Many people often discount the importance that African Americans have played throughout history. As well as discounting the many tragedies that they have been forced to face, individually and collectively as a race. While there are many authors that have written much literature on racial struggles and how they have overcome them, there are two specific authors that took a very dense subject and brought it to life through poetry. Langston Hughes and Dudley Randall both wrote poems that differed from what the world had become used to seeing. They both wrote about what African Americans experienced day in and day out in the thick of the civil rights movement. Although their writing style differs greatly, there are many similarities in their writing, most obvious being their themes. Langston Hughes and Dudley Randall both explore the…show more content… Langston Hughes first poem ever published “Negro” is a chilling reminder of just how much African Americans have not only suffered throughout history, but also how big of a role they have played throughout the ages. Hughes’ poem is a vivid reflection of their misfortune that they have suffered, not only in the past, but in the time the poem was published, the present as well. The poem is written in first person, as Hughes opens with, “I am a Negro” (Hughes 1). This would seemingly allude to an assumption, at first glance, that the writer is speaking of personal experience. In spite of the “I” that begins many of the lines in Hughes’ poem, he is showing himself as a representation of all African Americans throughout history. Hughes utilizes many allusions to assist him in painting a picture of what many African Americans viewed as a life that could only end in death, and a life that would never end. In fact an article titled, “Explanation of: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes”, speaks about this specifically, saying, “With its allusions to deep dusky
