Time Period: Harlem Renaissance

Dates: Published in 1929, set in 1920s

Point of View: Third Person Limited

Themes: Race, Identity, Censored Sexuality, Beauty, Standards

Connection: Nella Larson’s Passing speaks in detail of the experiences of African Americans in New York before the “New Negro Movement”. Larson comments on Clare’s lifestyle by saying how she “cared nothing for the race. She only belonged to it” (182). This shows that, as a black woman, Clare had no choice but to try and fit in with white people in order to not be discriminated against, leaving her true identity behind for a better life. Larson also states, “Irene Redfield wished, for the first time in her life that she had not been born a Negro” (258). The standards of society were so harsh on African Americans during this time that it led someone who used to be comfortable in their own skin to wish they were a different color. 

Time Period: The Great Depression

Dates: Published in 1937, set in Early 1900s

Point of View: Third Person Omniscient 

Themes: Judgment, Gender roles, Fulfillment, Independence, Love

Connection: The novel written by Nora Neal Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, took place during the Great Depression following the stock market crash of 1929. The unfortunate events prior to this story are alluded to in Hurston’s writing: “Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board” (1). This shows the theme of fulfillment during this time, as many people who lost everything develop dreams and desires to follow through with. The painful reality though, is that the state of the country will not allow these desires to be fulfilled. Hurston also states, “They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God” (236). Having no one else to look towards, many people would try to look at God for judgment and approval in order to move forward during this time.

Time Period: Post Modernism Poetry

Dates: Published in 2020, set 2020

Point of View: First Person

Themes: Hope, Reality, Repetition, Physical life, Individuality

Connection: MIT student Maisha M. Prome’s poem, “Alive”, is a direct representation of what life was like during the Coronavirus pandemic during 2020. Prome writes, “Still can’t go outside but we can go to the rooftop” (5), showing the individuality, reality, and physical life during the Coronavirus pandemic by illustrating how the most freedom one had during the pandemic was on their rooftop. Another allusion to the pandemic is when Prome says how “the city WAS alive” (7) rather than “is”. This can be inferred because of how the streets went silent during the pandemic, trapping everyone in their house repeating the same uneventful cycle.