Langston Hughes 1902 - 1967

1. Langston Hughes 1902 - 1967 • James Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri. • He died of complications from prostate cancer in May 22, 1967. • In his memory, his residence at 20 East 127th Street in Harlem, New York City, has been given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission and East 127th Street has been renamed "Langston Hughes Place."

2. Known for… • his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties. • his engagement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing. • His life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.

3. A Unique Perspective Hughes refused to differentiate between his personal experience and the common experience of black America. He wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music, laughter, and language itself

4. Harlem Renaissance • Also, known as the New Negro Movement • a literary, artistic, cultural, intellectual movement that began in Harlem, New York after World War I and ended around 1935 during the Great Depression. • With racism still rampant and economic opportunities scarce, creative expression was one of the few avenues available to African Americans in the early twentieth century.

5. HR Literature • The HR allowed African American writers to use their unique culture as a means toward re-defining African American literary expression. • It gained national force when Charles Spurgeon Johnson, editor of Opportunity, encouraged aspiring writers to migrate to New York in order to form a critical mass of young black creative artists.

6. The Writers Some of the most notable writers include: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Helene Johnson, Nela Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, and Jean Toomer.

7. The Influence of HR Writers • The literature of this period helped to facilitate a transformation from the perception of the “Old Negro” to the “New Negro”. • The “Old Negro” was seen as inferior • The “New Negro” became characterized as self-assertive, racially conscious, and articulate.

8. Dream DeferredBy Langston Hughes What is the tone of the poem? What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore -- And then run? Does it stink like rotten mean? Or crust and sugar over -- Like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? If you were to hear the poet read it, what would be the sound of his voice?


9. Elements to consider: Tone, alliteration, mood and simile • How does the use of alliteration affect the poem? • What is the mood of the poem? How does the poet feel about dreams? • What simile does the poet use? What does it mean? How might it relate to the play A Raisin in the Sun? Why would L. Hansberry use a line from this poem as her title and include it at the beginning of this edition?