Langston Hughes: An Analysis

If someone snatched your purse would forgive them, let alone take care of them? In this short story, a kid tries to steal a woman's purse and against all odds she is kind to him. “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes shows that forgiveness and kindness are powerful and if you mess up someone will forgive you.

Langston Hughes Langston Hughes is regarded as one of the "most eloquent of American poets to have sung the wounds of political injustice." While some of his poetry can be classified as non-racial most of it can be categorized as literature of protest. Hughes background and personal beliefs were quite influential in his writing and it is reflected in his tremendous discontent for the "white man's world." Three of his works that that display this feeling and similar theme include "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "Porter," and "Refugee in America."

Racial inequality through the eyes of Langston Hughes According to Biography, James Mercer Langston Hughes is considered to be an African American poet who is college educated and comes from a middle-class family (Langston Hughes Biography). He attended college in New York City and became influential during the Harlem Renaissance (Langston Hughes Biography). Although Hughes was a talented writer, he faced some challenges early on and it was stated that his “early work was roundly criticized by many black intellectuals for portraying what they thought to be an unattractive view of black life” (Langston Hughes. American Poet). They believed that his work helps the spread the stereotypes of African Americans. “Hughes, more than any other black poet or writer, recorded faithfully the nuances of black life and its frustrations” (Langston Hughes. American Poet). Langston Hughes’s poems “The Negro Mother”, “Let America be America Again” and “The Weary Blues” were influenced by his life during the Harlem Renaissance and the racial inequality experienced in the late 1920s through the 1960s.

Daragon Wendwesen Stanford Searl English 102, fall 2014 December 12, 2014 Paper Five What “Identity” Means In The Poems of Langston Hughes Before I explain my take on what "identity" means in Langston Hughes works, I would like explain a little about a man who happened to be one of the most recognizable names in African- American literature, and the struggle he faced – as a writer and mostly as an African American. A brief glimpse into our darkest days and description of his life and about him will help elucidate the background, and his style of writing. Jordan stated African Americans journey and identity in the Americans started on the wrong no “Over a period of more than three centuries, in the slave ships of the Middle Passage and the plantations of the American South, peoples from many nations of what is now called West and Central Africa, brought together under conditions of extreme brutality, reinvented themselves as one people and they renamed themselves ‘African’, ‘Coloured People’ and ‘Negro’. Later, from end of the nineteenth century to the first few decades of the twentieth century, mostly in northern urban centres of the USA, the descendants of the slaves reinvented themselves again, this time as the ‘New Negro’”(848-891).

Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was one of the first black men to express the spirit of blues and jazz

“The history for Blacks in America starts at slavery,” the further I ponder this statement from my friend Joe, a navy veteran, the more I do not believe it to be true. Today many Blacks in America do not remember stories of their African heritage. Although, they may not know their African history, it does exist, and they did originate from Africa. So, their history does not start at slavery. In a recorded interview, Langston Hughes says he wrote the poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” in 1920, after he completed high school. Hughes also credits his source of inspiration to the Mississippi river which he passed, while on the train, to visit his father in Mexico. He acknowledged what the Mississippi symbolized to Negro people and how it was linked

Langston Hughes      People always listen to music, watch movies or plays, and even read poetry without once even thinking what is could be that helps and artist eventually create a masterpiece. Often times, it is assumed that artists just have a “gift”, and people just do not consider the circumstances and situations that gradually mold a dormant idea into a polished reality. This seems to be the case with nearly every famous actor, writer, painter, or musician; including the ever-famous Langston Hughes.

A huddle of horns And a tinkle of glass A note Handed down from Marcus to Malcolm To a brother Too bad and too cool to give his name. Sometimes despair Makes the stoops shudder Sometimes there are endless depths of pain Singing a capella on street corners And sometimes not. Sometimes it is the artist looking into the mirror Painting a portrait

James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was very small, and his father (who found American racism made his desires to be a lawyer impossible) left the family and emigrated to Mexico. Hughes' mother moved with her child to Lawrence, Kansas, so she and he could live with his grandmother, Mary Langston.

Life and Work of Langston Hughes Early Years James Mercer Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1, 1902, to James Nathaniel Hughes, a lawyer and businessman, and Carrie Mercer (Langston) Hughes, a teacher. The couple separated shortly thereafter. James Hughes was, by his son’s account, a cold man who hated blacks (and hated himself for being one), feeling that most of them deserved their ill fortune because of what he considered their ignorance and laziness. Langston’s youthful visits to him there, although sometimes for extended periods, were strained and painful. He attended Columbia University in 1921-22, and when he died he, left everything to three elderly women who had cared for him in his last illness,

Langston Hughes inspired others to reach their true potential in their work by using their own life as a catalyst:

     Langston Hughes’s writing showcases a variety of themes and moods, and his distinguished career led his biographer, Arnold Rampersad, to describe him as “perhaps the most representative black American writer.” Many of his poems illustrate his role as a spokesman for African American society and the working poor. In

Langston Hughes Research Please read the following three sources and answer all of the questions. Once you’re finished email the completed document to my email, lwiget@asa.edu.

Seth Kuno Mrs. Goddard Accelerated English 10 16 May 2017 Langston Hughes The “Poet Laureate of Harlem” as they called him was a very influential writer during the Harlem Renaissance (DISCovering Multicultural America, par. 2). He showed what life was like from his eyes and hoped that racial prejudice would stop once people understood what life was like for him. This is the story of Langston Hughes, who stood up for what he believed in and always fought for African American rights. Langston Hughes was an author during the Harlem Renaissance and he believed very strongly that African American people were not treated right, so he chose to write about racism and equal opportunities.

Langston Hughes is widely renowned for his ability to represent the struggle of the African American community through his poetry during the time period around the Harlem Renaissance. As a world traveler and successful African American man, he was able to use his fame to enlighten the world, namely the white population, on the inequality and abuse of African American population in the United States. Despite his own battle with unhappiness and inequality (Royster, 344), Hughes was able to capture and express the truth of the life of African Americans in his emotionally charged and beautifully written poetry. Contrary to many African American writers during this time, Hughes uses his poetry to display the reality of racism against African Americans and to express his desire for peaceful co-existence and change in America (Subhash, n.pag.). A large aspect of the popularity of Hughes poems is due to the passion and emotion he displays in his writing. Not only is Hughes honest in his representations, he also adds the real, personal perspective as someone who is “in the middle of the fire” and truly understands the world he is portraying in his writing. Two of Hughes major themes, which are evident in his poetry and vital to the deep emotional meaning he expresses, are the issue of racism and the importance of music in African American life and culture. “When the Negro Was in Vogue”, “The Weary Blues”, “Song for a Dark Girl”, “Trumpet Player”, “Dream Boogie”, “Motto”, and “I, Too,