1. Kyle Hood and Crystal Hodge
Langston Hughes
Kyle Hood and Crystal Hodge

2. Background Birth Name: James Mercer Langston Hughes
Born February 1, in Joplin, Missouri
Parent’s: James Hughes and Carrie Langston, Separated after his birth.
Raised primarily by his grandmother before she died in his teens
Graduated from high school in 1920
Around the sametime, Hughes's poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"

3. Background (Cont’d)
1921, Hughes moves back to the states and enrolled at Columbia University after a year he dropped out.
Signed as a steward on a freighter to Africa and Spain.
Left ship in 1924 to live in Paris and continue to develop and publish poetry till he returned the same year in November.
In 1925, he was working as a busboy in a Washington, D.C. hotel restaurant when he met American poet Vachel Lindsay. Hughes showed some of his poems to Lindsay, who was impressed enough to use his connections to promote Hughes’s poetry and ultimately bring it to a wider audience.
in 1929, Hughes received his Bachelor’s Degree from the Historically Black college: Lincoln University.

4. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
Free Verse poem
Written in 1920 at the young age of 17.
Published in Crisis magazine in 1921
Identification with Africa/ cultural awareness
Strong symbolism elements

5. From The Big Sea
In 1940, Hughes's autobiography up to age 28, The Big Sea, was published.
In The Big Sea he recounts those memorable years in the two great playgrounds of the decade, Harlem and Paris.

6. “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”
short essay written by in 1926 for The Nation magazine.
Instead they should be proud of who they are, proud to be black, and draw from black culture. Not “white is right” but, as we would now say, “Black is beautiful”.
The essay outlined his philosophy on art and what he saw as the quintessential problem facing black artists
Allow young black other to be black and American

7. Langston Hughes’s Accomplishments
Harmon Gold Medal for Literature (1930)
Guggenheim Fellowship (1935)
Honorary Doctor of Letters, Lincoln University (1943)
NAACP Spingarn Medal (1960)
American Academy of Arts and Letters (1961)

8. Connections
First started writing poetry when introduced to Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman by one his teachers which is reflected in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” based on similarities and philosophy symbolism.
Langston Hughes admired W.E.B DuBois and his works, dedicated “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” in his honor post publication.
In “The Negro Artist and Racial Mountain”, how are elements of W.E.B DuBois’ “Double Conscienous” presented.

9. Langston Hughes Reciting “The Weary Blues”

10. Discussion Questions
How is Hughes’ radical political stance reflected in his works, particularly in “The Negro Artist and Racial Mountain”?
In “The Big Sea” Hughes speaks of going to nightclubs and seeing shows, such as Shuffle Along, how did this affect his work?
What was the name of the magazine Hughes started with a few fellow Literary artists? What were some possible challenges of starting the magazine?
How does Hughes’ literary works support W.E.B DuBois ideology in the”Talented Tenth”?

11. Work Cited
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Langston Hughes: Harlem Renaissance."Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov Web. 29 Feb
Biography.com Editors. "Langston Hughes Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 29 Feb
Gates, Henry Louis, and Valerie Smith.The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.