Langston Hughes Poetry Analyzing Themes of Racism

Langston Hughes Throughout many of Langston Hughes poetry, there seems to be a very strong theme of racism. Poems such as Ballad of the Landlord, I, Too, and Dinner Guest: Me are some good examples of that theme. The Ballad of the Landlord addresses the issue of prejudice in the sense of race as well as class. The lines My roof has sprung a leak. / Dont you member I told you about it/ Way last week? (Hughes 2/4) show the reader that the speaker, the tenant, is of a much lower class than his landlord. It also shows that the landlord could care less of what condition his building is in as long as the money is still coming in. Well, thats Ten Bucks moren Ill pay you / Till you fix this house up new. (Hughes 11/12)†¦show more content†¦Langston Hughes is a poet with whom to reckon, to experience, and here and there, with that apologetic feeling of presumption that should companion all criticism, to quarrel. (Cullen 1041) Countee Cullen admires Hughes for his emancipated spirit among a class of young writers whose particular battle-cry is freedom. Many people agree with Cullens views on Hughes because of such poems as I, Too and Dinner Guest: Me. In these poem we can however see th e attitude of the speaker change because of the huge gap between them. At one point Cullen says that to her, some of his works seem to give only one side of the story. They tend to hurl this poet into the gapping pit that lies before all Negro writers, in the confines of which they become racial artists instead of artists pure and simple. (Cullen 1041) Some may disagree with her opinion on this, but the rest of her thoughts on Langston Hughes seem to be universal. As proved through the above mentioned examples and essays, Langston Hughes often used the theme of racism in his works. Many people feel that this theme is expressed so strongly because of Hughes family background. For whatever reasons he uses this particular theme, it is one that is very obvious to all of us who appreciate his many works. Works Cited Barksdale, Richard K. On Censoring Ballad of the Landlord. Meyer 1038. Cullen, Countee. On Racial Poetry. Meyer 1041. Hughes, Langston Ballad of theShow MoreRelatedLangston Hughes Poetry Analysis Essay1287 Words   |  6 PagesArt is the illusion in which we see the truth- Pablo Picasso Langston Hughes clearly connects with a wide range of audiences through the simplicity that surrounds his poetry. The beauty of this manner in which he wrote his poetry, is that it grasp people by illustrating his narratives of the common lifestyles experienced by the current American generation. His art form expresses certain questionable ideologies of life and exposes to the audience what it takes to fully comprehend what being anRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance Movement By Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, And Ralph Waldo Ellison931 Words   |  4 Pagesthe form of visual arts, musical elements, and even performing arts during the 1920s. Due to this movement, Harlem became the city that â€Å"gave African Americans a physical cultural center.† [1] Renowned black artists such as Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Ralph Waldo Ellison were primary figures that became well-known for their many artistic and creative pieces during this popular time. Created by a class of English teachers in April of 2003, a Wikipedia page was made in dedication of theRead MoreGoophered Grapes Pre Ready 1 Essay example2710 Words   |  11 Pagesfair-skinned black person as revealed by Mary Zeigler in her article, History And Background Of The Charles W. Chesnutt Commemorative Stamp (Zeigler). But while Chesnutt’s book, â€Å"The Conjure Woman† does address problems such as â€Å"slavery, miscegenation, and racism† as also pointed out in Zeigler’s article, what has to be considered is the actual work that the text is doing, how the actual words are placed in the text, how the characters are portrayed, and what ideals are actually being enforced or discouraged