A Historical Approach on Racism and Identity Crisis Through Langston Hughes’s Mulatto
Imagine living in the 1930s as an African-American human being; the white man and woman have control and authority over all. During these times a great African-American writer tried to convey to his people that there was no such thing as a superior race. Langston Hughes was not an average African-American for those times. He was a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance and a pusher for equal rights. Through his many writings he showed his disappointment and disbelief with the behaviors of North and South African-Americans. In 1934, he wrote and published a book called, “The Ways of White Folks”. The play “Mulatto” is a version of one of the stories in that book. “Mulatto” is a compelling, courageous play where the subject of race and identity can be understood a little better through a historical approach.
In “Mulatto” there are many characters. There is the white, plantation owner, the housekeeper, and their children. Back in the 1930s it was not uncommon for a white man to have mixed children. He would hardly ever claim a single one, but sometimes he would do things for them that he would not normally do for his so-called “field niggers”, as they were referred to in the play. In fact, in the play one of Colonel Norwood’s friends states: “I’ve given many a yellow gal a baby in my time”. (Act1, speech 61, lines 6-7) What this one little passage says is that African-American or yellow women were not seen as people. To the white population they were only there to serve. African-American women were exploited back then. They were seen through the eyes of society as ignorant, breeding machines. Hughes knew this and that is why ...
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...en. There was the worried African-American woman, the white, rich plantation owner, and their children who were stuck in the middle. There were so many obstacles to jump through then and unfortunately this story could be fact instead of fiction. Hughes knew how things were going and he did not want it to continue. The world needed to change and he was going to try and speed up the process through his writings. We all have a history and whether it is good or bad we have all, hopefully, overcome it. Hughes was a leader and every African-American and Caucasian should be proud of his accomplishments, because they have become our accomplishments as well.
WORK CITED
Hughes, Langston. “Mulatto”. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 3rd Compact ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2006. 1266-1288.
To understand why someone writes the way they do, we must understand where they come from. Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, in nineteen-oh-two. He grew up with his grandmother due to his parents being separated. Growing up with his grandmother, Hughes was told stories of how slavery should be ended and this filled him with a great deal of pride and respect for not only himself, but his race. (“Hughes”)
Donald, David H. "Good Race Men." Rev. of Short Stories of Langston Hughes. New York Times 01 Sept. 1996: n. pag. Nytimes.com. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.
Thesis: Hughes is one of the most important black writers to fight for racial awareness through his writings to influence black artists to never forget there is still racism in society today.
George Schuyler’s article “The Negro Art Hokum” argues that the notion of African-American culture as separate from national American culture is nonsense. To Schuyler, all seemingly distinct elements of African-American culture and artistic endeavors from such are influenced by the dominant white American culture, and therefore, only American. The merit of Schuyler’s argument stems from the fact that it is practically impossible for one culture to exist within the confines of another without absorbing certain characteristics. The problem with Schuyler’s argument that Langston Hughes notes in his response article, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” is that it assumes complete assimilation of African-Americans by a singular national culture. Fundamental to Hughes’ rebuttal is the allowance of a unique African-American culture extant of the standards of a singular American cultural identity. For Hughes, this unique culture lies within the working-class, out of sight of the American national culture. This culture, while neither completely African nor American, maintains the vibrant and unique roots of the African-American experience. Schuyler advocates cultural assimilation, while Hughes promotes cultural pluralism, in which minority cultures maintain their distinctive qualities in the face of a dominant national identity.
When reading the literature of Langston Hughes, I cant help but feeling energetically charged and inspired. Equality, freedom, empowerment, renaissance, justice and perseverance, are just a taste of the subject matter Hughes offers. He amplifies his voice and beliefs through his works which are firmly rooted in race pride and race feeling. Hughes committed himself both to writing and to writing mainly about African Americans. His early love for the “wonderful world of books” was sparked by loneliness and parental neglect. He would soon lose himself in the works of Walt Whitman, Paul Laurence, Carl Sandburg and other literary greats which would lead to enhancing his ever so growing style and grace of oeuvre. Such talent, character, and willpower could only come from one’s life experiences. Hughes had allot to owe to influences such as his grandmother and great uncle John Mercer Langston - a famous African American abolitionist. These influential individuals helped mold Hughes, and their affect shines brightly through his literary works of art.
Hughes, Langston. The Negro mother, and other dramatic recitations. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press, 1971. Print.
Hughes was an integral part of the cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. He had been attracted to New York City because of the changes that were being to occur. In “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” Hughes portrays the Negro middle class as the “respected folk” that are smug (Hughes). This type of Negro lives a comfortable life where the children attend a mixed school. Hughes attacks this middle class family in particular because he believes that they would rather be Caucasian instead of African American (Hughes). The high class Negro separates himself from the poorer blacks because he reads white magazines, strives to have t...
The interaction between African American and White differed in every aspect especially toward social problems. Social interaction between these two groups was unequal. African American experienced racial discrimination. This struggle can be best described in “Cora Unashamed.” “Cora Unashamed” by Langston Hughes effectively portrays the inequality between African America...
This image is the author’s perspective on the treatment of “his people” in not only his hometown of Harlem, but also in his own homeland, the country in which he lives. The author’s dream of racial equality is portrayed as a “raisin in the sun,” which “stinks like rotten meat” (Hughes 506). Because Hughes presents such a blatantly honest and dark point of view such as this, it is apparent that the author’s goal is to ensure that the reader is compelled to face the issues and tragedies that are occurring in their country, compelled enough to take action. This method may have been quite effective in exposing the plight of African-Americans to Caucasians. It can be easily seen that Hughes chooses a non-violent and, almost passive method of evoking a change. While Hughes appears to be much less than proud of his homeland, it is apparent that he hopes for a future when he may feel equal to his fellow citizens, which is the basis of the “dream” that has been
The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Mother to Son, explained the importance of the woman, light and darkness and strength in the African-American community. Hughes made a very clear and concise statement in focusing on women and the power they hold, light and darkness, and strength. Did his poems properly display the feelings of African-American’s in that time period? It is apparent that Hughes felt a sense of pride in his culture and what they had to endure. After all “Life ain’t been no crystal stair!”(Norton, Line 2, 2028)
Another example of Hughes’s constant struggles with racism and his inner and thoughtful response to that is clearly seen when he recalls being denied the right to sit at the same table. His point of view identifies that he was not able to sit at the table because he was an African-American. Yet, he remains very optimistic in not letting his misfortune please what is considered the “white-man” in the poem. Langston Hughes’s states,
for them is like. Hughes saw the life and dreams of many African-Americans destroyed and the line in
literature and writes of the “tragic mulatto.” According to Lamb, in Hughes’s poem, “Mulatto,” [Hughes] draws upon call and response, signifying, and the blues to present the biracial male African American 's struggle for paternal acceptance and a place in southern society” (Lamb 133-34). By saying this, Lamb claims that people of mixed race seek approval from their parents because they know they are not accepted by society. However, like the white and black communities, even the parents cannot understand their mulatto children, which leaves the individual isolated. These individuals are similar to stars because they mar the perfect distinction between white and black.
...nt of the Black race by religion and the church. I feel Hughes was successful in this endeavor. Hughes sums his whole perspective of religion, the church and the Black race, when he told a reporter, “Religion is one of the innate needs of mankind. What I am against is the misuse of religion.” (qtd. Emanuel 914).
The poem “Negro” was written by Langston Hughes in 1958 where it was a time of African American development and the birth of the Civil Rights Movement. Langston Hughes, as a first person narrator tells a story of what he has been through as a Negro, and the life he is proud to have had. He expresses his emotional experiences and makes the reader think about what exactly it was like to live his life during this time. By using specific words, this allows the reader to envision the different situations he has been put through. Starting off the poem with the statement “I am a Negro:” lets people know who he is, Hughes continues by saying, “ Black as the night is black, /Black like the depths of my Africa.” He identifies Africa as being his and is proud to be as dark as night, and as black as the depths of the heart of his country. Being proud of him self, heritage and culture is clearly shown in this first stanza.