Harlem by Langston Hughes: Analysis and Discussion the Importance of the Poem in Black History and Literature
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes. Specifically it will discuss the importance of the poem in Black history and literature. Langston Hughes is considered one of the premier Black poets, and he often wrote of Harlem and other places where he had lived and worked. "Harlem" is one of his most notable poems, it fostered Black literature, thought, and understanding, and it is a valuable part of Black history and literature.Harlem in New York City is a Black community, and has been for decades. Hughes lived in Harlem at many times throughout his life, and he captured the essence of Harlem in the poem with the same title, indicating the lost (deferred) dreams of the Black community, and what happens to those lost dreams (they fester or explode). The poem is a warning that of the plight of Blacks did not change; they would explode with their need to be free and equal. It also represents the "heavy load" the Black people have borne since they first came to America as slaves, and it indicates the hopelessness of the slums and poverty in New York City.Harlem is also the home of the Harlem Renaissance, which took place during the 1920s. It was a growth of the arts,
It is a tragedy when dreams do not come true, even the play A Raisin in the Sun illustrates this, and it can lead to tragic results. Hughes wrote about the work, "This poem on contemporary Harlem, [. The renaissance focused on the history of meaning of Black life in America, and how it related to the Black experience of the time, and it helped focus attention on Black artists and their work. ] is marked by conflicting changes, sudden nuances, sharp and impudent interjections, broken rhythms, and passages sometimes in the manner of the jam session, sometimes the popular song, punctuated by the riffs, runs, breaks, and disc-tortions of the music of a community in transition (Rampersad 153). She wrote the play in 1959, about a family in Chicago struggling to find their dreams and own a home in the white suburbs. Jazz and blues were two of the mainstays of Harlem nightclubs, Hughes was a major fan of the music, and so he incorporated its rhythms into this poem and other works, as well. This poem celebrates dreams in its own way, because it recognizes that not all dreams come true, and it also recognizes how those lost dreams can shape, mold, and influence a society in myriad and very important ways. That makes "Harlem" an extremely important aspect of Black culture and history, as well. Another critic notes, "His major themes delve into social issues of the 1930s and the failure of social justice in regards to Black Americans" (Horton-Stallings 133). Hughes was a prolific and gifted writer who tried to share the Black experience to make everyone more aware of Black culture, tradition, and hope, and this poem helped inspire others to write, something that few authors can ever hope to accomplish. Thus, it represents jazz and blues, two distinctly American forms of music that began in New Orleans and spread throughout the country, coming to represent Black musicians and the Black people. This legacy helped create an antithesis of the poem, because Hughes helped many artists make their dreams come true, rather than "deferring" them as the dreams in the poem were.
Common topics in this essay:
Raisin Sun,
Renaissance Hughes,
Harlem Renaissance,
City Black,
Broadway Rampersad,
Americans Horton-Stallings,
Civil Rights,
Langston Hughes,
Whitaker Dreams,
Hughes Specifically,
dreams true,
black artists,
black community,
hughes poem,
harlem renaissance,
black history,
raisin sun,
black life,
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play raisin,
black history literature,
plight blacks,
black life america,
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