Langston Hughes within his collection The Ways of White Folks depicts different platonic and romantic interracial relationships that occurred during the Harlem Renaissance. Following the United States’ ideologies concerning black primitivism, white Americans used the Harlem Renaissance to explore their fascination with the primitives/African Americans. By analyzing the different relationships between white man-black woman, white woman-black man, white man-black man and white woman-black woman, Hughes shows how white Americans are influenced by America’s racist history and how the discourse of primitivism has evolved from the 16th century into the 19th century. Using diction, free indirect discourse in combination with dramatic juxtaposition and contrast of opposing points of view, dramatic irony and humor, Hughes re-frames the white framing strategies that white Americans used to attempt to demean and control African Americans, and instead privileges African Americans and returns autonomy back to them.

Links to Project Materials:

College of Arts & Sciences 2020, Humanities Projects 2020