Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance

Chase Ruhmann
English 2328
April 7th, 2011

Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance

 

Langston Hughes was one of the most influential authors/poets in during the Harlem Renaissance time period. Without his works of literature, many African-Americans would have been worse off. He gave several people hop and encouragement in times of need and crisis.

  The Harlem Renaissance was a name given to the time period during which a group of talented African-American writers produced a sizable body of literature in the four major genres of poetry, fiction, drama, and essay (1). This first major movement of African-American literature lasted from 1923 to about the mid-1930’s. That time period is from the end of WW1 to about half way through the depression. Harlem Renaissance included racial consciousness, racial integration, explosion of African-American music Jazz and Blues), painting, and dramatic revue (1).

Langston Hughes was a prominent member in a group of several Harlem Renaissance authors and artists (2). Out of all the authors he shined the brightest and was the most creative with his writings, no disrespect to the other great authors of that time period.  Just to name a few, there were authors like Charles S. Johnson, E. Franklin Frazier, Rudolph Fisher, and Hubert T. Delaney (2).

Hughes wrote poems back in his time that are still popular today. A couple of my personal favorites are Dreams, Mother to Son, As I grew Older, and one very popular I Too, Sing America. Through the duration of his whole writing career he wrote sixteen books of poems, two novels, three collections of short stories, four volumes of “editorial” and “documentary” fiction, twenty plays, children’s poetry, musicals and operas, three autobiographies, a dozen radio and television scripts, and dozens of magazine articles (3). As great of an author as he was, and with such breathtaking statistics, it’s easy to see how he appealed to viewers and readers of all tastes and styles. 

Up until his death Hughes was an inspiration to all African-Americans in Harlem and even around America. After his death due to cancer on May 22, 1967, his residence at

20 East 127^th Street

in Harlem, New York was given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission (3). Langston paved the way for many writers after him, and without James Mercer Langston Hughes, the Harlem Renaissance and literature itself wouldn’t be the same.

Work Cited

“Harlem Renaissance,” Lessons, Tarrant County College

http://dl.tccd.edu/index.php/classroom/lessons/event=viewContent/id=279433  (1)

“Langston Hughes Biography”

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/biography (3)

The American Novel, Literary Timeline, Movements, Harlem Renaissance, “1920s-Mid-1930s Harlem Renaissance”

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americannovel/timeline/harlemrenaissance.html (2)