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The Harlem Renaissance brought out artist with different gifts. These individuals used their talent to be their voice, a voice that demanded they be acknowledged as people because they were. Langston Hughes, one of the modernist manifestos of his time. He put his power in words, a versatile and well-known writer. In his literally work “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “I Too”, Langston addresses the oppression of his time and the fight to have a better tomorrow. Langston Hughes will forever be known as courageous artist who shared his worldly experience, personal conflicts, and the demand for recognition. “I built my hut near the Congo” (Hughes. L. 1921). In this one simple but important line, one can get a sense that Hughes travelled and lived life, he not only gained his education through books and lectures but also through experiencing life. Maybe Hughes wanted to spark that curiosity in his readers to also, live life, not simply watch from the side lines. Show others we are as refined, educated, and intelligent as you. Hughes was a …show more content…
Nevertheless, this did not stop Hughes from putting out his work and being a voice for his people. “My soul has grown deep like the river” (Hughes. L. 1921). What led Hughes to write this line that shares the intensity of the things he has seen and done? Hughes wanted to connect with his people. He told them you are not alone in the struggle, I struggle with you. “They send me to eat in the kitchen” (Hughes. L. 1925). At one point in Hughes career his work was being threatened and he had to make the decision to bend a little and conform, this is when he began to release more patriotic poetry. Did that stop Hughes from leaving his foot print on the hearts and minds of his people and others, no it did not. Hughes work said, we will not be dismissed, we will be treated equally, and that is what will always be
Langston Hughes was born on February 1st, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. He started education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He went on to write and publish his first work, a poem called, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” in Crisis magazine. He then continued his education at Columbia University in New York in 1921. He then lived for sometime in Paris and after returning to the United States, he worked in Washington D.C. as a busboy. Later after that, Vachel Lindsay discovered Hughes literary talents. Hughes talents did not only exist in poetry, he also expanded his talent into music, play writing, and short stories, for example the “Simple” stories. His most prominent work however was written and published during the Harlem Renaissance a time where many other African-American authors were showcasing their work and being published. Hughes however, stood above the rest with his multiple talents and work which spread across the board. The white society of America at the time of the Harlem Renaissance and years after began to label him as a radical. Hughes remained extremely prolific to the very end of his life. Hughes published over forty books, including a series of children’s books. However, if you add his translations and his many anthologies of black writing, the amount of books he has published would double. He remained a controversial figure, having been considered a dangerous radical in the 1940s. Hughes was now, as he retained his lifelong commitment to racial integration, rejected by 1960s radicals considered to be a part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. However, that would not stop Hughes from being recognized as one of the important black a...
Throughout the course of Black American Writers in Paris, we have read the literature of numerous authors who were influential not only to the Harlem Renaissance but also to the coming generations. Being that the Harlem Renaissance served as an awakening in the black community which allowed black people to celebrate their blackness and their personal individuality. There were many breakout stars during the Harlem Renaissance ranging from Countee Cullen to Josephine Baker to W.E.B. DuBois and others like this. Langston Hughes was not afraid to express his blackness through his writing. A reader can see in Hughes’ essay, The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.
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.
Hughes was one of the first writers to incorporate the use of African American music in his poems. He used different types of music, such as Jazz and the blues. He felt the need to do so because of his fascination with that form of music and because of how it made people feel in that time period. He also believed that this was a way to feel better about being an African American in a society that was indifferent to cultural diversity. Hughes’ writings were mainly about the experience of hard working African Americans in society and how they got through their daily lives as a minority. Hughes describes what it was like to be an African American man in 20th century society and wanted other African Americans to be proud of their race. Hughes wanted his writings about being African Americans in society to be shown to the white people. He hoped that this would make white people realize what it felt like to be the minority in the community. He also wanted to show America the effects that racism and segregation have on the
The poem ends with Hughes saying “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” (Hughes). He is saying that his soul is connected to his ancestors in this phrase. He’s showing that African Americans are all linked in the struggle of racial
During the Harlem renaissance African American writers, artist and musicians flocked to Harlem, New York. The popularity of Jazz throughout American culture opened the door for African American voices to be heard. Most notably the voice of Langston Hughes. Since Jazz music was an important part of African American culture at the time, Hughes and others like him adapted the musical genre to create their own, African-American voices that could easily be distinguished from the work of white poets. Many of Hughes' poems sounded similar to the popular jazz and blues songs of the period. In his work he confronted racial stereotypes, protested social conditions, and expanded how African American’s viewed themselves. He was considered a “people’s poet” who tried to reeducate his readers by proving the theory of black people having many artistic talents was actually a reality.
Like most, the stories we hear as children leave lasting impacts in our heads and stay with us for lifetimes. Hughes was greatly influenced by the stories told by his grandmother as they instilled a sense of racial pride that would become a recurring theme in his works as well as become a staple in the Harlem Renaissance movement. During Hughes’ prominence in the 20’s, America was as prejudiced as ever and the African-American sense of pride and identity throughout the U.S. was at an all time low. Hughes took note of this and made it a common theme to put “the everyday black man” in most of his stories as well as using traditional “negro dialect” to better represent his African-American brethren. Also, at this time Hughes had major disagreements with members of the black middle class, such as W.E.B. DuBois for trying to assimilate and promote more european values and culture, whereas Hughes believed in holding fast to the traditions of the African-American people and avoid having their heritage be whitewashed by black intellectuals.
Langston Hughes is a critically acclaimed African-American poets who wrote poetry about the struggles and injustices in which occurred throughout the average life of an African-American. He used uncommon literary devices in order to poetically convey his messages in such a way that solidified himself as one of the greatest African-American writers, who didn’t shy away from the problems which were set before him, but instead chose to write stories and poems which captivated many due to his prolific styles of painting vivid imagery of worldly struggles of African-Americans through his literary works. Langston Hughes has an extensive catalogue which contains numerous short stories, poems, and even actual theatrical plays.I believe Langston Hughes
“Harlem” by Langston Hughes opened the doors to African American art. Throughout history, there has been a lot of issues with racial inequality. During the Harlem Renaissance, many African Americans wanted to prove they were just as intelligent, creative, and talented as white Americans. Langston Hughes was one of the people who played an influential part in the Harlem Renaissance. His poem “Harlem” painted a very vivid picture of his life and his outlook on the society he lived in.
To prove to his parents that they could be who they are instead of working to be what society wants them to be. This could explain why Hughes’ found blues and jazz music a beneficial component to support his cause.
Hughes is very well known for his contributions to the Harlem Renaissance, a literary movement centered around the lives of African Americans and the African American experience in the 1920s. His walk through Harlem instantly connects his audience to him, not just because he once lived there but his contributions to the movement. Many of us relate to the feeling of walking through contrasting spaces, one you belong in, and the other where you don’t, so this feeling instantly helps the reader emphasize with the speaker. This simplistic stream of thought writing pairs well with its lack of form or strict structure and helps the poem
Langston Hughes was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was an African-American cultural movement that focused on literature, music, theater, art, and politics. He has become most famous for how he portrays Black life in America. His writings told stories of the black American experience and a lot of his work has influenced the Black Arts Movement of the 1920’s. Langston was born February 1, 1902, in Missouri. he stayed with his grandmother because his mother moved around a lot while he was young. Although his family did a lot of moving, Hughes was a good student and excelled in his studies. Hughes real name is James Mercer Langston Hughes, the first signs of Hughes talent began
Joplin-born poet Langston Hughes was an influential figure in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes was different than all the black poets before him because he used language and themes that was relatable and familiar to everyone who could read. Hughes was most known for writing about the stories that reflected African Americans' actual culture including their suffering, frustrations, love of music, the language itself, and nuances of black life. He also refused to separate his personal experiences from the common perspective of black America (Poetry Foundation and Poets). These ideas evidently appear in works he has written.
Langston Hughes was a writer who wanted to capture the oral and imaginative traditions of black culture in written form. In Hughes poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” he says,
In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, the river stands as a symbol of endlessness, geographical awareness, and the epitome of the human soul. Hughes uses the literary elements of repetition and simile to paint the river as a symbol of timelessness. This is evident in the first two lines of the poem. Hughes introduces this timeless symbol, stating, “I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins” (Hughes 1-2). These opening lines of the poem identifies that the rivers Hughes is speaking about are older than the existence of human life. This indicates the rivers’ qualities of knowledge, permanence, and the ability to endure all. Humans associate “age” with these traits and the longevity of a river makes it a force to be reckoned with. The use of a simile in the line of the poem is to prompt the audience that this is truly a contrast between that ancient wisdom, strength, and determination of the river and the same qualities that characterize a human being. The imagery portrayed in the poem of blood flowing through human veins like a river flows ...