Racism In Langston Hughes

1239 Words3 Pages

Langston Hughes's stories deal conditions of befalling African Americans during one of our history’s most oppressed times and promoting the African American culture. As Jeff Westover explains in “Langston Hughes 1902-1967: Africa/America” in one detail, “America's political self-definitions provide the poet with the basis for challenging the status quo and demanding change from the government that supports it”. Hughes's stories speak of the African-Americans as being overlooked by a biased society. Hughes's poetry “attempts to draw attention to the catastrophic history of black people in Africa and the United States. Challenging racism and oppression by bringing to the foreground narratives of humiliation and violence against their people” according to Mothe Subhash in “Violation of Human Rights of the Negro's in the Poems of Langston Hughes”. The theme of powerlessness leads to passion that is shown in Hughes work like in “I, Too”, “Theme for English B” and “Dream Deferred” challenging racism at its core. In the “I Too” poem it’s very heartfelt because Hughes is speaking from the soul around racism. He passed through the Harlem Renaissance why facing struggles with racism. However, his writing seems clear, by using a “pictorial quality he draws a picture before our eyes what life was in 1930's” (Subhash). Hughes is part of the African-American race that is expressed in his writing that just wants to feel equal. He writes about how he and his people are currently oppressed, but this does not test his hope that he will too become the equal man a future of change to be of greater importance. The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly how Hughes presents “the miserable condition of the Negros by expressi... ... middle of paper ... ...down (Hughes 1024). Lastly, Hughes asks "or does it explode" (Hughes 1024). This means that dreams that are dead will destroy a person life. Langston Hughes shows the importance of dreams and how those dreams that are ripped away can kill someone’s sole. These make a strong image to create a depiction of a sad outcome for a person wanting to see only the good in life but left with a gram future of dispassion. Hughes' stories explain many of the problems that African Americans faced during this era in United States history, ranging from bias racism to a general depression that comes from breaking down minorities. His work tells the story from the side of a broken down people and the evil events they had to overcome because of their skin color. Everyday acts striving for their own culture values along with equality among whites at this distasteful time in our history.

Open Document