Essay on Langston Hughes

“Langston Hughes: Beyond The Music and The Rhythm of An Extraordinary Black Artist.” JazzMuzic 23 (2001): 35-39.

When Langston Hughes was writing his poems, he wanted the reader to get a dive into the life of the black Americans during the Harlem Renaissance. In most of his work, Langston writes about the truth and their actual culture such as, both, their love for music and suffering during this time. In Blues

While Hughes attended grammar school in Lincoln, he was elected class poet. Pretty impressive at as Black Student to be recognized with something like that. Hughes stated that in retrospect he thought it was because of the stereotype that African Americans have rhythm. What some didn't know is that Hughes was a victim of stereotype. In his English teacher class Hughes and another nergo were the only two in the classroom, plus the teacher always pointed out how rhythm is important in their culture. So since Hughes knew that all negro had rhythm that's why the whole class elected him poet. But if think about it. That moment in class lead him to man he is today written poems to view what African American went through in those

He was born in Joplin, Missouri. When Hughes was young, his parents split leaving him to be raised primarily by his grandmother and his mom. He began writing poetry in Cleveland, Ohio when he moved there with his mother. In 1921, Hughes enrolled at Columbia University but dropped out after a year. He worked as a steward and traveled throughout Africa and Europe before returning to the United States in 1924. In 1925, Hughes won first in the Opportunity magazine competition. He also received a scholarship to go to Lincoln University. While Hughes was attending Lincoln University, he was able to publish his first book of poetry called The Weary Blues. Knopf published his book in 1926. Langston Hughes published his first novel titled Not Without Laughter after he graduated from Lincoln University. Throughout the 1930s, he traveled around the nation and gave lectures. During this time he continued to write poetry and short stories. In 1934, Hughes published a series of short stories titled The Ways of White Folks. The Big Sea was published in 1940. This was an autobiography of Langston Hughes. In the 1940’s, Hughes helped with lyrics for the Street Scene musical on Broadway. With the money he made from this musical, he bought a house in Harlem. Hughes published one of his most famous works in 1951 titled “Harlem, (What happens to a dream

Hughes was a great writer with much diversity in his types of writings. His poetry was a way for us to see a picture of urban life during the Harlem Renaissance, the habits, attitudes, and feelings of his oppressed people. These poems did more than reveal the pain of poverty, it also illustrated racial pride and dignity. “His main concern was the uplift of his people, whose strengths, resiliency, courage, and humor he wanted to record as part of the general American experience” (Wikipedia, Langston Hughes). Hughes was not ashamed of his heritage and his main theme, “black is beautiful,” was expressed and shared to the world through his poetry. During the literary movement, music was central to the cultural movement of the Harlem Renaissance, which was a main feature of Hughes’s poetry. He had an important technical influence by his emphasis on folk, jazz, and blues rhythms as the basis of his poetry of racial pride. Hughes used this unique style of writing because it was important to him to have the readers feel and experience what they were reading, “to recognize the covert rhetoric in lyric means to appreciate the overlap between emotive and discursive poetry. Rooted in song, the lyric reestablishes the ritual of human communion” (Miller 52).

Langston Hughes is an American poet known as the “Granddaddy” of the Harlem Renaissance literature. He moved around a lot with his mother until they finally settled in Cleveland, Ohio. During this time, he was introduced to poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman. In 1925 while working in Washington D.C. he met Vachel Lindsay who helped him promote his poetry.

James Langston Hughes, Joplin, 1902 - New York, 1967 an American writer. He was one of the greatest exponents of the Renaissance Harlem in the twenties and later, the chief representative of the Afro-American culture, which took him not only one of his most brilliant poets but a tireless protagonist and promoter . Through his writings and public appearances he had as main objective the social and civil progress of the black population of the United States. He spent his childhood in Kansas with his maternal grandmother. He lived for a short time with his father in Mexico, but left him because of this disregard for his own race. He traveled by sea and played junior in France and Italy work before making its appearance on the literary scene in Harlem, where he published between 1921 and 1925, in the

Hughes has complex ancestry. Both of Hughes' paternal great-grandmothers were enslaved African Americans and both of his paternal great-grandfathers were white slave owners in Kentucky. According to Hughes, one of these men was Sam Clay, a Scottish-American whiskey

James Emanuel describes how Hughes brought attention to the importance of religion in Black history when he writes, “Religion, because of its historical importance during and after slavery, is an undeniably useful theme. . . . [Hughes, a] writer whose special province for almost forty-five years was more recent Black experience, the theme is doubly vital” (Emanual 914). I agree with James Emanuel. Hughes could

     The Blues musical move was prominent during the 1920s and '30s, a time known as the Harlem Renaissance. Blues music characteristically told the story of

He was the first African-American to make a living from his literature, speeches, and poetry. Langston Hughes is well-known and celebrated today partly because he defied the writing style preferred by African-American writers of the time by writing about experiences that were meaningful to the masses. During the 1920s, many poets chose to write increasingly complex and abstract poetry that was only read and enjoyed by a select group of people. Hughes revolutionized poetry of the time by writing to the people, writing about topics in a way that anyone could read, connect with, and enjoy. His progressive techniques and style fueled the cultural explosion of the Harlem Renaissance and provided inspiration for hundreds of future

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).

Hughes early inspiration for writing came from the loneliness of his childhood. He did not have a stable family life as a child. Once his parents divorced and he went to live with his grandmother, he was very lonesome and unhappy. His grandmother was about 70 years old when Langston first went to live with her. While living with her he lived a sheltered life. Once his grandmother died, he went to live with James and Mary

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