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Difficulty: MediumThe Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

Read the following excerpt from Countee Cullen's poem "Yet Do I Marvel" (1925):

> I doubt not God is good, well-meaning, kind,
> And did He stoop to shoulder solemn least
> Of singing birds, or tell the caterpillar why
> The food he eats is juice to butterfly...
> Yet do I marvel at this curious thing:
> To make a poet black, and bid him sing!

How does the paradox in the final two lines of the excerpt reflect a central tension of the New Negro Movement?

  1. A
    The promotion of Marcus Garvey’s mass nationalist platform, which argued that Black artists must cease writing for American audiences and immediately emigrate to Africa to establish a separate nation.
  2. The struggle of Black intellectuals and artists to assert their creative genius and humanity while navigating a society that systemically devalued their identity.Answer
  3. C
    The endorsement of Booker T. Washington’s philosophy of racial uplift, which advocated for abandoning high art and academic pursuits in favor of agricultural and industrial labor.
  4. D
    The claim that systemic discrimination against Black writers was exclusively a southern de jure phenomenon, rendering the northern urban literary market entirely meritocratic and free of prejudice.

Answer

The struggle of Black intellectuals and artists to assert their creative genius and humanity while navigating a society that systemically devalued their identity.
The correct option identifies the core paradox of the poem—the coexistence of divine creative inspiration and the daily realities of racial oppression. This aligns with the New Negro Movement's focus on reclaiming dignity, intellect, and self-expression in a hostile environment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the final couplet of the excerpt to identify the core paradox.
The poet marvels at the contrast between being created Black (associated with social degradation and oppression in America) and being inspired by God to sing (write poetry and create art).
Understanding the literal and symbolic meaning of the text is necessary to connect it to the broader historical movement.
2
Relate this paradox to the goals of the Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement.
The New Negro Movement sought to challenge racist stereotypes and assert Black humanity and intellect through literature, art, and music, while operating within a deeply segregated and unequal society.
Connecting the text's theme to the historical context of the 1920s identifies the correct conceptual framework.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that accurately describes this tension and identify the flaws in the distractors.
The option regarding the struggle to assert creative genius and humanity matches the analysis, while other choices misrepresent contemporary debates or historical realities.
Comparing the options ensures the correct answer is selected while rejecting options based on common historical misconceptions.

Key Concept

The artistic and intellectual tension of expressing Black humanity during the Harlem Renaissance
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Topics

The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

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