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Difficulty: HardThe New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates

Read the excerpt from Wallace Thurman’s novel *Infants of the Spring* (1932) and answer the question that follows.

"We are all, writers, painters, poets, and sculptors, showcase exhibits... The younger generation is in revolt, but it is a revolt without a program. We have rebelled against the paternalism of our elders, who insisted that every book or painting must be a document of racial uplift. Yet in doing so, we have fallen into the trap of satisfying the white fad for the exotic and the primitive."

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best describes the central tension Thurman identifies within the New Negro Movement?

  1. A
    The ideological division between Marcus Garvey's mass populist campaign for physical emigration to Africa and W.E.B. Du Bois's elite-led Pan-African Congresses.
  2. B
    The conflict between proponents of vocational education to achieve economic independence and advocates for liberal arts education to develop a "Talented Tenth" of leaders.
  3. The pressure on Black artists to choose between producing art for moral respectability as dictated by the Black elite, and catering to the exoticized expectations of white patrons.Answer
  4. D
    The legal divide between civil rights organizations fighting de jure segregation in the South and those combating de facto housing discrimination in Northern cities.

Answer

The pressure on Black artists to choose between producing art for moral respectability as dictated by the Black elite, and catering to the exoticized expectations of white patrons.
The correct option accurately identifies the dual constraints placed on Harlem Renaissance artists as outlined by Thurman: the internal pressure from the older Black middle-class leadership ('our elders') who wanted art to serve as respectable propaganda for racial uplift, and the external pressure from white patrons who sought to consume exotic and primitive depictions of Black life.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus passage for the core forces and agents acting upon young Black artists.
The passage identifies two major constraints: the paternalism of Black 'elders' demanding 'racial uplift' and the demands of 'white patrons' seeking 'the exotic and the primitive.'
This establishes the parameters of the central conflict described by the author.
2
Evaluate the options to find the one that accurately synthesizes these two opposing forces.
The option concerning the pressure of moral respectability from the Black elite versus exoticized expectations from white patrons matches the identified forces.
This directly maps the passage's textual details onto the historical concepts of the Harlem Renaissance cultural debates.

Key Concept

The conflict between artistic independence, respectability politics, and white patronage during the Harlem Renaissance.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

The New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates

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