2. LANGSTON HUGHES: LIFE
-Born Feb. 1, 1902; died May 22, 1967
-Known as an activist and a writer on many different levels (plays, columns,
novels, poems, etc.)
-Worked against stereotypes even if they worked in his advantage, inorder to be
his own person
-Well known as the leader of the Harlem Renaissance
-He was of a mixed race heritage
-Raised primarily from his grandmother Mary Langston; she had a huge impact on
his style of writing
-Books helped him through his grief of losing his grandmother
-Attended Columbia, but dropped out due to racial prejudices. Went on to earn a
degree from Lincoln University for Bachelor of Arts.
-Was drawn to Harlem because it was a center of African American Culture
“I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you
want to go, if you really want to go.”-Langston Hughes
4. COMMON THEMES IN HIS WORKS
-He had immense pride for his heritage and went to great strides to stress that
“black is beautiful” and to uplift those around him through his poetry using
struggle and humor, and showing the lives of common folk African
Americans.
-Used his poetry to protest against set procedures and rules set out by
segregation.
-Used his pride to uplift those around him to prove to everyone that through
recognition of their heritage that they too are beautiful.
-W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Dunbar influenced his writing style by incorporating
vernacular and local dialect into his works.
“The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people
Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people.”
-”My people” in Crisis (Oct. 1923)
5. POPULAR WORKS
N O T W I T H O U T
L A U G H T E R
-First novel published in 1930
-Semi-autobiographical since
the setting is similar to the
town in Kansas in which he
grew up in.
-Grew up in the Midwest;
wanted to portray African
Americans in the Midwest,
unlike his family. His family
was not the average African
American family…
T H E W A Y S O F W H I T E
F O L K S
-Collection of Short
Stories, published in
1934
-Collection of 14 short
stories with references
to Midwest
-Was seen as very
pessimistic and
cynical towards the
struggle between
races
6. POPULAR POEMS
“ T H E N E G R O S P E A K S
O F R I V E R S
-First published in The Crisis
the official magazine of
NAACP
-Compares his soul to
ancient rivers an dhow
they are ever changing,
rooted deep in the land.
-Ancient rivers are found in
Africa as a way to show a
deep connection is still
maintained to Africa
D R E A M D E F E R R E D
-Novel long poem that
depicts life in Harlem
-Jazz poetry is used to tie
in the the feel of
Harlem.
-Attempt to make poetry
follow the same
guidelines of jazz,
such as unexpected
transitions, quick
changes, and the flow
of jazz
7. SIMILAR RENAISSANCE LEADERS
Z O R A N E A L E H U R S T O N
-Both were into showing the
true voice of Blacks.
-Both used grammar to make
their message clear.
Hurston: Black Dialect;
Hughes: correct grammar
-Eccentric and similar poetic
devices used
-Both supported by a white
benefactor named
Charlotte Mason
C L A U D E M C K A Y
-Wrote about street life in
Harlem
-Both looked toward
common folk to describe
the true culture behind
African Americans
-Both dabbled in interest in
Communism for the
Socialistic aspects it
provided as an alternative
to Segregated America
8. -One of few
authors during
the Harlem
Renaissance to
survive the end
of the movement
-Died of
complications
with prostate
cancer
TOWARDS END OF LIFE
