, Research Paper

Humanistic disciplines 1020

November 29, 2000

The Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes

The Harlem Renaissance was a great and powerful epoch in black history, ? It was an African American cultural motion of the 1920s and early 1930s that was centered in the Harlem vicinity of New York City? ( ? Harlem Renaissance? ) . Langston Hughes wrote? Bluess and Jazz flourished throughout the streets of New York, and immature black creative persons began to originate [ . . . ] ? ( 63 ) . An of import portion of this epoch had to be the inspirational Hagiographas of Langston Hughes. James Mercer Langston Hughes, born in Joplin, Missouri, February 1, 1902, was raised by his grandma after his parents divorced ( Sporre 551 ) . He graduated from high school in Cleveland, Ohio and went off to Mexico to populate with his male parent for 15 months ( Jackson 1 ) . While in Mexico, Hughes lived a really rural life and wrote many of his first verse form which, although ne’er published, began to separate him as a author. Hughes attended Columbia University for one twelvemonth, so returned to place for a short period in 1923 before he joined the crew of the SS Malone edge for Africa ( ? A Salute to Hughes? ) . From there he visited many topographic points including Paris, Venice and Genoa earlier one time once more returning to America to populate in Harlem, New York, in November 1924 ( Andrews 65-69 ) . While working in Washington D.C. as a waiter’s assistant, Hughes left three of his verse forms beside the home base of Vachel Lindsey, an American poet, who liked Hughes? poesy and helped him publicise his Hagiographas ( Jackson 3 ) . Hughes? first book of poesy, The Weary Blues, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926 ( ? Langston Hughes? ) . He was a great author who completed a two volume autobiography, and edited many anthologies and pictural volumes. Hughes dazzled composing for 40 old ages and ne’er gave up protesting for the rights of African Americans. He gave many motivational addresss across the state back uping the black motion. Hughes continued his calling printing many books of poesy and prose. Langston Hughes went on to animate the universe through his literature until his decease in Harlem on May 22, 1967 ( Sporre 551 ) .

Populating in Harlem, he shortly discovered the civilization 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, utilizing blues and wind as the footing of his poetic looks [ . . . ] ? ( Andrews 1252 ) . This is apparent in some plants such as The Negro Speaks of Rivers, and The Weary Blues. Most of his influences came from fellow black authors. Name callings such as, Dubois, Locke, Jesse Redmonfaset, Jean Toomer, Arna Bontemps, and Carl Van Vechten, inspired Hughes in his signifier and composing manner ( Andrews 929-930 ) . His verse forms frequently portrayed the tests, trials, battles and ideas of a immature Negro turning up in the mid-twentiess through 1960ss. His chief end was to show concern about the intervention of African Americans in this state, and to prosecute civil and societal justness. One of his most celebrated plants is his go oning sage of Jesse B. Semple, besides known as Simple. Hughes wrote columns about this fictional character, who dealt with really non-fictional jobs. Jesse, who was truly Hughes? voice, expressed the positions and thoughts of immature black Americans ( Andrews 1252-1253 ) . Making Simple to be smart, strong witted and wise, allowed Hughes to print and sabotage the criterion of our pretentious society, while ironically and humorously indicating out the hypocritical nature of American Racism ( Andrews 1257-1263 ) . Hughes went on composing four series of Hagiographas about Simple. Hughes used a assortment of subjects in both his poesy and his prose. Nathan Irvin Huggins wrote? His voice was really traveling when he read his verse forms pu

blicly. His voice was both rich and poetic and gave strong inspiration and love to the black community? ( Andrews 1253 ) . One work of his is peculiarly interesting. It shows the emotion and creativity of the Harlem Renaissance in a few short lines. Hughes named this verse form Cross.

My old adult male? s a white old adult male

And my old female parent? s black.

If I of all time cursed my old white adult male

I take my expletives back.

If of all time I cursed my black old female parent

And wished she were in snake pit,

I? m sorry for that evil want

And now I wish her well.

My old adult male died in a all right large house.

My mom died in a hovel.

I wonder where I? m traveling to decease,

Bing neither white nor black? ( Andrews 1254 ) .

This verse form explores the emotions and problems of a immature adult male born into a universe of confusion. Confused by his heritage but chesty in his pride. He is turning up in the commotion of a white society, and can non make up one’s mind whether he is white or black. Hughes, utilizing a black female parent and white male parent, makes it easy for the reader to understand and about anticipate where this verse form is traveling. It is apparent that there is an interior sense of non belonging. He fells compunction for all the expletives and bad wants he said to his parents, now that they have died. This all portion of a bigger job. Now that his parents are both asleep, he has no 1 bend to. He can? t seem to calculate out whether he is traveling to decease in wealths, or shreds. This is the great quandary Hughes presents to the reader, go forthing them in question to this unanswerable inquiry. He can non look to happen any truth in himself whatsoever. Huggins had this to state of the verse form, ? This kid is and everlastingly will be lost in his ain individuality. Hughes uses this boys battle symbolically, non to demo the force per unit areas of a crossed kid, but instead to demo how we as a society stereotype the races? ( 102-103 ) . The white male parent death in a all right house, whereas the female parent dies in a hovel, depicts the common position of the white race as being a more upscale and richer society, and the black civilization oppressed in poorness and everlastingly edge to the slums of the universe. These inquiries and emotion are what made the Harlem Renaissance such an of import motion for black America. For the first clip in history, critics started taking a serious expression at African American literature, and African American literature and humanistic disciplines attracted important attending from the state at big. This was what distinguished Hughes as a author, a dramatist and an militant. The Harlem Renaissance combined many great authors. Andrew P. Jackson wrote? Langston Hughes, in my sentiment, may be considered the most powerful among the many [ . . . ] some said it was his voice, others said it was his love for the Negro, but it? s clear that it was his ability to heighten our love of humanity? ( 2 ) .

? A Salute to Hughes. ? Smithsonian Institution. ? 1997 Smithsonian Institution. 20 Nov 2000. .

Andrews, William, et Al. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & A ; Company, 1997.

? Harlem Renaissance. ? Microsoft? Encarta? Online Encyclopedia 2000. ? 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. 19 Nov 2000. .

Huggins, Nathan Irvin. Harlem Renaissance. New York: Oxford UP, 1973.

Hughes, Langston. I Wonder As I Wander: An Autobiographical Journey. New York: Hill and Wang, 1956.

? Hughes, Langston. ? Microsoft? Encarta? Online Encyclopedia 2000. ? 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. 20 Nov 2000. .

Jackson, Andrew P. James Langston Hughes. & # 211 ; 1993-1998 Red Hot Jazz Inc. 22 Nov 2000. .

Sporre, Dennis J. The Creative Impulse: An Introduction to the Arts. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 2000.