American Ligature
Langston Hughes was one of the most influential writers during the Harlem
Renaissance. He was born on February 1, 1902 to his parents, James Nathaniel Hughes
and Caroline Mercer Langston. Soon after his birth they separated and he lived with his
grandmother until she died when he was in his early teens. He was known to use the
rhythm of Black African music in his poems and inspired many African and White
Americans through the numerous amounts of poetry he has written. His poetry
Was written about his pride in his heritage and his dislike with the oppression he saw.
The Harlem Renaissance was a period from 1918-1937, although a scholar from
Temple University thought it began much earlier. According to the book, ‘A
Renaissance in Harlem, the scholar from Temple University thought that it began
as soon as the slaves starting coming north. He thought that it was only noticed
a century later when the Arts started showing in the buildings of Harlem. Langston
Hughes cited the Harlem Renaissance as a “period when Harlem was in Vogue.”
(Williams 9) It was a time when African American culture
got really big, especially in the creative arts. Many of the writers of this time called
the Harlem Renaissance ‘Negro Renaissance’ or the ‘New Negro Renaissance’ because
it wasn’t just Harlem where the African American Arts were becoming big.
According to the book, ‘A Renaissance in Harlem: Lost Voices of an American
Community’, the Harlem Renaissance had started after Prohibition and slowed down
after 1929, when the stock market crashed. Most people believe that it was decades of
a time in Harlem in all areas of art. Dance, Theater and Visual Arts were becoming
very big in Harlem, but it was the literature that really blossomed during this period. The
Renaissance. He was born on February 1, 1902 to his parents, James Nathaniel Hughes
and Caroline Mercer Langston. Soon after his birth they separated and he lived with his
grandmother until she died when he was in his early teens. He was known to use the
rhythm of Black African music in his poems and inspired many African and White
Americans through the numerous amounts of poetry he has written. His poetry
Was written about his pride in his heritage and his dislike with the oppression he saw.
The Harlem Renaissance was a period from 1918-1937, although a scholar from
Temple University thought it began much earlier. According to the book, ‘A
Renaissance in Harlem, the scholar from Temple University thought that it began
as soon as the slaves starting coming north. He thought that it was only noticed
a century later when the Arts started showing in the buildings of Harlem. Langston
Hughes cited the Harlem Renaissance as a “period when Harlem was in Vogue.”
(Williams 9) It was a time when African American culture
got really big, especially in the creative arts. Many of the writers of this time called
the Harlem Renaissance ‘Negro Renaissance’ or the ‘New Negro Renaissance’ because
it wasn’t just Harlem where the African American Arts were becoming big.
According to the book, ‘A Renaissance in Harlem: Lost Voices of an American
Community’, the Harlem Renaissance had started after Prohibition and slowed down
after 1929, when the stock market crashed. Most people believe that it was decades of
a time in Harlem in all areas of art. Dance, Theater and Visual Arts were becoming
very big in Harlem, but it was the literature that really blossomed during this period. The
Cited: Rowen, Beth and Borgna, Brunner. “Great Days in Harlem: The Birth of the Harlem Renaissance.” Infoplease/Pearson Education, 2007. Bascom, Lionel. “Lost Voices of an American Community” Avon/HarperCollins, 2007 Publishers, Inc. 2001.