... and the next 100 years of mock-freedom have made life difficult for Blacks in America. At the turn of the 19th century, times were much fiercer. African American writer Jean Toomer inspired many later Harlem Renaissance writers with his passionate and realistic portrayal of black life in the novel Cane (1923). Noted for its poetic and sensitive descriptions, Cane describes people ... frustrated by their conflicts with social customs and by psychological conflicts within themselves. Toomer was himself of mixed ancestry, claiming a variety of European, African, and even Native American blo...

• Word Count: 930
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School