How Did Langston Hughes Influence The Harlem Renaissance

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The Harlem Renaissance is a time period that is not categorized as common knowledge. Most people don’t know the significance of it and how life changing it was for African Americans. While researching this topic, many reports, essays, journals, articles, and books were discovered that contained a plentiful amount of information proving its powerful influence. For instance, the Harlem Renaissance was a major historical event because African Americans were finally given an outlet to express themselves by creating unity and starting to develop the true African American culture. These accomplishments were especially significant because Blacks were starting to find their voice after they had been silenced. While there were many great writers that …show more content…

Hughes vigorously chased his dream to become a great writer, and his works thrived in Harlem. He got enough recognition that got his name and abilities out in the real world. Hughes' writings were enjoyed by almost everyone because he truthfully gave insight on what it was like to be Black and experience racism. His poetic stories touched the hearts of most crowds, and Hughes did his best to celebrate the beauty in the difference of African American culture compared to any other ethnicity. The culture had not yet been established because most African Americans either assimilated or hid their traditions. Hughes helped inspire other Black artists to publish their works and develop their culture, by having the guts to publish his own background, thoughts, and opinions on racism. Most African Americans were too scared to publish their pieces, because they feared for the consequences. In Harlem, many Blacks were able to broadcast their artwork, which they never had the opportunity to do before. Unfortunately, “Harlem (and, one can just as well add, the world of the American Negro) is a walled-in reality where dreams are deferred” (Presley). Dreams seemed unattainable because everyone knew that outside of Harlem, the world was still against African …show more content…

He made no efforts to please White people, and he worked to be a strong advocate for building the traditions, culture, and art of African Americans. Hughes disliked that, “African Americans were embarrassed by their blackness and ashamed of being related to the people of their own race” (Horton). He was opposed to assimilation and encouraged Blacks to be bold and proud. He tried to lead by example and bravely published his poems, that proved how much Black people were taken advantage of. He also tried to broadcast his individuality in hopes of helping others to stay true to themselves. Another one of Hughes’ goals was to have “his creative work to help change the desire of black folks to try to be white” (Harper). Many of Hughes' works visibly promoted his advocacy for people to express themselves, maintain their culture, and to live freely. He was extremely passionate about maintaining the originality of African American