Doors, Religion and Racial Segregation: “On the Road” by Langston Hughes How would you feel if you were constantly on the run just to find a place to sleep and eat? In Langston Hughes’s story, “On the road”, there is a discussion of symbolism and how doors, religion and racial segregation have an implicit meaning in relation to the great depression in the United States of America. Langston Hughes was an African American writer that was well known for his insight on black culture in America from 1920-1960. He was a social activist and he was openly Gay. Being gay in the time period of 1920-1960 was not heard of very often and it was often frowned upon and for Hughes to be open about his sexuality is very critical from that particular period …show more content…
Through Hughes’s short story there is an emphasize point on doors and how there is a symbolic meaning of Sergeants journey with doors. In the story there is a reverend named Mr. Dorset, and ironic name to name a reverend of a white church, his name is derived as a meaning of a door being set. The irony of Mr. Dorset’s name is that when he is denying entry to Sargent, he is standing in the frame of his door. Doors are very significant in this story as there is a progression of doors in significance from the beginning to the end of the story ranging in no doors at all to being locked behind one and everything in between. When Sargent is denied entry from the first door he seeks refuge to a progression of two doors from a white church. The meaning that two doors have is when the door open they open inwards much like hands welcoming one in to their home. So as welcoming gesture Sargent thought that because the doors open inwards that they were gesturing him to come and seek refuge inside. There is a progression of being polite, knocking on the door to see if someone would answer, to trying the handle, which was locked to forcing the door open like a ridged ram rod to forcibly break open the door in a desperate attempt. The symbolism in a ram rod is that it is a strong united object used to jam something in against a solid object. Then after a failed attempt of trying to get into the …show more content…
In the era of the great depression sleep and food was hard to come by for African American people because often enough the relief shelters had no beds available and the food had already been served and “they drew the color line”. There was a lot of racial segregation in the depression era as white people often thought that colored people were a work force that was thought that they could be owned by white people that had money, and a commodity that were there for them to use. Essentially all of the jobs that people did not want to do they would buy slaves to do the jobs for them. They were often thought to be not worthy of being in a society. Much like Mr. Dorset’s thoughts of “I’m sorry. No! Go right on down this street four blocks and turn to your left, walk up seven and you’ll see the Relief Shelter. I’m sorry. No!” (446). Mr. Dorset has said this line many of times as he has no emotion projected in the meaning of his words. He knows that people are suffering and starving despite being a reverend of a church he disobeys one of the most important rules of a reverend, which is to help other who are in need. Mr. Dorset knows the directions off by heart has he has given them many times to travelers so that they are able to seek shelter. Another time that Mr. Dorset disobeyed
"Salvation" by Langston Hughes is an Essay written about the pressures young adults can face in their lifetime. It represented the life of a young boy and the pressures he received to accept Christ into his life. The story reflected lies, sarcasm, and hypocrisy from his peers, his family, both immediate and church. This young boy was told that Jesus would come to him, he would “See” Jesus, he would know. He was faced with the misconception of “How” Jesus would come to him, he was misguided. The young boy went forward anyway, walking to the pulpit, and accepting Christ. Although he had never experienced Jesus coming to him, he had never seen Jesus, he goes anyway, pretending to be saved due to social pressures. Later he returns home and cries
During the early 1930s many black writers begin to produce works that helped to shape and define the Civil Rights movement. Among them was Langston Hughes whose poems and writing contributed directly to the rhetoric of the day and inspired many African-Americans, both in and out of the Civil Rights movement. Much of this grew out of what was called the Harlem Renaissance, which emerged during turbulent times for the world, the United States, and black Americans. World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 had left the world in disorder and stimulated anti-colonial movements throughout the third world. In America, twenty years of progressive reform ended with the red scare, race riots, and isolationism throughout 1919 and led to
Langston Hughes was the leading voice of African American people in his time, speaking through his poetry to represent blacks. His Influence through his poems are seen widely not just by blacks but by those who enjoy poetry in other races and social classes. Hughes poems, Harlem, The Negro speaks of rivers, Theme for English B, and Negro are great examples of his output for the racial inequality between the blacks and whites. The relationship between whites and blacks are rooted in America's history for the good and the bad. Hughes poems bring the history at large and present them in a proud manner. The injustice that blacks face because of their history of once being in bondage is something they are constantly reminded and ridiculed for but must overcome and bring to light that the thoughts of slavery and inequality will be a lesson and something to remember for a different future where that kind of prejudice is not found so widely.
Langston Hughes was one of the great writers of his time. He was named the “most renowned African American poet of the 20th century” (McLaren). Through his writing he made many contributions to following generations by writing about African American issues in creative ways including the use of blues and jazz. Langston Hughes captured the scene of Harlem life in the early 20th century significantly influencing American Literature. He once explained that his writing was an attempt to “explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America” (Daniel 760). To fulfill this task, he wrote 15 volumes of poetry, six novels, three books, 11 plays, and a variety of non-fiction work (Daniel 760). He also edited over 50 books in his time (McKay).
African Americans didn’t know that is was a Great Depression. African Americans have always been poor and knew how to survive. By 1932, approximately half of black Americans were unemployed, blacks always felt unemployed and under paid. Whites attempted to keep blacks out of work by not hiring African Americans. They used racial violence, and discrimination tactics to keep an underprivileged population depressed.
In Langston Hughes, "On the Road" the Sargeant is a homeless Black man that is desperate for food and shelter. In his desperation, Sargeant goes to the church to refuge, but there is no one at the Church to help him get refuge. Although Sargent is living in a time where the depression is in existence amongst all people, Black and White, he finds no one to help him. Sargent goes to the Church because the Church helps people. However, because Sargeant is Black and the Church is populated by a White congregation, he is rejected. In the story " One the Road", one of the people: A big black unemployed Negro holding onto our church... "The idea"! This represents that Sargent wants the benefits of the white
The KKK forced many black americans who were living in the south to migrate north (McNeill). Those who stayed in the south often faced hardship throughout the entirety of the depression. Many were unlawfully imprisoned due to internalized prejudice within the judicial branch as well. Even when World War 2 began and the economy revived, racial minorities were still the last to be given jobs (McNeill). The popular phrase of “no jobs for blacks until every white man has one” sadly rang true. It was incredible difficult for black americans to get back on their feet after the Great Depression. A majority of black youth were killed, forced out, and then denied jobs for the while the depression existed.
The 1930’s started off with a huge economic crash which left the U.S. startled and in the Great Depression. The stock market had just crashed on October 24, 1929, also known as the Wall Street Crash. The “Jazz Age” had just ended and new musicians and artists were slowly rising up to their fame. African American’s were being discriminated against in the south. Many African Americans were farmers who had to suffer from the Great Depression as well as the Dust Bowl. As a result of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl many African Americans had to go through the struggles of losing their jobs and having to move north in search for a new life. Many Americans had this problem as well, but the racism that was used against Africans, added to the severeness of the situation. African Americans weren’t able to get jobs, homes, or opportunities as easily as African Americans. Many African Americans were in terrible condition and most of it was because of the way that African Americans were treated. After President Roosevelt was elected a new hope had arisen through the country and Africans Americans were given another chance.
“Salvation” is a wonderful narrative by Langston Hughes explaining his first time attending church. The story is portrayed in both a book and film version. Both versions do their jobs by explaining how Langston felt when he falsely claimed he was saved by Christ. Each version has different strengths and weaknesses, but the book is dull compared to the film. The film gives a better insight into Langston’s life;therefore, the film version is superior to the book.
Langston Hughes’ dedication to depicting the bona fide aspects of black life leads him to discuss struggle. One of the most omnipresent themes in black life, at the time of Hughes, is the constant struggle they face every
Langston Hughes is one the most renowned and respected authors of twentieth century America not simply one of the most respected African-American authors, though he is certainly this as well, but one of the most respected authors of the period overall. A large part of the respect and admiration that the man and his work have garnered is due to the richness an complexity of Hughes' writing, both his poetry and his prose and even his non-fictions. In almost all of his texts, Hughes manages at once to develop and explore the many intricacies and interactions of the human condition and specifically of the experience growing up and living as a black individual in a white-dominated and explicitly anti-Black society while at the same time, while at the same time rendering his human characters and their emotions in a simple, straightforward, and immensely accessible fashion. Reading the complexity behind the surface simplicity of his works is at once enjoyable and edifying.
Langston Hughes was an African American writer who took the literary world by storm in the twentieth century. Hughes was known for incorporating African American culture into his poems and plays. Langston Hughes did this so much so that per, "Masterplots II: African American Literature" he was "…recognized as the unofficial poet laureate of the African American urban experience…" (Niemi). Hughes has written several poems in his career. Most of them have a theme of racial pride incorporated somewhere in the poems. By analyzing Langston Hughes's writings, it can be inferred that the poems "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", "Negro" and "I, Too" all have the theme of racial pride.
Langston Hughes uses beautiful symbolism and imagery in his literary work “On the Road”. Hughes offers up the idea that if one is to open ones heart; life will provide unlimited abundance. In this literary work, Langston Hughes uses nature to demonstrate and symbolize the unwillingness of his main character, Sargeant, to participate in life. Hughes also demonstrates the use of a person’s anger and instinct to survive and how they both can be used as powerful forces in breaking down racial barriers. Another more impacting symbol Hughes uses is Jesus Christ as a metaphor. Hughes uses this to show how people experience life and how the traditional church values contradict each other when it comes to the acceptance of human beings. Therefore
struggle of the Afro Americans. It is a dream which has not come true and will
Langston Hughes, author of the short story "On the Road" and the poem "Mother to Son," often illustrated in his writing the hardships experienced by the characters--products of African American life in the United States. While Hughes and other young African-American authors wanted to define and celebrate black art and culture, they were also responsible for changing the preconceived notions of most Americans' erroneous ideas of black life (Mabunda