What man is there, what human being, who attains a greater happiness than mere appearances, a joy which seems to fade away to nothing? which phrase best paraphrases the passage above? it's a good thing all men are happy. can't we all just get along? is there anything such thing as happiness that lasts? a man's appearance brings the greatest happiness.

The harlem renaissance dawned in an era of pervasive racism and segregation. although legally "free," many african americans were still bound by ideas that had their roots in the slavery of earlier centuries. identity and freedom are important ideas presented in many of the poems from the harlem renaissance. furthermore, the values of identity and freedom are not unique to particular times and places. as hughes expresses in "dream variations," all humans want to be able to develop their identities in freedom. what role does freedom play in the poems you read in this unit? what is required of a society to enable each individual to be true to his or her identity and be free to live by that identity? write about at least three of the poems, describing how the poet uses imagery to depict freedom and identity, the lack of it, or the desire for it.