Vernacular Tradition's Impact on African American Literature
The vernacular tradition has been a well-known theme in African American literature. This distinctive tradition carries with it the stories and emotions of the oppressed African American people who desperately tried to preserve their culture. From narratives to poems or everyday speech, the vernacular tradition conveyed emotions beyond words. In particular, this uniqueness of the vernacular tradition made it notable in everyday speech, but especially noteworthy in literature. By using this style, it ensured that speakers' voices could be remembered and unable to be erased throughout history.
Langston Hughes' "Bound No'th Blues" was one of the pieces of literature that featured the vernacular tradition in a poetic form. This poem blends together a tragic personal testimony with the voice of an oral storytelling. In "Bound No'th Blues", Hughes purposefully utilized language and phrasing to capture the vernacular tradition and the cultural weight behind it. For example, the stanza that begins, “Goin’ down the road, Lawd, Goin’ down the road," demonstrates both the rhythm of blues music and also the oral traditions. Hughes' use of colloquial speech emphasizes the voice of the poem, enhancing its authenticity. Along with that, the use of this language also voices the general experience of the working-class African Americans, and their emotions during the Harlem Renaissance. This message conveys the exhaustion, resilience, and struggles that African Americans had to endure for dignity and freedom. Thus, this narrative is an example of how the vernacular tradition can be utilized and also the profound impacts it has on stories.
The vernacular tradition also appears in Sterling Brown's "Scotty Has His Say”. In this poem, Brown uses vernacular dialect to shape the narrative voice, creating a descriptive portrait of Scotty’s worldview. The poem's language brings attention to Scotty’s perspective while also speaking for the African American experience as a whole. Particularly, Brown focuses on how African Americans had to navigate through struggles to find their identity in the 20th century. By presenting Scotty’s voice using vernacular vocabulary, Brown reinforces the linguistic richness of Black expression. This expression demonstrates how literature can maintain experiences that had been dismissed or distorted by mainstream narratives. Therefore, this example shows how vernacular tradition can allow the reader to have an intimate, raw feel when reading pieces of African American literature.
Ultimately, the vernacular tradition in African American literature serves as a bridge between oral history and also the written word. It grounds works in cultural truth while also expanding the emotional connection for readers across generations by using the specific verbiage that they would use if they were telling the story in a real-time setting. The power of vernacular is that it forces the reader to listen to the voices which history had tried to cover up for years. Through Hughes' blues rhythm, Brown’s poem, and other examples, vernacular literature proves to preserve authenticity and heritage while also pushing the boundaries of what literature can do.
Hey Saif, your analysis of the vernacular tradition's effect on African American literature is sound. You assessed two different texts and strengthened your conclusion by bringing everything together. Your introductory paragraph properly sets up the rest of your blog and highlights the impact, along with the difference the vernacular tradition had. Good work!
ReplyDeleteHi Saif, I agree with your points that the use of the vernacular tradition in African American literature enhances its authenticity, and helps to convey emotion. The use of the vernacular tradition in written language helps to preserve that piece of African American culture. I wonder why in some African American literature, the vernacular will appear when characters talk, but not in the general narration, despite the authors being African American themselves.
ReplyDeleteHi Saif, I also wrote about the vernacular tradition, so it was interesting to read what you had to say about it. The 20th century poems you chose clearly represented how the vernacular tradition allowed for deeper and more genuine cultural expression. Maybe it was even more valued in the Harlem renaissance than before, since the goal was to value their black roots and shift from the reconstruction.
ReplyDeleteHey Saif, I really enjoyed your take on the African Amercian vernacular tradition and its usage during the Harlem Renaissance. By incorporating everyday speech of African Americans into poetry and literature it not only gives a deeper meaning towards the words being used but also is a way to call back to other parts of African American culture such as blues or early jazz. By using the vernacular tradition, African American writers are making their works undeniably African American and almost forcing the reader to have a connection to the medium even if they cannot personally relate to what is being written. However, I wonder why the vernacular tradition is less noticeable in modern day literature? It might be the books I've read specifically but I rarely see it incorporated in writing in general. Is it that we've gotten so used to seeing it that we've gone blind to it or is it truly not being used to the extent it was before?
ReplyDeleteSaif, your insightful interpretation of the vernacular tradition of African American literature shows how language preserves culture and emotion across generations. While I wrote a blog similar to this in them, your alternative reading challenges me to think about vernacular speech as a form of historical resistance. I wonder if you think vernacular tradition will drift away in the future?
ReplyDeleteHi Saif! I like how you use Langston Hughes' "Bound No'th Blues" and Sterling Brown's "Scotty Has His Say” to show that vernacular tradition preserves oral African American experiences. You show that its purposeful use adds a sense of authenticity. I agree that it is truly a powerful way to honor Black heritage. Awesome post!
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