Langston Hughes And Countee Cullen

When looking at history and the growth of civilization, a single individual is able to witness the changes in time in cultures and civilizations. One such change can be clearly seen in art, a cultural keystone. Art is the expression of the soul that allows humanity to not only exist, but to express life in our own unique way; likewise, literature, as an art form, has become the voice for artists to express the cultural zeitgeist of their time period and bring about change. One of the best examples of art in literature is poetry, found since ancient times and even on the bible in the form of verses and psalms; as well as in modern times in pop culture and music. Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen are prime examples of great artists and poets

In this his poems were the opposite of traditional and instead as George Hutchinson states, “Hughes's experiments with black-based idioms and aesthetic principles rooted in blues ballads and spirituals.” (Hutchinson 1), combined elements of mainstream pop culture of the times as well as low culture and rhythm to showcase race relations and blacks place in America. Influenced by other great American poems like Walt Whitman, Hughes was amply known for his free verse style and emotional writing. In his poem “I, too” we see examples of such; using elements like lack of a defined stanzas, alliteration, repetition, as well as general free verse the poem can easily be mistaken as an emotional speech or song; such reaction is done on purpose reflecting African-American stereotypes and embracing them wholeheartedly. Such action is a defining characteristic of Hughes and the poem as seen in, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed— I, too, am America.” (Hughes 872), the author fully embraces African American culture and feels pride in its beauty; ergo, it is both his hope and assurance that people will see African-American culture and art and his poetry as a beautiful part of the American

Born a year apart from Hughes, he wrote his most known work “Yet do I marvel” in the same year as “I, too” came out. “Yet do I marvel” is similar to “I, too” in its message and function; showcasing African American cultural pride and combining poetry with black cultural roots. As seen in. “Yet do I marvel at this curious thing: To make a poet black, and bid him sing!” (Cullen 893) Cullen, unlike Hughes, wanted to be seen as a poet, not a black man who wrote poetry. Such differences in their view of the “new negro” as well as focus (low vs high culture) are key in understanding each viewpoint, as well as the Harlem Renaissance as a whole. As such “Yet do I marvel” reflects this at its fullest. While both poems use repetition, symbolism, and a similar topic, “yet do I marvel” is much more refined and polished using elements from a traditional sonnet. As Sienkewicz states, “The language of this sonnet is highly polished. The meter, iambic pentameter, offers a steady rhythm” (Sienkewicz 1) the author is using a defined rhyming scheme as well as classical English poetry form. In addition to this he uses a much high culture style with allusions to Greek mythology and the bible as well as the classic English form. This high culture style of writing was more widely accepted by critics at the time and reflected the authors values of being recognized as a true