On James Weldon Johnson’s “The Autobiography of an...

When the narrator of Johnson’s novel falls in love, it is to music he turns to express that emotion to his intended one (149). She in turn answered in kind, letting the notes and tempo combine with her words in expression of her love returned to him. The relevance of music in Johnson’s novel should not be undercut by the other issues within the confines of his text. Exploring the meaning of this inclusion will be to explore the theme of music itself. It will encompass the examination of the style of music, the generation in which the story takes place along with the issues of race. Johnson’s use of music to develop a story line and illuminate the various issues and themes of his novel is a demonstration of his love of the art form along†¦show more content†¦This is fitting with the rest of the narrator’s description of these times. The closeness of mother and son, the evenings usually ending with the boy in his mother’s arms while she †Å"croon [s} some old melody without words† (5). The narrator notes during these times, his mother would look into the fire â€Å"with great dark eyes, †¦to where? No one knew but her† (5). This image personifies a surreal moment when music takes the heart and mind to another time and place. The two were in harmony with each other, he forming the background of her existence while she lived each day in a pleasing manner of daily routine and motherly instruction. From this the narrator takes the reader through the development of his attachment to the art form. His talent, which expanded during his young childhood and the early thumping on the piano, evolved into his adulthood styling of ragtime. His early instruction happened in the form of a woman and her daughter, each of whom taught the young narrator in music and in general education. This formed a basic foundation in the fundamentals of music which enabled the narrator to build his musical repertoire. Later and w ith the aid of a new instructor, the label of â€Å"infant prodigy† was used to describe the level of talent in possession of the narrator (18). The author employs much into the descriptions of the narrator’s early development in music and his training, not only in hymns and old melodies, but in the classics also.Show MoreRelatedPassing in James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man1105 Words   |  5 PagesIn 1912, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man was anonymously published by James Weldon Johnson. It is the narrative of a light-skinned man wedged between two racial categories; the offspring of a white father and a black mother, The Ex-Colored man is visibly white but legally classified as black. Wedged between these two racial categories, the man chooses to â€Å"pass† to the white society. In Passing: When People Can’t Be Who They Are, Brooke Kroeger describes â€Å"passing† as an act when â€Å"people effectively Read More James Weldon Johnson Essay654 Words   |  3 PagesJames Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), was a highly talented and celebrated African American writer. He was a poet, songwriter, novelist, literary critic, and essayist. Along with his wide-ranging literary accomplishments, Johnson also served as a school principal, professor of literature at Fisk University, attorney, a diplomatic consul for the United States in Venezuelaand Nicaragua, and secretary for the NAACP from 1920-1930. He is considered one of the founders of the HarlemRead MoreAmerican Architecture : Constructing An Identity1434 Words   |  6 Pagesidentities have been at the epicenter of many works of art throughout American culture as can be seen in: Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, film â€Å"Modern Times,† Bessie Smith’s â€Å"T’ain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do,† and James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. For starters, both Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Crane and â€Å"Modern Times† describe a woman with a lack of agency. Cranes novel focuses on the central figure of Maggie. Maggie exemplifies a woman that comes from a poorRead More Racial Identity in The Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man Essay1327 Words   |  6 Pagesduring this period, one must take a look at its literature. 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The Autobiography of an Ex Colored Man explores the way racial identity is socially constructed within legally sanctioned forms of racism and discriminationRead MoreJames Weldon Johnson s The Autobiography Of An Former Colored Man And Nella Larsen s Passing3489 Words   |  14 PagesThe Theme of Passing, Racial Prejudice and Internalized Racism in James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Nella Larsen’s Passing The concept of racial passing refers to the occurrence in which an individual is able to transcend racial boundaries. During the Harlem Renaissance, the term â€Å"passing† meant to signify mixed race individuals who were light skinned enough to pass as white and mingle freely within white society, almost completely undetected. This was significantRead MoreThe Autobiography Of An Former Colored Man By James Weldon Johnson Essay2267 Words   |  10 PagesThe Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson’s novel The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man was first published in 1912. This novel is one of the highly celebrated works during the Harlem Renaissance although it was published prior in 1912. Johnson graduated from Clark Atlanta University in 1894. He was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt as United States consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua. He also was highly involved in the Harlem Renaissance with hisRead MoreAn Ex Colored Mans Moments Of Being Essay1773 Words   |  8 PagesAn Ex-Colored Man’s Moments of Being Of the many concepts Virginia Woolf has made in her works, the idea of â€Å"moments of being† in her autobiography, â€Å"A Sketch of the Past,† is of special interest because of its possible applicability to other works of literature which focus on the composition of life. After reading the fictitious â€Å"Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man† by James Weldon Johnson, one could wonder how Woolf’s concept is evident or not so evident in Johnson’s narration in order to test theRead MoreRacial Segregation And Jim Crow Essay2143 Words   |  9 Pageswhite supremacy place on African American life. Racism and Jim Crow were always backed by the threat of violence, moreover, the southern race relations† (Holloway, â€Å"Jim Crow Wisdom: Memory and Identity in Black America since 1940†). The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man takes place during the Jim Crow era displaying the challenges and obstacles African Americans faced during this time. â€Å"Johnson devotes much of his attention to the black middle and upper classes, their constant struggles to hang onto