Category: Langston Hughes

How does one attain success? There are numerous factors that influence how someone’s life turns out. One of the most important is belief. Belief is defined by Webster’s dictionary as a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing. Over the course of some of his most popular poems, Langston Hughes highlights the three major components to achieving one’s goals. These three components are the belief that one has in themself, the belief someone important in their life has in them, and a society that allows them to achieve their dream. These poems are “Mother to Son”, “Dreams”, and “Let America be America Again”. No matter how smart or determined you are, chances are you will not succeed without believing in yourself and maintaining determination, or without someone who believes in you, or without a surrounding world that allows for you to achieve your goals. These three elements are essential to fulfilling your dreams. Langston Hughes provides hope to the marginalized population of people, specifically people of color who are not blessed with each of these three keys. In the perfect world, every young person grows up with all three of these elements in their lives, but Langston Hughes explains that this is not the case. While it is not impossible to break through and succeed without all of these keys, Langston Hughes shows through his poetry that they are extremely important.

A mother is one of the most important figures in one’s life, especially at a young age. Langston Hughes in his poem, “Mother to Son”, tells the story of a mother who emphasizes the importance of perseverance to her young son. This story is perhaps a reflection of Langston Hughes and the relationship he had with his own mother. Langston Hughes lived with his grandmother for the majority of his life, as his parents separated when he was young. He only rejoined his mother much later in his life, and lived with her for some time. In this poem Hughes tells the story of a son who is struggling to go through life and who wants to give up because of his fears and doubts. The son’s mother is trying to persuade him into sticking with it and continue living life. She uses her own experience to guide and prepare her son for what life holds, and she encourages him to keep going. The mother explains to her son that despite the difficulties and challenges that one faces, you cannot give up because you will regret it later in life. She uses a staircase as a metaphor, explaining to her son that even though it will not be easy, he must not stop climbing the steps of this staircase until he reaches the top. In this poem, Hughes highlights just how essential it is to have a loved one who encourages you and believes in you. Without it, life becomes harder and confidence becomes scarce.

It is impossible to achieve your dreams if you yourself do not believe that you are capable of doing so. The confidence that your peers have in you will only get you so far. In “Dreams”, Langston Hughes encourages his readers to pursue their dreams, regardless of how outlandish they may appear. The poem encourages the reader to follow their dreams, because they never know what the future holds. Hughes explains that as you grow older you will deeply regret not pursuing your dreams, because who knows what you could have become had you not given up and sold yourself short. Dreams are a reflection of what someone is capable of achieving. Langston Hughes emphasizes the value of dreams. Not only do they gve people something to fight for, they are a reminder to always keep going, and they provide you with a purpose in life. Hughes states, ‘Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that can not fly,’ because once you let go of those dreams, you lose sight of what you want to get out of life. You need to dream so that everyday you wake up with a purpose. Hughes emphasizes the importance of having confidence in oneself. He explains that losing belief in yourself can lead you to not capitalizing on your potential, and instead down a path of remorse. Dream, despite its short length, has an extremely powerful message. This message is one of self-confidence and perseverance.

In Langston Hughes poem “Let America be America Again” he talks about how America should return to the way that it was perceived to be in the dreams before America was truly America. Hughes states that America is supposed to be a place of equality for everyone, a place where anyone can pursue their dreams. Unfortunately, America has failed to fulfill its promises as the land of opportunity. As a country, America has a history of belittling those who do not fit the majority. Whether it is slavery, rates of incarceration, or some other truth regarding racism or prejudice, people of color and the poor have not seen the same amount of opportunity as those a part of the wealthy, or the white. Hughes echoes these sentiments in many of his poems, and Let America be America Again is no different. What makes this poem special is the way that Hughes emphasizes just how necessary a society where any and everyone has a chance to succeed and do well is. While some are able to overcome the hardships that exist in this country, as did Langston Hughes, that is not the case for all. Thus, a free world in which one is given the opportunity and the resources they need to fulfill their dreams is all Hughes asks for in this poem. It is essential, as are the other two aforementioned keys to success.

In the book Langston Hughes: Critical Perspectives Past and Present, by Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates, the authors dissect various works by Langston Hughes. Among these works is “Mother to Son”, where the authors attempt to explain the message that Hughes articulated through this poem. The authors make numerous connections between this poem and religion, racism, etc. However, the interpretation that stood out to the most was that the mother in this poem is telling her son that he must get to the top of a metaphorical staircase. At the top of this staircase is success, the fulfillment of one’s dreams and goals. According to this book, the mother explains to her son that “to get to the top, one must keep moving, cannot stop and sit” (137). This interpretation supports the idea that one of the most essential things to becoming successful in life is having someone important in their life who is willing to encourage and guide them. The mother has had her fair share of experiences and struggles, and thus her advice is extremely important to her son who is struggling to keep going.

While Langston Hughe’s messages on keys to success and belief apply to anyone, his poetry usually focuses on the experiences of black America. The reality is that in a country who’s history has shown a marginilization of minorities for so long, the ones who benefit from Hughe’s poems and words of encouragement the most are the very same people who experience oppression. In Critical Essays on Langston Hughes, Jemie Onwuchekwa explains that much of Langston Hughe’s poetry spoke to the ‘“low down folks, the so-called common element”’ (113). Poems such as Mother to Son, Dream, and Let America be America Again not only highlight the three major components to achieving your goals, they also act as the voice of the every-day, marginalized population. The population that for so long has been voiceless in this country.

Langston Hughes is easily one of the most impactful poets the world has ever seen, and while he lived a long time ago, his words still hold a lot of weight. He touched on many issues regarding race in this country, and was one of the first poets to see major success in doing so. Through his poems Mother to Son, Dream, and Let America be America Again, Langston Hughes emphasizes the three major keys to success. These keys are having someone in your life to guide you and believe in you, having belief in yourself and not giving up, and a society that grants you the opportunity to pursue your dreams. Unfortunately, as Hughes explains in his poetry, not everyone is blessed with all three of these keys or assets. However, Hughes is a prime example of someone who perhaps did not have all three keys but was still able to make something of himself. Through these works and many others, Langston Hughes acted as a voice for the voiceless minorities in this country, many of which lived each day without the belief that they can make something of themselves.

Langston Hughes, the famous poet of the Harlem Renaissance Era. Born in Joplin, Missouri, in 1902 and passing in 1967. Hughes was not only a poet, he also wrote short stories, novels, and even some plays. During his time alive he was a powerful African American activist for racial justice in majority black cities, for example, Harlem, Chicago, and Atlanta. Hughes loved Harlem “for Hughes, the city of Harlem represented the dream of racial equality”(Standish). The Harlem Renaissance was a “renewal of interpersonal respect, racial pride, and artistic expression within the African American community that set a foundation for future activism while establishing a tone of dignity and racial equality in a nation that had never entertained such a thought”(Standish). One of Hughes’ great passion was to “portray the joys and hardships of working-class black lives, avoiding both sentimental idealization and negative stereotypes”(Poetry Foundation). Within these three amazingly written poems “Open Letter to the South”, “Theme for English B”, and “Harlem”, Hughes calls to attention the reality the majority of the African Americans had to face living in the United States during the 1920s.

Starting with the beautifully written “Open Letter to the South” written in 1932, through these well-thought-out lines, Hughes manages to point out the changes he desires to bring between African Americans and Caucasians. Hughes also yearned for equality to overshine the animosity amongst the two races. Introducing the second stanza of the poem, Hughes writes, “I am the black worker”. This line highlights that although all of the jobs listed before him would typically have both races work them, he is still the inferior black male in comparison to the white male since his job did not have a title. As the poem continues, we reach the line “no more, the great migration to the North”. Hughes takes a punch with including the movement of many African Americans moving to the North to escape prejudices occurring in the South, this movement known as the Great Migration. Hughes included this line to point out how people of the South should not feel obligated to leave their homes to satisfy the richer white class. The rates for the Great Migration during the 1940s were exceedingly high “between 1940 and 1960 over 3,348,000 blacks left the South for Northern and Western cities” (Christensen). Ending the poem with the quote, “We’re Man to Man” called attention to the equality between men. At the end of the day regardless of race, we are the same. Equal in difficulties and in the attempt to rise above the stigma of constant racism. Personally, this outstanding poem brought feelings of empowerment, faith, brotherhood, and strength. I agree with Hughes’ belief, he wanted to bring change within this poem, and in doing so he showed the beauty of equality.

Onto the next poem, my personal favorite which was published in 1949, “Theme for English B”. During Langston Hughes’ adolescent years he attended the Ivy League school, Columbia University. When writing this piece, Hughes is twenty-five years older than the narrator of this story and the “college on the hill above Harlem” is Columbia. In the article, “The Blacks Who First Entered the World of White Higher Education” Slater says, “despite the generally held belief that blacks were intellectually incapable of pursuing higher learning, a small number of African Americans did manage to win admission to colleges and universities”(Slater). Entering the second stanza of the poem the narrator says, “I am the only colored student in my class”. That quote conveys the claim that one’s physical identity creates hardships and first-hand embarrassment. In correspondence to the narrator, I greatly understand the frustrations and pressure that is distributed as being the outcast based on your identity and race. I could not fathom the insecurity many African Americans felt, especially during the 1920s when this poem took place and how fresh African American independence was throughout the country. As the narrator concludes his page to his instructor, he unfolds the reality of being “American” and what that meant in the 1920s and it also correlates to what it means now in 2020 regarding the diverging African American and Caucasian race. In this quote, “You are white —yet a part of me, as I am part of you. That’s American.” Hughes reinforces that although African Americans and Caucasians are not the same color, with the support of history; they will always be “part” of each other. In another quote “although you’re older — and white —and somewhat more free” Hughes wanted to illustrate that at this time of the Harlem Renaissance, though, blacks received their equal rights, the whiter majority will always be more free and respected. In complete agreement with Hughes’ claim, all the centuries and decades of hatred between the two races can amount to the conclusion that they will always be intertwined with each other. The only thing that will meddle in the conflict between the two will be the overall knowledge and understanding from both sides “as I learn from you, I guess you learn from me”. Hughes did a remarkable job highlighting the reality many African Americans had to encounter to fit into the norms of being black in America, especially to the ones who longed for an education. Throughout the reading of this poem, I felt overall fortunate. Being a first generation American kid to immigrant parents makes you take into consideration how you could have been treated way worse if not for activists like Langston Hughes, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.

The last poem I will be discussing is one of Langston Hughes’ most respectable poems “A Dream Deferred” also known as “Harlem” which was published in 1951. Starting off the poem, a dream deferred is a dream or goal that has been postponed for the future. Hughes wanted to elaborate on how many of the dreams African Americans had would have to be delayed due to their race and how social norms were represented during that time “historical barriers to equal opportunities and economic attainment through racial discrimination have limited access to the American Dream for African Americans”(Armstrong). The second and third line of the poem “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” asks that did the delightfully imagined dream that was once juicy like a grape turn into a dried up and useless raisin? Having special plans for a future for them to dry up and put onto the back of your mind. The sixth line, “Does it stink like rotten meat?” depicts the rotten meat that is usually left in the back of one’s fridge that has been easily forgotten. Hughes wanted to portray this comparison to how once a dream is “rotten” there is no coming back from it. My personal favorite lines of the poem were the seventh and eighth lines. The simile of the crusted sugar to the syrupy sweet shows how wonderful a goal could be once it is “syrupy and sweet”, though, when it is “crusted sugar over” the dream has been defeated and there is no motive to strive for it. My emotions towards this poem are honestly indescribable. I feel heartbroken and crushed that my people’s goals had to be delayed for who knows how long and they were never able to have the chance to live the same life as their counterparts. However, looking back onto their lifestyles in 2020, I am overwhelmingly proud of how far we have gotten in one century.

To conclude, I will forever cherish these three poems for as long as I live. They brought a new perspective of life to me and honestly humbled me in the process. Learning that this outstanding man had to live through one of the hardest decades of African American history and was still able to advocate for their rights is unbelievably powerful. Hughes “had a dream” before the exemplary Martin Luther King Jr. did and it was to support change for African Americans in the South and guide the two races that are against each other and make them one united force. Now in 2020, men are seen as equal and as history continues to be created we can only see for the greater. “I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go”.

Works Cited

1. Armstrong, Joslyn, et al. “‘A Dream Deferred’: How Discrimination Impacts the American Dream Achievement for African Americans.” Journal of Black Studies, vol. 50, no. 3, 2019, pp. 227–250., doi:10.1177/0021934719833330.
2. Christensen, Stephanie. “The Great Migration (1915-1960).” Welcome to Black past •, 22 Aug. 2019, www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/great-migration-1915-1960/.
3. “Langston Hughes.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes.
4. Slater, Robert Bruce. “The Blacks Who First Entered the World of White Higher Education.” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, no. 4, 1994, p. 47., doi:10.2307/2963372.
5. Standish, Noah. “Pain, Pride, & Renewal: How Langston Hughes Embodied the Harlem Renaissance.” LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research, vol. 11, Fall 2018, pp. 40–50. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=133022504&site=ehost-live.

Literature is the art or work of expressing thoughts or feelings in language. Examples of literature include poetry, drama, non-fiction, fiction, etc. Do you ever notice that a myriad of literary works conveys ideas that are universal, though the works set in particular place and time? Two literary works to compare are ‘Vagabonds’ by Langston Hughes and ‘The Message’ by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. On account of both works describe the problem of society, the main ideas are same and it is ‘human being’s confrontation with society’. This idea is very common and often found in literary works.

James Mercer Langston Hughes was an African American poet born in Missouri, then he made his career in New York as artist. Vagabond is a poem written by Langston Hughes. Vagabond means a person who wanders from place to place without a home or job. The poem portrays people who are rejected by society, it reminds its story is about racism, the black people who were discriminated in early 1900s. Langston Hughes emphasized some words by dividing the phrases in two to three lines. For example, the last two lines are:

Even though he could write without space, he wrote the “weep” in the last line for emphasizing that they cannot even weep to free from their pain and misery caused from racial discrimination. The main ideas of this poem are ‘struggle for equality’ and ‘human being’s confrontation with society’. Firstly, the racism has existed around for a long time. Black people were discriminated by the whites, representing the white-supremacy society of those days. They even could not get an education, had any food to eat, had no place to stay, had no choice but to live like vagabonds on the street. This also explained why the title is Vagabonds.

Hip-hop music refers to a culture that values freedom and improvisation independently created by black people living in New York City slums in the 1970s. The Message is a hip-hop rap music by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, released on July 1, 1982. It was a first prominent hip hop music to provide a negative social commentary and describes the stress of inner-city poverty, unlike other earlier hip hop music. The song lyrics often reflect the time in which they were written, so is The Message. According to the economic situation in USA at that time, 1970s, the number of poor people who had difficulties of getting job and housing in the city such as New York due to rising prices. The main idea of the lyrics is ‘human being’s confrontation with society’, same with Vagabonds’. The background of The Message is an urban environment of New York in 1970s to 1980s, its lyrics show what is happening in inner-city society.

Every time there are new literary works, but many of works still convey universal ideas. This is because the readers can feel empathy and are more likely to become absorbed in those works. Uncommon ideas that are too apart from our place and time can be difficult to understand for people as they read. The poem Vagabonds conveys its universal idea to the readers through the author’s background. As mentioned above, the author Langston Hughes was an African American. Moreover, racial discrimination often occurred in America during the writer’s periods. Langston Hughes expressed those miserable feelings he felt at that time in his poem. On the other hand, the song The Message conveys its idea by using money-related words and poor-related words such as ‘ghetto’, ‘unemployed’, ‘bill collectors, they ring my phone’, so on. The Both of works are talking about the social inequality in America, describe people who were treated unfairly than others. The differences of these two works are the poem is about racial problems, the song is about economic problem. The poem shows a white supremacist society with racial discrimination, the lyrics shows the gap between rich and poor. In addition, they have different global issue, the global issue of Vagabonds is politics, power and justice; the global issue of The Message is culture, identity and community. That is to say, the poem includes story that struggling with limits of justice and lack of human rights, but the

In conclusion, a lot of literary works conveyed universal ideas and themes, and it will continue to convey common and universal themes. By conveying universal ideas, literary works communicate with readers, and the works will enable readers to gain sympathy and learn valuable lessons as read them. The poem and the song have lots of similarities and differences. Among them, the same main idea, ‘human being’s confrontation with society’ tells people

Citations:

1. “Langston Hughes (1902 – 1967).” Langston Hughes – Historic Missourians – The State Historical Society of Missouri, historicmissourians.shsmo.org/historicmissourians/name/h/hughes/

Langston Hughes’s poem Theme for English B is a rhetorical prod about the life of African America during the time in United States history where racial segregation is an enforced law. The poem begins when the professor instructed the speaker to go home and write what is true for him. As the poet introduced his first line of the pater: “I wonder if it’s that simple?” (Hughes, line 6) The poet tries to explicate the current racial tension that is happening during those times. As the poem progress, he continues to voice out racial unity that identifies the equality between black and white while he conversely tries to validate his own identity as an American.

One of the main themes for Langston Hughes’s poem was the issues of racial tension brought by racial segregation. In an effort to understand the issue of racial segregation, the speaker expressed that: “it’s not easy to know what is true for you or me” (Hughes, line 16). It can be understood that he is conforming to what is the norm as the society dictates because of his color. It can also be a sign of boldness because he is confronting what is true and questioning the morality of racial segregation. Additionally, the speaker continues to validate the reality and challenges of racial segregation when he described: ‘I am the only colored student in my class’ (Hughes, line 10). He then followed it by describing the long path he has to take from school to home. This symbolizes the challenges and endeavors he faces of being black at that time.

Contrary to the previous view of the speaker. He then introduces another opinion as he expressed: “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races (Hughes, lines 25-26). As the phrase circle back to the main theme, it also introduces another idea—racial unity. He started expressing the similar things he likes to do which justify that he is the same as the other races. He explained that being black or white has no difference because they both require the same basic human needs and rights—to eat, sleep, drink, and love. Though it was not clearly stated, the question of why they are segregated is presumed. The representation of the basic way of life which does not need for someone to be either black or white is very prominent yet dismal at the same time.

Towards the last stanza, Langston Hughes post another question: “So will my page be colored that I write? Being me, it will not be white” (lines 27-28). Though it is another attempt in addressing the realism of racial segregation. The speaker figuratively speaks about the difference between black and white, who they are, is beyond that. Simultaneously, he then introduced another standpoint about racism as he tries to reshape himself as an equal American as he described it in the following verses:

You are white—

yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.

That’s American (Hughes, lines 31-33).

He gave an example about their relationship as a professor and a student and their association through education is not a division but rather a form of connection that identifies and unifies them as an American, not as a different race. But because of the racial tension, Langston Hughes further explained it in this verse: “Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me. Nor do I often want to be a part of you” (lines 34-35). As he continues to acknowledge the existence of the racial tension at that time. He also expresses his awareness about racial segregation as he goes on the last verse, “you’re older—and white—and somewhat more free” (Hughes, lines 39-40). The society places so much weight on the speaker. In addition to the challenges and unfairness brought by his color during those times. However, despite the reality of Langston Hughes’s view of racial tension, he still has positive hopes and desires for racial unity and discovering his own American identity.

Abstract

Literature is a word that had reflected an interest in the world of reality as well as imagination. In the term subaltern describes the lower social classes and the other social groups displaced to the margins of a society in social, political, or other hierarchy. It can also mean someone who has been marginalized or persecuted.

In this poem, the speaker, who is probably Hughes himself, is proclaiming to the world that he, too, is an American. He, too, sings America. He refers to himself as “the darker brother,” and even though he is not allowed to be seen as an equal among men in his country,—he is continually hidden away by the white majority– he is still an important and integral part of America. Even though the poem is dealing with a very painful subject—racism—the poet and speaker are still hopeful that one day soon, the powers that be will be ashamed of the way they have treated African Americans, and they will see that they are also a part of the country. Here the main theme of this poem is freedom is the big goal. The speaker moves ever closer towards eventual freedom and racial equality to buckle under the awful pressures of slavery and oppression. He’s looking forward to the day America fulfills her promise of liberty.

The title of the poem is a citation to the poem by Walt Whitman titled “I Hear America Singing.” Hughes’ poem intensify the idea that “Hey, wait a minute, I too am an American. I can sing also.’ I am an American. I was born in America and so were my parents. Just because I am Black does not take away my patriotism or love for my country”. May be Langston Hughes’s speaker is imagining Americans as a big chorus, all singing together, and he’s saying he’s part of the chorus too.

Hughes cite to the black man metaphorically as “the darker brother”. All Americans have something commonin their inheritance. Woefully in the time that Hughes was writing, the black man was not examined an equal in any regard. He was not allowed to use the same restrooms, water fountains, or eat at the fountain bar in the drug store. In the home where he worked as a servant, handy man, or chauffeur, he was expected to eat in the kitchen with the rest of the help.

“I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes…”(Hughes 5-7)

The black man goes on, laughs, eats his dinner, and invigorate. This statement implies that the “Negroes” were biding their time. Living their lives and growing tough as an ethnic group led the way to the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960Hughes recognize a tomorrow in America where the black man will be welcome to eat at the table with everyone else. He will dare not ask him to sit at the table. The suggestion of the word dare is frightening because the black Americans will assert themselves as equal at some point in the future; accordingly, because of their power, they will not stand for anymore degradation.

Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table

When company comes. Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,” Then.-(Hughes 11-17)

The beauty of the black man is not just the outward appearance. It is the quality of his character. To Hughes and black Americans, the only difference between the white man and the black man was the color of the skin—not his intelligence, his personality, his character, or anything else. If given the same freedom and equality, the black man would rise above his circumstances just as the white man has.

To strengthen his idea, the poet ends with the motivation of the entire poem: “I, too, am America.” What a powerful statement for a black man in the era in which it was written! Hughes powerfully proves with his wonderful voicing and innovation that it took too long for the black man to be accepted as an authentic American.

References

1. I, too by Langston Hughes
2. https://www.shmoop.com/sympathy/summary.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaltern_Studies
4. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46459/sympathy-56d22658afbc0

In the 1920’s, racial tensions were high. Langston Hughes grew up during this time and was not immune to discrimination. Hughes was half black and half white, resulting in an intense internal conflict. This is shown in the poem “Cross”, Hughes is struggling with his identity and is unsure where he falls when it comes to race.

To feel like you don’t belong is a scary thing, for Hughes, it was his every day. “Cross” is written in first person and tells of Hughes’s discomfort about his race. “My old man’s a white old man And my old mother’s black,” which resulted in a mixed child. The title of the poem “Cross” can be seen as a hint to the words “crossbreed” and “crossroads”. The use of connotation helps show the speaker’s feelings. “My old man died in a fine big house My ma died in a shack,” using connotation it can be said that his father was relatively wealthy and had a good life, dying in a large house. The mother on the other hand died in a shack, the word shack has a negative and dirty connotation, implying that she struggled with money and couldn’t afford much. This idea centers around the main theme as the speaker is unsure where his life will lead, as he is “neither white nor black.”

The connotation reveals that the father is wealthy and the mother is not and it is stated that the father is white and the mother is black. Rich vs poor, and white vs black, both completely contrast each other. The use of antithesis for the mother and father only helps to confuse the speaker. He fails to fall into the white or black and it is unclear about the rich and poor. We know that he does not know. The speaker has no idea what lies infant of him, or how his life will turn out. The world has taught him that there are certain fates for different races, but the world has failed to teach him about his race. He feels undefined. He feels lost and alone. At this time he would have been rejected for being black by whites and rejected for being white by blacks. He is at a crossroads.

Throughout the first two stanzas, the tone is both informational and regretful. He is apologizing for his actions. It can be assumed that he blamed his parents for his troubles, as they are the reason he is the way he is. As time went on the realization occurred that the color of his skin could not be blamed on his parents, as they did not attack him and judge him. For the third and final stanza, the confused and lost tone shows. The whole theme is unclear until the very last line as it is revolted that he is truly unsure of his place. He is frustrated and angry and everything in between.

The speaker is a mix of stigmas and stereotypes. Everything that is whispered about blacks is whispered about him and everything that is said about whites is said about him. The speaker knows he doesn’t belong with either “side” of society. He knows that one race will result in one end and another race will result in something else. He has no answer and it is unclear if he will ever find one.

The word salvation is defined as preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss. Most people would naturally jump at an opportunity to save themselves from the aforementioned negative and unpleasant consequences, regardless of the means needed to achieve it. It is the goal of most religions and Christianity in particular, to offer believers salvation from punishment due to their sins. Specifically, a ritual for salvation in Christian tradition offers the steadfast believer undeniable assurance that they are safe, and in a short story by Langston Hughes, he is a young boy about to undergo the said ritual. But, ironically, on this day, instead of his faith being cemented and strengthened, it was unfortunately completely shattered due to a misunderstanding. Naivety is a trait often thought of in connection to children and their thought processes – the concept that they are unable to comprehend certain events and ideas the way older people might. This concept comes into play in the story – leading to the drastic results. However, the story is much more than the narrative of a young boy losing his trust in adults due to a misunderstanding – it is a story filled with symbolism and metaphor that goes far beyond what first meets the eye. Delving into Hughes’ history helps reveal more about the message he had in mind while writing the story, and helps the reader to understand more effectively the impact of that message in “Salvation”. By doing so, it is apparent that because of the experience described in the narrative, Hughes was driven to search for salvation by other means throughout his life, and was inspired to write the story to share the moment his journey started with others who might be able to relate and understand his message.

The story begins in the first person point of view and is told in a reflective voice and a tone characterized by dry humor. It almost allows the reader to feel as though they are seated across from Hughes, and this conversational style helps them to connect deeper with him and to absorb the narrative in a manner almost like the transfer of memories from one mind to another. The descriptions are very vivid and made more colorful with the narrator’s inner thoughts being included – adding to the effect of the story being told from a child’s point of view. Hughes summarizes his mentality and understanding of religion through one of these mental dialogues in the story,

My aunt told me that when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life! And God was with you from then on! She said you could see and hear and feel Jesus in your soul. I believed her. I had heard a great many old people say the same thing and it seemed to me they ought to know. (Hughes 1)

Up until this point, all knowledge and comprehension of the meaning of salvation of religion in the mind of young Hughes is based on what he has heard (and taken very literally) from those older than him. He states that he found their advanced age to be quite enough to validate their words and leave no doubt in his mind that that was how salvation was supposed to occur. Naturally, it was not quite like described. It’s most plausible that the adults in this story

One of the main themes of the story is irony – how a ritual intended to strengthen a child’s faith ended up completely breaking it. The story turns out to be based on an experience Hughes had when he was twelve that left him “spiritually traumatized”, so to speak. Hughes himself was not a religious person as an adult, perhaps largely due to this tragic experience, but he was what some might call a thinker of religion. He often discussed it in his works. Langston Hughes’ religious troubles are assumed to have started when he had the experience described in this short story and to have shaped his thoughts on religion for the rest of his life. As described in an article, it was a sort of “spiritual trauma” for Hughes, and as he learned to heal from it throughout his life he began to feel freer to think about religion and the concept of salvation in broader aspects than he might have had his “salvation” gone as it should have. If Hughes had found, that day, a cemented connection to Christianity as had been intended, he would have continued to think about salvation and spirituality through the lens of his faith. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, the lack of that lens over his vision allowed him to see from other perspectives and open his mind to other possibilities and theories.

Langston Hughes was born in 1902 in Missouri, and his parents divorced while he was still a child. This might have been a factor in why he was a more sensitive sort of child as shown in “Salvation,” and perhaps it was also a reason why he clung to his faith more strongly than other children of his age tended to. Hughes’ works as an adult seemed to follow a theme,

in that he addressed his poetry to the people, specifically to black people. During the twenties when most American poets were turning inward, writing obscure and esoteric poetry to an ever-decreasing audience of readers, Hughes was turning outward, using language and themes, attitudes and ideas familiar to anyone who had the ability simply to read . . . (Gibson via poetry.org)

Hughes lived for a good portion of his life in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City that was primarily populated by African Americans. This city undoubtedly influenced his creativity and helped him connect to his culture and roots by surrounding himself with his people and learning their stories as he began to share his own. Hughes wrote for his people, and that was what made him such a powerful and celebrated writer. His audience felt a connection to him because they shared similar cultural experiences, and this helped his success.

Albeit not being what one might call a religious person, Hughes thought about religion profusely. For the rest of his life after that incident in Kansas, he found himself contemplating religion and searching for other ways to find meaning in life. He was neither an atheist nor necessarily a believer, but he was very notably someone on a quest for a greater purpose, and who desired to puzzle out the riddles of life and human existence.

The final line in the story helps to explain why Hughes lost his faith at a time when it was supposed to be made stronger – somehow the adults around him expected that the child would somehow understand that either the experience was to be metaphorical (which Hughes didn’t) or understand that lying was expected of them. Children, especially those under 10, don’t have the same concept of faith that adults do because they tend to take things very literally. Therefore, Hughes tries to show how damaging it can be to expect the impossible of children through these religious practices – especially on more sensitive types like he was. Although the other children around him seemed to be fine with lying and getting out of the uncomfortable situation they were put in, Hughes appears to have been a very serious and reflective child who wanted salvation to happen.

“I was crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church.” (Hughes 2)

Thus Hughes, albeit being nonreligious, managed to create a powerful and ironic to explain this perspective on adults preaching religion to children who are too young to fully appreciate and understand it.

However, while he was not religious, he was still in search of fulfillment as discussed by Wallace Best.

“Hughes had a failed salvation experience, but it by no means suggests that he didn’t find types of salvation throughout his life. What I suggest is that salvation becomes a bit of an obsession for him, and he wrote quite a lot about the topic of redemption—how one is redeemed, how one is saved. Hughes had that traumatic night when he failed to see Jesus, but it didn’t cut him off from the pursuit to understand what it means to be saved, what religion is, and its function in daily life—on a personal level and a communal level.” (Best 1)

In the story, he shows how the child understands that one of the main values of faith is honesty and therefore lying is extra difficult for him, and realizing that he had to lie to be “saved” breaks his faith.

“ I began to wonder what God thought about Westley, who certainly hadn’t seen Jesus either, but who was now sitting proudly on the platform, swinging his knickerbockers legs and grinning down at me, surrounded by deacons, and old women on their knees praying. God had not struck Westley dead for taking his name in vain or for lying in the temple. So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I’d better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved.” (Hughes 2)

Hughes shows through this story that his perspective on parents forcing their children to be saved at such a young age when they don’t even fully comprehend what is happening is a bad practice and has the opposite effect of taking away their faith.

“[I] hadn’t seen Jesus, and that now I didn’t believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn’t come to help me.” (Hughes 2)

Some might say that Hughes is not qualified to write on religion and religious practices, being nonreligious himself. To that, Wallace Best says, “Just because Hughes cannot—and he does not—explicitly state or position himself as a religious believer, one cannot, then, discount his works on religion. He wasn’t a believer, and certainly not a believer in that conventional way that we have come to understand believers. Rather than a religious thinker, he is a thinker about religion.” (Best 1)

Therefore, Hughes’ personal views on religion and experiences inspired and shaped the narrative in “Salvation”. By analyzing Hughes’ history and his perspective, the message of “Salvation” becomes more coherent and deeper than one might consider it to be at first read. Through irony and tasteful storytelling, Hughes warns the readers of the dangers of asking children what they are unable to understand, thereby risking permanent damage to their beliefs.

The piece I plan on investigating is ‘Harlem’ by the late incredible Langston Hughes. This piece is curated by the voice of the Harlem Renaissance, he affected road language and clear symbolism in his verse. The poem suggests conversation starters about the yearnings of a people and the outcomes that may emerge if those fantasies and expectations don’t happen as expected. What sort of dream would we say we are discussing here? What fantasies do we as a whole encounter while dozing? Fantasizing? Most unquestionably not, this fantasy has to do with conscious objectives, and expectations and goes for what’s to come. The speaker is proposing that this fantasy is now postponed and baffled, and that time is of the essence, this fantasy must be satisfied or something bad might happen. The poem doesn’t offer any answer to the issue of a deferred dream. It only puts before us some conditional models. Something occurs, however, the speaker isn’t exactly sure what. The speaker muses about the destiny of a ‘fantasy conceded’. It isn’t totally clear who the speaker is, maybe an artist, maybe an educator, maybe an indistinct dark man or lady. The poem is an amazing one, and there is a feeling of quiet after it. Hughes at that point utilizes distinctive analogies to bring out the picture of a deferred dream. He envisions it evaporating, putrefying, smelling, crusting over, or, at last, detonating. These pictures, while not by and large savage, have a marginally dull tone to them. Each picture is strong enough to make the scholar smell, feel, and taste these disposed of dreams. As indicated by Langston Hughes, a disposed-of dream doesn’t just disappear, rather, it experiences a development, moving toward a physical condition of rot. The speaker doesn’t allude to a particular dream. Or maybe, he recommends that African Americans can’t dream or try extraordinary things due to the earth of mistreatment that encompasses them. Regardless of whether they do hope against hope, their fantastic plans will rot for such a long time that they wind up spoiling, or in any event, detonating. When Hughes portrays the expectations, desires, dissatisfaction, and profound situated discontent of the New York ghetto, he is communicating the sentiments of Negroes in dark ghettos all through America.

This piece demonstrates resistance it might be said of class passively, however, it shows through the symbolism all through the poem. For example, in the piece, the metaphor of a raisin in the sun: a natural product that was once succulent, a nutritious nourishment, presently apparently dries up and becomes pointless. As the sun rises every day, time passes, and nothing occurs. Then, like a sore describes the past, the point of no return for healing or even cream? Rotten meat distinguishes that there’s something spoiled in the condition of overlooked dreams, a syrupy sweet elaborates that fantasy was sweet sometime in the distant past, and a heavy load narrates that everybody going through obstacles but are necessary or not to succeed to a true goal. The last line figuratively summarizes the entire thought of what can happen when a person’s or a people’s fantasy neglects to show progressively. Mistreatment, cultural weight, prejudice verifiable things, and different variables can have their influence in denying the fantasy.

A pillar of guidance, a beacon of light, a figure eliciting strength and love who shapes their children into adults as they mature to one day venture into the real world – a mother. Every mother hopes to see their kid prevail throughout everyday life. This hope has prompted parents, especially mothers, to invest their life’s worth into their child’s future, all the while urging their kids to emulate their example. In Langston Hughes’ poem ‘Mother to Son’, the poet signifies the adoration and worry of a mother to her child. She accuses herself of the obligation to grant insight into her kid by alluding to her own triumphs and disappointments throughout everyday life. She portrays life as a stairway that should be moved totally. Langston consolidates metaphorical language, imagery, and diction in his expressive work. Through graphical portrayals, he states that life is a struggle with its hindrances and that these must be dealt with in order to stride forward without any end of failure until the goal has been accomplished.

Langston Hughes metaphorically illustrates a solid-willed mother conversing with her child in the sonnet and relates a perfect lady offering her child expressions of guidance in regard to life and its difficulties that need to be survived. Hughes opens up the poem by informing her son that “Life ain’t been no crystal stair”, implying the ‘stair-way’ life she has gone to live (lines 1-2). This rich utilization of metaphor calls attention to useful tidbits from a lady illuminating her kid on life’s unsystematic experiences. Be that as it may, life is rather hard and vague. Notwithstanding, we generally need to take off for more prominent statures throughout everyday life. The mother further teaches her child that there will be “places with no carpet on the floor” that will have an abundance of splinters lying everywhere as the treacherous path to happiness does not come without the pain and struggles faced within it (lines 3-6). Langston continues to apply features of difficulties that this mother had gone through. These are places and experiences the mother anticipates that her child should stop by to learn from his mistakes and know better for life choices ahead. Lastly, she ingrains the will to prevail when she states to her son “Don’t you fall now” as words of empowerment he must continue to carry within his life for future generations to come (lines 14-17).

The poet uses casual language in conveying imagery to support the mother’s history of experience living in a society of discrimination and injustice for all citizens. The depiction of life having “tacks in it” resounds with the incisive, uneasiness of snags within society today (line 3). In addition, splinters delineate the provocative agony and challenges of getting rid of torment in one’s living. The trademark similitude of life that is under examination appears and symbolizes the hard undertaking in arriving at one’s top throughout everyday life. Then again, the precious stone gazes give clearness and flawlessness about existence, which the mother plainly shows that she has not been given. What’s more, the reverberation of the echoes of the mother’s words to her son paints an image of a loving parent guiding her child, knowing one day she won’t always be there for him. Hughes repeatedly portrays how the mother’s life “ain’t been no crystal stair” for the reason that he is applying assurance to a fatigued soul by basing his establishment of a stairway that requires a little more than just climbing (line 20). He serves the crowd with an exquisite scene of a given parent addressing her kid. Even though the lady is devastated by her knowledge and unfortunate circumstance of not finishing school, she opposes that as an impediment to bestowing great quality and commitment to her child.

Hughes conveys his message to the general society through his utilization of diction to demonstrate the mother’s useful tidbits. In addition, the mother emblematically depicts the hardships of life that she has survived as she clutched onto her dream through her words: “For I’se still goin’, honey/ I’se climbin’” (lines 18-19). Her statement gives life its unique characteristics, like that of a staircase. She relates existence with the moving of the stairs, which must be accomplished through difficult work. Moreover, the mood of the poem does carry little to no rhyme. Nonetheless, it is rich with a beat all through the lines that the lady portrays tenable signs of a parent as she continues to spend as much time as possible with her son so that he may grasp all that knowledge she has gained within her journey through life. One discovers an improved and striking alert for the child to proceed when he is ordered, “Don’t you set down on the steps” from his mother. She urges her son to not look back down and keep his head held high to where he will one day be at the top of those stairs. Such words ignite the flames of passion for the youth to challenge themselves and embark on new tasks and adventures as they blossom and mature into adults who will one day succeed their parents. The mother then clarifies that the reason her son must forge forward is “’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard” as life progresses. The premise of this announcement is to give real factors of challenges in life to a child and provide inspiration to do what their heart desires if they believe, and know, that they can do so. The mother utilizes her own understanding to give her child that despite the troubles and difficulties of life, the hardships sustained which felt like an eternity forged with mental fortitude and assurance will prompt achievement and meaning for the struggles faced along the way.

All in all, through his moving poem ‘Mother to Son’, Hughes engages the child with important useful knowledge of the world go round and what the mindset must be for those on the downside of society so that they are prepared to overcome what ‘the man’ has to throw at them. Lastly, through figurative language and devices, the poet endeavors to unite the image of a mother affectionately, admirably guiding her son into living the best life he can.

“When it comes to identity, people venture every day trying to find out what it truly means to them. Identity is seen as who you are in society, how society sees you, and the traits or characteristics that pretty much define who you are” (Claudia Pellicori). During the Harlem Renaissance, blacks were constantly searching for their sense of identity, and this was seen as a problem because they were misjudged through the acts of stereotypes, racism, and prejudice from other races including their own, and because of the environment that grew in or abided by because of society. This is exactly what Harlem Renaissance leader Langston Hughes wrote about in his ‘The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain’.

What was significant about this was why it was written. The purpose was to embrace black culture, and for black artists and authors to create their own field of art to it. Hughes though had a poet say to him: “‘I want to be a poet—not a Negro poet’, meaning, I believe, ‘I want to write like a white poet’; meaning subconsciously, ‘I would like to be a white poet’; meaning behind that, ‘I would like to be white’”. This is powerful because it shows how society has put into this poet’s head that blacks write differently from whites, therefore showing the stereotype of black writers. The example Hughes used in his work was the background of the man who wanted to be a white poet. What he got from that was that the young poet was striving toward being white. This was because he had different privileges that most blacks did not have. This included coming from a middle-class family and a school that was unsegregated. What was crucial about this situation was that Hughes explained that he didn’t get to enjoy the value and life of his own people because he often separated from them. So based on his environment, he felt that this was why the poet embraced whiteness rather than who he truly was. Also, Hughes’ response regarding poets, in general, was that the racial world of black people is just as interesting as any other world. Also, he felt that when it comes to being an artist, people should be able to choose what they decide to do, and not be afraid of it.

In short, the main point that Langston Hughes wanted to make in ‘The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain’ was that identity was exactly what black people often paid attention to and cared about, society formed their identity for them, so in the end everything was about to change.