Brandy Smith
SWC
Dr. Kelley
August 6, 2009
DeCarava and Hughes Captures the Idea that Music Brings People Together
Between the years of 1949 and 1955 there was a book The Sweet Flypaper of Life being
developed. It is by Langston Hughes and Roy DeCarava. It is a context made of the life of a
Black community in the United States. The book describes a number of activities and normal
attributes that one might run across when he or she is with a typical Black family. Along with
these descriptions there are numerous photos taken to give you a visual of what it being
described. Throughout the book the family has a number of activities that they do by themselves
and also together as one. There are a number of activities that involve the use of jazz music or
be-bop. “He never moves fast—not even to reach out his hand for a dollar—except when he's
dancing. And crazy about music. Can tell you every horn that ever blowed on every juke-box
record in the neighborhood” (DeCarava and Hughes 13). The main character that is talked about
is Rodney and the book talks about how he is with music. It says how Rodney does things while
jazz music is playing. Then they go as far as to say what he does not do when the music is off.
This statement also recognizes his knowledge. Being able to tell you every horn that was
blowing on the jukebox is a true skill. Everyone is not going to be able to do that, but he, the
Black, has thus skill. There are many great pictures in the book; two are going to be mention.
There is one picture that shows a black man and woman singing together in what seems to be a
kitchen. They are not alone; it is a gathering. There are other people here. They have all come
together as a family and they chose to add music to the activity. The next picture is just a picture
of an older gentleman that appears to also be singing. He has his eyes closed and his hands out.
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One might believe that he is really feeling the music. This would be believed due to the fact that
he has this body movement going on. Music plays a big part in black peoples’ lives and can be
In the book The Best of Simple by Langston Hughes, the main character, Simple, has a
whole story about how music affects his life and people in that life. “That program needed some
music to keep folks awake….With a jazz band, they could work integration in ten minutes….
Jazz makes people get into action, move” (Jazz, Jive, and Jam 243)! This was said by simple
during one of the stories. The story was about Simple going to hear a lecture and he is giving his
opinion on the lecture. To him the lecture did not work. He believed that if music was in the
picture it would have been much better. He is sure that the music would have kept people
tentative and in tuned to what the lecture was about. Simple himself was not these things. The
music would have brought the people together to talk on the topic. The lecture was held to get
people to all think one way. He knows that the music would have had everyone thinking the
same and acting the same. An example that he brings is that the music will have everyone
dancing the same and being together as one. The lecture was on race relations and coming
together on solving the problems. The music would bring everyone together and together they
would be willing to solve the problem because with the music they would have all ready been
acting as one. This will, therefore, make them more willing to work together. This can really be
shown in the first picture. There is a family in the kitchen together. Some are standing and some
are sitting down. The two that are standing are singing together and everyone else is looking at
them and joining in. One would be able to tell right away that the others were partaking in the
singing and paying attention. Clues are simply the eye contact, shows that there looking and
listening; the closing of the eyes, some people tend to close his or her eyes to feel the music and;
the holding their hands up, they are joining in with the two people singing because they are doing
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the same exact thing. In the other picture with the man that is singing the man is doing the same
thing with his hands also. This is a prime example in how music can get people into thinking and
Not only has music brought the Black community together with each other but brought it
into the White community. Before there started to be a positive relationship, it was separated in
every way possible. They did nothing together that benefitted both sides. When music started to
come into play it started to bring them closer. It may have started with the Black community and
the White community being on separate sides but it was just a start. They were both brought
together to that one thing and that’s what music does. They started to listen to the same music
and soon they started to really listen to it at the same time and together without separation. This
music was a way for Blacks to gain recognition. That was the recognition that they only
In the same time frame of the book being published, there was an article in the New York
Times that showed recognition to a Black musician. The title is “BUNK JOHNSON, 69,
TRUMPET PLAYER—Jazz Stylist Who Began in New Orleans Dies—Featured at 2 Town Hall
Concerts.” Had it not been for the fact that he had been a musician then this would have never
occurred. Black people did not have very much power in the public eye before. The article talks
about his whole life involving jazz. With his jazz came his power. It brought the people to him.
Most of the people that would have normally segregated from were on his side and listening to
his music that he played. These times were not all bad but they were getting better and his music
Also in the same time frame, there was another article that established how music has
changed a community. The article “Our Changing City: Harlem Now on the Upswing” talks
about how the wars and other current events have affected the city of Harlem. Its gives statistics
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on the community as a whole with things like the number of people the city holds and then they
split it up by race. It also talks about how riots have changed and affected the community. Then it
finally goes on to talk about jazz’s affects on Harlem. “As years went on by, Harlem became the
national focal point for Negro creative talent” (Robinson). The Negroes in Harlem are starting to
get recognition for something that they can do creatively. It is not just the recognition of family,
friends and people they already knew personally. This is an article that reached a large number of
people publically. Negroes did not have this at all at first. Music was their way in. Music brought
all of this upon them. These are not the only articles about Negroes and music. There are plenty
more. Music is one of the main reasons that Negroes get in the paper.
The pictures and the newspaper articles have some likes and some differences. Both
sources have the idea of getting attention when music is being involved. When the people are
singing in the kitchen, everyone is giving their attention and recognition for singing. The paper
gives who ever that paper is about the attention to everyone that reads that paper. The pictures
show that music can make you feel good about what you are doing. When people are singing
music they may be singing it to have fun and such but they are feeling the music. One can tell by
the gestures that are being made while they are singing. Along the lines, everyone wants
recognition. If a paper gives someone some type of recognition, they are going to think and know
Work Cited
"BUNK JOHNSON, 69, 'TRUMPET PLAYER Jazz Stylist Who Began in New] Orleans' Dies
—Featured at 2 Town Hall Concerts." New York Times 9 Jul 1949, ProQuest. Web. 5
Aug. 2009.
DeCarava, Roy, and Langston Hughes. The Sweet Flypaper of Life. 1955.
Hughes, Langston. “Jazz, Jive, and Jam.” The Best of Simple. 1961. New York: Hill and Wang,
1992. 239-245.
ROBINSON JR, LAYHMOND. "Our Changing City: Harlem Now on the Upswing: Turbulent
Area, Still Beset by Grave Problems, Sees a New Dawn for Itself. " New York Times 8
Jul 1955 ProQuest. Web. 5 Aug. 2009.