The Harlem Renaissance was a great time of achievement for the black
poets and writers of the 1920s and early '30s. Many had a hard life
living in the Harlem district of New York city. The foundations of
this movement were laid in the social and political thought of the
early 20th century.
One of the most famous of these black political leaders was W.E.B.
DuBois. DuBois was the editor of the influential magazine "The
Crisis." In this magazine he repeatedly rejected the notion that
blacks could achieve social equality by following white ideals and
standards. He strongly strove for the renewal of black racial pride
through increased emphasis on their African culture and heritage.
Langston Hughes, another writer of the Harlem Renaissance, is known
and remembered for writing during the movement, but not being guided
by a common literary purpose. The only issue that greatly influenced
his writings was his own experiences with being an African
American.
Langston Jughes poems and writings realistically depicted the life of
black Americans. These were lives and situations many people outside
their race knew nothing about. His work was of high quality and won a
favorable reception from the major publishing houses, who were
willing to promote his writings only for commercial reasons. Many of
these publishing houses stressed their notion of Harlem as an alien,
but also as an exotic and unknown place of strange new wonders.
During the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes had four major writings that
promoted the African Negritude Movement. The first was a critical
essay entitled "The Negro Artist and the Racial Movement," which
discussed the excitement of this time period. Later, he would write
"The Big Sea," an autobiography stating the hardships in his life due
to his race.
The other two influentioal writings of Hughes, was his two poems,
"The Weary Blues" and "Fine Clothes to the Jew." Both were
experimental in content and form, which made Jughes leary of their
acceptance. Fortunately, they both were accepted and provided a much
needed strength to the movement.
Langston Hughes is greatly remembered for his genius for merging the
comic and the pathetic. His works also influenced many humorists and
satirists. But of all his gifts to society, his most enduring was his
belief in the commonality of all cultures and the universality of
human suffering. This was his main reason for being so involved
during the Harlem Renaissance and the black movement.
W.E.B. DuBois and Langston Hughes along with several other poets and
writers created what is remembered as the Harlem Renaissance. Without
their expressions of true black life during the 1920s and early '30s,
African Americans would not be where they are today on the road to
equality and complete freedom.