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Difficulty: Very hardThe New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates

Read the following excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston's essay 'Characteristics of Negro Expression' (1934):

'It has been pointed out by several writers that the Negro mime is not copyism, but is rather a reworking of the original. The Negro is a very creative mimic. His mimicry is a creative art. ... Thus, the jazz band takes syncopation, which is African, and applies it to the standard white tunes, and the result is something new. The Negro takes the white man's language, and makes of it a new thing. He takes the white man's religion, and changes its mood. In each case, there is a distinct and creative modification. This is not imitation; it is assimilation and transformation.'

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best describes how Hurston's analysis of mimicry contributes to the cultural debates of the New Negro Movement?

  1. A
    It supports a strict separatist ideology by arguing that true African American art must reject all Western cultural forms, reflecting the mass populist nationalism of Marcus Garvey's Back-to-Africa movement.
  2. It asserts that mimicry is an active, transformative process of reworking existing forms, thereby validating a distinct African American cultural identity that is neither purely derivative nor entirely separate from American culture.Answer
  3. C
    It echoes Booker T. Washington's accommodationist philosophy by framing the imitation of white cultural norms as a strategic concession necessary for economic cooperation and survival in the Jim Crow South.
  4. D
    It claims that because African Americans have retained pre-colonial African traditions completely unchanged, their cultural expression remains entirely uniform and untouched by American environmental influences.

Answer

The correct answer asserts that mimicry is an active, transformative process of reworking existing forms, validating a distinct African American cultural identity that is neither purely derivative nor entirely separate from American culture.
The correct answer is correct because Hurston highlights how African Americans do not simply copy white cultural elements (such as language, music, or religion) but instead modify and transform them to create entirely new cultural expressions. This perspective directly addresses the New Negro debates by presenting a model of cultural distinctiveness that is rooted in creative adaptation and synthesis rather than complete isolation or passive submission.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source passage to identify Hurston's definition of mimicry.
Hurston defines mimicry as 'not copyism, but is rather a reworking of the original' and represents 'a distinct and creative modification.'
Understanding the author's specific definition of the key term is necessary to analyze its role in the broader debate.
2
Connect Hurston's argument to the cultural debates of the New Negro Movement.
Identify that the debate centers on the tension between cultural assimilation (subservience to white norms) and cultural distinctiveness (expressing a unique African American identity).
This establishes the historical context needed to evaluate the options.
3
Evaluate the options to see which matches Hurston's model of cultural synthesis.
The option stating that mimicry is an active, transformative process fits Hurston's stance that adaptation results in 'something new' and constitutes 'assimilation and transformation.'
This identifies the correct conceptual link between the passage and the movement's debates.
4
Eliminate distractors that misrepresent the political and historical positions of other contemporary movements.
Eliminate options linking Hurston's aesthetics to Marcus Garvey's political separatism, Booker T. Washington's accommodationism, or a static view of pre-colonial African traditions.
This ensures the selected option is correct and free of historical conflations.

Key Concept

The New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates
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The New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates

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