Langston Hughes

"I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go" (Langston Hughes). Langston Hughes was a famous poet and writer who contributed greatly to the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement for African Americans that spanned the 1920s (Hughes). Langston Hughes, being an African American who grew up in the 1900s became filled with racial pride because of his grandmother, who had primarily raised him, told him stories about African Americans, when he was a young boy, and influenced him to be proud of his culture. He started writing in high school, where he got his first work published, followed by a college scholarship to Columbia University. After traveling the world, Hughes dropped out of Columbia and attended Lincoln University, where he published a new poem. The topics he wrote about, which were on the daily lives of African Americans during the 1920s, and his bold writing style made him popular. Langston Hughes incorporated jazz and blues rhythms into his poetry and published many other pieces of writing after he graduated from college. He had many accomplishments during his lifetime because he was hardworking, talented, and an inspirational person who overcame difficulties such as dealing with a challenging childhood.

Langston Hughes was a hardworking man. He needed to be financially independent because he had chosen a profession with a high risk of failure. His independence and love of travel and writing led to many travelling jobs. These jobs sustained him financially and allowed him to develop his writing career. For example, in a newspaper article, Hughes' dedication was described as, "In early years, worked as assistant cook, launderer, busboy, and at other odd jobs; worked as seaman on voyages to Africa and Europe; lived at various times in Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, and the Soviet Union" (Gale). Langston Hughes' first publication became very famous and was recognized by many critics who thought highly of his hard work. Hughes' poetry also exemplified his dedication to African Americans and his understanding of music. His study and knowledge of jazz and blues was used in his poem entitled, The Weary Blues. As an article explains it; "The publication of Hughes's first volume of poetry, The Weary Blues, caught the attention of critics who were quick to recognize that in Harlem, the insistent gospel beat of showman Vachel Lindsay had been supplanted by the subtle, expressive rhythms of a poet with soul. Most of the poems in this volume employ the rhythms and nuances of blues and jazz to celebrate the heady, frenetic milieu of Harlem at night" (Gale). Langston Hughes' publication showed his dedication towards writing. Hughes put the expressive rhythms of soul into his poetry. He used jazz and blues music to make his work influential and unique from the others during that time. He achieved an extraordinary amount of success because of all his hard work and dedication. He faced many challenges and obstacles in his life because of the limitations and racism of the time that he grew up in, but he pushed past them and did not allow them to hold him back.

Having managed to rise above a difficult childhood and still achieve success in his career, the writer states in an article titled, 'Langston Hughes' that "His parents divorced when he was a small child, and his father moved to Mexico. He was raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen, when he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband, before the family eventually settled in Cleveland, Ohio"(Langston Hughes). His mother passed away when he was young and he had a difficult relationship with his father. This was because his father never understood his opinions on certain subjects. For example, "He was shocked by his father's materialism and racism, by his tendency to dismiss blacks, Mexicans, and others as lazy and incompetent"(Hughes). This was exactly what Langston was not. Hughes' rough childhood never stopped him from fulfilling his dream of becoming a poet. In spite of the differences between his father and him, Langston continued to do what he was good at, and what he wanted to do.

Hughes had many factors that made him successful, but the one that really contributed to his rise in success, was his talent. George E. Kent in the article Langston Hughes noted that, "Hughes's greatest value is in the range of notes that he was able to play regarding the souls and strivings of black folks.... His gift was also to catch the shifting tones of the times and to sense the continuity of old things among the new. Thus he always seems current with the newer forces that arise with each decade." (Kent). Hughes wrote many influential pieces of literature, which contributed greatly to the Harlem Renaissance. An illustration of talent shown by Langston Hughes is his successful pieces of literature such as, "His first novel, Not Without Laughter; his best-known work for young readers, The Dream Maker and Other Poems; arguably his best collection of short stories, The Ways of White Folks; his most popular play, Mulatto; and the first volume of his autobiography, The Big Sea. Most importantly, the two volumes of poetry that opened Hughes's career--The Weary Blues and Fine Clothes to the Jew--have come to represent the very essence of the Harlem Renaissance"(Gale). Hughes' first two pieces of literature were published in a very short time, explaining his fast rise to success. Langston's many pieces of literature represented the Harlem Renaissance, which he was a big part of. Hughes poetry was the most influential and really contributed to his career as well as to that time period.

Langston Hughes' many accomplishments during his lifetime were because he worked for what he wanted, was talented, and was an inspirational person who had to overcome his rough childhood. Hughes had a good education, and a successful career, even though his father disapproved of what he was doing. His work still inspires people everywhere through his portrayal of African American culture. American literature today would not be the same without his contributions of rhythm and the emotion in his poetry and novels. Langston Hughes was as Gale's Biography in Context says it, "One of the most talented and prolific writers to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s" (Gale). Langston Hughes is a true hero because he didn't stop when people rejected him or didn't agree with him. He continued to work on what he loved and made himself one of the most influential writers of the 1920s. He taught people that they just have to go with what they believe in, to keep trying, and to never give up.

Works Consulted

"Langston Hughes." - Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 2013. Web. 02 May 2013.

"Langston Hughes." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Web. 02 May 2013, 06:35

Leeson, Richard M. ""Langston Hughes"" EBSCO. Great Lives from History: The Twentieth Century, Sept. 2008. Web. 02 May 2013.

Smith, Dinitia. "Child's Tale About Race Has a Tale Of Its Own." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 Nov. 1997. Web. 02 May 2013.

Taylor, Henry. "He Heard America Jiving." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Dec. 1994. Web. 02 May 2013.

Thomas, Jo. "ARTS IN AMERICA; Returning All the Works of Langston Hughes to Print." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 July 2001. Web. 02 May 2013.