Poetry as Social Challenge

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that in any situation of social or indeed personal upheaval, artists and writers play a central role in shaping the collective consciousness of their environment. Langston Hughes and Adrienne Rich are no exceptions. The writer maintains that while Hughes takes a less angry position than Rich, both poets in their own way call people to political action, and to an awareness of issues that need to be addressed in the society from which they emerge. Another interesting fact about these poets is that they do not write only about social problems, but also do so from an intensely personal viewpoint. The writer discusses that as a black man, Hughes focuses his work mainly on African Americans, while Rich's work revolves mainly around feminism and women's issues. The writer concludes that as such, both poets use their own experience and feelings about the respective lives and issues facing blacks and women in the society of their time.

From the Paper:

"Hughes therefore acted as an inspirational force not only to poets, but also to readers, to reshape the familiar into something new and sparkling. He did this not only via the words his used in his work, but also through the innovative and exciting forms he used. In this, he particularly targeted the black community in calling them from cultural complacency. Like he challenged established forms of poetry, Hughes also challenged the complacency that would keep the black community from achieving equality and freedom in society.
"Hughes used his art as a platform for cultivating cultural pride. His emphasis on the lower-class black situation in his work however earned him little respect from the black press, who criticized him harshly for this. Still, this poetry also led to the poet's establishment as an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance. By emphasizing the situations both he and many others suffered in their daily lives, one of Hughes' aims can be seen as calling the black culture towards a type of rebellion against such a situation in a country that prides itself on its orientation towards opportunity."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Academy of American Poets. "Langston Hughes". 1997-2007. http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83
• Academy of American Poets. "Adrienne Rich". 1997-2007. http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/49
• Books and Writers. "Langston Hughes (1902-1967)." http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/lhughes.htm
• Pope, Deborah. "Rich's Life and Career". From The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States. Copyright (c) 1995 by Oxford University Press. Available online: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m_r/rich/bio.htm
• Rampersad, Arnold. "Hughes's Life and Career". From The Oxford Companion to African American Literature. Copyright (c) 1997 by Oxford University Press. Available online: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hughes/life.htm

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