Poet Langston Hughes

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Langston Hughes was one of the chief artists responsible for the development of African-American literature, known as the Harlem Renaissance, which saw the increase of self-identity issues of the black or Negro culture in the United States. The author points out that one of Langston Hughes's most anthologized poems, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," published in 1921, which brought Hughes to public attention, was an attempt to describe the search for identity and the depth of American Negro heritage. The paper relates that the art of Langston Hughes is never far from social issues and politics; some have criticized him, stating that he sacrificed art for politics, but others state that he had an innovative effect in that he made us rethink the historical relationships between poetics and politics.

From the Paper:

"In this sense, the Harlem Renaissance was an extension of the movement towards freedom of expression in Negro art, thinking and writing. This renaissance or search for new meaning in the face of old restrictions was also reflected in other artistic and cultural events throughout the world. The sense of rebellion against restrictions and prejudice was expressed though the free and unencumbered patterns of jazz. "The Negro fad of the twenties encompassed a new EuroAmerican interest in jazz, African art, and sculpture and a return to the values of a preindustrial society." Hughes was to use this aspect to great advantage in his work."

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