eng 272: langston hughes, the harlem renaissance, and the blues

                                             photograph of Langston Hughes taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1936. from wikipedia and in the public domain. 

Langston Hughes is most often read as a poet of the Harlem Renaissance, an exciting time of literary and artistic creation in the 1920s. Hughes did write other genres, but we're focusing on a small selection of his poetry. Like many poets of the 20th century, Hughes was influenced by Walt Whitman, particularly his emphasis on using personal experience to raise larger issues.  

Hughes dedicated his writing to representing an African American experience, as did the other writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance. His poems reverberate with sadness, struggle, and hope. Many of Hughes' poems were influenced by the popular African American musical forms of the day jazz and blues. Consider why these musical forms were so influential at the time, and became such an influence on poetry...

For a real treat, listen to Hughes reading his poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers."