Langston Hughes: Summary

life. Hughes still feared for the future of urban blacks. His point of view became immense and

Salvation by Langston Hughes is a short story that explains dealings with religion and basic beliefs. In the story, Hughes attends a revival at his church with his aunt. Prior conversations with his aunt had given Hughes the impression that when you are saved you see a light and you feel something inside of you. Aware that a time of the service would be dedicate to bringing youth to Jesus, Hughs heads down to the designated row and listens to the pastor, sang when necessary and awaited the time that "the light of Jesus would be shown to him". One by one children handed their lives over to Jesus, still awaiting the feeling Hughes sat and searched for anything that could match the description that he had been given. As time goes on church goers

     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.

Langston Hughes was someone who never gave up on his dream. He was an African-American born in Missouri in 1902. He received his education at Columbia University and later went on to go to Lincoln University. Although he is most well known for being a poet, he held a variety of other jobs ranging from a busboy to a columnist in his early years. In the 1920s America entered the Harlem Renaissance, a time of appreciation for black heritage. It was at this point in history that he became an important writer. The reason he was so important to this time in history is because his writing, “offers a transcription of urban life through a portrayals of the speech habits attitudes and feelings of an oppressed people. The poems do more, however, than

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

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.

In the story “Salvation”, by Langston Hughes, the church hosts a revival for the community. However, it is not a normal revival, the children are forced to go and get saved. The story conveys an underlying message of how adult family members put too much pressure on the youth of the family. Langston Hughes conveys this theme through the setting in the church and the characters.

Langston Hughes is regarded as one of the most significant American authors of the twentieth century. Foremost a poet, he was the first African-American to earn a living solely from his writings after he became established. Over a forty-year career beginning in the 1920s until his death in 1967, Hughes produced poetry, plays, novels, and a variety of nonfiction. He is perhaps best known for his creation of the fictional character, Jesse B. Semple, which first appeared in a Chicago Defender newspaper column in 1943. Hughes’ writings focused mainly on the lives of plain black people and show their beauty, wisdom, and strength to overcome social and economic injustice.

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

Save me Please! The hearts cry of a young boy who is in desperate need. Referring to Langston Hughes article “Salvation”. A lesson this article teaches about group pressure, even with good intentions, getting what the group wants, does not always meet the individual needs.

In Langston Hughes’s theory “Salvation,” the author focuses on religion. Langston describes his experience when he was twelve years old; it was a special occasion in the church. He continues elaborating the day where young people unite to have a first encounter with Jesus. He describes his feelings how he bent over his knees and kept waiting serenely for Jesus, but nothing happened. He waited until he started to be ashamed of himself. Therefore, he got up but at the same time he loses his faith.

     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 others, he relates his ideas on the importance of heritage and the past. Hughes accomplishes this with a straightforward, easily understandable writing style that clearly conveys his thoughts and opinions, although he has frequently been criticized for the slightly negative tone to his works.

Without a doubt, Langston Hughes was one the most popular names in the history of

According to the poem "I, Too" it says "Tomorrow, I'll be at the table when company comes. Nobody'll dare say to me " Eat in the kitchen Then." This quote shows that Hughes had hope that one day he and the black people in America will be treated equally and respectfully. When Hughes says “I'll be at the table when company comes” this shows that he had the desire that people from different races, in this case, white and black people get along and live in peace. Another quote says "They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes" This quote shows that Hughes was not treated equally because of his skin color, and the white people will send him to the kitchen because they didn't want to have any interaction with him. We can see that there was an inequality between black and white people in time of history. In conclusion, Hughes uses point of view to expressed he wasn't treated equally because of his physical characteristics. Hughes never stopped believing in equality, he had faith that one day America would

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.