The Topic of Racism in Writings by Langston Hughes - Research Paper Example

The Topic of Racism in Writings by Langston Hughes The topic of racism is prevalent in many writings by Langston Hughes. Racism was something that Hughes continually witnessed during his life but he also made it clear that it was something an individual could overcome. This was the message he aimed to convey to fellow African Americans and he become a prominent voice in literature.. "Few doubt the significance of Langston Hughes' presence in twentieth century American literature" (Jones 1). Hughes' influence was tremendous and a much needed voice in a time where African Americans needed someone to help lead.. Hughes' writings are exquisite only partially because of his understanding of racism. His works are original and interesting because he was a gifted writer as well. The use of the English language in his poems was so powerful that through them many people were able to see the hatred for African Americans and began to understand the depth of racism. Two of Langston Hughes' poems, Minstrel Man and Dream Variations, are the focus of this paper and they clearly show his simple and straightforward language as a vehicle to scream out the pain and emotion of racism. To understand Hughes writing, it is important to understand some of his background. His schooling was exemplary for an African American because his mother enrolled him into an otherwise all white school. After his high school graduation, he went to Harlem before starting at Columbia. He instantly fell in love with it. Harlem is the subject of many of his poems and when the time came to leave Harlem, Hughes was very upset. "He hated to move out of Harlem, but his tuition was paid at Columbia and he felt he had to go" (Meltzer72). It was in college that Hughes discovered his love for writing. He began to write seriously and wanted only to write as an occupation. Although this was rare, even for a white person let alone an African American, Hughes yearned to write and he began having his works published in small newspapers like The Crisis and the Amsterdam News. (Meltzer 74). "Hughes, after a long look at the white mechanism that allowed Harlem to move about, wrote 'Minstrel Man'" (Emanuel 51). Minstrel Man was written between 1921 and 1930 and appeared in The Crisis, a magazine that Hughes always adored. "These lines are Hughes's best poetical comment on the cult of the Negro. [...] economical and simple [...] and using only monosyllables except for six words [...]" (Emanuel 51-52). The poem conveys a happy message until the sixth line. The words suffer and pain are said and everything gets turned around. "You do not hear / My inner cry"" are the eleventh and twelfth lines in the poem. These powerful lines bring forth a sense of sadness in the reader who now knows his anguish. Also, the way that Hughes separated the sentence makes it more evident that the actual people behind the minstrel shows are being violated and the world does not care. "When the reader responds to the image of happy dancing feet, he is vulnerable to the concluding charge ('you do not know / I die"') that his humaneness has become deeply impaired" (Emanuel 52). "Hughes's remonstrance is softened by its interrogative form, is bare of accusing adjectives, and is given personal immediacy by his fusion of himself with his subject" (Emanuel 52). Irony is another literary device that appears often in this poem although irony is not commonly used by Hughes to represent social injustice. "Only a few other poems, none written so ably as 'Minstrel Man,' show how Hughes made literary use of the ironies in this shallow attitude toward Negroes." (Emanuel 52). Minstrel Man brings out the judgmental and unfair assumptions white people were making about African Americans at the time. The feelings of the African Americans during the time of minstrel shows were horrible, and rightfully so. Langston Hughes' language makes it obvious that that subject is African American people in Harlem, how their lives are violated and how their qualities are ridiculed. Minstrel Man is a powerful poem that not only shows the limitation of white people's knowledge and caring, but how African Americans are deeply hurt by negative portrayals and assumptions made about their people. Racism is the clear theme of the poem, and the language used to get the point across is phenomenal in conveying its destructive emotions. Hughes was a truly gifted poet and Minstrel Man brings a tear to the eye of any person with a heart. Even now, decades after his death, people are still emotionally affected by his works and they will continue to be even though the environment for the African American has much improved since the time that this poem was written. The qualities of a black person (which would normally be seen as strengths) such as voice, ability to dance, and joy were mocked and there was no reflection of the humanity of the race in the poem. Another poem that used the English language beautifully to show how racism affected the African American people is called Dream Variations. "Through 'white day'and 'black like me' race enters the poem, [...]" (Emanuel 81). The world that the African American people lived in was a world that belonged to and was defined by the white race. Living in this world was not a happy or comforting experience. This poem reflects the ownership of the day that white people had. The line "Black like me." shows that African Americans longed to live in a land where they could be with each other, a land that was not dominated by whites. "Survival depends upon universal harmony with the world: 'Night coming tenderly / Black like me.' Here the speaker balances the double compulsion toward reason and light ('white day') with the mythic sentiment (dream) that justifies lif.e" ( Miller 56). Unlike his reality the dream is a happy place for the dancer. He knows his people and does not have to worry about the white people invading his life. In the poem the sun could represent the white race. The sun is the stamp of the daytime and when it leaves the sky, night comes. Night in the poem is the time of the African American. The poem says, "Dark like me-- / That is my dream!" The dream is being equal to the white race. The dream is being truly happy. This dream was something that all African Americans of the time would have liked to have and it also was very ahead of its time. Although racism has greatly impaired many minds and hearts, Langston Hughes has found the language to enlighten many souls. He has brought up a subject that America is not proud of but instead of making it a scar on America's face, he has helped heal many wounds and lead persons of good will to understand the pain and suffering endured during that time period. Langston Hughes said: "Many white people do not understand how Negroes can laugh at the stupid indignities so often heaped upon them, from high to low, in this American country of ours. ...Maybe it is this wry laughter that has kept us going all these years, from slavery's denial of the draught of freedom up to the Washington airport's denial of a glass of milk. Maybe it is just a way of saying, 'To defeat us you must defeat our laughter'" (Mazel 84). This just goes to show that African Americans have triumphed over the disabilities that the people of America has given them. Langston Hughes has created a way to get a message across to all those who do not otherwise know or understand the way that racism affected the African American world. Through his use of language, he has exploited injustices, pioneered in the civil rights movement, and helped African Americans find peace and pride for their nation. By continuing to use his art to explore the subject in his poems, plays, novels and other writings, he made it clear that the problem would be with America for a long time and the hope that his poetry would continue to shed light upon it. Works Cited Emanuel, James A. Langston Hughes. New York, Twayne Publishers, Inc. 1967. Jones, Meta DuEwa. "Langston Hughes 1902-1967: Listening to What the Ear Demands." Proquest.com. Fall 2002. 1 April 2003. http://www.proquest.umi.com/pqdweb"Did=000000248028701&Fmt-4&delhi=1&ldx=4&Sid=1&RQT=309 Mazel Ella. "And don't call me a racist!" Lexington, Massachusetts. Argonaut Press. 1998 Meltzer, Milton. Langston Hughes A Biography. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 1968 Miller, Baxter R. The Art and Imagination of Langston Hughes. Kentucky, The University Press of Kentucky. 1989. 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