HARLEM RENAISSANCE
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic movement that
took place during the 1920s and 1930s, centered in the Harlem neighborhood
of New York City. It was one of the most important moments in African
American cultural history.
● Location: Harlem, New York City – a growing center for African
American communities.
What Happened During the Harlem Renaissance?
● Writers, poets, musicians, artists, and thinkers celebrated Black culture
and identity.
● There was a surge of literature, art, and especially music, including jazz
and blues.
● African Americans expressed their struggles, hopes, dreams, and pride
through art.
● Challenged racism and promoted the idea that Black lives and culture
matter.
Famous Figures:
● Langston Hughes – poet and voice of the movement
● Zora Neale Hurston – novelist and anthropologist
● Duke Ellington & Louis Armstrong – jazz musicians
● Claude McKay, Countee Cullen – poets and writers
Why Is It Important?
● Changed how the world saw African American culture.
● It laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement that followed.
● It empowered Black artists to speak openly and proudly about their
identity.
LANGSTON HUGHES
Famous American poet, writer, novelist, journalist, and activist. He was one of the
leading voices of the Harlem Renaissance.
● Full Name: James Mercer Langston Hughes
● Born: 1902 – Joplin, Missouri, USA
● Died: 1967 – New York City, USA
● Famous For: Writing about the Black experience in America with honesty and pride
What Did He Do?
● Wrote poems, stories, and plays that showed the joys, struggles, music, and
dreams of African Americans
● Believed art could bring change and fight against racism
Gave a voice to people who were often ignored in American literature. His work continues to
inspire readers to this day, especially those who fight for equality, justice, and cultural
pride.
HIS EARLY LIFE
● His parents were James Hughes and Caroline (Carrie) Mercer Langston.
● His parents separated when he was very young.
● Langston was mostly raised by his grandmother, Mary Langston, in Kansas.
● His grandmother taught him about Black pride and stories of freedom fighters.
● These lessons had a big influence on his writing later in life.
● After his grandmother died, he lived with family friends and later moved in with his
mother.
Moving Around
● Hughes moved a lot as a child — he lived in Illinois, Ohio, and Mexico at different
times.
● His father lived in Mexico, and Langston visited him there during his teen years.
Education
● He attended high school in Cleveland, Ohio, where he began writing poetry.
● He later studied at Columbia University in New York but left after a short time.
● He eventually graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1929.
First Poem
● At age 18, he wrote his famous poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, which was
published in The Crisis magazine in 1921.
HIS CAREER
Langston Hughes began his literary career with the poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers in
1921, which became iconic. He focused on portraying the real lives of working-class African
Americans and promoting racial pride through his poetry, fiction, and essays.
His 1926 essay The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain became a manifesto for Black
artists, advocating for self-expression without catering to white approval. Throughout the
1930s and 1940s, he published a short story collection highlighting racial tensions.
Hughes was active in theatre, co-founding groups like the New York Suitcase Theater and
the Skyloft Players, and he co-wrote the screenplay for Way Down South. He also supported
leftist causes and Black workers' rights, though his involvement with communism remains
debated.
Hughes mentored young Black writers and produced work across genres, including
children’s literature, opera, and autobiography.
While some younger Black writers criticized his focus on racial themes, others, like Alice
Walker, admired and were inspired by his legacy. His final poetry collection, The Panther and
the Lash (1967), aimed to connect with the Black Power movement while maintaining his
characteristic balance of critique and hope.
MOST IMPORTANT WORK
Poetry
● “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (1921):
● “I, Too” (1926):
● The Weary Blues (1926):
● Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951):
● The Panther and the Lash (1967, posthumous):
Novels
● Not Without Laughter (1930):
Short Story Collections
● The Ways of White Folks (1934):
Essays
● “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” (1926).
Autobiographies
● The Big Sea (1940):
● I Wonder as I Wander (1956):
Others
● The Poetry of the Negro (1949, co-edited with Arna Bontemps):
● Way Down South (1937, screenplay):
LITERARY STYLE:
1. Use of Jazz and Blues Rhythms:
Hughes incorporated the rhythms, patterns, and themes of jazz and blues music into
his poetry, creating a musical, flowing quality that captured the spirit of Black culture.
This style helped bring the oral traditions and everyday speech of African Americans
into literary form.
2. Simple, Direct Language:
His writing is often clear, accessible, and conversational, reflecting the speech of
ordinary Black people. Hughes avoided overly complex or academic language to
ensure his work could reach and resonate with a broad audience.
3. Focus on Black Life and Identity:
Hughes portrayed the real lives of African Americans, especially those from
working-class backgrounds, emphasizing their struggles, joys, dignity, and culture.
His work often explored themes of racial pride, social injustice, resilience, and hope.
4. Cultural Nationalism and Racial Pride:
His style carried a strong message of pride in African heritage and identity. He
sought to celebrate Black culture unapologetically and challenge negative racial
stereotypes.
5. Social and Political Engagement:
Hughes’s poetry and prose frequently addressed issues of racism, inequality, and
injustice. His style blended art with activism, aiming to educate and inspire both Black
and white audiences.
6. Use of Vernacular and Dialect:
Hughes often used African American vernacular speech and dialect in his writing,
which added authenticity and helped preserve cultural expression.
7. Symbolism and Imagery:
While his language was straightforward, Hughes used powerful images and
symbols—such as rivers, music, and everyday urban scenes—to evoke deep
emotional and cultural meanings.
I, TOO
Meaning and Analysis
1. Identity and Inclusion:
The speaker asserts his right to be considered part of America. The opening and closing
lines ("I, too, sing America" and "I, too, am America") frame the poem with a powerful
statement: African Americans are integral to the nation's identity.
2. Racism and Exclusion:
The metaphor of being sent to the kitchen "when company comes" refers to segregation
and how Black Americans were excluded from public life and treated as second-class
citizens.
3. Hope and Resistance:
The speaker doesn’t respond with bitterness. Instead, he shows patience and confidence.
He envisions a future where racial discrimination will no longer be tolerated, and all people
will be seen as equal.
4. Pride and Strength:
Though marginalized, the speaker "eats well" and "grows strong." This line conveys
resilience and inner strength. Hughes suggests that oppression only fuels the speaker’s
determination.
5. Beauty and Shame:
The line “They’ll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed” expresses a belief in the
inherent dignity of Black people and implies that those who uphold racism will eventually
recognize their own moral failure.
LEGACY
1. Voice of the Harlem Renaissance
His work helped shape a new Black cultural consciousness and inspired a
generation of African American writers, musicians, and artists.
2. Celebration of Black Identity
Instead of imitating white poets, Hughes celebrated the beauty of Black speech,
music (especially jazz and blues), and everyday life. He showed that Black life, even
in its struggles, was worthy of poetry and pride.
3. Literary Influence
His work opened doors for future African American writers such as James Baldwin,
Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison.
4. Political and Social Impact
Through poems like “I, Too”, “Let America Be America Again”, and “The Negro
Speaks of Rivers”, Hughes challenged racism, inequality, and the false promises of
the American dream. His work was often cited in the Civil Rights Movement and
continues to inspire movements for racial equality.
5. Timeless Themes
Hughes’s themes—hope, resilience, justice, racial pride, and dreams—are timeless.
His poetry remains relevant in today’s conversations about race, identity, and
inclusion.
6. A National Treasure
Hughes is remembered not only as a great poet but as a national voice for equality
and freedom. He has been honored with schools named after him, statues, postage
stamps, and a place in literary history.
