Langston Hughes and the Dichotomy of American Literature Incessant discrimination against African Americans left them without an amalgamate identity within America. Although artists of African descent had existed before, their works and ideas remained isolated from the broader American populous. The subsequent dichotomy between African American and American culture resonated fervently during the Harlem Renaissance, a breakthrough literary movement during the Roaring Twenties, which essentially acted as a prefatory to the integration of African American ideas and arts into the scope of intellectual Americana. Langston Hughes and other black artists produced works that quelled their estrangement in an American culture dominated by Anglo-Saxons, …show more content…
“Afraid” analogizes African life it to the modern inner city residence of African Americans. It connects the tribal fear and isolation of their African ancestors to the likewise fear and isolation of blacks in America. (Royster) Hughes mentions that “it is night” in the poem, furthering the shroud of uncertainty and darkness that runs parallel between Africans crying among palms, fearful of the dangers of the natural world, and African Americans crying among the skyscrapers, angst about modern black life in America. Hughes also wanted his poetry to capture the essence of black culture, portraying not only the negatives of modern black life, but the vibrancy of culture that existed in black cities such as Harlem. He would often write in African American dialect as a way to connect his work with his people (Share) Hughes wanted his poems to not only reflect the culture, but to be relatable to the common black person. This was in contempt of many black intellectual critics and authors, who characterized his poems as portraying black life as undignified (Share). It was, however, exploring genuine black …show more content…
Ironically, his poetry was also the product of pain. Langston said during the time he wrote his most stirring works, “ I felt bad . . . and those were the years when I wrote most of my poetry. (for my best poems were written when I felt the worst. When I was happy I didn’t write anything.)” Langston’s sorrow fueled his expression, which powerfully and poignantly portrayed the injustices levied against blacks in the past and present, as well as the future he and all African Americans dreamed of (Royster). Across many works, Hughe’s lyricism details the subjugation of slavery, and the pretenses of America that kept blacks in seemingly perpetual bondage. “Share-Croppers” compares the herding of cattle to the work exploitation of African Americans. It subliminally contrasts slavery to the slave labor Negroes remained subjected to after abolition (Royster). He details the unchanging economic landscape for African Americans, perpetually condemned to work for the white man rather than themselves. "Madam and the Rent Man" explores the substandard housing of the inner cities, and conveys the rejection and bitterness of blacks towards the white "landlord", landlord of not only the slums, but America itself. The broken promises of the landlord to fix the deteriorating home can be compared to the U.S. government, breaking the promise of freeing African
Langston Hughes was a large influence on the African-American population of America. Some of the ways he did this was how his poetry influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and the Harlem Renaissance. These caused the civil rights movement that resulted in African-Americans getting the rights that they deserved in the United States. Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was young and his grandmother raised him. She got him into literature and education; she was one of the most important influences on him. He moved around a lot when he was young, due to his parents divorce, but remained a good student and graduated high school. After this he traveled the world and worked in different places, all the things he saw in his travels influenced him. In 1924 he settled down in Harlem where he became one of the important figures in the Harlem Renaissance. He enjoyed listening to blues and jazz in clubs while he wrote his poetry. The music that he enjoyed greatly influenced the style and rhythm of his poetry. The poem “Dream Variations” by Hughes is about an average African-American who dreams of a world where African-Americans are not looked at or treated differently and they can rest peacefully. Yet in real life this was not so, black people and white people were not equal. And the world was not as forgiving and nice as in their dream. This poem is a good example of Hughes writing because it is typical of three things. The first is the common theme of the average life of an African-American and their struggles. Secondly, the style of his writing which is based on the rhythm of jazz and blues- he uses a lot of imagery and similes. Lastly, his influences which are his lonely childhood and growing up as an Afric...
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)
The 1930’s were an interesting time for many African-Americans. Even though they had been freed from slavery decades ago, they still felt oppression. Langston Hughes does a fantastic job of describing this oppression in the poem “Ballad of the Landlord”. The author’s purpose for writing this poem is to show the problems that African-Americans dealt with in the 1930’s which is exemplified through the use of hyperbole, change of lines in stanzas, and repetition.
Because of that, his writing seems to manifest a greater meaning. He is part of the African-American race that is expressed in his writing. He writes about how he is currently oppressed, but this does not diminish his hope and will to become the equal man. Because he speaks from the point of view of an oppressed African-American, the poem’s struggles and future changes seem to be of greater importance than they ordinarily would. The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing.
Throughout African American history different individuals have made a significant impact that would forever change things. In the 1900s Harlem became the governing body for the birth of jazz and blues. This also open door for a new era called the Harlem Renaissance. During this time a poet name Langston Hughes was introduced. Langston Hughes created poetry that stood out to people. It had that jazzy vibe mixed with articulate language of choice. He could seize the minds of people with the soulfulness of his writing, and depict the struggles of what was going on with blacks. Some individuals see Langston Hughes as the inspired poet of the Harlem Renaissance time. Mr. Hughes used his body of work to compare and contrast things to create the groundwork for the Harlem Renaissance period.
“Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.” –Edgar Allan Poe. Poetry is one of the world’s greatest wonders. It is a way to tell a story, raise awareness of a social or political issue, an expression of emotions, an outlet, and last but not least it is an art. Famous poet Langston Hughes uses his poetry as a musical art form to raise awareness of social injustices towards African-Americans during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Although many poets share similarities with one another, Hughes creatively crafted his poetry in a way that was only unique to him during the 1920’s. He implemented different techniques and styles in his poetry that not only helped him excel during the 1920’s, but has also kept him relative in modern times. Famous poems of his such as a “Dream Deferred,” and “I, Too, Sing America” are still being studied and discussed today. Due to the cultural and historical events occurring during the 1920’s Langston Hughes was able to implement unique writing characteristics such as such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues that is demonstrative of his writing style. Langston Hughes use of distinct characteristics such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues helped highlight the plights of African-Americans during the Harlem Renaissance Era.
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.
The contradiction of being both black and American was a great one for Hughes. Although this disparity was troublesome, his situation as such granted him an almost begged status; due to his place as a “black American” poet, his work was all the more accessible. Hughes’ black experience was sensationalized. Using his “black experience” as a façade, however, Hughes was able to obscure his own torments and insecurities regarding his ambiguous sexuality, his parents and their relationship, and his status as a public figure.
1920’s Harlem was a time of contrast and contradiction, on one hand it was a hotbed of crime and vice and on the other it was a time of creativity and rebirth of literature and at this movement’s head was Langston Hughes. Hughes was a torchbearer for the Harlem Renaissance, a literary and musical movement that began in Harlem during the Roaring 20’s that promoted not only African-American culture in the mainstream, but gave African-Americans a sense of identity and pride.
The "Langston Hughes" Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
The Harlem Renaissance was one of the events in history that created a movement for Blacks in the United States. Even though it did not create such a huge effect during the time, it was a stepping stone for African Americans to show their creativity. Many people who were associated with the arts, such as poets, singers, instrumentalists, and composers wanted to show their works to the mainstream public. One of the most successful poets of this time was Langston Hughes.
The Artist would build the foundation for a new era. The name for this era was The Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance allowed for the African-Americans to manifest a new type of culture as demonstrated by the one and only Langston Hughes. During the height of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes created poetry that was musically in sound, and this allowed him to capture a blues essence into his poetry. This gave life
Langston Hughes is one of the most famous poets of the Harlem Renaissance. He was born in Mississippi in 1902 and later moved to Ohio where he attended Central High School. When Hughes graduated high school he went to Mexico to visit his father and while crossing the Mississippi River he was inspired to write “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, which was his first published poem when he was eighteen years old. When Hughes returned to the United States in 1924 the Harlem Renaissance was in “full swing”. In 1925 at the age of twenty-three Hughes received an award for his poem “The Weary Blues”, Hughes was famous for incorporating blues and jazz rhymes into his poetry, which is what he did in his poem “The Weary Blues”. Hughes was at a banquet where he received an award for his poem “The Weary Blues” and was asked by a man named Carl Van Vechten if he had enough poems to make a book. Hughes said yes and Van Vechten promised that he would find Hughes ...
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
He wanted his poems to be simple, rather than complex and wordy. His works were not written in sonnet like many other black poets. He believes that poems from African American poets should be different from their experiences. He wanted to tell real stories, including the good and bad times that happen. His poems spoke to people everywhere, especially in the African American community.