Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes is considered by many readers to be the most significant black poet of the twentieth century. He is described as ³...the beloved author of poems steeped in the richness of African American culture, poems that exude Hughesıs affection for black Americans across all divisions of region, class, and gender.² (Rampersad 3) His writing was both depressing and uplifting at times. His poetry, spanning five decades from 1926 to 1967, reflected the changing black experience in America, from the Harlem Renaissance to the turbulent sixties. At the beginning of his career, he was surrounded by the Harlem Renaissance. New York City in the 1920ıs was a place of immense growth and richness in African-American culture and art. For Hughes, this was the perfect opportunity to establish his poems. His early work reflects the happy times of the era. However, as time progressed he became increasingly bitter and upset over race relations. Except for a few examples, all his poems from! this later period spoke about social injustice in America. The somber tone of his writing often reflected his mood. Race relations was the shadow of his career, following him from his first poem to his last. The tone and subject matter of Hughesıs poetry
can be linked to certain points in history, and his life. The youth of Hughes is brought out by his poem ³Harlem Night Club², a piece which describes living in the moment. Often children do not consider the consequences of their actions; they act on instinct and desire. Hughes might have been 27 when he wrote this poem, but the feisty, upbeat tempo of a school boy is present in his style. ³Harlem Night Club² is unique in that it describes the integration of blacks and whites in an optimistic tone. The vigor and spirit of his youth is reflected in the energy of the writing, ³Jazz-band, jazz-band,- / Play, plAY, PLAY! / Tomorrow....who knows? / Dance today!² The repetition of the words, and the increasing emphasis on the word ³! get taken away by greedy white businessmen. Another attack on the white world comes in his piece ³Ballad of Roosevelt². Roosevelt is thought of as one of the countryıs greatest leaders, a wonderful humanitarian. But in this poem Hughes reminds us that he did not always come through with his promises. The poem is written in rhyme and has a flowing, nursery-rhyme feel. There is a chorus of three lines that repeats after every stanza. In each verse, Hughes states a problem such as lack of food, lack of medical attention, lack of money, etc.... And after each problem he says ³Iım waitinı on Roosevelt, son, / Roosevelt, Roosevelt, / Waitinı on Roosevelt, son.² The many impoverished black families in New York believed in the promises of Roosevelt and trusted that things would get better. But in Hughesıs poem, the family loses their house, cannot find a job, and is left abandoned and hungry. It represents yet another case of whites letting blacks down. This poem shows the growing bi! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ncial difficulties the depression brought, widespread racism re-surfaced in the North. The celebration in Harlem was replaced by angry whites who were anxious to put blame on someone for the
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1333
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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