Langston Hughes

From The Peopling of New York City: Harlem

Bio

On February 1st, 1902, the great poet and writer Langston Hughes was born in Joplin Mississippi. He would later become one of the most famous, recognized, and admired poets and writer of all time. Synonymously mentioned with the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes' poems, just like the Harlem Renaissance, are hailed for the revolutionary effects they had among the African American community. He also wrote plays, short stories, and novels. His first book, The Wear Blues, was published in 1926. His works portrayed African American life in America during a time that Hughes describes as the time when “the negro was in vogue” despite the segregation. Hughes wrote stories and poems that were published in newspapers whose targeted audience were African Americans. In 1926, Hughes along with Wallace Thurman, Zora Neale Hurston, Aaron Douglas, John P. Davis, Bruce Nugent, and Gwendolyn Bennet launched their own quarterly called Fire. Fire was in circulation for a short amount of time because they did not have enough money to pay the printer. It was discontinued after the last copies of the quarterly turned into ashes in a fire in the basement where they were stored. Hughes contributed to a movement that showcased African American intellect. His most famous poem is “ The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” The last line of the poem, “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” is written on top of a memorial dedicated to him at the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. He suffered a prostate cancer related death in 1967 at the age of 65.^{[1] [2]}

His Poems, Our Reactions

Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

Like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over--

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Langston Hughes wrote this poem in 1951, after the glory of the Harlem Renaissance, and it reflects the feelings of mourning shared by many African-Americans during that time period as they dealt with the loss of their culture in their neighborhood of Harlem. In my opinion, this poem reflects a child-like wonder concerning an abstract idea such as the connection between reality and ambition. - Ruth

''I attended the Hughes Dream Harlem film. The important message here is that Langston Hughes truly was an enabler for many young artists during his time.'' -Christie

'I, Too'

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I'll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody'll dare

Say to me,

"Eat in the kitchen,"

Then.

Besides,

They'll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

This poem is a message of hope for all of those out there who feel unequal to the "dominant" members of society, telling them that there is no difference between any of us. After all, aren't we all human, and therefore all imperfect anyway? The outside appearances have nothing to do with what makes us on the inside, and thus Hughes is proud to call himself an American because he knows that in reality, the difference between him and the next white guy is merely physical, but in reality they are the same. -Joshua

Dreams

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken - winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow. ^[3]

I personally adore this poem because I tend to see myself as someone who truly sees the value in dreams. Hughes notes perfectly how crucial it is to continue dreaming because if one were to stop life becomes too burdened and too difficult. If we stop dreaming life is incomplete and we will not achieve things with true success. - Rachel

We are willing to share him with you, but he belongs to us.' This phrase stands out for me because I thought it was the perfect way to summarize what Langston Hughes meant to Harlem and the African American community." - Sushanta

The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes

I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

The last line of this poem is inscribed on the floor that contains underneath Langston Hughes’s ashes. This poem was written during his trip to Mexico on the Mississippi River. I chose this poem because it reflects how Hughes felt about segregation. The people who he considers to be negroes have lived and thrived by the banks of the most glorious rivers of this world. This poem makes me think about my ancestors and what great discoveries they have been credited with. I believe this poem is about being proud about who one is and where one comes from, regardless of what other people say, especially if other people say that one is inferior to them. - Grecia

The poetry and lifestyle of Langston Hughes questioned how a black man could be deemed a second-class citizen while producing first-class art." - Ruth

Still Here

I been scared and battered.

My hopes the wind done scattered.

Snow has friz me,

Sun has baked me,

Looks like between 'em they done

Tried to make me

Stop laughin', stop lovin', stop livin'--

But I don't care!

I'm still here!

The first time I read this poem was out of a textbook in the fourth grade. The first thing that struck me was the language – “friz” instead of frozen, and the chopping off of letters. The poem has a fun, reflective tone, but is also very uplifting. Who hasn’t felt beat down by life, or by other people around you? With the declaration “But I don’t care! I’m still here!” a very optimistic, stoic line that instills hope and joy, the poem shrugs off the pain it describes at first. - Diego

Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:

Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

It's had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I'se been a-climbin' on,

And reachin' landin's,

And turnin' corners,

And sometimes goin' in the dark

Where there ain't been no light.

So, boy, don't you turn back.

Don't you set down on the steps.

'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.

Don't you fall now—

For I'se still goin', honey,

I'se still climbin',

And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

This poem is very encouraging and empowering. It is a mother’s love for her son that lets her be brutally honest with him about the hardships in life, and it is her love that pushes him to go on forward and face whatever obstacles are in front of him. It shows that she has been through a lot, but she’s still holding on, living her life, even though life has not been easy on her. This makes us reflect upon ourselves and see that we are not alone whenever there are problems that come our way. There are a lot of people out there whose lives might be harder than ours, but they still keep going and they still have hope within them. And there will always be hardships that we’ll have to face, but what’s important is how we hold on tightly and keep on going, and going, and going…- Audrey

Selected Bibliography

Poetry -The Weary Blues. Knopf, 1926 -Shakespeare in Harlem. Knopf, 1942 -Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz. Hill & Wang, 1961

Fiction -Not Without Laughter. Knopf, 1930 -The Best of Simple. 1961 -Simple's Uncle Sam. 1965

Non-fiction -The Big Sea. New York: Knopf, 1940 -I Wonder as I Wander. New York: Rinehart & Co., 1956 -Famous Negro Heroes of America. 1958

Plays -Little Ham. 1936 -Tambourines to glory. 1956 -Jericho-Jim Crow. 1964

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1. ↑ "Langston Hughes" 1997. Poets.org. 5 May 2009. http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83 poets.org
2. ↑ Hughes, Langston. The Big Sea. New York: Hill and Wang. 1963.
3. ↑ "poemhunter.com." 6 May 2009. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dreams-2/

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Editors: Grecia, Ruth, Rachel, Diego, Joshua, Audrey and Grecia