For if dreams die

Life is a broken winged bird

That can not fly." -Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was first recognized as an important literary figure during the 1920's, a period known as the "Harlem Renaissance" because of the number of emerging black writers. "He remains one of the most impressive, durable, and prolific black writers in America," according to David Littlejohn. "His tone has that intimate, elusive, near-tragic, near-comic sound of the Negro blues, and is equally defiant of analysis. His theme is not so much white oppression, as the Negro's quiet resistance to it. His writings typify (and probably support) the famous and useful myth of Negro endurance- the knowing grin, half-smile half-smirk, of the bowing but unbeaten"(Riley). Hughes uses his poetry and prose to illustrate that there is no lack within the Negro people of beauty, strength and power, and he chose to do so on their own level, on their own terms.

Langston is a skillful and durable storyteller as he is a poet, a master of the ironic comedies of Negro life. "Cert

Like most of his works, Langston Hughes gives the reader a clear idea of the Negro society. A reviewer for The Black World was quoted saying, "he used his poetry and prose to illustrate that there is no lack within the Negro people of beauty, strength, and power, and he chose to do so on their own level, on their own terms." This is clearly represented in his poem. According to Donald Gibson, "Hughes has perhaps the greatest reputation (worldwide) that any black writer has ever had. Hughes differed from most of his predecessors among black poets...in that he addressed his poetry to the people, specifically to black people" (Lesniak)

Hughes also used jazz rhythms and the tempo of black work music to achieve different effects. In "Brass Spittoons," work rhymes "set the pace" of the poem and captures the feeling of tedious labor. A critic, Cary D. Wintz, described his poem, Montage of A Dream Deferred as... "He refined his technique in his post-Renaissance poetry and applied it most successfully in his Harlem epic, Montage of A Dream Deferred, where he used jazz models or capture the full essence of Harlem life"(Riley).

Some common words found in the essay are:
James Emanuel, David Littlejohn, Langston Hughes, Holy Ghost, Gibson Hughes, Riley Hughes', Blyden Jackson, Riley Hughes, Dream Deferred, Speaks Rivers, negro folk, langston hughes, main character, jesus save, poetry prose, negro life, illustrate lack negro, culture awareness, hughes poem, poem negro, james emanuel, people beauty strength, beauty strength power, negro people beauty, strength power chose,
Approximate Word count = 1762
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)