The Poetry Of Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes clearly connects with a wide range of audiences through the simplicity that surrounds his poetry. The beauty of this manner in which he wrote his poetry, is that it grasp people by illustrating his narratives of the common lifestyles experienced by the current American generation. His art form expresses certain questionable ideologies of life and exposes to the audience what it takes to fully comprehend what being an American truly means. Each individual poem describes and illustrates the strength and hardships the African American community was experiencing. Through his literature art form of poetry, Hughes was able to convey the common assertions of

Hughes graduated from high school in 1920 and then lived with his father in Mexico. He decided to move to New York to attend Columbia University. By this time Hughes had already had some work published in newspapers as well as journals. Though, he eventually dropped out he went on to live in Paris where he continued to develop and write poetry. Langston showed his work to Lindsay and he was so impressed that he was

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

Hughes' parents split up soon after his birth. His father left for Mexico and Hughes was primarily raised by his grandmother until her death. This situation of Hughes being separated from his parents, then the death of his grandmother in his late teens influenced his writing. After the death of his grandmother, Hughes moved with his mother to Cleveland, Ohio. There, he was introduced to poetry.

After Langston graduated, he planned to return to Mexico, and to try to convince his father to pay for his college at Columbia University in New York City. On the way to Mexico, on a train, Langston thought about his past and his future and wrote “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. When Langston got to Mexico, tension between him and his father was very strong. His father wanted him to become and engineer, and Langston wanted to be a writer. Langston sent poetry to Brownies Book and Crisis Magazine, and it was accepted and published. This impressed his father, so he agree to pay for college.

To begin, Langston Hughes had a lot of key contribution towards him becoming an innovative writer. For instance, Hughes’s Grandmother had a major influence on his love of literature as he described in his novel Hughes's grandmother was also a marvelous storyteller, narrating “long beautiful stories about people who wanted to make the Negroes free” (The Big Sea: An Autobiography, Langston Hughes, Page 17, 1940.) Langston Hughes is widely considered one of the best poets who ever walked the earth. Many of his themes focused on the issues that were confronting the nation: race, equality and suffrage. Hughes highlights some of his work that fell in line with this perspective.

On February 1, 1902, Langston Hughes was born. He was born “James Langston Hughes.” (Rueben) He was born in Missouri. His parents divorced when he was a younger child. His dad left and went to Mexico. His grandmother had the task to raise him. “He stayed there until he was twelve.” (Hampson) Then his mother wanted him back. So he moved “to Lincoln, Illinois […] eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio.” (Anderson, 706) Langston began writing creative poetry in the eight grade. He went on to attend Central High School in Cleveland. “he was a coveted award winner as a teen.” (Reuben) “It was during his high school years that Hughes began to take poetry seriously.” (Reuben) Langston was becoming one of the most predominant writing figures of the time. “The most important early influence on Hughes’ poetry was Carl Sandburg […]”. (Anderson, 706) But “his father did not think he would be able to make a living as a writer.” (Jackson) He wanted him to pursue a career in engineering. So he came up with the idea to go to Columbia University, where he knew he could be close to Harlem. His passion for writing and desire to see Harlem led him to disobey his dad.

His first pieces of literature were published in a school magazine called Monthly, and later, he earned a spot on their staff. While working there, he himself published many more works in the magazine. Before he started his 12th grade year, his father reached out to him. Hughes then spent the summer with him in Toluca, Mexico and did not enjoy it. They did not get along at all, being that his father entered his life so late. This ultimately helped mature Hughes, and when he entered 12th grade, his poems actually signified something. He wanted to go to Columbia University in New York City to get his college education and to start his writing career, but to do that, he needed money. After he graduated high school, he sought out for his father in Mexico, hoping that he would be open to the idea of paying a year’s tuition to Columbia. Passing the Mississippi River on his way there, he wrote The Negro Speaks of Rivers after contemplating the past and future events in his life. When he arrived to Mexico, his father told Hughes that he wanted him to become an engineer, not a writer. Hughes impressed his father when he submitted his works into various publication companies and then got published. He agreed to pay a year’s worth tuition for Columbia University. He went to Columbia in 1921, a year after he graduated from high

By the time Hughes was 14 years old his grandmother had passed and returned to live with his mother, Carrie. While living with his mother Langston moved various times across the country, but ultimately landed in Cleveland, Ohio. During his time in Cleveland Langston found himself experimenting with poetry. Throughout his time in high school Hughes poetry began to be recognized by the school’s famed newsletter the Central High Monthly. Eventually Hughes became part of the newsletter and began to publish monthly pieces of literature.

Langston Hughes was an author and poet born on February 1, 1902. Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri and grew up with his mother and grandmother. Langston’s biological mother and father separated shortly after he was born. When he finished elementary school Hughes and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he graduated in 1920. While he was in high school, he was known as an active kid. He received “an athletic letter in track and held offices in the student council and [as well as the] American Civic Association.” (Hugo, Victor. “Langston Hughes Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2008, www.notablebiographies.com/Ho-Jo/Hughes-Langston.html.) While in high school his passion for poetry started to grow. He was inspired by the poet

Langston Hughes was brought up by his grandmother, Mary Langston, in Joplin, Missouri where he was born on February 1st, 1902. (Leach 1) His father had moved to Mexico after he and his mother had separated. His mother often moved from city to city looking for work to support her young son and mother. (Leach 2) After his grandmother passed in his teens, he stayed with his mother until he graduated high school, then he went to stay with his father. (Leach 3). After he came back to the United States he attended Columbia University. After Columbia, he travelled to Spain, Africa, and Paris. Throughout his time traveling, Hughes was publishing his poetry; his first poem was published in 1921, and his first book in 1926 (Leach xvi).

Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. When Langston was small his parents split apart and he had to move with his grandmother. In fact, “While he was an infant his parents split and he moved to Lawrence, Kansas where he was cared for by his grandmother. His mother worked in Kansas City as an actress and his father practiced law in Mexico” ( “(James) Langston Hughes”, para. 2). Hughes moved to different places before he settled down and went to school. For example, Hughes moved briefly to Illinois before settling in Cleveland, Ohio where he attended Central High School. Hughes joined the track team and became Central High’s poet, writing poems for the school, and “published poems in the school newspaper” ( para.

James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin Missouri to mother Carie Langston and father James Hughes. Shortly following his birth, Hughes’ parents divorced which resulted in him being raised “mainly by his mother, his maternal grandmother and a childless couple named Reed.” (“Langston Hughes”) Hughes moved frequently throughout his childhood, traveling to and living in various states before graduating from high school in Cleveland Ohio. Shortly after graduating from high school, Hughes took a trip to Mexico to see his father who moved there after he divorced his wife. While riding on a train on the way to see his father, Hughes crossed over the Mississippi river and received the inspiration for his first

Langston Hughes’s life contained key influences on his work. As a child, Hughes witnessed a divorce between his parents and the subsequent death of his grandmother, his primary caretaker at the time. Hughes’s childhood was also marked by the constant transition of moving from city to

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.