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Similarities Between Langston Hughes And Harlem

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Similarities Between Langston Hughes And Harlem
Hughes and Harlem
The land of the free and the home of the brave is a simple yet powerful motto that supposedly describes the inherent rights allotted to each American. Yet, the truly brave are often the ones who have the least amount of freedom. America is a young nation with a past full of prejudice, but more importantly a past full of bravery and triumph. Americans like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X, all fought for equality. These great Americans rose to the occasion and succeeded in their fight for freedom by displaying the bravery echoed in our national anthem. Each of these people experienced great adversity, but adversity is not what defined their greatness. These courageous Americans stood up for basic freedom and equality, but they were not the first. These people are the grand-children of a movement that changed America forever, the snow …show more content…
Instead of letting outsiders define what it meant to be black in America, members of “The New Negro Movement” wanted to define their culture themselves. The “New Negro” was a person who rejected the cultural stereotypes that were forced upon them (Carter). Langston Hughes epitomized the new Negro. Instead of letting whites depict African-American culture, Hughes believed it was time for African-Americans to define their own culture. (Hughes, Big Sea)
Langston Hughes is without question the most influential member of the “New Negro Movement”(Bloom). He is the new Negro. Although Alain LeRoy Locke is, “heralded as the ‘Father of the Harlem Renaissance’ for his publication in 1925 of The New Negro… Locke is best known as a theorist, critic, and interpreter of African-American literature and art” (Carter). The “New Negro” is an intellectual, who embraces his color and culture, while contributing to his community in a positive way. Langston Hughes represents the quintessential “New
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