The Harlem Renaissance And Langston Hughes Essays -

The Harlem Renaissance And Langston Hughes Humanities 1020 November 29, 2000 The Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes The Harlem Renaissance was a great and powerful era in black history, ?It was an African American cultural movement of the 1920s and early 1930s that was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City? (?Harlem Renaissance?). Langston Hughes wrote ?Blues and Jazz flourished throughout the streets of New York, and young black artists began to arise [. . .]? (63). An important part of this era had to be the inspirational writings of Langston Hughes. James Mercer Langston Hughes, born in Joplin, Missouri, February 1, 1902, was raised by his grandmother after his parents divorced (Sporre 551). He graduated from high school in Cleveland, Ohio and went off to Mexico to live with his father for fifteen months (Jackson 1). While in Mexico, Hughes lived a very rural life and wrote many of his first poems which, although never published, began to distinguish him as a writer. Hughes attended Columbia University for one year, then returned to home for a short period in 1923 before he joine d the crew of the SS Malone bound for Africa (?A Salute to Hughes?). From there he visited many places including Paris, Venice and Genoa before once again returning to America to live in Harlem, New York, in November 1924 (Andrews 65-69). While working in Washington D.C. as a busboy, Hughes left three of his poems beside the plate of Vachel Lindsey, an American poet, who liked Hughes' poetry and helped him publicize his writings (Jackson 3). Hughes' first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926 (?Langston Hughes?). He was a great writer who completed a two volume autobiography, and edited many anthologies and pictorial volumes. Hughes dazzled writing for forty years and never gave up protesting for the rights of African Americans. He gave many motivational speeches across the nation supporting the black movement. Hughes continued his career publishing many books of poetry and prose. Langston Hughes went on to inspire the world through his literature until his death in Harlem on May 22, 1967 (Sporre 551). Living in Harlem, he soon discovered the culture and literary circle of the Harlem Renaissance. As best said in the Norton Anthology of African American Literature, ?Hughes brought the spirit of the African American people to life, using blues and jazz as the basis of his poetic expressions [. . .]? (Andrews 1252). This is evident in some works such as The Negro Speaks of Rivers, and The Weary Blues. Most of his influences came from fellow black writers. Names such as, Dubois, Locke, Jesse Redmonfaset, Jean Toomer, Arna Bontemps, and Carl Van Vechten, inspired Hughes in his form and writing style (Andrews 929-930). His poems often portrayed the trials, tribulations, struggles and thoughts of a young Negro growing up in the twenties through sixties. His main goal was to express concern about the treatment of African Americans in this country, and to pursue civil and social justice. One of his most famous works is his continuing sage of Jesse B. Semple, also known as Simple. Hughes wro te columns about this fictional character, who dealt with very non-fictional problems. Jesse, who was really Hughes' voice, expressed the views and ideas of young black Americans (Andrews 1252-1253). Creating Simple to be smart, strong witted and wise, allowed Hughes to publish and undermine the standard of our pretentious society, while ironically and humorously pointing out the hypocritical nature of American Racism (Andrews 1257-1263). Hughes went on writing four series of writings about Simple. Hughes used a variety of themes in both his poetry and his prose. Nathan Irvin Huggins wrote ?His voice was very moving when he read his poems publicly. His voice was both rich and poetic and gave strong inspiration and love to the black community? (Andrews 1253). One work of his is particularly interesting. It shows the emotion and creativeness of the Harlem Renaissance in a few short lines. Hughes named this poem Cross. My old man's a white old man And my old mother's black. If I ever cursed my old white man I take my curses back. If ever I cursed my black old mother And wished she were