Essay on Langston Hughes

Free Langston Hughes papers

Miles Davis
This book, written by Miles Davis, is the autobiography tht he wrote a few years before he died. In this book I found how he first became interested in jazz. It also explains how he became one of the best jazz players of all time. Miles was born in Alton, Illinois in 1926 and grew up in eastern S

Moldau By Smetana
Composer: Bedrich Smetana Work Title: The Moldau. For my first selection of music for this final project I chose “The Moldau” by Bedrich Smetana. The reason I chose this piece was first, it is a symphonic poem and second, because it perfectly exemplified the use of nationalist style and word pain

Langston Hughes is often considered a voice of the African-American people and a

prime example of the magnificence of the Harlem Renaissance. His writing does

embody these titles, but the concept of Langston Hughes that portrays a black

man's rise to poetic greatness from the depths of poverty and repression are

largely exaggerated. America frequently confuses the ideas of segregation,

suppression, and struggle associated with African-American history and imposes

these ideas onto the stories of many black historical figures and artists. While

many of them have struggled with these confines set upon them by American

society, Langston Hughes did not fulfill this historical stereotype due to his

personal wealth, education, and recognized success (Early 1). James Mercer

Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902. His father,

James Nathaniel Hughes was a lawyer and businessman and his mother, Carrie

Mercer (Langston) Hughes was a schoolteacher. The dual income from his parents

appropriated him with funds that he used for his education and to begin his

poetry career (Langston Hughes 1). This was an advantage unknown to many black

Americans at this time. Hughes spoke of the poverty of the black people and

struggles that many went through in their lives just to make enough money for

their families to survive. Langston Hughes never greatly encountered this

first-hand. In "Let America Be America Again", he states "I am

the poor white, fooled and pushed apart". Hughes was never as poor as the

downtrodden he spoke of and was never "fooled and pushed apart"

(Presley 1). He also was fortunate enough to obtain a benefactor, which still to

this day is considered a rare blessing to aspiring writers. In 1929, he met

Charlotte van der Veer Quick Mason, a wealthy widow and for the next four years,

was financially supported by this generous woman (Langston Hughes 2). Again in

"Let America Be America Again", Hughes pleads "I am the man who

never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years." In

comparison to the many African-Americans at the time who were, indeed,

struggling with financial burdens, Langston Hughes knew nothing of this

uncertainty he spoke of due to his benefactor. The images of poverty that Hughes

evokes through his poetry, contribute to the American notion of impoverished

black Americans since the days of slavery, however, Hughes' life was very

different from the notion he described (Early 3). At this time in history, many

Americans were illiterate, especially minorities. Langston Hughes was fortunate

to be able to read, and blessed with his talent to write. Due to financial

stability, Hughes was able to attend Columbia University and Lincoln University.

This level of study was seldom attained by African-Americans. Even though

Langston Hughes was highly educated for an African-American of the time, he

still used "black slang" and southern dialects in many of his poems.

In "Po' Boy Blues", he not only relays the thoughts of black

oppression through the...

Cooke, Michael G. Critique on The Weary Blues. 1984. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hughes/weary/htm.

5/21/00. Early, Gerald. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. The Boston Book

Review. May 1995. http://www.bookwire.com/bbr/poetry/collected-langston-hughes.html

5/21/00. Jemie, Onwuchekwa. Langston Hughes: An Introduction to Poetry. 1976.

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hughes/rivers/htm. 5/21/00. Langston

Hughes. Literature Online. http://www.longman.awl.com/kennedy/hughes/biography/html.

5/21/00. Presley, James. On "Let America Be America Again". 1963.

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hughes/rivers/htm. 5/21/00. Tracy,

Steve, C. On "The Weary Blues." 1988. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hughes/rivers/htm

5/21/00.