Although Langston Hughes was by no means the only voice of the Harlem Renaissance, he had an immense amount of influence in his objectives to portray the reality of America at the time. One poem of his that particularly stood out to me was “Will V-Day Be Me-Day Too.” In this poem, Hughes says, “When we see Victory’s glow, Will you still let old Jim Crow” showing his commitment to his country but also identifying what he is actually fighting for (and how ugly it might be). He later equates black oppression to the oppression of the “Germans to the Jews.” Clearly, Hughes is describing immense problems with America at the time. He is patriotic but recognizes that there is still a long way to go for the American dream. “America was never America to me” is another line that stood out for this reason. Hughes clearly has a well-defined sense of what America should be in his mind, even if reality doesn’t fit his expectations. He is still optimistic about the future but realizes that it takes effort to create the America he wants. Hughes’ poetry works to close the gap between his (and many others’) dreams and the actuality of what America realistically is.
What made Hughes unique and possibly what caused his poems to be so well known today is that he takes a unique take on America. He is both hopeful, but realistic; crude and refined in his diction. This is probably why his works appealed to such a diverse crowd. He uses lingo that is representative of the black community at the time in his well structured and poems and works, clearly showing his education at Columbia University. It is easy to understand the purpose of his poems at a quick glance but it takes a much deeper effort to realize his genius. Hughes is clearly a part of high culture today with influences that span much wider categories. J.I.D., for example, is a rapper from Atlanta who has, on multiple occasions, claimed he is heavily influenced by Langston Hughes. With such a wide influence today, I wonder how his works were received in the early to mid 20th Century or if Hughes ever knew the impact he had. Like many of the artists mentioned in “Or Does it Explode,” it would make sense that the conflicting responses Hughes received at the time are a testament to the power of his written word and of him as a prominent figure.
Your post harkens back to our previous class conversations about the identity of the creator of a work of culture. The way in which a person identifies themselves and how we distinguish those definitions has a serious impact on the way a work of culture is received. While countless African Americans have suffered under the institutions that belittle them, and have unique perspectives with hearing, the fact that Hughes has an ivy league education becomes very obvious when we read his work. While he challenges the hypocrisy regarding equality and freedom that exists in American culture, the fact that he writes with so much eloquence immortalizes his words and forces people to listen to him.
It’s very interesting to note how Langston Hughes could speak positively about American and still note that there were many problems with America. It seems as though he loved the idea of what America could be, not necessarily what it was. He knew that in order to make America the America he wanted to live in, he had to preach his ideas to the public instead of just waiting for change to come without fighting for it.
I’m not particularly a fan of poetry, but the rhythm to his work certainly draws you in. I’m not surprised in the slightest by his impact on diverse communities–beautiful art is beautiful art no matter your culture and the color of your skin. That said though, I think the political nature of his work certainly added to its appeal.
I would agree completely that Hughes managed to distinguish himself and become so popular because of the combination of his extensive education and experience with his manner of writing in a both optimistic and pessimistic way. It was one of the things that I noticed immediately about his writing and made me enjoy his poems the most.