Essay on The Harlem Renaissance and Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, which was the first major movement of African- American life and culture. Hughes was influenced by living in New York Citys Harlem, where his literary works helped shape American literature and politics. Hughes strong sense of racial pride helped him promote equality, celebrate African- American culture, and condemn racism through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and childrens books (America’s Library). Hughes is referred to as a literary phenomenon. He was one of the first African- American men of literature who was determined to make a productive and profitable career out of his writing. The historical†¦show more content†¦One of his teachers introduced him to Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitmans poetry, who stood out as Hughes primary influences. Hughes graduated from high school in 1920 and spent the following year in Mexico with his father. Around this time, Hughess poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers was published in The Crisis magazine and was highly praised (The Biography Channel). In 1921, Hughes enrolled at Columbia University where he studied briefly, and during this time he quickly became a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Four years later, he was working as a busboy in a Washington, D.C. hotel restaurant when he met an American poet Vachel Lindsay. Hughes showed some of his poems to Lindsay, who used his connections to promote Hughes’s poetry and bring it towards a wider audience. Hughes’s poem, â€Å"The Weary Blues† won first prize in the Opportunity magazine literary competition. While studying at Lincoln, Hughes poetry came to the attention of novelist and critic Carl Van Vechten, who used his connections to help get Hughes’s first book of poetry, â€Å"The Weary Blues†, published by Knopf in 1926. Hughes was also among the first to use jazz rhythms and dialect to depict the life of urban blacks in his work (The Biography Channel). During the 1930s he continued to write and publish poetry and prose during this time, and in 1934 he published his first collection of short stories, The WaysShow MoreRelatedThe Harlem Renaissance By Langston Hughes1033 Words   |  5 Pagescalled the Harlem Renaissance. After World War I, many blacks migrated from the south to up to the north to places like Chicago, Detroit and New York. The people in Harlem felt the racial pride and this caught the attention of many musicians, writers, and artist. The Harlem Renaissance period lasted from 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 wereRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance with Langston Hughes1676 Words   |  7 PagesHarlem Renaissance with Langston Hughes The Harlem Renaissance brought about uniqueness amongst African Americans; everything was new. The visual art, the jazz music, fashion and literature took a cultural spin. During this time writer Langston Hughes seemed to outshine the rest with amazing works. The Harlem Renaissance brought about many great changes. It was a time for expressing the African American culture. It is variously known as the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Literary RenaissanceRead MoreLangston Hughes And The Harlem Renaissance1219 Words   |  5 PagesLangston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem renaissance is an artistic revolutionary period that took place between 1917 and 1937. This was after the First World War. Harlem was a district in New York. The Harlem renaissance impacted the social, cultural as well as artistic aspects of the black community. Many black people were encouraged to flee the southern sides where the caste system continued to oppress the black people. At this period, racial inequalities as well as other social injusticesRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance By Langston Hughes Essay1225 Words   |  5 Pages† - Langston Hughes The Harlem Renaissance took place in Harlem, New York during the 1920’s. The movement was an expression of African American culture across the Midwestern and Northeastern states of America, with Harlem being the heart of it. The Harlem Renaissance also left a lasting impression on black writers from the Caribbean and other African Colonies who immigrated to Paris. There were many artists of many different mediums that left a lasting impact of black culture, and Langston HughesRead MoreLangston Hughes And The Harlem Renaissance1909 Words   |  8 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance was a social and cultural movement aimed to alter the conventional notion of â€Å"The Negro† and to expound on African American’s adversities through literature, music, and visual arts. After World War I, Harlem, New York became a central location for African Americans for greener pastures and racial equality. Large quantities of black writers, artists, and intellectuals emerged within the urban scene and played a pivotal role of defining the movement in their respective fieldsRead MoreLangston Hughes And The Harlem Renaissance1736 Words   |  7 PagesAug 2017 The Dream Called Langston As an artist, or literature, music or visual art, there is power in creating pieces that move the masses. For an African American artist in the 1920’s, that power was fought for harder and dimmed due the racial inequalities across America. Being acknowledged as a credible artist was equated to being acknowledged as an American during a time where African American citizens were not considered an equal under the law. The Harlem Renaissance, spanning from the mid 1920’sRead MoreLangston Hughes And The Harlem Renaissance1476 Words   |  6 Pages Langston Hughes, a Voice for the Taciturn Take a time machine back to one of the most culturally-rich times in history, the Modern Age. More specifically, set your destination to northern Manhattan in the early 20s. When you step onto those bustling streets, you’ll find yourself swept up in the Harlem Renaissance. The contemporary writers you are surrounded by are legends such as Langston Hughes and W. E. B. DuBois, and the contemporary musicians you may hear at a local nightclub include some ofRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance By Langston Hughes1703 Words   |  7 Pagesis a quote from a well-known poet by the name of Langston Hughes who served as a prominent figure in African American history and is known for maintaining a significant role in one of the most culturally influential periods for African Americans -The Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance describes a significant era in time where hundreds or artists, writers and musicians living in Harlem came together to form a vibrant, creative community. Hughes along with many other talented and innovative AfricanRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance : Langston Hughes1145 Words   |  5 Pagesplace called Harlem and this is where it all started. Harlem became the training ground for blues and jazz and gave birth to a young generation of Negro Artist, who referred to themselves as the New Negro. The New Negro was the base for an epoch called the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance allowed for the materialization of the double consciousness of the Negro race as demonstrated by artists such as Langston Hughes. During the peak of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes created poetryRead MoreLangston Hughes : The Harlem Renaissance1151 Words   |  5 Pagesmass movement of people is called the Great Migration. One of the most popular places African Americans moved to was Harlem, New York. This city was a cultural and artistic polestar for people of color. It became known for the start of the African American cultural and artistic revolut ion known as the â€Å"Harlem Renaissance†. Out of the Renaissance came poet Langston Hughes. Hughes’ grandparents were abolitionists and worked to instill the same sense of justice into him, which can be seen in his writings