The Harlem Renaissance was a period of intellectual and literary growth that promoted a new African-American cultural identity in the United States. The decade between 1920 and 1930 was an extremely influential time span for black culture. During these years, blacks were able to come together and form a united group that expressed the desire for enlightenment. This resurgence allowed blacks to have a uniform voice in a society based on intellectual growth. The promoters of this revival were extremely focused on cultural growth through the means of intellect, literature, art and music. Using these means of growth, they hoped to destroy the pervasive racism and stereotypes that stifled African American society and yearned for racial and social integration. Many black writers expressed themselves during this time with books that demonstrated their natural humanity and desire for equality. In 1923 Jean Toomer's Dog was published by Boni and Liveright and received favorable reviews. The book was published in the heart of the Harlem Renaissance and fostered encouragement and interest in African-American culture.* For the next forty years, Cane went unprinted and seemed to fade as an influential book. Many publishers claimed that Cane was too inconsistent to reprint and denied the book's revival. In 1967 the book was finally reprinted. The reprint occurred during a period known as The Second Renaissance. During the Harlem Renaissance and the Second Renaissance, both periods of revival and rebirth of a culture, Toomer's novel was printed. Thus showing the significance of the novel in times of resurrection for African-American culture. The book explains how other races of the North and in... middle of paper... social repression and make dreams come true simply by believing in them. I believe that Kabnis should be the face of the South for all Black people because he took control on his own, bypassed all social constructs, and created his own dream and path. The only way for a sober person to realize his fantasy is to break the imposed limitations. about them and use their God-given talents to conceive this dream. Jean Toomer plays himself through Ralph Kabnis. Toomer had a vision in which his art would dominate social prejudices and limitations by undermining the inner talents of every person, regardless of race. The Harlem Renaissance, with Cane's help, allowed African Americans to conquer the social construct imposed on their race and achieve success by revealing their talents. Works Cited Toomer, Jean. Cane. New York, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1988.