Brothers Of Other Mothers: Langston Hughes

Words: 1626
Pages: 7
Open Document
Ambria Cornelius
Intro to English Studies
MW 9:30-10:45
Prof. Gephardt
Brothers of Other Mothers: A Perspective from the “Darker” Side, Captured in Composition by Langston Hughes

The United States’ history is no secret, but its dark foundation is often overshadowed by the greatness of its creation; a darkness that continues to affect certain groups of Americans today. With a majority of his well-known works published during the Harlem Renaissance by, the era’s most prolific writer, Langston Hughes, continuously embodies the outcome of the least acknowledged, yet crucial, American perspective of life as an African-American in his work; embodied beautifully in the simple yet complex poem, I, Too. The title, I, Too, is a pun; distinguishable …show more content…
His parents did not stay together long after he was born, Hughes and Ms. Langston travelled to several cities before finding a home in Cleveland, Ohio. Around this time Hughes started composing poetry, “after being introduced to poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, whom Hughes would later cite as primary influences”(Langston Hughes). In 1920, after his high school graduation, Hughes went to live with his father for a year in Mexico, it was there where Hughes's achieved his first published poem in a popular magazine named The Crisis. The following year he returned to America, and moved to New York to attend Columbia University for about a year, “during this time he quickly became a part of Harlem's burgeoning cultural movement, what is commonly known as the Harlem Renaissance”(The Harlem Renaissance). Before leaving the College he wrote his well-known poem, Themes for English B; an assignment from the heart requested by his English professor. In the page-length poem, the twenty-two year old mentions that he is the only person of color in his classroom; he wonders if the assignment’s simplicity will reflect his work or skin color, but refutes this questioning of self by acknowledging that he, like others, enjoys the smallest aspects of …show more content…
Here, Hughes incorporates another line of ambiguous meaning. First, there is the comparison of the idea of an empty white page compared to a page with many colors of ink. Second, he incorporates the social separation of people by color, comparing work composed by an African-American or Caucasian. Hughes questions if his paper’s grade will reflect his skin color or the context. He questions if there is a difference between things created by people of different races. He questions what makes his life any different from someone who is not brown in America. In an assignment that requires a self-reflection to acknowledge one’s true-self, Hughes begins to question if the truth differs for people who do not resemble him, he wonders if those people view the world like or unlike him. He questions how differences like such affect the way of life for people of different skin tones and if these differences affect what they believe, how they see the world, and how they express themselves. Through the line, “So will my page be colored that I write?” (Themes For English B), Hughes encompasses a reoccurring theme for not only prior work of his and pieces to come, but the drive behind the flourishing movement named the Harlem
Show More

Related Documents: Brothers Of Other Mothers: Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes Harlem Renaissance

Langston Hughes was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes was such a good poet that he was known as “the poet laureate of Harlem.” (Howard University, par. 1) Hughes was one of the earliest jazz innovators, he implemented a jazz rhythm to his poetry. The Harlem Renaissance was a social, cultural, and artistic explosion during the1920s and 1930s. Langston Hughes is viewed as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes believed the black race should not be oppressed or left out of society…

Words 399 - Pages 2

Essay on great american poet

Langston Hughes A Great American Poet For Prof. Waller’s Argumentative Essay Langston Hughes A Great American Poet Langston Hughes a poet that spoke about the life of as a black during the twenties through the sixties. Hughes had a way of making his poetry insightful to the point where the reader could feel as if he or she had been placed right in the time that Hughes was in. Hughes had a long career and many of his works are still popular with readers today. He was one of the poets that thrived…

Words 1305 - Pages 6

The Negro Mother Literary Devices

The poem “ The Negro Mother” written during the Harlem Renaissance by Langston Hughes. Although the poet is a man, the voice of the poem is from the perspective of a former female slave. Langston's persona in the poem communicates with her children, daring them to continue the fight for freedom and equality. Her word usage constructs a picture of a fierce, passionate black woman who had “No safety, no love, no respect(line 14).” A woman who did not surrender to oppression, but rose above it with…

Words 506 - Pages 3

America's Song Analysis

Americans. Not everyone hears the same song or sings the same song. Langston Hughes sung a song of being free from segregation, and Thomas Jefferson heard a self-centered, melody song when writing the Declaration of Independence. Therefore, everyone has their own view of America, and because of them sharing their views I can share mines too. Walt Whitman heard and sung different views of everybody’s else opinion on America. He heard the mother singing a melodious, joyful tune to her child while the mechanic…

Words 519 - Pages 3

Internal Conflict In Langston Hughes 'Mulatto'

Mulatto is a self-reflective play by Langston Hughes that explores themes such as racism, wedlock, interraciality, and filial bonds. Hughes achieves a multilayered complex work mainly through the conflicting characters of Robert, Sallie and Colonel Norwood; a biracial brother and sister, and a white slaveowner who fathers them both, respectively. Langston Hughes uses internal conflict and contrast in Colonel Norwood, Robert, and Sallie Mae as a way of illustrating and demonstrating the external…

Words 1121 - Pages 5

Langston Hughes Research Paper

Poet’s Background James Mercer Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902. His parents, Caroline Mercer Langston and James Nathaniel Hughes, divorced when he was just 7 years of age. He was raised mainly by his grandmother, mother, and the Reeds. He then finally moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband, after living with his grandmother for a few years. Eventually the family stayed in Cleveland, Ohio, which is when Hughes began writing some poems. After…

Words 1092 - Pages 5

Compair: Harlem Renaissance and Tupac Shakur Share Essay

English 101 22 April 2013 The Theme of Change: Langston Hughes and Tupac Shakur The poem “Harlem” by Lanston Huges and the song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur share common themes. Langston’s “Harlem” emphasizes the importance of his dreams that, over time, end up passing unnoticed. Shakur’s “Changes” displays frustration in a lifestyle he feels is partially shaped by racial stereotypes and how that lifestyle could change if long held racial prejudices were reexamined. Both pieces share similar ideas…

Words 1595 - Pages 7

Biography Of Langston Hughes And Paul Laurence Dunbar

are Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Both created poems that helped their audience be able to relate to the lives of African Americans while denouncing the stereotypes and racism that prevailed during this period. Both writers helped to influence future generations of writers. Influencial Poets of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes was one of the most well-known African American poets during the Harlem Renaissance period. Although born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri; Hughes was…

Words 1512 - Pages 7

The Struggle In Richard Wright's Black Boy

Richard tries to get a better understanding of the world, but it always seems to fail him. At the very beginning of Black Boy Richard Wright began with a lack of understanding. At the age of four, Richard and his brother were playing innocently in the yard causing a ruckus. Richard’s mother tells them that they must come inside at once, due to Granny’s illness. Richard begins to toss things into the fire and proceeds to watch the objects burn. Richard is quite intrigued and satisfied with the…

Words 773 - Pages 4

Essay about Black History Month

once said, “Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.” Alice walker was the youngest child of eight. Her father was a sharecropper and her mother was a maid, she grew up very poor. Alice walker suffered from an injury when she was eight years old. She was shot in the right eye with a BB pellet. This had happened when she was playing with her two brothers. Her eye began to have scar tissue making her seem disfigured. She was very self-conscience of herself after the incident. During her time the…

Words 532 - Pages 3