Analysis Of Langston Hughes Poetry - 2405 Words

Langston Hughes was primarily an American poet and social activist who had tremendous racial pride, to say the least. He played an important role in uplifting his people, especially during the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes’ poetry and fiction portrayed the lives of working class blacks in America as well as celebrating African American culture. In his poetry, he strove to speak to, as well as for, the black masses. One of the ways that Hughes would incorporate African American culture and tradition into his poetry was by including the rhythms of black music, such as Jazz. But arguably most important are the topics and meanings that his poems tend to deal with and convey. In other words, most of his poetry has recurring themes: the themes of racial oppression, racial pride, and racial enlightenment. The intent of this paper is to analyze precisely how these themes are evident and apparent in some of his most well-known pieces. These select few poems will include â€Å"The Negro S peaks of Rivers†, â€Å"Theme for English B† and â€Å"Harlem.† On February 1, 1902, James Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri. In 1920, he graduated from Central High School in Cleveland, then composed one of his most famous and acclaimed works: â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers.† The first few lines introduce the subject of the poem: â€Å"I’ve known rivers: / I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins† (Hughes 1-2, 1017). From the very beginning, these lines are veryShow MoreRelatedLangston Hughes Poetry Analysis1008 Words   |  5 PagesIn 1951, Langston Hughes wrote on of his more political poems titled â€Å"Harlem.† It shone light on the need for change in the African American society. Hughes used this poem, and many others like it, to help pioneer the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Joplin,Missouri , Hughes (1902-1967) grew up in Lincoln, Illinois and Cleveland,Ohio. He began writing poetry during his high schoolyears(Gardner,465).His high school com panions, most of whom were white, remembered him as a handsome Indianlooking youthRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s Poetry977 Words   |  4 PagesLangston 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 captureRead MoreLangston Hughes Poetry Analysis Essay1287 Words   |  6 PagesArt is the illusion in which we see the truth- Pablo Picasso 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 anRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s Poetry Essay1813 Words   |  8 PagesLangston Hughes is a well-known African-American writer who emerged from the Harlem Renaissance, which is also known as the turning point for African-American culture and literature. Because he is identified as such a prominent writer, he became honored as â€Å"Shakespeare of Harlem.† At an early age, Hughes wished to voice and represent his African-American culture through writing. Because Hughes had a range of styles and genres, he managed to write and publish sixteen v olumes of poetry, ten collectionsRead MorePoetry Reflecting Cultural Progress: A Comparative Analysis of Langston Hughes and John Lennons Poems803 Words   |  3 Pagesthe cases of authors Langston Hughes and John Lennon, each embodies the culture in which he was writing. The poems Mother to Son and Eleanor Rigby both share certain poetic elements which serve to reflect their cultures and to establish a narrative between the poet and his readership, or in the case of John Lennon, his listeners as Eleanor Rigby was recorded as a song and heard by music lovers around the world before it was recognized as a piece of brilliant lyric poetry. Although the two menRead MoreReoccurring Themes in the Work of Langston Hughes Essay1649 Words   |  7 PagesLangston Hughes is an extremely successful and well known black writer who emerged from the Harlem Renaissance (â€Å"Langston Hughes† 792). He is recognized for his poetry and like many other writers from the Harlem Renaissance, liv ed most of his life outside of Harlem (â€Å"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’Read MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s Poem I, Too978 Words   |  4 Pages Langston Hughes America, the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. This is what everyone was told, what the Declaration of Independence states. But, Langston Hughes a black American poet in the Harlem Renaissance period saw the truth. Being an African American in the United States during the early 1900’s was difficult. Many lived a life full of hardships; segregation, prejudice and economic hardships, viewed as second-class citizensRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Weary Blues Essay1299 Words   |  6 PagesThe Weary Blues is one of many Langston Hughes’s poetry during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance is a time in American history, in the cities where African Americans were concentrated like Harlem, many master pieces of art, music and literature were created. Blues was much enjoyed during the period; people listened to it and loved it. In the poem of The Weary Blues, people alive through music, and the str ong power of music supported the suffering of the black people in that time periodRead MoreLangston Hughes The Weary Blues Analysis1256 Words   |  6 PagesOn Langston Hughes’s The Weary Blues Kevin Young, a graduate of Harvard University and one of the winners of the Guggenheim Fellowship, writes the historical perspective of Langston Hughes. He discusses the flowering of the African American literature and culture and how it is actually just the extension of the New Negro movement. From the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes is able to represent â€Å"different things† for â€Å"different men.† The uprising of Hughes’s poems are the result of their hardshipsRead MoreReligion and Race in Langston Hughes Salvation897 Words   |  4 PagesReligion and Race in Langston Hughes Salvation Langston Hughes is one the most renowned and respected authors of twentieth century America not simply one of the most respected African-American authors, though he is certainly this as well, but one of the most respected authors of the period overall. A large part of the respect and admiration that the man and his work have garnered is due to the richness an complexity of Hughes writing, both his poetry and his prose and even his non-fictions