Free Essays on Langston Hughes

Amaris Baxter Langston Hughes; â€Å"Mother to Son† 1) 1930’s; Realism 2) Biographical Theory of Criticism 3) Post-structural Theory of Criticism Through the literary works of Langston Hughes, it is clear to see that he uses his own style and language to portray realistic traits. The biographical theory of criticism can easily be used to criticize Hughes work, as well as the post-structural theory. Realism Hughes poem â€Å"Mother to Son† was written during the Harlem Renaissance. At this time in history, many African Americans expressed their thoughts through music, art, poetry and other areas of the arts. Hughes being a young black men growing up in the 1930’s in America, expressed his opinions of the treatment of blacks through poetry. Writing exactly what he thought, his poems are very realistic, very similar to him. In â€Å"Mother to Son† he lets the readers know that everything in life is not going to be easy and that there are going to be trials that everyone will face in life. Biographical Theory of Criticism â€Å"Mother to Son† Closely parallels the life of Hughes. Born in Missouri, Hughes lived with his grandmother until she died. He was twelve years old. Moving from place to place he learned at an early age that â€Å"life ain’t gonna be no crystal stair.† Since he lived with his grandmother as a child, the mother noted in the title of the poem is symbolic to his grandmother who taught him the values of life. Hughes moved to Harlem after he graduated from high school to continue his education. When people hear of Harlem â€Å"ghetto† comes to mind. Everyone knows that Harlem is not one of the greatest places to live. Living in Harlem most of his life, Hughes can easily relate to the â€Å"splinters and torn up boards† talked about in his poem. Post-structural Theory of Criticism â€Å"Mother to Son† also contains important truth and values about life. This poem is often... Free Essays on Langston Hughes Free Essays on Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was America’s Jazz Poet, the chronicler of life in Harlem in the 1920s. Setting out to write about black Americans, Hughes created a body of work-poetry, fiction, journalism, essays, plays, and song lyrics. While decrying racism and the inequities it created for blacks and other minorities, Hughes called for cooperation among all races. With one ear tuned in to the voices he heard on the street and the other to the music he heard in nightclubs, Hughes created poems that made him one of the stars of the Harlem Renaissance. James Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1, 1902, the only child of James and Carrie Hughes to survive infancy. Another son born two years earlier had died. Carrie Hughes came from a family that had been prominent in the abolitionist movement. A lover of books and plays, she had once dreamed of becoming a professional actress. Instead, like so many black women of her time, she had to settle for the jobs she could find, working as a stenographer and a waitress. Smith 2 James Hughes wasn’t able to pursue his professional goals. Hardworking and ambitious, he earned a law degree, but racism made it impossible to sustain his practice. Frustrated by limited opportunities in the United States, he left Missouri for Mexico before his son was two years old. Though he periodically sent money, he never lived with his family again. When his father left for Mexico in 1903, Langston and his mother moved to Kansas, where her mother, Mary Langston lived. For ten years Langston lived with his grandmother as his mother moved from town to town in search of a decent job. Langston suffered not only from poverty but also from restrictions that came with living in a segregated community. While he attended an integrated school, he wasn’t permitted to take part in its team sports. In spite of these obstacles, Langston developed a natural sense of self-confidence. Langston le... Free Essays on Langston Hughes Poetry is the art of writing thoughts and stories in verse using specific language; language selected for its beauty, sound and ability to convey emotions. Langston Hughes was one of America’s most influential writers. He made a large contribution not only to literature but to American culture, as well. James Mercer Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1, 1902, to James Nathaniel Hughes, a lawyer and businessman, and Carrie Mercer Hughes, a teacher. In 1921 Hughes moved to New York and attended Columbia University (he also attended Lincoln University and graduated in 1930). In 1923 Hughes left New York for Africa. It was around this time that Langston wrote â€Å"I’ too† one of his most powerful and famous poems. Throughout his life he also toured many parts of the world holding odd jobs and living in many different cultures; including Asia, Haiti and Cuba. As well as being a highly recognized poet he was also a novelist, reporter, translator, playwright and a short story writer. The poems I choose are â€Å"I, too† and â€Å"Let America be America again†. Each one of these works is challenging and both seem to have unique while altogether similar meanings. â€Å"Let America be America again† seems as though it could be looked at as an extension of â€Å"I, too†. In â€Å"Let America be America again Langston states: â€Å"Seeking a home where he himself is free†¦ Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above.† It seems to me that is what he is also â€Å"seeking† in â€Å"I, too†. In â€Å"I, Too†, Hughes gives a voice to the frustration encountered by African Americans when they were denied their basic rights as citizens of America, during the times of slavery. The poem expresses the second class status of given to African Americans and gives a voice to a people who are tired of being treated as second class citizens. The poem begins with, â€Å"I, too sing Amer... Free Essays on Langston Hughes Langston Hughes Langston Hughes opened his first volume of poems with the expression of his– and every Negro’s– â€Å"soul world†: â€Å"I am a Negro: /Black as the night is black, /Black like the depths of my Africa† (Emanuel 17). When the women at the box office of the only movie theatre in Lawrence, Kansas pushed the twelve-year old boys nickel back and pointed to a new sign â€Å"Color Not Admitted,† she laid a shaping hand on that world. Hughes spent a lifetime illuminating that world through poems, stories, novels, lectures, and various other literary forms – with virtuosity and understanding so unmatched that he has been unofficially granted the title as Negro Poet Laureate and Dean of Negro Writers in America. Langston Hughes’ early life prepared him well to write about humanity, for as a child and young man he lived in different places and met many different kinds of people. His growing up years were, altogether, not very happy. But they provided him with experiences that many people never have. Born to Nathanial Hughes and Carrie Mercere on February 1, 1902 in Joplin Missouri, young Langston form the very start was a very bright and curious child (Haskins 2). But his home life was neither happy not very secure. His parents did not get along well. There were often many arguments about money. Mr. Hughes was a â€Å"penny – pincher†; he seemed to resent event the necessary expenses, except when it came to clothes for himself. There were also arguments about moving. Mr. Hughes was a lawyer, Langston’s mother thought her husband would be able to find work in another city, however Mr. Hughes was convinced there was no city in the racially segregated United States wh ere he could find opportunity. Finally, Mr. Hughes announced that he was leaving. Hughes spent a lonely boyhood after his mother and father split, living his first twelve years with his grandparents and friends of the family in Lawrence, Kansas. His moth... Free Essays on Langston Hughes Amaris Baxter Langston Hughes; â€Å"Mother to Son† 1) 1930’s; Realism 2) Biographical Theory of Criticism 3) Post-structural Theory of Criticism Through the literary works of Langston Hughes, it is clear to see that he uses his own style and language to portray realistic traits. The biographical theory of criticism can easily be used to criticize Hughes work, as well as the post-structural theory. Realism Hughes poem â€Å"Mother to Son† was written during the Harlem Renaissance. At this time in history, many African Americans expressed their thoughts through music, art, poetry and other areas of the arts. Hughes being a young black men growing up in the 1930’s in America, expressed his opinions of the treatment of blacks through poetry. Writing exactly what he thought, his poems are very realistic, very similar to him. In â€Å"Mother to Son† he lets the readers know that everything in life is not going to be easy and that there are going to be trials that everyone will face in life. Biographical Theory of Criticism â€Å"Mother to Son† Closely parallels the life of Hughes. Born in Missouri, Hughes lived with his grandmother until she died. He was twelve years old. Moving from place to place he learned at an early age that â€Å"life ain’t gonna be no crystal stair.† Since he lived with his grandmother as a child, the mother noted in the title of the poem is symbolic to his grandmother who taught him the values of life. Hughes moved to Harlem after he graduated from high school to continue his education. When people hear of Harlem â€Å"ghetto† comes to mind. Everyone knows that Harlem is not one of the greatest places to live. Living in Harlem most of his life, Hughes can easily relate to the â€Å"splinters and torn up boards† talked about in his poem. Post-structural Theory of Criticism â€Å"Mother to Son† also contains important truth and values about life. This poem is often... Free Essays on Langston Hughes Langston Hughes Poet, novelist, journalist, playwright, essayist, and songwriter: all of these words describe a man who is said to be one of the twentieth century’s most respected and often controversial writers. This man’s main mission was to help enlighten people on the racial issues that were before them (Berry 5). At that time, this man was only the second black person to make a living as a writer (Harper 5). His name was Langston Hughes, and he crossed numerous racial barriers and gained widespread popularity while criticizing racism. Shaped by his parents, childhood, and life experiences, Langston Hughes became one of the most influential Black Americans of his time. Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, to James and Carrie Hughes. James Hughes had a law degree, but was unable to maintain a law practice because of racism. Carrie Hughes, a prominent activist in the Abolitionist Movement, had big dreams of becoming an actress, but her dreams were as well crushed by racism. Instead of keeping to their dreams, his parents had to settle for whatever job they could find. Hughes’ father, being frustrated with job opportunities, moved to Mexico when his son was not even two years-old. His mother then moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where Hughes’ grandmother, Mary Langston, lived. While his mother moved from town to town in search of work, Hughes spent his time with his grandmother, from whom he learned self-confidence. He learned from her how to endure many things, including hardships, without losing his pride and dignity (Berry 7). At the age of twelve, his grandmother died and he went to live with his mother in Lincoln, Illinois, where he attended high school. He was there elected class poet where he wrote a poem for graduation ceremonies and got such an applause from them that he decided to become a poet. Many in his school where immigrants therefore there were few racial conflicts. He often took int... Free Essays on Langston Hughes Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurtson are two poets with very similar motives from the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920’s and 1930’s many there was an outburst in all fields or art with African-Americans. Beginning as a series of literary discussions in the lower Manhattan (Greenwich Village) and upper Manhattan (Harlem) sections of New York City, this African-American cultural movement became known as "The New Negro Movement" and later as the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes and Hurston shared very similar views on how the color of your skin greatly affects your life, and also optimistic thoughts for an uprising in the African-American Culture. Langston Hughes thought he was no different from a white person. He knew that inside all people are same and should have equal opportunities in their life. This wasn’t the case due to the common person’s racist views. You can see Hughes views on this in Black and Blue, in which he says," I’m white inside but, that doesn’t help my case." Zora Neale Hurston felt very similar to Langston Hughes in which she knew there was no difference between blacks and whites and that it was only people’s prejudice that made the two stand out form one another. You can see Hurtson’s views on the color of her skin on in How it Feels to Be Colored Me. Hurston’s thoughts are very similar to Hughes, in which she says," But I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes." You can see how Hurston knew it was the prejudice of the white person, which made African-Americans stand out in which she says," I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white contrast" and " He is so pale with his whiteness then I am so colored." Zora Neale Hurtson thought the best for the Negro race. She knew that one day equality would be recognized and white people would feel sympathetic for their inexcusable prejudice. Langston Hughes felt the same wa... Free Essays on Langston Hughes Langston Hughes Research Paper During the 1920s many artists came to Harlem to express themselves. Many of these shriving artists were African-Americans and looking for opportunities. One of the most recognized of these African-American artists was Langston Hughes. Hughes wrote of his experiences as an African-American and expressed his struggles in various poems. Such poems are â€Å"Dream Variation† and â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers†. Langston Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin Missouri. Soon after his birth, his parents separated. James Nathaniel, Hughes’ father, left him, and went back to Cuba to work as an attorney. Hughes lived with his grandmother and mother Carrie Mercer in the United States. It was with her that Hughes’ learned of his grandfather’s history and the â€Å"constant discrimination that would haunt him in life as he struggled for freedom.† (Gale Net Resource Biography Page 2) After his grandmothers’ death in 1910, he went to live with his mother and stepfather in Cleveland, Ohio where he attended Central high school. It was there that he discovered his passion for writing while working for the high school magazine, and also edited the school yearbook. Hughes dropped out of Columbia University to work odd jobs to support himself and his mother who moved into Harlem. After spending the next two years in poverty overseas in Italy and France, he returned to his mot her and half-brother in Washington D.C. It was there that Hughes was discovered, when he â€Å"attracted the attention of poet Vachel Lindsay by intentionally placing three of his poems of Lindsay’s dinner table.† (Gale Net Resource Biography Page2) After this discovery, reporters flocked to Hughes to listen to his works. Following this event, Hughes proceeded to attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where he continued writing poetry, short stories, and essays. With the help of critic and art patron Carl Van Vechten, Hughes published his first ...