Langston Hughes Essay - 1084 Words

Langston Hughes was a large influence on the African-American population of America. Some of the ways he did this was how his poetry influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and the Harlem Renaissance. These caused the civil rights movement that resulted in African-Americans getting the rights that they deserved in the United States. Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was young and his grandmother raised him. She got him into literature and education; she was one of the most important influences on him. He moved around a lot when he was young, due to his parents divorce, but remained a good student and graduated high school. After this he traveled the world and worked in different places, all the things he†¦show more content†¦All of these things, subject matter, themes, style, literary devices, and influences play into the way that Hughes writes his poetry and they can all be seen in the poem â€Å"Dream Variations†. That is why the po em is typical of Hughes’ writing. The poem is very typical of Hughes’ subject matter and themes. This is because he usually writes about racial subjects such as equality and the average life of an African-American. Going so far as to say that most of his poems are racial in theme and treatment, derived from the life that he knows (â€Å"An Introduction to Langston Hughes.†). This poem does have the racial topic of equality for a couple of reasons. To begin with, the speaker talks about how people should see the world and the other people in it. Key word, should, because he then goes onto say, â€Å"That is my dream!† (Hughes l. 9). This is one reason why â€Å"Dream Variations† has a theme centered on how everyone wants to be treated equally. Because the speaker talks about how he wishes he was treated by the world. Along with the theme of equality the poem’s subject is the life of an average African-American. This is because he speaks of how he wants to dance â€Å"Dance! Whirl! W hirl! Till the white day is done† (Hughes ll. 12-13). Yet he cannot because he has to work, and he tries to make his work seem like dancing but he is still very tired at the end of the day. This shows the average life of an African-American because they had to work very hard in the earlyShow MoreRelatedLangston Hughes Biography1058 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"James Mercer Langston Hughes, known as Langston Hughes was born February 2, 1902 in Missouri, to Carrie Hughes and James Hughes.† Years later his parents separated. Langston’s father moved to Mexico and became very successful, as his for mother, she moved frequently to find better jobs. As a child growing up Langston spent most of his childhood living with his grandmother named Mary Langston in Lawrence, Kansas. Mary Langston was a learned women and a participant in the civil rights Movement. WhenRead More Langston Hughes Essay1356 Words   |  6 Pagesstands out as one of the most prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes defined himself by his ability to pursue the true essence of â€Å"black folk† at a time when black identity, culture, or art was considered an oxymoronic concept. Hughes sought to explore the true identity of Black America even amidst criticism that his work was anti-assimilationist in its literary expression. Wallace Thurman, one of Hughes’ closest friends had this to say about the poet’s subject matter: â€Å"He wentRead More`` Dreams `` By Langston Hughes Essay1667 Words   |  7 Pagesimpacted the movement against racial inequality, Langston Hughes turned the pages with inspiring work. Whereas in Langston Hughes poem Dreams encourages people to achieve ones goals and goals for a community of people no matter what the obstacles are; Hughes illustrated this through using a lyrical style of writing and metaphors. Due to the lack of acknowledgment of African Americans cultural, social and artistic capabilities, Langston Hughes stood as the hero image for blacks everywhere. LikewiseRead MoreThe Langston Hughes570 Words   |  2 PagesLangston Hughes’ style of poetry renounced the classical style of poetry and sought out a more jazz and folk rhythm style. Most of Hughes’ poems were written during the Harlem Renaissance, named after the cultural activity African Americans participated in, such as: literature, music, art, theatre, and political thinking. William Blake, on the other hand, was a nonconformist who was associated with the leading radical thinkers of his day. Although, considered a lyric poet and a visionary, Blake’sRead MoreA Brief Look at Langston Hughes1413 Words   |  6 PagesLangston Hughes Langston Hughes’ challenging background, ethnicity, and era of life can all be thought of reasons as to why his style of writing relates among discrimination and unsettling topics. Although his writing can be said to bring hope to the African Americans, his style can be frightening and daunting when taken the time to read his pieces. They may not seem real, but they are his way of interpreting and informing the future of what African Americans, like himself, had to go throughRead More Langston Hughes Essay670 Words   |  3 Pages James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was very small, and his father (who found American racism made his desires to be a lawyer impossible) left the family and emigrated to Mexico. Hughes mother moved with her child to Lawrence, Kansas, so she and he could live with his grandmother, Mary Langston. Langston Hughes mother moved to Topeka in 1907, leaving the five-year-old with his grandmother. Langston came from a family of African-AmericanRead MoreEssay on James Langston Hughes891 Words   |  4 Pages (February 1, 1902 - May 22, 1967) Born in Joplin, Missouri, James Langston Hughes was born into an abolitionist family. He was the grandson of grandson of Charles Henry Langston, the brother of John Mercer Langston, who was the the first Black American to be elected to public office in 1855. Hughes attended Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio, but began writing poetry in the eighth grade, and was selected as Class Poet. His father didnt think he would be able to make a living as at writingRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance By Langston Hughes1033 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom 1920 to around 1935. Even though this period was short, it still lives on though all African American artists today. According to Biography.com in the article about Langston Hughes, there were many artist, musicians, and writers such as Langston Hughes, who was a huge part of the Harlem Renaissance period. Langston Hughes was a well-known poet and play writer. In the magazine called â€Å"The Crisis† his poem â€Å"Negros Speak of River† was published in 1921 and brought him attention in all the blackRead MoreBiography of Langston Hughes Essay1046 Words   |  5 Pages The well known poet Langston Hughes was an inspiring character during the Harlem Renaissance to provide a push for the black communities to fight for the rights they deserved. Hughes wrote his poetry to deliver important messages and provide support to the movements. When he was at a young age a teacher introduced him to poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, and they inspired him to start his own. Being a â€Å"darker brother,† as he called blacks, he experienced and wanted his rights, and thatRead More Langston Hughes Essay1049 Words   |  5 Pagesperhaps even in any century, can be compared to Langston Hughes. Hughes wrote with his heart and soul, creating poems that everyone could understand. He expressed love for all races, colors, and religions and did not judge anybody until he had reason to judge them. He wrote to entertain, to inspire, to teach, and to make a point. His way with words made him the most popular and prolific black writer of the twentieth century ( Offinoski, 32). Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902