The influence of the Harlem Renaissance on Langston Hughes
During the years 1902 -1967 been a black person it was something difficult, racism was one of the bigger problem that took over the world. Most of the black people even decided to move around the world trying to find a place where anybody didn’t judger them. “Langston Hughes was one of the best-knowing black American writers of the twentieth century: As a member of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s he helped establish a visit African-American literature” (pg. 920). Langston has a big passion for writer poem and also for music, but everything in life has a stare to be to finishing. There were three main points that I believe influences Langston Hughes. The first point was Harlem renaissance, the second one was, during his early life he experience that racial, the last one is society many “critics thought that African –American writing. Most of the work done by Langston was referring to the feeling to the black and the situation society was shown about racism.
Langston Hughes was a member of Harlem Renaissance, something that influenced a lot in Langston writing “Harlem renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930’s” (Wormser). Harlem was a great opportunist for people who wanted to writer poets, musicians, photographers, between others things. “Many had come from the south, fleeing its oppressive caste system in order to find a place where they could freely express their talents” (Wormser). Langston was one of those people, who have the opportunity to express his talent through the work that his publish in Harlem renaissance.
Most people believe that The Renaissance was more than a literary movement: “it involved racial pride, fueled in part by the militancy of the “new negro” demanding civil and political right” (Wormser). Renaissance was seen as something to use for those who wanted they voice to be listing, special when there were true things about the world. “But the renaissance had little impact on breaking down the rigid barriers of Jim Crow that separated the races” (Wormser).
Another event influences Langston work was during, “his early life he experienced the racial that would become the focus of his writing and social activists” (pg. 920). Longest was really little when he started to face the problem about racism, something that later on influences hem in a way that he wanted people to know to what he went through. “His father, James Hughes wanted to be a lawyer but racial prejudice prevented him from going to law school. Eventually he decided to leave the united stated for Mexico, where he thought he would have more opportunities to success” (pg. 920 paragraph 2). Something that affect Langston, seem he father leaving his dream because of the racism was happen in the world. During the circumstances Langston have to be separate from his father and begging a new life without him. “Langston mother didn’t follow her husband, so the young Langston had little contact with his father until he was in his later teens” (pg. 2). Early as child Langston was passion for reader, something that stares to development more when his attending to school. “While attending central high school in Cleveland Ohio he began to write poetry, with Carl Sandburg as one of chief influences” (pg. 2). Langston was feeling good about his life; she was staring to do, what he wants something that make his proud of himself. “Upon leaving high school, Hughes began to travel to that would have such a great effect on his work; in 1920 he went to live with his father in Mexico City” (pg2). After spending years without seem his father, Hughes finally meet up with him something that expired him in his writing. “On his way there, he wrote what was to becomes one of his best-know poems, “The Negro Speak of River” (pg. 3).
In this poem Hughes seems to describe his history, showing the reader that he knows where he comes from, and the struggles he and his people have gone through. The very first line indicates that Hughes knows his history “I’ve known my rivers” meaning he knows his history, ancient as the world, the history of Africans coming to America. Hughes also tells us that his understanding of history has grown “my soul has grown deep like the rivers”. But things were not all perfect; Hughes went to Mexico trying to find a good relationship with his father and things through to be the wrong way. “Father and son had little in common, so the trip not successful on personal level. (At one point, Hughes even considered suicide” (pg. 3). That didn’t stop him to accomplish his dream; “after returned to the united state, he enrolled at Columbian University to study engineering, but his classes were of little interesting to him, so he spends more of his time writing and absorbing cultural life of new York African – American” (pg. 3). During that was when he started t work with the renaissance where he publishes his first book “the weary blues”, Hughes become someone very famous he talent was recognized for everyone specially the African American who have suffer of racism.
Another influence on Hughes work was society, Hughes was expired in social and economic discrimination, where you couldn’t own or conduct business the way while male couldn’t. While a white person had the luxury of selecting a career path, for example becoming a doctor a pilot or a lawyer; an individual of color was expected to achieve less. “Hughes did not shy away from depicting the detail of their difficult lives. His subjects are often poor and frequently face racism” (pg. 7). Hughes was trying to show to society how the different class work and through his poems he was did express himself and speak for others people. “Harlem” is one of the poems written by Hughes in this poem he is talking about the limitation of the American dream from African American. How the African American came to this country trying to find them dream, but things were tending to be difficult for him, especially during 1930’s when the great depression started. “Hughes “what happen to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore and then run? “In this line he talks about the African family facing prejudice and economic hardship. The production debuted on Broadway in 1959, only 8 years after Hughes published” Harlem” (grade saver). Hughes point for people to see how much the African American people were suffered, they didn’t even know where they dream were. One day there were there shining and another day were gone like “crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?
African American was one of the bigger group that have problem during the great depression affected virtually. Hughes was face one of the bigger problem that any writing can face critics to his writing. “Many critics thought that African – American writing ought to deal primarily with uplifting stories and follow the conventions of white literature. These critics believed that Hughes ‘s work was undercutting the advances African American were achieving in both literary and social life” (pg. 5). During to the critics Hughes was really sad about, but didn’t stop he work he response to his critics really straight. He said, I’m just writing the true, I’m writing about my people the people that I know not body can’t tell me I’m wrong because of that. “That not every book by an African American could or should be about subject that middle – or upper – class whites and blacks would find palatable: “I didn’t know the upper class Negros well enough to write much about them” (pg. 6). I knew only the people I had grown up with, and they weren’t people whose shoes were always shined, who had been to Harvard, or who had of Bach”( pg. 6). Hughes only wants people to know the history of African American, and through his poem he really did. Each one of them in any way explains a little be of what is to be an African American during the years 1902-960’s. Another poem that Hughes wrote that have a really strong meaning was “I, too”. In this poem Hughes is talking about those African American who used to work in back in the kitchen, and all the white people were sitting in the table. “I’m the darker brother, they send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes, but I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong”. Tomorrow, I’II is at the table when company comes nobody ‘I dare say to me, “eat in the kitchen”. He said tomorrow, he will sit at the table when the guests come, and no one will dare to tell him to in the kitchen.
In conclusion I believe that Hughes work was influence history of African American, he wanted people to know and he knew that the only way he could show them was by his poem and his music. Through his work he shows the people what it was to be an African American during the years 1902- 1960s. Hughes was a really big celebrity today people from all over the work white and black knows him from his work, and thank to his poem today we can say we have know and learn about the history of African American and what it in the past. Hughes will always form part of this community especially in the heart of any African American who has read and listing to his poem and music.