Langston Hughes: A Harlem Man
A quote by Langston Hughes says – “An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose. (Hughes (1926))” As one of the most persistent figures, poets, during the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes’ work reached a wide range of viewers. He wanted to “express contemporary Harlem by borrowing from the ‘current of Afro-American popular music . . . jazz, ragtime, swing, blues, boogie-woogie, and be-bop.’ (Kelly 170)” In poems such as – Bad Luck Card, Could Be, Down and Out, Late Last Night, Morning After, Sylvester’s Dying Bed, and Reverie or the Harlem River – he expresses just that. Naming blues as one of the genres of music that influenced his writing …show more content…
A few years after the Harlem Renaissance ended the Great Depression took over. The economy crashed and the wave of migration, from the previous decade, continued to grow. Many people either went up north or out west. The west was a symbol of hope, with the railroad system now in place many people were in hope of finding new jobs. Route 66 to California was one of the most popular routes taken. While most families traveled in hopes of achieving the American Dream they were not forewarned about the over advertisement of jobs and were often put into situations worse than the ones they had left behind. With the crash of the stock market in 1929, the 1930s was a time of great strife and hardships for those who were not in the upper one percent.
LANGSTON HUGHES’ WORK AND REALISM
Hughes “cast off the influences of white poets and wrote with the rhythmic meter of blues and jazz (“The Harlem Renaissance”).” Taking on a rhythm of jazz and blues was a sure way to get his message across in his works. Take Miss Blues’es Child for instance:
If the blues would let me,
Lord knows I would …show more content…
The realism presented in Hughes’ work and word choice is eye-opening, provocative even. Although poetry was continuously taking steps in a new direction, some people aren’t up for the challenge and choose to play it safe with their works. Not everyone was willing to touch on topics such as – emotional subjects, political issues, social issue, and societal confines. The 1920s was a time of prosperity, and with this new age came a new attitude and outlook on everyday life. Having not written his poetry at times of happiness, but times of hardships Hughes brings realism to the forefront in a lot of his
A quote by Langston Hughes says – “An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose. (Hughes (1926))” As one of the most persistent figures, poets, during the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes’ work reached a wide range of viewers. He wanted to “express contemporary Harlem by borrowing from the ‘current of Afro-American popular music . . . jazz, ragtime, swing, blues, boogie-woogie, and be-bop.’ (Kelly 170)” In poems such as – Bad Luck Card, Could Be, Down and Out, Late Last Night, Morning After, Sylvester’s Dying Bed, and Reverie or the Harlem River – he expresses just that. Naming blues as one of the genres of music that influenced his writing …show more content…
A few years after the Harlem Renaissance ended the Great Depression took over. The economy crashed and the wave of migration, from the previous decade, continued to grow. Many people either went up north or out west. The west was a symbol of hope, with the railroad system now in place many people were in hope of finding new jobs. Route 66 to California was one of the most popular routes taken. While most families traveled in hopes of achieving the American Dream they were not forewarned about the over advertisement of jobs and were often put into situations worse than the ones they had left behind. With the crash of the stock market in 1929, the 1930s was a time of great strife and hardships for those who were not in the upper one percent.
LANGSTON HUGHES’ WORK AND REALISM
Hughes “cast off the influences of white poets and wrote with the rhythmic meter of blues and jazz (“The Harlem Renaissance”).” Taking on a rhythm of jazz and blues was a sure way to get his message across in his works. Take Miss Blues’es Child for instance:
If the blues would let me,
Lord knows I would …show more content…
The realism presented in Hughes’ work and word choice is eye-opening, provocative even. Although poetry was continuously taking steps in a new direction, some people aren’t up for the challenge and choose to play it safe with their works. Not everyone was willing to touch on topics such as – emotional subjects, political issues, social issue, and societal confines. The 1920s was a time of prosperity, and with this new age came a new attitude and outlook on everyday life. Having not written his poetry at times of happiness, but times of hardships Hughes brings realism to the forefront in a lot of his