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Response To The Poetry Of Langston Hughes

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Recommended: An Analysis of a Langston Hughes Poem Essay

Poem Theme for English B

James Mercer Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His

parents, James Hughes and Carrie Langston, separated soon after his birth, and his father

moved to Mexico. While Hughes’s mother moved around during his youth, Hughes was

raised primarily by his maternal grandmother, Mary, until she died in his early teens. From

that point, he went to live with his mother, and they moved to several cities before eventually

settling in Cleveland, Ohio. It was during this time that Hughes first began to write poetry,

and that one of his teachers first introduced him to the poetry of Carl Sandburg and Walt

Whitman, both whom Hughes would later cite as primary influences. Langston Hughes …show more content…

His residence

was given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission and East 127th

Street was renamed “Langston Hughes Place.”

I enjoyed reading Langston Hughes poetry, because I could relate to some of his

Story lines. As I was reading this poem it made me feel what the speaker was feeling, it

engaged me in the situation and what was happening; I could relate on a personal level.

That is way I enjoyed it so much because I felt a connection with the speaker in this poem.

The speaker is a college student, but he is not Langston Hughes. The speaker in the poem

talks about being proud of what we are as human beings, proud of our roots and embracing

them no matter what, mainly pointing out that the color of someone’s skin does not make a

difference, what makes a difference among people is what we truly are, and what we feel or

like. The imagery used in this poem gives the reader a clear picture of the place, time and

situation. It provides the reader with the tools to not just read but also feel what is happening.

The poem was written in 1951, during the Jim Crow Era; it connected the contrast …show more content…

I like to work, read, learn, and understand

life.” and “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like

who are other races.” (Hughes, 1951, line 21-22). The student is telling the readers that he

enjoys doing the simple things in life, which a lot of people like to do regardless of race.

Liking the same thing is a symbol of common humanity. Common humanity wasn’t so easily

established in Hughes’ lifetime, when prejudice ran rampant and blacks were looked down on

by many as different, and lower class.

“So will my page be colored that I write?” and “Being me, it will not be white.” (Hughes,

1951, line 30-31). There’s the difference between a page that was written by a white person,

and a page that was written by a black person. The word “colored” is integral to the word

play, wondering if there are differences in the truth for black and white people. How might

that difference affect, the way black and white people see the world and express their views.

“You are white-yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.” (Hughes, 1951, line 34-35).

Despite being from different races, these two people can be a part of each other’s lives in

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He picked up on poetry during the Harlem Renaissance and not long after his grandmother passed away he began finishing his schooling and starting poems, “While Hughes’s mother moved around during his youth, Hughes was raised primarily by his maternal grandmother, Mary, until she died in his early teens. From that point, he went to live with his mother, and they moved to several cities before eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio. It was during this time that Hughes first began to write poetry, and that one of his teachers first introduced him to the poetry of Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, both whom Hughes would later cite as primary influences,” (“Langston Hughes Biography”). Langston Hughes took what he knew from his grandmother’s stories and from what his teachers taught him and put it together with poetry. Most of his poems represent racism.

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