Langston Hughes
The Harlem Renaissance brought about may great changes. It was a time for expressing the African-American culture. Many famous people began their writing or gained their recognition during this time. The Harlem Renaissance took place during the 1920’s and 1930’s. May things came about during the Harlem Renaissance; things such as jazz and blues, poetry, dance, and musical theater. The African-American way of life became the “thing.” Many white people came to discover this newest, art, dancing, music, and literature. The Great Migration of African-American people from the rural South to North, and many into Harlem was the cause of this phenomenon. Harlem became one of the largest African-American communities in the United States, and during the Harlem Renaissance became a center for art and literature. One of the great writers that came from this time was Langston Hughes. Hughes was often referred to as “Harlem’s poet.” (Haskins 174).
Langston Hughes’ life greatly affected his poetry and writing. “Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri. As a young man he held a variety of jobs – teacher, ranch hand, farmer, seaman, and nightclub cook. He drew on all of his experiences and above all, on the experience of being a black man in America to create his great body of poetry.” (Prentice Hall Literature 624). Langston Hughes’ many jobs deeply affected his literature by making it more realistic. It also helped him to expand his thoughts and mind as a writer. “As a young child, Langston’s parents split and he was left to be raised by his grandmother.” (Grolier). This deeply affected his narrative writing by allowing him to express pain and anger fluently through his emotionally expressed work. This is important because emotion is important in narrative writing because it tells the story more dramatically. Langston’s life is very influential in his writing because it added a self-image of himself in his work. Langston Hughes...