Langston Hughes& The Harlem Renaissance

ome time in Mexico with his father. He returned to the United States in the fall of the same year. (Haskins 17) After his parents had divorced, Carrie his mother had to place him under the caring arm of his grandmother, Mary Sampson Patterson Leary. (Haskins 18) Hughes' grandmother "helped inspire in him a devotion to the cause of social justice." (Rummel 55) He grew up in a time where people practiced segregation and prejudice. Therefore, he reflected these issues in his writings. He then moved to Harlem the center for most of the racial and ethnic problems. (Gayle 2) He started to look for a job, however; employers were looking for white people only. He then found a job as a laborer on a vegetable farm out-side New York City. On June 1923 he quit his job and went back to the city, to search for a ship that was going to Africa. The ship visited thirty-two ports on the West African Coats. The ship was called “The West Hesseltine.” (Rummel 36- 41) Before returning to New York in May 1925, Hughes lived in Paris, Venice, and Genova. It was not until 1926 that Langston Hughes was officially discovered as a poet, by the white poet Vachel Lindsay while working in a hotel as a busboy. While working, Hughes left three of his poems beside the plate of Vachel Lindsey who liked Hughes’ poetry and helped him publicize his writings. (Rummel 44) At that point Hughes established himself as a bright young star of the “New Negro Renaissance.” (Haskins 55) As a poet, Hughes was the first person to combine the traditional poetry with black artistic forms, especially blues and jazz. As a leader in the Harlem Renaissance of the twenties and thirties, Hughes became the movement best-known poet. (Rummel 50) He was well known as “Langston Hughes the poet.” (Haskins 48) Hughes had and still has a great influence on poetry. Hughes’ poetry was a reflection of the African-American culture and Harlem. He lived most of his adult life in Harlem. He wrote many poems, and continued to write even after the Harlem Renaissance. He loved Harlem. He felt like the owner of Harlem. He felt protection, because his people “The Negroes” surrounded him as he pointed out in his works.

Langston Hughes helped many young writers develop their writing and their interest for poetry. Even though, he knew it was hard to make a living from poetry, he encouraged many young poets to achieve their interest. Langston Hughes “died in March 22, 1967 at the age of sixty-five, due to prolonged heart and kidney trouble.” (Haskins 140) James Langston Hughes will always be known as a great poet who did so much to make his race move toward equality. He wrote many inspirational poems. He wanted to reach the mind of a young generation and showed them that they could be successful. He wanted the children to be proud of who they were, and to do extremely well in literature. He was part of something great. That something great was “The Harlem Rena

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