Hughes's Dream

·         “Here is a poet with whom to reckon, to experience, and here and there, with that apologetic feeling of presumption that should companion all criticism…”

-Countee Cullen, from Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, February 1926

·         “Harlem is undoubtedly one of his great loves; the sea is another. Indeed all life is his love and work a brilliant, sensitive interpretation of its numerous facets.”

      -Jessie Fauset, from The Crisis: A Record of the Darker Racers, March 1926

Langston Hughes used literature and music to introduce the world to African American culture and motivate people into accepting their ethnic heritage and identity. Through his poetry, he was able to inspire those around him into believing in a nation that represented people equally.  His role in making jazz an influencial part of American society was an important piece in persuading others that the works of African Americans were just as good, if not better, as those of their white contemporaries, and his legacy has provided the foundation from which others have built their own ideologies.  Hughes's message can be seen throughout his works, and his ideas have led others to recognize the value of diversity and the role of the power struggle in a society.


Authors of this blog are: Seth Powers, Maggie Grenko, Bryan Birks, and Erika Lyon