Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes is arguably one of the most prolific poets of his time. He was one of the central figures in the Harlem renaissance. The Harlem renaissance was a movement in the 1920`s by black Americans all over the country but particularly Harlem. These were artists, poets, writers and of all sorts. Some of the most acclimated works of literature came from this time period and Langston Hughes works shined during this era. Hughes worked on novels, short stories and even plays. What Langston did the most through his works portray the everyday working class African American and their hardships and even their joys. As you can see in his works you can feel the freeness in his words and how he expresses it. Langston Hughes writes with no shame about the trials and tribulations that an African American goes through and its very evident. He wrote in his essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” “We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased, we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too.” (Biography) He does not care what white Americans think about what he has to say. He wants you to fully see the perspective of what the average black men went through during this time period. Three of his most significant poems “Mother to son”, “Elevator boy”, and “The Negro Mother” all highlight the hardships of African American people and how they had to think in order to survive. What this means is that during Langston’s Hughes lifetime racism and Jim Crow laws were at their height. Many African Americans during this time period were thought to be inferior. It was harder for African Americans to obtain decent jobs many of these individuals worked low income and harder jobs than white Americans. African Americans had to have a strong mindset in order to persevere through everyday ordeals many of them experienced prejudice in the work force they had to be mentally tougher and through Langston Hughes works you can feel and see this. Its almost like you are living his words. The main takeaway from these three poems is that these three poems all focus around the same characters. The mother of the son and her child. This is interesting because Hughes is looking at the modern African American family.

The great Langston Hughes was born “James Mercer Langston Hughes”, he was born February 1st in 1902. In Joplin Missouri. He is the child of James Hughes and Carrie Langston. Shortly after Hughes was born his parents separated for reasons unknown. His father then moved to Mexico. “Hughes was raised primarily by his 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” (poetry foundation). It was during this time that Hughes first began to write poetry. One of Langston Hughes teachers introduced him to authors like Walt Whitman. Walt was one of his primary influencers on his writing style. Whitman’s style of writing and expressing exactly how he feels is what Langston Hughes took pride in. Langston graduated high school and wrote one of hist first poems “The Negros speaks rivers”. After doing so he moved to Mexico with his father for a short period of time. Hughes was highly praised for his success from his poem. Once he left Mexico and returned to the united states Hughes attended Columbia University. It was here that he got accustomed to the Harlem renaissance. The Harlem renaissance “was an intellectual, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem, New York, spanning the 1920s. At the time, it was known as the “New Negro Movement”, named after The New Negro, a 1925 anthology edited by Alain Locke. The movement also included the new African-American cultural expressions across the urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest United States affected by the Great Migration, of which Harlem was the largest.”  (Wikipedia) Hughes was an original pioneer for the Harlem renaissance. Growing up Hughes worked many different jobs. Many that required intense labor you can see this by his description of how some of his poetry conveys the everyday working man. His poem like a “Dream Differed” “Mother to son” “Elevator boy” and “The Negro Mother” all of these poems exemplify an everyday African American and the troubles that they endure. Because of this very reason is why people loved and hated how Langston Hughes wrote and how he portrayed these characters in his poems. This also made him very loved by the African American community. “On the date of May 22, 1967 Langston Hughes lost his life due to complications of prostate.” (Biography) Ultimately this means that prostate cancer is the reason for his death.  Langston Hughes will always be cherished for his accomplishments within the Harlem renaissance and the contribution of lively works that he published.

Mother to son which was published in 1922 It appeared in Langston’s “The weary Blues collection”. This collection highlighted the struggles of those who had to deal with poverty and discrimination. The poem is generally about a mother talking to her son trying to warn him of the dangers and the road ahead. “Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare.” She explains to her child that life has not come with an easy price. That there have been many hardships and times I’ve had no answers and troubles all around. “And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” This last part of the poem the mother stresses that life hasn’t been easy but that you shouldn’t give up. Because son I haven’t given up yet. That’s what I took from the meaning of this poem. One thing to take away from this poem is the central theme of the staircase and what it represents. The idea behind the staircase and its symbolism is supposed to represent everyday life as we know it. The hardships the trials that we encounter. The narrator is relaying to the son that you must be resilient and remain strong through these hardships. “Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.”  The son will find that the world is a cold and dark place and he must remain strong just like his mother did. The staircase itself is the most important part of the poem because it represents life. What’s interesting about this poem is that it correlates with another poem by Langston Hughes called “Elevator boy”.

The “Elevator boy” is connected to “Mother and son”. As you can see now the son has grown up and has gotten a job and expresses his hardships and his dislikes for his job. You can see the inner struggle that he deals with. “I got a job now Runnin’ an elevator In the Dennison Hotel in Jersey. Job ain’t no good though. No money around.” I think this part of the poem fits well with the idea that life isn’t a crystal stair. As you see the boy lets you know he has a job and that it hasn’t been easy on him. Money has been tight. He also stresses the job isn’t good in the first place. “I been runnin’ this Elevator too long. Guess I’ll quit now.” these are the most important lines in the poem. I believe this is key because as you see in son to mother the mom tells her child never to quit no matter how difficult it may be. This is the point where you see the son break, he questions himself working the job. He even suggests to himself that he should quit. This is one of those “bare” moments in his life where there is no light and he must find his own way to navigate this dilemma. “Jobs are just chances Like everything else. Maybe a little luck now, Maybe not. a good job sometimes:”.  Here we see the son of the mother contemplating why jobs are even important. A job is just something lucky it might be good it might be great or even terrible. He is referring to it as a hit or miss opportunity This leads me to the last poem that connects these two the most.

Lastly, “The Negro Mother” is the last poem that puts all of this together. This poem tells the origin story of the mother in “mother to son” and exactly what she had to deal with in order to get her son to where he is now in life. Three hundred years in the deepest South: But God put a song and a prayer in my mouth. God put a dream like steel in my soul. Now, through my children, I’m reaching the goal.” The mother claims that god gave her the purpose that she holds on to. Her dream is what helps her keep on climbing those stairs, to keep pressing forward. Now, through my children, young and free, “I realized the blessing deed to me. I couldn’t read then. I couldn’t write. I had nothing, back there in the night. Sometimes, the valley was filled with tears, But I kept trudging on through the lonely years. Sometimes, the road was hot with the sun, But I had to keep on till my work was done:” This symbolic because just like the “Elevator boy” the mother says she “kept trudging on “what this means is that instead of just quitting she kept fighting for what she wanted. Failure was never an option for her. “Oh, my dark children, may my dreams and my prayers Impel you forever up the great stairs – For I will be with you till no white brother Dares keep down the children of the Negro Mother.” again she mentions the stairs she laid the foundation now the children must walk their own path. That’s how this poem is connected to the other two.

Langston Hughes was an incredible poet and cultivated the Harlem renaissance. He will be forever remembered by all and his works are still being seen and loved by all. His depiction of the black African American during a time period of turmoil is appalling. The fact that he had the courage to depict these individuals and feel no resentment for doing so. These three poems are closely connected with one another and highlight the struggles of an African American. Hughes using these three poems captured the depiction of what America was like for African Americans during this time period. The hardships that these individuals witnessed caused them to raise their children and instill a different mindset within them. Through the use of the mother and son’s relationship, you see across the three poems how the mother influenced the son. You see it firsthand through her account in “Mother to son” and it continues through the last two poems. Hughes was known for giving a blues like feeling in his poetry. This made it very relatable and you could feel what these poems were saying it almost was like you were in their shoes. This is why Hughes was one of the most prolific writers of his time during the height of the Harlem renaissance movement.

Works cited:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes

https://www.biography.com/writer/langston-hughes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Renaissance