Langston Hughes As Social Person

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Langston Hughes As Social Person

Langston Hughes is considered by many readers to be the most significant black
poet of the twentieth century. He is described as V...the beloved author
of poems steeped in the richness of African American culture, poems that exude
Hughess affection for black Americans across all divisions of region,
class, and gender. (Rampersad 3) His writing was both depressing and
uplifting at times. His poetry, spanning five decades from 1926 to 1967,
reflected the changing black experience in America, from the Harlem Renaissance
to the turbulent sixties. At the beginning of his career, he was surrounded by
the Harlem Renaissance. New York City in the 1920s was a place of immense
growth and richness in African-American culture and art. For Hughes, this was
the perfect opportunity to establish his poems. His early work reflects the
happy times of the era. However, as time progressed he became increasingly
bitter and upset over race relations. Except for a few examples, all his poems
from this later period spoke about social injustice in America. The somber tone
of his writing often reflected his mood. Race relations was the shadow of his
career, following him from his first poem to his last. The tone and subject
matter of Hughess poetry can be linked to certain points in history, and
his life. The youth of Hughes is brought out by his poem VHarlem Night
Club, a piece which describes living in the moment. Often children do not
consider the consequences of their actions; they act on instinct and desire.
Hughes might have been 27 when he wrote this poem, but the feisty, upbeat tempo
of a school boy is present in his style. VHarlem Night Club is
unique in that it describes the integration of blacks and whites in an
optimistic tone. The vigor and spirit of his youth is reflected in the energy of
the writing, VJazz-band, jazz-band,­ / Play, plAY, PLAY! /
Tomorrow....who knows? / Dance today! The repetition of the words, and
the increasing emphasis on the word Vplay bring out the excitement
to the reader. More evidence of Hughess youth comes from the very focus
of the poem: the interracial couples. The entire poem can be summed up as
V...a single-glance tableau of interracial flirtation against a background
of heady jazz. (Emanuel 120) This festive relationship between the two
sexes can rarely be seen in any of Hughess later poems. At this point in
his life, Hughes was enjoying the culture and excitement of the Harlem
renaissance. I...

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