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Brandy SmithSWCDr. KelleyAugust 6, 2009DeCarava and Hughes Captures the Idea that Music Brings People Together Between the years of 1949 and 1955, Langston Hughes and Roy DeCarva wrote and published

The Sweet Flypaper of Life

. It is a context made of the life of a Black community inthe United States. The book describes a number of activities and normal attributes that one mightrun across when he or she is with a typical Black family. Along with these descriptions there arenumerous photos taken to give you a visual of what it being described. Throughout the book thefamily has a number of activities that they do by themselves and also together as one. There are anumber of activities that involve the use of jazz music or be-bop. “He never moves fast—noteven to reach out his hand for a dollar—except when he's dancing. And crazy about music. Cantell you every horn that ever blowed on every juke-box record in the neighborhood” (DeCaravaand Hughes 13). The main character that is talked about is Rodney and the book talks about howhe is with music. It says how Rodney does things while jazz music is playing. Then they go asfar as to say what he does not do when the music is off. This statement also recognizes hisknowledge. 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 this skill. There are many great pictures in the book; two are going to be mention. There is one picture that shows a black manand 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 addmusic to the activity. The next picture is just a picture of an older gentleman who appears to also be singing. He has his eyes closed and his hands out. One might believe that he is really feelingthe 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 used to bring people together.

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In the book

The Best of Simple

by Langston Hughes, the main character, Simple, has awhole story about how music affects his life and people in that life. “That program needed somemusic 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 simpleduring one of the stories. The story was about Simple going to hear a lecture and he is giving hisopinion 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 peopletentative and in tuned to what the lecture was about. Simple himself was not these things. Themusic 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 thesame and acting the same. An example that he brings is that the music will have everyonedancing the same and being together as one. The lecture was on race relations and comingtogether on solving the problems. The music would bring everyone together and together theywould be willing to solve the problem because with the music they would have all ready beenacting as one. This will, therefore, make them more willing to work together. This can really beshown in the first picture on page 22. There is a family in the kitchen together. Some are standingand some are sitting down. The two that are standing are singing together and everyone else islooking 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 theyare looking and listening; the closing of the eyes, some people tend to close their eyes to feel themusic and; the holding their hands up, they are joining in with the two people singing becausethey are doing the same exact thing. In the other picture with the man that is singing the man isdoing the same thing with his hands also. This is a prime example in how music can get peopleinto thinking and acting alike, especially with their reactions. Not only has music brought the Black community together with each other but brought itinto the White community. Before there started to be a positive relationship, it was separated in

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every way possible. They did nothing together that benefitted both sides. When music started tocome into play it started to bring them closer. It may have started with the Black community andthe White community being on separate sides but it was just a start. They were both broughttogether to that one thing and that’s what music does. They started to listen to the same musicand soon they started to really listen to it at the same time and together without separation. Thismusic was a way for Blacks to gain recognition. That was the recognition that they onlyimagined and never had before.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 HallConcerts.” 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 talksabout 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 tohis music that he played. These times were not all bad but they were getting better and his musicwas a way for it to do just that. Music was changing things.Also in the same time frame, there was another article that established how music haschanged a community. The article “Our Changing City: Harlem Now on the Upswing” talksabout how the wars and other current events have affected the city of Harlem. Its gives statisticson the community as a whole with things like the number of people the city holds and then theysplit it up by race. It also talks about how riots have changed and affected the community. Then itfinally goes on to talk about jazz’s affects on Harlem. “As years went on by, Harlem became thenational focal point for Negro creative talent” (Robinson). The Negroes in Harlem are starting toget 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

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