Langston Hughes and Claude McKay were popular poets during the Harlem Renaissance period around 1919 to 1933. The two poets share similar viewpoints and poetic achievements making them alike but also different in many ways. The Poets literature flourished during the early twentieth century with much racial tension between blacks and whites. Their poetry expressed the emotions of blacks living in America in poems such as Hughes’s “I Too” and McKay’s “America.” “I Too” is about the separation of
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You and Simple In a dark time for African Americans in the land of the free Langston Hughes shines a light on the struggle of keeping one ’s cultural identity when faced with oppression in the year of 1949. Readers of his article entitled‚ "Bop" are enthralled in a story where Hughes draws a parallel between what Bop music is and is not‚in the form of a dialogue between two African American men. Hughes draws his readers in with descriptive imagery with a first person perspective and stylises his
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The fight for freedom was many black people’s dream about 40 years ago. They wanted the right to vote‚ and most importantly to be treated equal‚ just like the first amendment stated. Langston Hughes was a very inspirational writer and poet during the Renaissance period. His poem "Freedom Train" discussed the very important reasons for getting on the freedom train‚ and if they did jump aboard‚ were they really going to be free. The question of whether or not they would really be free arose in their
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The Collected Works of Langston Hughes Essay “Never judge a book by it’s cover.” This popular quote‚ stated by author George Elliot in 1860‚ has a connection deep behind every meaning in the The Collected Works of Langston Hughes (1921-1940). Most of the poetic pieces displayed a message that revolved around on how we the people‚ no matter what ethnicity or socioeconomic status we hold‚ had dealt with discrimination and disrespect‚ but never stopped believing in our dreams and freedom in America
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familiar is the Christian religion. In Langston Hughes “Salvation” exposes the flaws within the Christian religion‚ the fact that individuals do not understand what they are being taught and just doing what is expected of them as well as the hypocritical ways that happen in the Christian organization. Growing up‚ it is normal for children to just go with the flow of their environment and to do what is asked of them by their elders. In “salvation” Langston Hughes reveals the feeling
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Salvation In Langston Hughes’ autobiography‚ “Salvation‚” he shares his childhood experience of his Auntie Reed’s Christian church. Going into the revival‚ Hughes’ expectantly waited for Jesus to come save him; “to see Jesus.” What was supposed to be a religiously enlightening moment of his life transpired to be a disheartening realization that Jesus’s existence could have very well resulted from mass hysteria. He revolves his experience around the confusion resulted from miscommunication between
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Claude McKay and Langston Hughes were both part of the Harlem Renaissance time period; were they experienced the harsh realities of racism. McKay and Hughes were major figures of that time‚ who would write novels‚ poetry‚ short stories‚ etc. McKay wrote a well-known poem known as‚ “America”; where he expresses‚ positively and negatively‚ his feelings toward America. On the other hand‚ Hughes wrote a poem titled “I‚ Too‚ Sing America”‚ which demonstrates the confidence and the assurance he has in
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Langston Hughes purpose of these sets of poems was to outline the current condition for African Americans at that time‚ and also to display his desires and present the ideal conditions for African Americans. Below are several of his poems that has symbology and reflects and demonstrates his desires and ideals. In my opinion‚ Dream Variations demonstrates Hughes desire for African Americans to be able to enjoy the pleasures of life as white people did. When he says “to whirl and to dance till the
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Alice Walker: A New Kind of Feminist The American Voice‚ formally given its name during the 1900s‚ can be loosely defined as the way many people exercise their individual and democratic freedoms by vocalizing their opposition to societal norms and their hopes social reform. Many reform movements around the time of growing liberalism in 20th century America helped shape the American voice‚ including the civil rights and feminist movements. Many authors and intellectuals of the 20th century who spoke
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LORD‚ thoughts of peace and not of evil‚ to give you a future and a hope.” How reassuring is it to know that God gives us hope; it is something that he places in our body when creating us. Langston Hughes says it perfectly‚ “Hold fast to dreams‚ for if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird‚ that cannot fly.” Hughes shows dreams as something special in our minds that‚ if eradicated‚ we will not be able to survive. If we did eradicate
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