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Difficulty: MediumThe Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

Read the following excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston's essay "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" (1928):

"But I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature has given them a dirty deal and they is only allowed to complain about it. ... No, I do not weep at the world—I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife."

Which of the following statements best describes how Hurston's perspective in the excerpt aligns with the broader goals of the New Negro Movement?

  1. A
    It endorses the accommodationist strategy of Booker T. Washington by suggesting that Black Americans should accept social segregation and focus exclusively on industrial labor.
  2. B
    It echoes Marcus Garvey's Black nationalist platform by urging Black Americans to completely separate from white society and repatriate to Africa.
  3. It emphasizes individual agency, cultural pride, and self-determination, rejecting representations of Black identity defined solely by victimhood and racial trauma.Answer
  4. D
    It promotes a return to pre-colonial West African traditions as the only method for Black Americans to achieve true intellectual liberation.

Answer

The option stating that Hurston's perspective emphasizes individual agency, cultural pride, and self-determination, rejecting representations of Black identity defined solely by victimhood and racial trauma.
The correct option is correct because the 'New Negro' movement of the 1920s emphasized self-determination, pride, and agency. Hurston's refusal to be 'tragically colored' or to join the 'sobbing school' directly reflects this shift from portraying Black Americans purely as passive victims of historical trauma to celebrating their resilience, individuality, and cultural vitality.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston's essay, identifying key themes.
Hurston rejects being 'tragically colored' or participating in the 'sobbing school of Negrohood,' using the metaphor of 'sharpening my oyster knife' to emphasize individual agency and opportunity.
This establishes her tone of self-assertion, resilience, and refusal to define her identity solely by historic oppression.
2
Connect Hurston's individualist pride to the broader intellectual and cultural context of the New Negro Movement.
The New Negro Movement sought to redefine Black identity away from white stereotypes and passive victimhood, championing self-determination, artistic freedom, and self-representation.
Understanding the alignment between the source material and the historical movement is key to identifying the correct answer.
3
Evaluate the choices to eliminate historically inaccurate or irrelevant ideologies.
Eliminate options that mischaracterize her stance as Booker T. Washington's accommodationism, Marcus Garvey's political separatism, or West African emigrationism.
This ensures the selected option is uniquely aligned with the cultural self-determination expressed in both the text and the New Negro Movement.

Key Concept

The New Negro Movement and cultural self-determination
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Topics

The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

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