Amiri Baraka free essay sample

A discussion on Amiri Baraka, one of the most outspoken and respected African-American activist writers. The following paper examines Barakas life by analyzing four different phases in his life, the beat phase, the transitional period, the black nationalism phase and the third world Marxist period. The writer examines the way in which his novels, plays, essays and poetry have placed him in the forefront of an evolving social movement and a growing body of politically motivating literature. Playwright, author, poet, activist, critic, educator these are all words that describe Amiri Baraka, a major contemporary author. Baraka was a central figure of the 1960s Black Arts Movement, which was a literary movement dedicated to the advancement of black art. Although he was bron LeRoy Jones, in 1968, he dropped his western name and adopted the Muslim name of Imamu Amiri Baraka.LeRoy Jones was born in 1934 to African-American parents, and lived the majority of his childhood in a lower middle-class neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. We will write a custom essay sample on Amiri Baraka or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While his family was better off than most African-Americans at the time, Baraka said that they were not immune to racial violence and discrimination. For example, his grandfather, who was a major influence on him, had his business burned down twice in Alabama before moving to Newark.