Langston Hughes is considered one of the most important American writers of the 20th century. A voice of the “Harlem Renaissance,” and as the New York Herald Tribune put it “dignifying Harlem with a genuine art life (citation1)” through the intellectual thoughts expressed in his poetry. Langston Hughes was an African American poet born February 1st, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Raised by his grandmother following his parent’s separation. After his grandmothers death young Hughes youth was unstable, moving from home to home, and subject to racism. In grade school he was selected class poet by the class because of the racial stereotype African Americans have rhythm, Hughes stating this later in a New York Times article "I was a victim of a stereotype. There were only two of us Negro kids in the whole class and our English teacher was always stressing the importance of rhythm in poetry. Well, everyone knows, except us, that all Negroes have rhythm, so they elected me as class poet (citation 2.) " This helped to influence the poet he would later become. In 1920, after graduating from High School Hughes left for Mexico to stay with his father. Along the trip he wrote one of his most famous poem’s “The Negro Speaks of River.” Hughes would return back to the states to attend college at Columbia University, attended only one year, leaving due to …show more content…
Structured as a conversation between mother and son. The interesting part is that the mother is not Hughes own mother, but rather a metaphorical mother calling to African Americans to keep pushing on during the “Harlem Renaissance,” making Hughes the intellectual, voice, and leader of the