James Langston Hughes :: Poet Poetry

Langston HughesOne of the most promising of the young blackamoor poets give tongue to to me once, I want tobe a poetnot a Negro poet, convey, I believe, I want to write like a whitepoet, meaning subconsciously, I would like to be a white poet meaningbehind that, I would like to be white. And I doubted then that, with his relishto run away spiritu eachy from his race, this boy would ever be a great poet. But thisis the mountain standing in the way of any true Negro art in Americathis urge at heart to race toward whiteness, the desire to pour racial individuality into themold of American standardization, and to be as little Negro and as muchAmerican as possible (Hughes, Modern Internet).As a successful writer, Langston Hughes was elevated to be African American, a factinherent in all his literary works. Hughes optimistic attitude that not all mickle be prejudicedprovided impetus to take chances to get his poetry noticed. Intensely criticized by many Negrocritics and intellect uals, Hughes wrote about oppression and other racial themes in his works andutilized a jazz and blues rhythm in conjunction with black urban language. James MercerLangston Hughes writing was pro nominately influenced by his life, his ethnicity, and the way heviewed the world around him. He never alienated sight of the fact he was African American andwrote his poetry for the people not his critics or contemporaries.Vachel Lindsay greatly influenced Langston Hughes writing style. Hughes, wanting tohear Lindsay hire his poetry and knowing he would not be allowed into the auditorium becauseof his ethnic background, dared to handwrite three of his poems and leave them beside Lindsaysplate at a eating place where Hughes worked as a busboy (Langston, Elements 378). LangstonHughes knew he would never be allowed to enunciate to the famous poet, and took a risk to giveLindsey handscripted poetry he hoped the literary giant would notice and perhaps appreciate hiswork. Hughes was not embar rassed of being African American or a busboy and thats why he tookthe chance Lindsay would actually look at his work. Hughes ploy worked when the headlinesof the local paper the next morning read that Vachel Lindsey claimed to have found the nextgreat African American poet. Hughes, a well-educated and traveled writer by the time he was inhis mid-twenties, enjoyed the clubs around Harlem, new(a) York and other cities around the worldwhere he traveled. These clubs heavily influenced the poetry written by Hughes.