The Poetry Of Langston Hughes - 1001 Words

Poetry is a platform used to express emotions, ideas, and style. Poets take inspiration from their background and past experiences to eloquently formulate their thoughts. Langston Hughes was no exception. Famous for his contribution to the embracement of African American culture in America during the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes began forming his thoughts into poetry early in his life. From growing up in segregated American and his involvement in the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes accounts the celebration of African American culture as well as the fears and struggles, including his own, faced by black people in America, as well as social criticisms through poems of sophisticated yet relatable simplicity. James Langston Hughes,†¦show more content†¦Of course, based on his history, being a black man in America contributed to the source of Hughes’s inspirations. In many of his poems Hughes depict the everyday struggles of being black in America, and references the oppression black people face, but also he embraced African American culture as expressed in blues and jazz music. One of Hughes’s biggest motives behind his work was to connect with readers. Hughes â€Å"shunned academic language and pretensions† so that his words would resonate with a wider variety of people, which can been criticised by some (Withers 3). Beyond wanting readers to understand him, Hughes wanted to be able to touch their hearts. Hughes is known for using language in a way that captured minds and souls. His interests in rebuilding the soul has been mentioned here and there but is most definitely present in poems like â€Å"Life is Fine,† â€Å"Still here,† and â€Å"I Too Sing America.† Hughes never depicted to be a â€Å"tortured artist† as many of the greats were including Emily Dickinson and Ernest Hemingway, from this he was able to set himself aside from the rest and focus on his own style of writing. In his poem â€Å"Life is Fine,† Hughes follows in suite by illustrating the speaker’s journey to finding purpose within himself. He accounts fears and obstacles that everyone faces in their day to day lives communicating a sense of relatability to the readers. His refrain from using phrases andShow MoreRelatedThe Poetry Of Langston Hughes1727 Words   |  7 PagesLangston Hughes is arguably one of the best known American writers of the twentieth century. He played an important influential part in the Harlem Renaissance, his poetry and other literary works helped pave way to a new wave of African American culture and literature. Hughes had a wide variety of works, he was much more than just a poet; he was a short-st ory writer, novelist, and playwright (Brucker). He was also very involved in the Black Arts Movement, and had works published in â€Å"The Crisis† theRead MoreLangston Hughes Poetry649 Words   |  3 PagesLangston Hughes, the most memorable figure of the Harlem Renaissance, wrote everything from plays, short stories, novels, and most importantly poetry. Hughes’ writing is based on his personal views on frustration that he had towards the plight of African Americans. Langston has no fear with anything he is involved in and stood up for his people. Unfortunately, his people responded negatively towards his actions, for they thought he was creating more racial tensions. Nevertheless, this was not Hughes’Read MoreThe Poetry Of Langston Hughes1498 Words   |  6 PagesPoetry, just like music, is a form of expressing the human language in a manner that manipulates the emotion and thought. With this definition in mind, poetry evolves as time and atmospheres change, and as they change, new challenges become present leading to different kinds of expressions and feelings about an environment. Thus, it is with these changing expressions and ideas that poetry itself evolves. However, poetry’s foundation does not rest solely on the fact that it is a medium through whichRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes Poetry2405 Words   |  10 PagesLangston 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 traditionRead MoreLangston Hughes Poetry Analysis1008 Words   |  5 PagesIn 1951, Langston Hughes wrote on of hi s 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 companions, most of whom were white, remembered him as a handsome Indianlooking youthRead MoreIdentity in the Poetry of Langston Hughes2807 Words   |  12 PagesSearch for Identity in the Poetry of Langston Hughes In exploring the problem of identity in Black literature we find no simple or definite explanation. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that it is rooted in the reality of the discriminatory social system in America with its historic origins in the institution of slavery. One can discern that this slavery system imposes a double burden on the Negro through severe social and economic inequalities and through the heavy psychological consequencesRead 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 : African American Poetry1305 Words   |  6 PagesLangston Hughes: African American Poetry 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. Langston Hughes was born February 1,1902Read MoreThe Life and Poetry of Langston Hughes Essay776 Words   |  4 PagesCultural History, Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Growing up, he dealt with some hard times. His parents divorced when he was little and he grew up with neither of his parents. Hughes was raised by his grandmother since his father moved to Mexico after their divorce and his mother moved to Illinois. It was when Hughes was thirteen that he moved out to Lincoln, Illinois to be reunited with his mother. This is where Hughes began writing poetry. However, the familyRead 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 an