Poem And Racism In The Harlem And Langston Hughes

Thesis statement: Hughes wrote this when Jim Crow laws were still imposing an bitter segregated society in the South. There were still lynchings of innocent African Americans, there was no Civil Rights Movement, there was no Civil Rights legislation yet, and Blacks couldn't eat at lunch counters in the South. Harlem, however, was not at all like the South in terms of blatant, legal segregation. However, racism was very much in place in many places in America. Blacks were second class citizens, their children attended schools that were ill-equipped, and the dreams of Black citizens were not being realized in this period.

Harlem Renaissance was undoubtedly a cultural and social-political movement for the African American race. The Renaissance was many things to people, but it is best described as a cultural movement in which the high level of black artistic cultural production, demanded and received recognition. Many African American writers, musicians, poets, and leaders were able to express their creativity in many ways in response to their social condition. Until the Harlem Renaissance, poetry and literature were dominated by the white people and were all about the white culture. One writer in particular, Langston Hughes, broke through those barriers that very few African-American artists had done before this

“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

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

Literature was a big part of the in the Harlem Renaissance, African American were finally getting their ideas out about racism and started to talking about the their struggles being black or evan half black in United States. Writers at this time were very versatile from writing poems, novels, short story, and scripts. Some famous writers of the time is Zora Neale Hurston famous for writing “Their Eyes Were Watching God” and many others great novels this one mainly was about women’s rights and racism in America. Then there was Langston Hughes, he was an extremely great artist that has influenced so many people today though his writing, he was a social activist, poet, novelist, and a play writer. On of his poems that really stuck out to me was this short Poem that he wrote call “Cross” which first appeared in the crisis in 1925, it goes “My old man’s a white old man And my old mother's black. If ever I cursed my white old man I take my curses back. If ever I cursed my black old mother And wished she were in hell, I'm sorry for that evil wish And now I wish her well My old man died in a fine big house. My ma died in a shack. I wonder

The Harlem Renaissance was a time of “Rebirth” of the African heritage. In a quest for racial identity and equality. This made way for various African American musicians, artists and writers to emerge. A few of those became central figures of the Harlem Renaissance. One of those central figures was Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston was a writer, folklorist and anthropologist. Hurston made use of African American dialect to create some of the strongest female characters in the earliest twentieth century fiction. Langston Hughes was another central figure. He was a musician, journalist and a novelist. He became a rare poets that included powerful phrases. Gwendolyn Brooks was a central figure. Brooks was a writer. She was the first African-American

The Harlem Renaissance was a time where creativity flourished throughout the African American community. At the time many African Americans were treated as second class citizens. The Harlem Renaissance acted as artistic and cultural outlet for the African-American community. The Harlem Renaissance, otherwise known as “The New Negro Movement” was an unexpected outburst of creative activity among African Americans In the poems Harlem by Langston Hughes, America by Claude McKay, and Incident by Countee Cullen all use frustration and hope as reoccurring themes to help empower the African-American population and realize the injustices they face day to day. The Harlem Renaissance was a period marked by great change and forever altered the

Hughes is referred to as a literary phenomenon. He was one of the first African-

American Racism Exposed in Langston Hughes' "Let America Be America Again" and Sherman Alexie's, "Capital Punishment"

American literature is a distinct reflection of its time, the Harlem Renaissance period was significant for its progressive ideas on civil rights. This period was one that expressed the struggles and oppression that African-Americans faced throughout the 1920’s. The Harlem Renaissance brought forth the everyday struggles, yet highlighted the beauty of a culture cultivated through oppression. Harlem in New York City became the beacon of African-American culture that spread socially aware music, art, and literature. Harlem became the destination to which approximately 300,000 African-Americans migrated to, while fleeing the South’s economic and social strife. Harlem bloomed with jazz music and fashion making its nightlife the envy of white entrepreneurs. This period produced a series of activist writers whose work was a stepping stone to civil equality, such as W.E.B. De Bois, James Weldon Johnson, and the most influential Langston Hughes. Seen as the most influential activist writer to come out of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes was the first to incorporate all aspects of African-American culture never shying away from issues even his own culture criticized him for. He often criticized through his literary work, black middle class Americans who imitated Caucasian customs and lifestyle.

Langston Hughes grew up in a time of segregation, as a African American man living during the Civil Rights movement. During this time Langston wrote poetry from this point of view as a African American. Langston Hughes poetry is important due to his content, imagery, and voice. Through Langston’s voice he strengthened African Americans hope while opening the eyes of the white man to see what they are doing is wrong.

It’s no secret that life was more difficult for African American citizens and arguably still is due to racism, discrimination, and the underlying belief that they are a lesser race. Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen, influential writers during the Harlem Renaissance, wrote pieces that encompass the role of race in the lives of African Americans. Race is one thing that people cannot change about themselves. Countee Cullen’s piece shows a clear acknowledgment of African American traditional behavior and the frustrations that assimilation and deviation from that can bring to black conservatives. Langston Hughes wrote poetry about the toll that being African American has on people’s dreams. When people are told to continuously told to defer their chance at the American Dream, they may have to face the harsh realization that their dreams will never come. During the 1920s, African Americans were considered second-class citizens; their race seized their ability to simply dream and live life. The work of Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen show that for African Americans their race defines, hinders, and builds their identities.

line implies it was not she that was dark, but it was the darkness of

with the universe of jazz and the impact it had on his composition, as in his book-length sonnet Montage of a Dream Deferred (Holt, 1951). His life and work were tremendously vital "Life is for the living. Demise is for the dead. Give life a chance to resemble music. Also, demise a note inferred. Langston Hughes is known as an artist of musicality and music. As an African American, he composed much about the way of life and encounters of his race. In spite of the fact that he endured monetarily, Hughes distributed many works that later turned out to be extremely renowned. Subsequent to defeating a troublesome youth, Langston started composing verse in secondary school. He without a doubt left his blemish on the workmanship and culture of America Hughes was an American Poet. He began to write poetry when one of his teachers introduces him to the poetry of Carl Sand burg and Walt Whitman. He showed some of his poems to Lindsay, which started from there. He also wrote poems that were important to the African American literature that made in impact on others.

With the universe of jazz and the impact it had on his composition, as in his book-length sonnet Montage of a Dream Deferred (Holt, 1951). His life and work were tremendously vital "Life is for the living. Demise is for the dead. Give life a chance to resemble music. Also, demise a note inferred. Langston Hughes is known as an artist of musicality and music. As an African American, he composed much about the way of life and encounters of his race. In spite of the fact that he endured monetarily, Hughes distributed many works that later turned out to be extremely renowned. Subsequent to defeating a troublesome youth, Langston started composing verse in secondary school. He without a doubt left his blemish on the workmanship and culture of America Hughes was an American Poet. He began to write poetry when one of his teachers introduces him to the poetry of Carl Sand burg and Walt Whitman. He showed some of his poems to Lindsay, which started from there. He also wrote poems that were important to the African American literature that made in impact on others.