and the dream of it one day being normal. He uses the metaphor of a white boy and a black boy together, arm in arm, being stared at by indignant whites and blacks from their homes. The third and final stanza compares the white and black boys to thunder and lightning, in the sense that there is no question about them going together. In this way, Cullen expresses his view of culture in the 20's, and how he hopes it can one day change to be. 


Tableau illustrates a determination to fight against oppression, from the way Cullen used, "From lowered blinds the dark folk stare, 
And here the fair folk talk". 
There is subtle oppression against white and black unity, even if it is not direct. In addition, there is a desire to reconstruct the meaning of "negro" apparent in Tableau. Countee Cullen expresses his hope that one day, instead of being looked down upon, negroes can be looked at as equals with whites, that they can walk arm in arm, without staring and talking from indignant passers by. 


In Tableau, we see symbolism and rhyme. Symbolism is apparent when Cullen uses the metaphor of thunder and lightning to talk about the normality of blacks and whites together in harmony-
"They pass, and see no wonder
That lightning brilliant as a sword

Should blaze the path of thunder.

Rhyme is seen throughout Tableau-the last word of every other line rhymes. 

I chose Cullen's Tableau because what he writes about was still a relevant issue when it was written. It is a true Harlem Renaissance poem, especially because it was written by one of the more famous poets of that time. I personally like the poem because of its sheer beauty, how easily it flows, and creates an image in my mind of what Cullen was thinking. His thoughts become words in Tableau perfectly.

Harlem Portrait

This is a portrait of a crowded street in Harlem. Everyone is on their way to work, home, or wherever they will be for the day. Almost every person in the photo is black, with the exception of three of four whites scattered around. In the center of the picture is another photographer taking a picture of the crowd from a different spot.

In this picture, I see racial identification, a desire to reconstruct the meaning of "negro", and negro heritage and history. Racial identification comes from the aspect that just about everybody in the picture is black. The photographer wanted to show that Harlem was a black city. The way many are dressed in the photograph shows a desire to reconstruct the meaning of "negro". The men are seen in suits, nice hats, and ties. the women in large hats, and fancy dresses. There is an overall look of clean, distinguished, and proper about the black citizens of Harlem. In addition, the photographer wanted this era of negro heritage and history to be remembered in a good light, which is why he chose this particular shot to capture.

I chose this photo as a real-life example of what a typical moment in Harlem would have looked like. Painters can depict what they see, express it through drawing, but a photo shows what really happened. This one shows not just what was happening that second, but what Harlem in the 1920's looked like every day, all day.

I like this photo in particular because of how real it is. You can see that nobody posed, tried to look happier, busier, or more professional. Everyone is being themselves, which is a personal preference of mine, and makes for a more accurate picture of Harlem, which was what I was searching for in the first place.

Saturday Night Fever

This picture shows a classy restaurant in Harlem on any given Saturday night. Music is playing, everyone is enjoying themselves, and some are moved to start dancing. The restaurant is predominantly filled with blacks, although there are a few whites present. It is a perfect example of what most bars, restaurants, or jazz clubs in Harlem looked like at night.

Negro heritage and history is clearly reflected here-the picture captures the pinnacle of negro history, the time when blacks flourished most. They are seen celebrated, happy, and as the very source of the Harlem Renaissance. Pride is also seen in the way the picture almost only shows blacks in the bar, and that the only woman dancing in the center is black.

I chose this picture because it so accurately depicts the heart of what was going on during the Harlem Renaissance. It captures the mood, the reality, and what the HR is remembered by perfectly. Even the way it's painted-the movement, the colors-emphasizes black culture in the 20's.

I like the picture mainly because of how alive it is. I get the feeling of dancing, music, singing, happy chattering, warmth, and joy. The colors and positions of everyone in the room tell me exactly what's going on, leaving no questions. It's lovely to look at, and lovely to think about.

A Swing Dancing Showdown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myJj0mNNe1Y

This is a video of a Lindy Hop showdown at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee in 2006. The Lindy Hop was one of the most popular swing dances during the HR. Lindy is a fusion of many dances, but is mainly based on jazz and tap. It is frequently described as a jazz dance and is a member of the swing dance family.


As white people began going to Harlem to watch black dancers, according to Langston Hughes: "The lindy-hoppers at the Savoy even began to practice acrobatic routines, and to do absurd things for the entertainment of the whites, that probably never would have entered their heads to attempt for their own effortless amusement." "Air steps" or "aerials" such as the Hip to Hip, Side Flip, and Over the Back (the names describe the motion of the woman in the air) began to appear in 1936. These steps make up much of what we see the Lindy as today.


I chose this particular video of the Lindy Hop because it is a great example of a part of history, particularly the Harlem Renaissance, that has lived on to today. It made such a huge impact on Harlem and those who saw it that it was carried on, and is now still practiced.