Famous People In The 1920s

Langston Hughes was a man of wisdom and an inspirational writer who wrote mainly about the black man in America. He was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri “He mainly wrote poetry, fiction, short story, autobiography, and criticism” (Dickson). His famous poem was “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” which he wrote at the age of 18. He made many poems that still live forever. He was a black poet who wanted to express what was going on Americans. His main mission was to get his message across . poetry gave him the opportunity to do that However, there are many differences and similarities in the poem “Negro”, and “the Negro speaks of rivers”, in how Hughes discusses blacks’ pain and suffering, pride in their heritage, and contribution to civilization.

The 1920s was an exciting, yet disunited decade in American history, in which black artists and musicians began to rise, women began voting, more Americans lived in cities rather than on farms, had the same taste in music, used the same slang, turned away from tradition, had fun, and lived their lives out for once. The 1920s was known as the “New Era”, because it was filled with economic, political, and dramatic social changes. Countless momentous events occurred in the 1920s such as the division of the “two Americas”, the Prohibition, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the shifting of moral values, and the Scopes “Monkey” trial. All of the highlighted events listed, are extremely imperative to history and society in the past, present, and will

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is regarded today as one of the most influential Black writers in American history. Pulling inspiration from the genres of blues and jazz, the works of Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg, and his own life experiences, Hughes’ writing is both classic and innovative (Anon., 1997). Having been an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance, much of his work was centered around the strife and inequality faced by African Americans at the time. Although he explored a wide range of themes in his writing, the concept of the “American Dream” created the foundation for much of his work. As a black man, Hughes knew that he would never experience the proverbial “American Dream” of freedom and

Langston Hughes is an extremely successful and well known black writer who emerged from the Harlem Renaissance (“Langston Hughes” 792). He is recognized for his poetry and like many other writers from the Harlem Renaissance, lived most of his life outside of Harlem (“Langston Hughes” 792). His personal experiences and opinions inspire his writing intricately. Unlike other writers of his time, Hughes expresses his discontent with black oppression and focuses on the hardships of his people. Hughes’ heartfelt concern for his people’s struggle evokes the reader’s emotion. His appreciation for black music and culture is evident in his work as well. Langston Hughes is a complex poet whose profound works provide insight into all aspects of black

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).

Langston Hughes wrote revolutionary poetry that casted a spotlight on the racial inequality and segregation in America during the 1920s. He spoke for an entire race. His poetry left a significant impact on the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes’s poetry was gritty. His specialty was free verse and his metaphors cut deep.

Kevin Young, a graduate of Harvard University and one of the winners of the Guggenheim Fellowship, writes the historical perspective of Langston Hughes. He discusses the flowering of the African American literature and culture and how it is actually just the extension of the New Negro movement. From the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes is able to represent “different things” for “different men.” The uprising of Hughes’s poems are the result of their hardships that many people of his time faced. “The black cultural ferment found from the teens to the nineteen twenties and beyond provided an opportunity to prove in culture things sometimes denied black folks in society-- namely, their humanity.” Young

Langston Hughes was a Jazz Poetry , Born in Joplin MO , he was born the day of February 1 , 1902. In Cleveland Ohio , that’s when Langston start writing poetry. The college he went too was Columbia University in New York City. “The Weary Blues” was His first book of poetry that we wrote in the year In 1924 . 3 years later at the University of Lincoln that’s when Hughes graduated and was done with his education . He was important to the Harlem Renaissance because of his life and his work . He was shaping the artistic offering of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s . Hughes won the Harmon gold medal for literature in the year of 1930 when his first novel was written and published . It was called “Not Without Laughter” .

The well known poet Langston Hughes was an inspiring character during the Harlem Renaissance to provide a push for the black communities to fight for the rights they deserved. Hughes wrote his poetry to deliver important messages and provide support to the movements. When he was at a young age a teacher introduced him to poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, and they inspired him to start his own. Being a “darker brother,” as he called blacks, he experienced and wanted his rights, and that inspired him. Although literary critics felt that Langston Hughes portrayed an unattractive view of black life, the poems demonstrate reality. Hughes used the Blues and Jazz to add effect to his work as well as his extravagant word use and literary

Langston Hughes is a skillful poet who uses vivid language to draw in his crowd and to get his point across. He uses phrases like “sad raggy tune” and “melancholy tone” to make the readers imagine the type of music that the black man is singing

Langston Hughes’ writing describes the literary movement and that the African American race had built. In the, When the Negro Was in Vogue, he addressed how Harlem had become a popular tourist attraction for whites during the 1920s. The white invasion took away the privacy and the comfortable environment in which African American 's would express themselves through the arts.

Throughout the booming Roaring Twenties, the struggle against Jim Crow segregation and equality for minorities had yet to truly begin. Whites were still under the impression that they were the superior race. Taught to them by their ancestors; it wasn’t a belief, simply fact. Racial tensions were at an all-time high and the difference between the quality of living for blacks and whites was evident during this era. Therefore, to understand the relations between the races, one must first understand the major factors that eventually aspired many of Langston Hughes works.

This led to the era being known as “The Jazz Age” in music, according to Max Roach in his article “What Jazz Means to Me” (3). In these places, people of color often threw off the fetters of social oppression for a while and masked their discontent under a wave of music. However, many still experienced an underlying anger and disillusionment with American society—a society that consistently marginalized them. The movement largely featured people of color writers, giving them a voice and a racial identity. Such writings often critiqued the circumstances of the “black” American, or presented social criticism. The movement was rooted in the idea of social change, and laid the foundation for the Civil Rights movement that would come later in the 1960s as well as “set the foundations for all later African American literature,” according to Allen Dunn and George Hutchinson in Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal (446). Despite writing “Harlem” in 1951 Hughes was still heavily influenced by the earlier authors and the culture of jazz. His writings compound earlier issues with the newer ones today, continuing issues for people of color that have never been resolved.

Langston Hughes is one of the major African American literary figures of the twentieth century. His composition involves poetry, fiction, the short story, autobiography, and criticism. The greater part of Hughes' written work focuses on the account of the black man in America; his delights, distresses, and expectations. The story is told with a sadness for the occasions that have oppressed him however with a feeling of positive thinking for the better world that Hughes knows will come sometime in the not so distant future. Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on Feb. 1, 1902, and grew up with relatives and family in Lawrence, Kansas, following his parents’ divorce. Be that as it may, he learned lessons in perseverance and pride from his grandma; the stories she told were loaded with deference for the Negro race and for individuals who worked, conspired, and battled. From this experience, as Hughes said in his auto-account, he took in the futility of crying. In 1915, Hughes rejoined his mom in Lincoln, Illinois, where he was chosen class artist in the language structure school. The respect was presented, as Hughes clarifies, because white individuals think Negroes have mood and since a sonnet has cadence, Negroes must have the capacity to compose verse. The next year Hughes moved to Cleveland, where his stepfather worked in the steel factories and his mom functioned as a server. Here Hughes composed lyrics in the way of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Carl Sandburg and contributed

The 1920s brought a great time of change, historically and politically. In addition to all the change, it was also a very complex decade itself, there were serious economical crises. At the same time people were partying in speakeasies a few hours later. Jazz was all the rage in this period, especially for the younger generation. Interestingly many important people came from this decade too, from the fashion designer Coco Chanel to the American entrepreneur Walt Disney. During this era there was also a very drastic style change, mainly for the women. All of these changes made the 1920's a very exciting time.