Langston Hughes Impact On Society

Poetry is a way for people to express themselves. A literary composition subdivided into stanzas, there is much more art to it than simply writing random words down on paper. Poets keep in mind the syllable count, the rhyme scheme, the order of unstressed and stressed syllables, and many more techniques, depending on the type of poem. Also, every poem has a unique, powerful message. Langston Hughes was a recent American poet who wrote countless quality works, many of which have an enduring impact.

On February 1, 1902, one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century, James Mercer Langston Hughes, was born in Joplin, Missouri. His father left for Mexico when Hughes was one, and his mother traveled to find work as a teacher, so he was raised by his grandmother. After she died, Hughes’s mother took him, and they moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Also, this was around the time when he found a pastime in writing poetry. He frequently contributed to Central High School’s literary magazine, and unsuccessfully attempted to get his works featured in other poetry magazines. In Cleveland, he was

This helped Hughes become a major part of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. However, he quit his studies to continue writing poetry and find work. For a brief time, he lived in Paris and enhanced his literary compositions there. In 1925, while working as a busboy in Washington, D.C., Hughes met Vachel Lindsay, an American poet. With Hughes being new to the art of poetry, Lindsay was impressed enough to promote the works of an emerging Hughes. He truly gave Hughes the recognition he needed. A year later, Hughes wrote his first book of poetry, The Weary Blues. Hughes went on to write many more poems, including “A Dream Deferred,” “Let America Be America Again,” and many others. Hughes passed away on May 22, 1967, due to cancer, and his Harlem residence became an official