Langston Hughes The Face Of Harlem Literacy - 1147 Words

The Face of Harlem Literacy James Mercer Hughes, most commonly known as Langston Hughes, was a notorious writer during the Harlem Renaissance period. The Harlem Renaissance is considered a cultural explosion of African American cultures during the 1920’s. Hughes was an important figure and supporter during the Harlem Renaissance era. Through Hughes literature and activism during the 1920’s he created a positive change within the black community. The Harlem Renaissance coincided with the Roaring Twenties. The Roaring Twenties was also during the 1920’s after World War 1. This time frame is referred to as a time of economic booming. The economy received a large boost because the United States was one of the few countries that was†¦show more content†¦In his essay â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain† he expresses his ideas on the black artist. Langston Hughes was brought up by his grandmother, Mary Langston, in Joplin, Missouri where he was born on February 1st, 1902. (Leach 1) His father had moved to Mexico after he and his mother had separated. His mother often moved from city to city looking for work to support her young son and mother. (Leach 2) After his grandmother passed in his teens, he stayed with his mother until he graduated high school, then he went to stay with his father. (Leach 3). After he came back to the United States he attended Columbia University. After Columbia, he travelled to Spain, Africa, and Paris. Throughout his time traveling, Hughes was publishing his poetry; his first poem was published in 1921, and his first book in 1926 (Leach xvi). Hughes was a very influential figure in relation to the cultural blossoming of black culture during the 1920’s. In many ways he shaped the way black artist presented themselves and how they were perceived (Leach 36). He was notorious for writing on topics that made others feel uncomfortable. He was very vocal about the hypocrisy surrounding the Harlem Renaissance. One of his most famous works of literature was â€Å"When the Negro Was in Vogue† where he points out white Americans for loving black culture, but not black people. He spoke out about white people who would use black culture toShow MoreRelatedLangston Hughes : A Modernist1222 Words   |  5 PagesSappington 13 Apr. 2017 Langston Hughes: A Modernist Credited as being the most recognizable figure of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes played a vital role in the Modernist literary movement and the movement to revitalize African American culture in the early 20th century. Hughes’s poems reflect his personal struggle and the collective struggle of African Americans during this cultural revival. Langston Hughes’s life contained key influences on his work. As a child, Hughes witnessed a divorceRead MoreEssay on Langston Hughes a Harlem Renaissance Man1463 Words   |  6 Pagesdistrict of New York City called Harlem. The area known as Harlem matured into the hideaway of jazz and the blues where the African American artist emerged calling themselves the â€Å"New Negro.† The New Negro was the cornerstone for an era known today as the Harlem Renaissance (Barksdale 23). The Harlem Renaissance warranted the expression of the double consciousness of the African Americans, which was exposed by artists such as Langston Hughes. James Mercer Langston Hughes was an African American poetRead MoreAnalysis of the New Negro Essay1605 Words   |  7 Pagesnew beginning. As Locke stated, â€Å"the wash and rush of this human tide on the beach line of Northern city centers is to be explained primarily in terms of a new vision of opportunity, of social and economic freedom, of a spirit to seize, even in the face of an extortionate and heavy toll, a chance for the improvement of conditions. With each successive wave of it, the movement of the Negro becomes more and more a mass movement toward the larger and the more democratic chance-in the Negro’s case a deliberateRead MoreThe, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Happiness1679 Words   |  7 Pagesgarner support from poor whites who benefitted from the social caste system. These laws, favored segregation and were collectively known as jim crow laws. The term Jim crow stems from a racist fictional character, played by a white person in black face, who expressed racial prejudice and depicted african americans as poor, rural and uneducated. Jim crow laws sought to keep african americans in lower social and economic conditions and strictly enforced racial segregation in almost every aspect ofRead MoreThe Unwritten History Of Slavery2506 Words   |  11 Pagesslaves who were illiterate due to inadequate educa tional opportunities. To compensate for their illiteracy, Egypt’s grandparents utilized a common practice among slaves and taught Egypt and Sudie orally rather than by reading books and teaching literacy skills. The tradition of learning through oral history inspired Egypt to collect data via interviews in her social reform work later in life (Stevenson, 2011). Throughout Egypt’s childhood, she moved frequently as her family conditions changed