I have discovered in life
that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.
-Langston Hughes
A Day in Langston Hughes Life 1902-1967
Langston Hughes wrote many of his poems and books based on his experiences as a black man through life. He saw
many of the hardships and struggles that his people had to endure in a country that was supposed to represent freedom. Due
to this he wanted to show the beauty and the struggles of his people through his writings hoping that the rest of the world
would see this and try to make a change for the better. Hughes’s work often represented the idea of achieving his dreams,
symbolizing the goals he wanted to accomplish for himself and his people, or showing the true secrets of America and freedom
or his everyday experiences growing up whether it was his experiences or someone else’s.
Examples:
Dream Deferred
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a
sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it
just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?
Dreams
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold
fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
Merry-Go-Round
Where is the Jim Crow section On this merry-go-round, Mister, cause I want to ride? Down
South where I come from White and colored Can't sit side by side. Down South on the train There's a Jim Crow
car. On the bus we're put in the back— But there ain't no back To a merry-go-round! Where's the horse
For a kid that's black?
I, Too
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When
company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.
Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company
comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then.
Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And
be ashamed--