PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Writer Dorothy West: Last Living Member

PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Writer Dorothy West: Last Living Member of the Harlem Renaissance¹
By Doreen Baingana

Broadcast: Sunday, September 11, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with the Special English Program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Every week, we tell about a person who played an important part in the history and culture of the United States. Today, we tell about the writer Dorothy West.

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VOICE ONE:

 
Dorothy West
Dorothy West's first long book was published when she was more than forty years old. Her second book was published when she was in her late eighties. Yet African American poet Langston Hughes called her "The Kid." This means a child. Dorothy West had been one of the youngest members of the group of writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance. This was a creative period for African Americans during the nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties.

VOICE TWO:

During and after World War One, thousands of southern blacks moved to northern cities in the United States. They were seeking jobs and better lives. Many settled in an area of New York City known as Harlem. Many were musicians, writers, artists and performers. Harlem became the largest African American community in the United States. The mass movement from south to north led African Americans to examine their lives: Who were they? What were their rights as Americans? The artistic² expression of this collective³ examination⁴ became known as the Harlem Renaissance. Renaissance means rebirth. The Harlem Renaissance represented a re-birth of black people as an effective part of American life. Dorothy West helped influence the direction and form of African American writing during this time.

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VOICE ONE:

Dorothy West was born in nineteen-oh-seven in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Both her parents were born in the southern United States, and moved north. Her father was a former slave. He became the first African American to own a food-selling company in Boston. The family became part of the black upper middle class social group of Boston. Dorothy West had private teachers, dancing classes, and holidays on Martha's Vineyard -- an island off the coast of Massachusetts. She studied at Boston University and the Columbia University School of Journalism⁵ in New York. Later, she would use her own experiences and observations to write about social class in the black community.

VOICE TWO:

Dorothy West started writing stories at age seven. When she was fourteen, she published her first story in the "Boston Post." After that, she wrote often for that newspaper. In nineteen twenty-six, she won second place in a short story contest by "Opportunity" magazine. Her story was called "The Typewriter." It describes an African American man who hates his real life. He creates a better life for himself -- in his imagination -- in order to help his daughter improve her typing skills.

VOICE ONE:

Dorothy West won second place in the competition with Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston was another famous writer of the Harlem Renaissance. West moved to Harlem, too. She was considered a little sister by Hurston and other writers and poets such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Wallace Thurman. Members of the Harlem Renaissance group were very serious about their art. West once told a reporter that they all thought they were going to be the greatest writers in the world.

VOICE TWO:

During this time, Dorothy West wrote a number of short stories. They were published in magazines in and around New York. One story was called "Funeral." Another was called "The Black Dress." She once said the writer whose work she liked most was the Russian Fyodor Dstoevsky. Experts say some of her work is similar to his. Like Dostoevsky, she wrote about the idea of being saved by suffering. She wrote about unsatisfied people who feel trapped by their environment, or by racism⁶, or because they are female⁷ or male.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen thirty-two, Dorothy West went to Russia with a group of black intellectuals⁸ and artists. They went to make a film about racism in the United States. The film, "Black and White," was never completed. West remained in Russia for about a year. It appears she did not stay for political reasons, however. She said she went to Russia with Langston Hughes and the others because she liked them. She returned to the United States when her father died.

VOICE TWO:

By the middle of the nineteen thirties, the Harlem Renaissance was dying⁹ out. Dorothy West wanted to re-capture the creativity of the period. So she created a magazine called, "Challenge." She edited¹⁰ and published the works¹¹ of new, young African American writers. The magazine lasted only three years. West did not have enough money to continue producing it. She also said she did not receive enough writing of a high quality. The magazine was criticized¹² by a group of black writers. They included Richard Wright, author of the book "Native Son," and Margaret Walker. They said the magazine was too concerned with artistic values. They felt it should deal with political issues.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen thirty-seven, Dorothy West created another magazine called "New Challenge." She asked Richard Wright to help her, even though he had criticized her earlier magazine. The two writers disagreed on a number of issues, however. Also, West again had financial difficulties producing the magazine. So "New Challenge" was published only once. Yet that one publication¹³ was very important. It included a document by Wright called "Blueprint¹⁴ for Negro¹⁵ Writing." That was a statement about what he believed African Americans should write about. "New Challenge" was the first publication to bring together black art and politics. Other magazines would follow its example.

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VOICE TWO:

In the late nineteen forties, Dorothy West left New York. She moved to her family's holiday house on Martha's Vineyard island. She lived there for the rest of her life. In nineteen forty-eight, she published her first book, "The Living Is Easy." It is partly based on her life and on her mother. It is about a light-skinned black woman named Cleo Johnson. She wishes that her dark-skinned daughter were more like her. She treats her husband badly because he is from a lower social class. The book describes black middle class values in Boston. Many critics liked the book and its message about racism against blacks and within the black community.

VOICE ONE:

"The Living is Easy" was published again by the Feminist¹⁶ Press in nineteen eighty-two. Critics at that time described the book as important because it showed the position of women in the family and in life. The book also is valued for its description of the complex relationship between a mother and a daughter. "The Living Is Easy" is now recognized as having an important influence on the writing tradition of African American women.

VOICE TWO:

After her first novel, Dorothy West continued writing stories and short pieces containing her ideas on different subjects. Her second novel was published forty-seven years later, in nineteen ninety-five. It is called "The Wedding." The story takes place in the black community of Martha's Vineyard during the nineteen-fifties. It is about a rich young black woman who is to marry a white jazz musician. It deals with class and color issues between blacks, and racial issues between blacks and whites. West believed that different races should not be separated from each other. She also believed in love.

VOICE ONE:

She began the book in the Nineteen-Sixties. But she stopped writing it when the Black Power political movement grew strong. She thought members of the group would denounce¹⁷ it. She was not active in the civil rights movement to guarantee fair treatment for black Americans. In Nineteen-Ninety-Two, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis began to visit Dorothy West to help her finish "The Wedding." Missus Onassis was married to American President John Kennedy when he was killed in nineteen sixty-three. Later, she worked for a publishing company. She died just before "The Wedding" was published. Dorothy West noted¹⁸ that the two women looked very different but had worked together perfectly¹⁹. The book was so popular that its publishers produced another one by Dorothy West. "The Richer, The Poorer" is a collection of stories and other writings she made throughout her life.

VOICE TWO:

Dorothy West was the last living member of the Harlem Renaissance. She died in August, nineteen ninety-eight. She was ninety-one years old. Not long before she died, she was honored²⁰ at a special ceremony. Many different people praised her work. They described her influence on American culture over so many years. One said, simply, that Dorothy West was a "national gift."

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VOICE ONE:

This Special English program was written by Doreen Baingana. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.

1 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

2 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

3 collective   

adj.集体的，共同的；n.团体，集体

参考例句：

• I do feel deeply the strength of the collective. 我确实深深地感到了集体的力量。
• They hold together for collective security.他们为了共同安全而团结在一起。

4 examination   

n.考试，考查，试题；检查，调查

参考例句：

• Teachers always judge their students on the final examination.老师常根据期末考试来评价他们的学生。
• He put up a good show in the final examination.他在期末考试中表现得不错。

5 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

6 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

7 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

8 intellectuals   

n.知识分子( intellectual的名词复数 )；脑力劳动者；有极高智力的人；凭理智（而非感情）办事的人

参考例句：

• These views were common among intellectuals. 这些观点在知识分子中是很普遍的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Intellectuals should be esteemed. 知识分子应受到尊重。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

10 edited   

编辑( edit的过去式和过去分词 )； 剪辑（电影、录音磁带、无线电或电视节目、书等）； 主编（报纸、杂志等）

参考例句：

• I know that this draft text will need to be edited. 我知道这篇草稿需要校订。
• All references to the scandal were edited out of the tape. 所有涉及这件丑闻的内容都从录音带中删去了。

11 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

12 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。

13 publication   

n.出版，发行；出版；公布，发表

参考例句：

• They don't think this article is suitable for publication.他们认为这篇文章不宜发表。
• The government has delayed publication of the trade figures.政府已将贸易统计数字延后公布。

14 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

15 Negro   

n./adj.黑人；黑人的

参考例句：

• It's impolite to call the black people Negro.称呼黑人为Negro是不礼貌的。
• He was the first Negro ever to enroll there.他是学院招收的第一个黑人学生。

16 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。

17 denounce   

vt.谴责，声讨，告发

参考例句：

• We should denounce a heresy.我们应该公开指责异端邪说。
• He had thought to denounce or even assault this man.他本来想要申斥，甚至痛打这个人一顿。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

20 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》