Not only did Hughes suffer from poverty but also from restrictions that came with living in a segregated community. While he attended an integrated school, he was not permitted to play team sports or join the Boy Scouts. Even his favorite movie theater put a sign that read "No Colored Admitted." In spite of these obstacles, Hughes developed a natural sense of self-confidence and hope. His grandmother always lived as a free woman and was insistent about standing up for the right of all people to be free. Under her influence, Hughes learned to endure the hardships of prejudice without surrendering his dignity or pride. (Berry 7)

"My father hated Negroes," Hughes wrote, "I think he hated himself, too, for being a Negro." Hughes wanted to attend Colombia University and needed his father's financial aid. His father re

"My seeking has been to explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America and obliquely that of all humankind." When Langston Hughes wrote this statement, he was explaining what he tried to do over the course of his career. He created a body of work-poetry, fiction, journalism, essays, plays, and song lyrics-that reflected on the black experience and informed white Americans about racial issues. While condemning racism and the inequities it created for blacks and other minorities, Hughes called for co-operation among all races. He crossed color barriers to gain widespread popularity. His personal compassion, social awareness, and literary talent made him one of the dominant voices in American literature and perhaps the single most influential black poet. (Berry 5)

fused because he wanted Hughes to study engineering. Seeing his son's determination, he finally agreed to help pay his tuition. University officials were surprised to discover Hughes was black. He was discriminated against from dormitories to the student newspaper. Angered by the racism he unexpectedly encountered, Hughes began to explore New York, which brought about the most important stage in his development as a writer. Even though his father was racist, Hughes never was. He always sought to speak to all Americans, especially on the larger issues of social, economic, and political justice. He did not hide the fact that he lived with racism, but he talked of his strength, and the strength of many other blacks, to stand tall and believe in a better future. (Berry 12)

When he took a job

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Approximate Word count = 1066
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)