Langston Hughes, a Man of Many Virtues
             Langston Hughes is one of the most well-known black poet and short story writer in our country today. He is also famous for his willingness to write on subjects important and close to him, and never being afraid to stand up for what he believes in. Through his poetry and short story writing, Langston Hughes is able to incorporate not only unique ideas, but social issues important to him, personal family matters, African American lifestyle, and even forms of music. For these reasons, his writing is personal, and readers feel intrigued to read it as they are able to relate to him and the issues presented to them through his writing.
             Langston Hughes was a writer with a purpose, he wrote about many social issues, all of which were important to him and close at heart. He was one of the first African American men in United States history to achieve his own literary goals and make a successful career for himself, even despite the overwhelming obstacles black men faced in the 1920's and 30's (Barksdale 514-15). Hughes developed as a writer of progress and change over time, due to his protest of expression and exclusion of certain cultures through his writing (Bloom, "Thematic Analysis Song for Dark Girl" 53). Hughes saw and used his writing as a way to fight the injustice that blacks in America faced daily; he viewed his writing as his own personal weapon for African American equality (Bryant 7). Others, who read Hughes' work during his lifetime, were very much influenced, despite their race. Non-blacks learned to accept and learn that African American artists were an important part of American art and culture and would continue to be as time advanced (40). With his career in writing, Hughes was not interested in the fame it brought, he just wanted others to understand the message he was trying to send, "Perhaps the mission of an artist is to interpret the be...