{"id":8149,"date":"2024-04-07T20:20:43","date_gmt":"2024-04-07T19:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poetrypoets.com\/?p=8149"},"modified":"2024-04-07T20:20:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T19:20:43","slug":"how-did-langston-hughes-change-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetrypoets.com\/how-did-langston-hughes-change-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"How Did Langston Hughes Change The World"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Early Life<\/h2>\n

Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was still a child, and his father moved to Mexico. At the age of 13, Hughes moved to Washington, D.C. and was sent to live with his mother’s family while she attended college in Ohio. In 1919, he graduated from high school in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Columbia University on a scholarship. However, he dropped out after a year and moved to Chicago where he worked odd jobs and freelanced as a journalist. He was also associated with the Black Renaissance movement of the 1920s. <\/p>\n

Poetry and Prose<\/h2>\n

Hughes is best known for his poetry and fiction about African American life and culture. He wrote prolifically in a variety of genres, including novels, short stories, and plays. He often wrote in the vernacular of the African American community, giving voice to those who lived in poverty and experienced oppression. His well-known poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” was published in The Crisis in 1921 and is seen as one of the early pieces of postwar African American literature.<\/p>\n

Harlem Renaissance<\/h2>\n

Hughes was a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, a literary and artistic movement of the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated African American culture and life. During this period, Hughes wrote some of his most famous works, such as Not Without Laughter and The Big Sea. He was also a member of the New Negro Movement, an intellectual and literary movement of African Americans living in urban areas in the early 20th century. <\/p>\n

Influence<\/h2>\n

Hughes’ work has had a long-lasting impact on American culture and literature. He was both a champion of the African American experience and a critic of racism and inequality. His work has been credited with helping to shape the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He is also known for his influence on African American poetry, particularly through his use of jazz and blues idioms.<\/p>\n

Legacy and Honors<\/h2>\n