Guerrero 1 Alexis Guerrero Heather Wright ENG 113-970IN 28 October 2013 Racism Illustrated in the Poetry of Langston Hughes

During the lifetime of Langston Hughes, there were major tensions between the African Americans and the whites. The African Americans were being treated with much contempt by the whites all because of the color of their skin. Hughes writes about the African American people and the situations that they go through during his lifetime. As stated in The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain, Hughes poetry and writing reflects his own lifes circumstances as being an African American himself (Hughes 771). Langston Hughes theme in his poetry is based on the racial inequality that was widespread during his lifetime. Langston Hughes poems are comprised of the hardships that the African American people experienced. In Mother to Son, a set of stairs is compared to lifes experiences. The mother tells her son that although the stairs are dangerous, torn up, and bare, she continues to climb them and is not giving up (Hughes762). She indicates that her life, as an African American, is hard and not easy all the time. As Hughes describes the stairs, which are the African American mothers circumstances and events in life, it is evident that the theme of Hughes poems have to do with racial tension and how the African American peoples lives were difficult and troublesome (762). Although the mothers circumstances are tough, she is not only persevering herself but is also encouraging her son not to give up either (762). Another poem that explicitly describes Hughes theme in his poetry is Ballad of the Landlord. In this poem, an African American is taken to jail for ninety days because as he tells

Guerrero 2 the landlord of the poor and wretched conditions of the house, he threatens the landlord by saying, You aint gonna be able to say a word if I land my fist on you (Hughes 765). This poem clearly describes Hughes themeAfrican Americans undergo hardships due to prejudice by the white people. Hughes is trying to explain that although the African Americans living quarters are in such a horrible condition, the man has to use threatening language to try to intimidate the landlord to do something about it. In turn, the white landlord does not care, and throws the man in jail because he uses threatening speech (765). In many situations as the one in the poem, many black people have lived and still live in horrible conditions and are treated inappropriately all because they are African American. Although making a threatening statement as such to the landlord would not be the best way to go about the situation, Hughes indicates that the black people had to take a stand in some way or another so that the evil of racism would end. Hughes theme is seen in his essay The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain. Using his argument concerning racial issues, he states that Negroes have to face the fact that they are African American (Hughes 768). But this is the mountain standing in the way of any true Negro art in Americathis urge within the race toward whitenessand to be as little Negro and as much American as possible (768). From this statement, it is clear that Langston Hughes theme regards racial issues not only in everyday life but also in the expression of poetry. For example, Hughes essay told of a young poet who said that he did not want to be a Negro poethe just wanted to be a poet (768). Hughes implies that this statement means that the young poet wanted to be a white poet, or just white (768). And I was sorry the young man said that, for no great poet has ever been afraid of being himself. And I doubted then that, with his desire to run away spiritually from his race, this boy would ever be a great poet (768). Although many African

Guerrero 3 American poets have been proud to be who they are, others want to be poets, but are reluctant because of the racial issues that have hindered them. In many of his poems, Hughes describes situations that take place on a regular basis in regard to the tensions between the African Americans and the white people. Although some of the poems are somewhat exaggerated, Hughes shows what the situation is really like. As Ballad of the Landlord is a good example of what the African Americans went through, and how the whites treated them, the landlord states, Police! Police! Come and get this man! Hes trying to ruin the government and overturn the land! (Hughes 768). From this portion of the poem, Hughes shows how the white people felt toward the African Americans during that time. More than likely, the African American man is not trying to overturn the government when he states that the landlord would not have much more to say after he would hit him. However, Hughes suggests that that is really how the white people felt toward the African Americans. In On the Cultural Achievements of African Americans, Hughes argues that because of the adversities that African American people suffer, many wish that they could be someone different (Hughes 772). Some regret that they are who they are, and they do not like to practice their culture (772). However, Hughes says that the African American culture, which includes poems, stories, drama, and music, is dignified and not something to be ashamed of (772). Hughes attempts to come against racial issues by stating, Without them, on my part, there would have been no poems; without their hopes and fears and dreams, no stories; without their struggles, no dramas; without their music, no songs (772). The poetry of Langston Hughes describes and testifies to the fact that the African American people including Hughes himself have been victims of hatred and bigotry. Hughes works reflect on certain situations, which are examples of what it was like to be African

Guerrero 4 American during his lifetime. Racism is identified as the theme of Hughes poetry, and is illustrated in a number of ways throughout his works.

Guerrero 5 Works Cited Hughes, Langston. Mother to Son. An Introduction to Literature. Ed. William Burto and William E. Cain. 16th Ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 762. Print. ---. Ballad of the Landlord. An Introduction to Literature. Ed. William Burto and William E. Cain. 16th Ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 765. Print. ---. The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain. An Introduction to Literature. Ed. William Burto and William E. Cain. 16th Ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 768-772. Print. ---. On the Cultural Achievements of African Americans. An Introduction to Literature. Ed. William Burto and William E. Cain. 16th Ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 768-772. Print.