Georgia+Douglas+Johnson!!

=Georgia Douglas Johnson=
 * Jessica Volmar**

Georgia Douglas Johnson inspired many people through her work. She was born around 1880 to George Camp and Laura Douglass, and was not close to either of them. ("Georgia") Little is known of her childhood years, but she did live in Atlanta, Georgia and was very interested in her education. She worked very hard and graduated from Atlanta University then later went into the education field and became an assistant principal. While she was studying and working, Georgia met her husband Henry Lincoln Johnson. When she married him, she changed her maiden name. They later moved up to Washington D.C. and raised two sons there. ("Women")

Georgia had to work very hard to write her poetry. She lived in a time and household where she was expected to work in the home and raise her children rather than work on her writing. ("Life") However, Georgia found time whenever she could to write her poems. Even after the death of her husband in 1925, Georgia continued to work and up to 1930, she had written nearly 200 poems and even a few plays. Many of her poems were published into her own books. Alongside her own poetry, Georgia created a group where poets would meet called the "S Street Salon". ("Women") Many famous poets attended this group including Jean Toomer and Langston Hughes. Much of Georgia's work was overlooked while she was alive, but after her death in 1966, her work was even more noticed and influential. ("Women")

Georgia Douglas Johnson was a poet who fit right into the Harlem Renaissance. A major part of the Harlem Renaissance was persistence. This was shown through her works when she kept on writing even when society and her husband discouraged her from doing so. Another important theme of the Harlem Renaissance was working together. Georgia Douglas Johnson promoted that with her poetic group "S Street Salon" where poets would come together, share ideas, and work as a whole. ("Women") The early years of Georgia's life are very vague, but the feelings she had and felt as she wrote her poetry are clear. ("Georgia") She wrote about sadness, confidence, and deep emotions. From these ideas shared through poetry and "S Street Salon" Georgia showed other poets how she felt and is a shining example of perseverance.


 * Common Dust**

And who shall separate the dust What later we shall be: Whose keen discerning eye will scan And solve the mystery?

The high, the low, the rich, the poor, The black, the white, the red, And all the chromatic between, Of whom shall it be said:

Here lies the dust of Africa; Here are the sons of Rome; Here lies the one unlabeled, The world at large his home!

Can one then separate the dust? Will mankind lie apart, When life has settled back again The same as from the start?

=Analysis=

Georgia Douglas Johnson put strong emotions into her poetry. Much of it is shown in her poem //Common Dust.// She wrote this poem in such a clear way that makes the reader quickly understand the motivation. She writes about the different levels of rich and poor, Africa and Rome, but asks the reader who should be responsible for the separation of the people. While the message is quite clear, Georgia also uses some words and phrases with deeper meaning. She writes about the black, white and red colors. Often black can be associated with being lost, white with pure and clean, and red with anger or passion (6). Later, Africa, Rome, and the unlabeled are brought up (9, 10, 11) which could also relate to the desperate situations of Africa, the power Rome once held, and the innocence of the unlabeled. Georgia may have been writing of these colors and types of people while thinking of some of the people or challenges she faced daily, such as radical African Americans and racist white people.

This poem has a regretful tone to it. As one reads this poem, the narrator seems to be warning of the future tensions between everyone, and that separation is inevitable. Segregation was a major problem in the time period Georgia Douglas Johnson lived and from this poem she seemed to be looking both back to the past and forward to the future with this poem. The talk of the present segregation with a guilty feeling and seems to write of how the future may be with continued segregation; one turns to dust (1). Another feeling from this poem is that God is playing a role throughout. The "discerning eye" (3) sounds as if there is someone else watching the tortures going on and "mankind" (14) is written about like the narrator is watching the people, that he is not one of them.

Georgia Douglas Johnson put so much thought and emotion into her poems. She writes both obvious messages and symbolic messages that may be decoded for more meaning to the reader. With poems like those Georgia wrote, new ideas and findings can be discovered.

=Works Cited=

"Georgia Douglas Johnson." //washingtonart home page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. .

"Georgia Douglas Johnson's Life and Career." //Welcome to English « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. .

Women of Color Women of Word -- African American Female Playwrights - Georgia Douglas Johnson ." //Home - School of Communication and Information - Rutgers University//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. .