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Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Langston Hughes: A Legacy to Remember
"I have discovered in life
that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really
want to go." – Langston Hughes
An Overview
Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in a town in
Missouri called Joplin. Soon after Hughes’s birth, his parents, James Hughes
and Carrie Langston separated. Because Hughes’s parents had separated, his
grandmother named Mary primarily raised him. Sadly, she passed away when Hughes
was in his early teen years. After the death of his grandmother, Hughes went
and lived with his mother. They moved from city to city, and eventually settled
in Cleveland, Ohio. After settling in Cleveland, Hughes began to write poetry.
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die,
life is a broken
winged
bird that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes
After Hughes graduated High School, he went to Mexico for
one year to live with his father. When Hughes was with his father in Mexico,
his poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” got published into a magazine, in which
it received much praise. Hughes left Mexico and decided to return to the states
where he would then study at Colombia University. Hughes did not finish school
and dropped out in 1922 and began working various jobs in New York for the next
year. He then lived in Paris a couple of years later, where he continued his
passion of poetry.
Hughes came back to the United States in 1924 and continued
working more odd jobs. When Hughes was working as a busboy in Washington D.C.
he met the famous Vachel Lindsay. Hughes then showed Lindsay some of his poems,
and lucky enough for him, Lindsay began promoting Hughes’s poetry. Hughes won
first prize in a magazine competition for his poem, “The Weary Blues.”
He received a scholarship and began studying at Lincoln
University in Pennsylvania. Langston continued to write and publish poetry, as
well as win awards. After he graduated from Lincoln, Hughes published his first
novel, Not Without Laughter. Hughes
continued writing as well as doing lectures all over the world. In addition to
poetry and novels, Hughes also started publishing short stories. Interestingly
enough, Hughes also wrote for the Chicago
Defender. Hughes continued to show his versatility, and even helped write
lyrics for Broadway. He began teaching creative writing at Atlanta University
while be a guest speaker in Chicago.
In 1949, Hughes wrote a play that was said to inspire the
opera named, Troubled Island. Hughes
continued to publish works left and right as his life progressed.
On May 22, 1967, Hughes unfortunately passed away due to
complications with prostate cancer. Although Hughes has passed on, his works
continue to live and prosper throughout the world today.
Some Recognized Works
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers” – A poem Hughes wrote that was
published into The Crisis magazine.
“The Weary Blues” – A poem Hughes wrote that received first
place in the Opportunity magazine
literary competition.
“Not Without Laughter” – Hughes first published novel.
"What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin?
Or does it explode?" - Langston Hughes
More Than Just A Poet
When someone mentions the name, Langston Hughes, generally
speaking, the first thing that comes to mind is his poetry. Although Hughes has
built his legacy on his poems generally speaking, he was so much more diverse
and wrote so many various types of works other than poetry.
Langston Hughes wrote…
1.) Poetry
2.) Novels
3.) Short
Stories
4.) Plays
5.) Works
for Children
6.) Helped
contribute to newspaper columns
A Few Awards/Recognitions
Hughes has a middle school named after him in Reston, Virginia.
In New York City
the Landmarks Preservation Commission and
127th St. was renamed Langston Hughes Place.
These are just a few of the
things that have been done to honor Langston Hughes.
"Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go life is a barren field
frozen with snow." - Langston Hughes
An Insight
When reading some of Hughes poems it is easy to understand
why he is so well know for them. Hughes does such a great job of not only being
clear, but also he has the ability to paint a picture so well in you head. It
is almost as if one can see the feelings that Hughes is trying to get across.
Although it sounds cliché, I personally feel that Drake's new hit single "Started From the Bottom" truly relates to Langston Hughes life. Hughes was not born into a 'normal' family, he moved around a lot, worked odd jobs and when he found something that he was truly passionate about, he pursued it and made it his life's work and has left his legacy on this earth. As Eleanor Roosevelt said,
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Works Cited
Biography. "Langston Hughes." Biography.com N.P. N.D. Web.
http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/biography/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/langston-hughes
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