LANGSTON
HUGHES
An American Poet
CHILDHOOD AND
EARLY-LIFE
CHILDHOOD AND
EARLY LIFE
James Mercer Langston Hughes was born on February 1st, 1907. He
was born in Joplin, Missouri, USA. James Nathaniel Hughes was the
father of Langston Hughes. When Langston Hughes was a small
child, his parents left leaving Langston with his maternal
grandmother. His dad settled in Mexico and remarried, he used to
be a land owner. On the other hand, Carrie Langston Hughes was
the mother of Langston Hughes and used to write and act.
CHILDHOOD AND
EARLY LIFE
Langston Hughes had a little brother named Gwyn who lived with
his mother while Langston Hughes finished high school in
Cleveland. His brother and mother were not with Langston Hughes
and followed his stepfather who often left family in order to find
jobs with high wages. When Langston was a child, his grandmother
often provided him with stories and books that he was intrested in
reading. Langston also grew up and got a degree in liberal arts.
IMPORTANT EVENTS
AND TRAUMA
IMPORTANT EVENTS
AND TRAUMA
When Langston Hughes was a child, his grandmother used to give
him stories and books to read. This gave Langston Hughes the
interest to get a degree in Liberal Arts. He also came back from
Mexico and studied at Columbia University in New York City. He did
not like that University due to the racism involved, but understood
more about the Harlem culture. When Langston was a small child,
his parents had a divorce. In the poem “Mother To Son”, the
central idea revolves around the idea of divorce.
SOCIAL WORK AND
ACTIVISM
SOCIAL WORK AND
ACTIVISM
Langston wanted to portray the joys and hardship of
working-class black people. He wanted the world to know about the
challenges that black people were facing. Langston made poems
about this problem to raise awareness. Langston was part of the
board for Common Ground which is an organization that tries to
bring peace. Langston himself tried to bring peace and prevent
racism.
IMPORTANT
LITERARY WORKS
IMPORTANT
LITERARY WORKS
Important literacy works of Langston Hughes include: Harlem,
I, too, and Mother to Son. Langston changed the themes of his
poem during the Harlem Renaissance and racial inequality. The
racism inequality that he faced in his childhood also reflected in
his poems. He wrote more about Harlem culture and racial equality
more into his culture and started taking more example from his
past life.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND
RECOGNITION
ACHIEVEMENTS AND
RECOGNITION
In 1926, Langston won the Witter Bynner Undergraduate Poetry
Prize and in 1943, Langston went on to win an honorary Litt.D
from Lincoln University. Serious critics did not talk about
Langston after his success and black critics admired him. Langston
was remembered as an amazing and talented poet.
IMPACT AND
LEGACY
IMPACT AND
LEGACY
Langston promoted poet’s of future generations to link their poems
with their culture. He also influenced them using his jazz rhythm.
He poems were more like protest poems and fought for freedom
from problems like racial inequality. There are a lot of museums
that are dedicated to Langston Hughes like his house that is now
the National Historic Landmark.
PERSONAL BELIEFS
AND PHILOSOPHIES
PERSONAL BELIEFS
AND PHILOSOPHIES
Langston Hughes believed in the African American culture. He was
one of the leading figures during the Harlem Renaissance. His
support against racism is evident in poems like “Let America Be
America Again”. A lot more of his poems addressed the problem of
racism. Langston fought for racial justice. He joint organization
like NAACP to go against racial inequality.
RELATIONSHIPS AND
INFLUENCES
RELATIONSHIPS AND
INFLUENCES
Langston had a connection with a lot of poets, writers and artists.
He was also connected with people in his organization. Langston
was a central figure in Harlem Renaissance. Langston was
influenced by people like Walt Whitman and Carl Van Vechten
that influenced and developed his career.
CITATIONS
CREDIT TO THE SITES USED
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Langston Hughes | Biography & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Aug.
2018, [Link]/biography/Langston-Hughes.
[Link], 2015, [Link]/licensed-image?
q=tbn:ANd9GcSpb7MOnq1FP4WJDivT6ielQZLlyu2F2WEWSIqlJn_L7NNs1Gv4LLxz3bSGxPQrd6ad.
“Carrie Langston Hughes.” Wikipedia, 7 Jan. 2022, [Link]/wiki/Carrie_Langston_Hughes.
CITATIONS
CREDIT TO THE SITES USED
“Hughes, James Nathaniel · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database.” [Link],
[Link]/nkaa/items/show/515.
“Request Rejected.” [Link], [Link]/langston-hughes.
“File:Langston Hughes [Link] - Wikipedia.” [Link], 2024,
[Link]/wiki/File:Langston_Hughes_1902.jpg. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.
CITATIONS
CREDIT TO THE SITES USED
Poetry Foundation. “Langston Hughes.” Poetry Foundation, 2014, [Link]/poets/langston-
hughes.
“How Does Langston Hughes Reflect Change - 894 Words | Bartleby.” [Link], 2024,
[Link]/essay/How-Does-Langston-Hughes-Reflect-Change-921DDD73D1061E19. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.
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