Langston Hughes was an iconic American author who wrote groundbreaking poetry between the 1920s and 1960s. His work, although often rooted in jazz and blues musicality, was deeply inspired by the social and political issues of the era. Hughes sardonically commented on racism and cultural displacement, as well as gender inequity and economic disparity.
Many of Hughes’s contemporaries — writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner — enjoyed more public recognition than Langston Hughes did in his lifetime. But now Hughes’s works are considered among the most powerful and influential in the 20th century.
Langston Hughes experienced a lot of pain and poverty throughout his life. Growing up without a father and seeing his mother struggle to feed her family had a great impact on his writing. Many of his poems speak to his painful experiences as a black man, and his work often reveals his determination to rise above his situation. Hughes is credited as helping put forth an insightful and powerful voice for African Americans.
In particular, Hughes was inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, an influential literary and cultural movement of the 1920s and 1930s. Its magnificent art reflected the growing social awareness and civil rights activism of the era. The image of the “New Negro” — an African American unencumbered by racial prejudice and stereotypes — inspired Hughes to write a series of poems in direct address to his audience.
This groundbreaking work spoke to the collective African American struggle for survival, freedom, and justice. Hughes’s own sense of powerlessness and hope emerged vividly within each poem. One of his most popular pieces, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” ushers the reader through Hughes’s journey into music, literature, and history, showing the enduring impact of African Americans throughout the ages.
Hughes also wrote extensively about his own cities, Baltimore and Washington, DC, where he encountered both poverty and beauty. His work expressed his love of jazz music and his admiration of the African American’s sense of community and creativity. Hughes looked to black culture to draw inspiration, often producing powerful imagery and strong rhythms in his poetry.
The political struggles of the era also influenced Langston Hughes’s writing. Prior to the Second World War, Hughes was an outspoken opponent of racial segregation and bigotry. His work served as a powerful reaction to the deep injustices and inequalities of the time. He also spoke out against imperialism and advocated for the rights of working people around the world.
Langston Hughes’s poetry was the product of his life experiences, the African American cultural landscape of the times, and his love of music and art. His work provides invaluable insight into the historical and socio-political atmosphere of the early 20th century. Acutely aware of the injustices of the world around him, Hughes used his work to encourage an honest, self-reflective dialogue on the plight of African-Americans.
Influence of Music and Art
The influence of music and art were two of the main inspirations of Langston Hughes’ poetry. Hughes was an avid lover of jazz and sought to incorporate aspects of jazz culture and musicality into his work. Hughes found his musicality through African American culture, noted American cultural critic Toni Morrison once said “Jazz to me is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul” (Morrison, xv). This tom-tom drumbeat could be seen as a metaphor for the steady perseverance and desire for freedom routed in African American history.
In particular, Hughes drew inspiration from two of his experiences. Hughes was born and raised in Oklahoma and moved to New York as an adult. He found jazz more often in Oklahoma, but he found more inspiration and motivation in his New York setting. The opportunity to combine the two, helped Hughes to create his distinct voice. Hughes often wrote about the experiences of African Americans, the struggles and the options. Hughes found a unique way to combine a folkloric approach to storytelling with the realities of everyday life and experiences.
The influence of art is another way Langston Hughes drew inspiration for his creative works. Hughes often included complex metaphors and allusions. He often referred to classical literature, as well as classic African American nonfiction and myths. Hughes wanted to take what had been written before and reinterpret it into his own voice and vision. Each poem he wrote was a unique representation of the world around him, a painting of what he was seeing and feeling, and he was incredibly skilled at translating this into words.
The themes Hughes wrote about such as justice, freedom, religion, and culture remain relevant today. His writing could be seen as an ode to the strength of the African American people, despite the many struggles they face.
Race Issues
Langston Hughes was deeply concerned with African American race issues. He often wrote about racial injustice and the barriers that African Americans face. Hughes was a strong advocate for civil rights and believed it was possible for African Americans to gain equality in their society.
In his lengthy career, Hughes wrote poems like “I Too”, “I Too Sing America”, and “Let America Be America Again”. These poems tackled powerful racial issues to great effect. His work revealed the deep injustices of society, from the Jim Crow laws of the South to the discrimination in the North. Through his work, Hughes wanted to show the inequalities African Americans experienced, and he used his writing to show the world African Americans as real people, with real feelings and dreams.
In “Let America Be America Again”, Langston Hughes wrote: “Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain seeking a home where he himself is free.” Through these words, Hughes sought to express his hope for an America free of racism, injustice, and inequality.
Hugh’s writing had a huge impact on black culture and literature. He took difficult subjects, such as poverty and oppression, and wrote about them in a way that was accessible to the public. His work encouraged African Americans to think for themselves and take charge of their own lives.
Despite the injustices of society, Hughes remained hopeful. He believed that African Americans could make a difference in their communities, and he encouraged them to fight for their freedom. His writing showed a way forward, even during the most difficult of times.
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a literary movement of the 1920’s and 1930’s that saw African-American culture and influence become as prominent as ever before in mainstream literature. Langston Hughes was one of the main figures of this movement, writing poems such as “A Dream Deferred”, which speaks directly to the hopes, fears, and aspirations of the African-American community during this period.
The Harlem Renaissance not only influenced the content of Hughes’s poetry, but also its style. Hughes’s writing was heavily influenced by jazz and other forms of African-American music. His work was often written with a musical cadence, and he aimed to capture the rhythm of American life in his poetry. This musicality helped make Hughes’s writing unique and distinct among the works of his peers.
Additionally, Hughes was inspired by the abundance of African-American talent in the Harlem Renaissance. He was surrounded by creative and passionate people, and their influence allowed him to express himself in a way he had never done before. Many of his poems sought to capture the spirit of African-American life in the 1920’s and 30’s, particularly in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of intellectual and artistic growth, and this growth had a profound effect on Langston Hughes and his writing. The movement gave him the tools he needed to express his hopes, dreams, and frustrations through his writing. His work drew upon the energy and creativity of the era, and in turn, it has helped to shape and inform African-American literature for generations.
Adaptability
Langston Hughes was, above all else, an adaptable writer. Throughout his career, Hughes was able to adapt and evolve his writing in order to reflect the times and the changing political, social, and cultural landscape around him. Hughes’s work often discussed current events, critiqued society, and touched upon themes that were pertinent to his audience.
Hughes’s ability to adapt his writing enabled him to address a range of topics, such as racial inequality, economic disparity, and social injustice. Hughes wrote with an empathetic and honest voice, allowing his reader to fully understand the implications of his words and the emotions behind them. He wrote with a distinct rhythm and poetic style, giving his work a sense of authenticity and authority.
By adapting his writing to the times and understanding his audience, Hughes was able to write with a unique and powerful voice. He was a prolific poet and writer, creating deeply personal works that spoke to the struggles and injustices experienced by African Americans throughout the 20th century. His writing served to inspire and empower the marginalized, and he left behind a lasting legacy in the form of his work.
Strength and Resilience
The strength and resilience of Langston Hughes’s writing came from his own struggle and pain. Hughes experienced a great deal of hardship in his lifetime, including poverty and racial oppression. Hughes used his poetry as a form of self-expression and a way to channel his emotions and experiences. His work was an incredibly powerful source of comfort and strength, helping him to cope with the injustices he encountered in his life.
Throughout his work, Hughes remained optimistic and defiant. His work revealed his belief in the power of the human spirit, and his desire to resist and fight against oppression. Hughes used his writing to express his determination to rise above his situation and strive for a better future. This strength and resilience is evident in the power and raw emotion behind his words.
In many ways, Langston Hughes was the poet of the African American community. His ability to capture their struggles and hopes, as well as his own, made him a powerful voice for the people. His work has continued to remain relevant and meaningful, and it has had a lasting influence on literature. Hughes is an iconic example of the strength and resilience of the human spirit, and his work will continue to inspire and empower readers for generations to come.
