Langston Hughes And Gwendolyn Brooks - 1464 Words

Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks are regarded as highly influential poets in African American literature, which continues to inspire writers to this day. Langston Hughes is a well-known pioneer of the Harlem Renaissance, a movement in which African Americans in Harlem during post World War I and the early 1930’s began a cultural and artistic revolution. During this time, African American musicians, artists, writers, and poets revolutionized their position in and through many artistic fields of expression. This cultural and artistic revolution redefined how America viewed the African American population, which garnered respect and criticism from Americans nationwide. Gwendolyn Brooks, an African American poet also in the 19th century, was introduced to Langston Hughes at a young age peeking her interest in the Harlem Renaissance that eventually became a foundation and influence in her writing. Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes share similarities in the writing as she was highly inspired by Langston Hughes, but also share many differences that are responsible for making their pieces of writing unique to other authors and each other. Gwendolyn Brooks often expressed the prejudices of being an African American in her writing. In her 1959 popular poem â€Å"We Real Cool,† published as part of â€Å"The Bean Eaters† (Layng), Gwendolyn Brooks educates readers on what often befell African American youths that chose to leave school and engage in illegal activities. The poem describesShow MoreRelatedUse of Prosody in the Selected Poems of Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes1918 Words   |  8 Pagesrethink and explore on the subject. Using two poets works as comparison, we can see how prosody can be represented in the text. Using selected poems by these two writers, Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks, also helps us in determining how significant prosody in the completeness of the poems. Born in 1902, Langston Hughes was raised mainly by his maternal grandmother, who was also a great influence in his life. Though he has also lived with each of his parents for irregular periods, he has alsoRead MoreEssay about The Harlem Renaissance1515 Words   |  7 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Harlem Renaissance Poets consist of: James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Jean (Eugene) Toomer, Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, Robert Hayden, and Gwendolyn Brooks. These eight poets contributed to modern day poetry in three ways. One: they all wrote marvelous poems that inspired our poets of modern times. Two: they contributed to literature to let us know what went on in there times, and how much we now have changed. And last but not least they all have written poems thatRead More Gwendolyn Brooks We Real Cool Essay1347 Words   |  6 PagesGwendolyn Brooks We Real Cool The poem We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks is a stream of the thoughts of poor inner city African-Americans who have adopted a hoodlum lifestyle. Though many can have different interpretations of this poem, it is fair to look at the life and career or the works and influences of Gwendolyn Brooks. The life and art of the black American poet, Gwendolyn Brooks, began on June 7, 1917 when she was born in Topeka, Kansas. She was the first child of Keziah CorineRead MoreGwendolyn Brooks As A Poet2100 Words   |  9 PagesGwendolyn Brooks was born in Topeka, Kansas on June 7, 1917, to her parents David and Keziah Brooks, after her birth, the Brooks’ decided to move the family to the South Side of Chicago. Where Brooks grew up and lived the rest of her life there, there Brooks would experience racial prejudice in school. The young poet found comfort in reading and writing, which her parents actively encouraged Brooks’ mother declared to her, that she is going to be a poet. Brooks published her first poem EventideRead MoreMy Mother By Claude Mckay, The Mother, And The Negro Mother1936 Words   |  8 PagesBarbara Kingsolver once said, â€Å"Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.† This is true and can be seen in the way that motherhood is portrayed in the poems, My Mother by Claude McKay, the mother by Gwendolyn Brooks, and The Negro Mother by Langston Hughes. Claude McKay was born in Jamaica in September of 1889. After publishing his first books, Songs of Jamaica and Constab Ballads, he moved to Harlem, New York. Here, He established himself as a literary voice for social injusticeRead MoreRacial Prejudice By Langston Hughes990 Words   |  4 PagesRacial tensions were even more prevalent in the twentieth century. Langston Hughes was a poet who really tried to bring attention to the growing racial tensions until his death in the late 60s. Throughout his life, Hughes was influenced by the time he grew up in and by his own family; he wrote to free the black culture and literature from racial pride. Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri to Carrie and James Nathaniel Hughes. His father wanted to become a lawyer, but the Oklahoma bar examinationRead MoreRichard Wright s Black Boy1310 Words   |  6 Pagesby discouraging their aspirations for a better life. Richard Wright from the book Black Boy, John H. Johnson from the article Celebrating the Life and Legacy of John H. Johnson 1918-2005 and many other people listed in the article Whose Canon? Gwendolyn Brooks: Founder at the center of Margins, have experienced this first hand. But in the end, aspirations lead to accomplishments if you have the power to overcome others doubts. Black Boy, an autobiography written by Richard Wright, shows the effectsRead MoreDreams Deferred And Pleas For Help Unheard : The Effects Of Racism991 Words   |  4 Pages Dreams Deferred and Pleas for Help Unheard: The Effects of Racism Langston Hughes’s poem â€Å"Harlem† and William Faulkner’s â€Å"That Evening Sun† both provide unique and impactful takes on systematic racism in the post-slavery United States. Neither piece explicitly confronts or names the racism depicted in them, illustrating how casual racial prejudice and its effects on its victims are often viewed as inconsequential or innocent – and therefore are dangerously insidious. Both â€Å"Harlem† and â€Å"That EveningRead MoreEssay on The Poetry of Langston Hughes During the Harlem Renaissance1694 Words   |  7 Pagesartistic movement it was. II. Langston Hughes â€Å"I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older Than the flow of human blood in human veins. My soul has grown deep like the rivers.† â€Å"I’ve Known Rivers†-Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes, (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was born in Joplin, Missouri, to James Nathaniel and Caroline Hughes in 1902. Hughes’ parents were of mixed-race, and Langston Hughes was of African American, EuropeanRead MoreGwendolyn Brooks : Poetry And Poetry2960 Words   |  12 PagesGwendolyn Brooks Poets and poetry surround us in our everyday lives . From Langston Hughes to Phyllis Wheatley. One that is commonly known is Gwendolyn Brooks. Brooks is highly recognized in the poetry world especially for being the first black female poet to win the Pulitzer Prize. In regards to Brooks’ poetry it is no disappointment for her words are heart wrenching and thought provoking. Brooks focuses on the struggle of African Americans and sheds light on the poverty and issues they go through