Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Biographies Biography on Langston Hughes Biography on Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. He was named after his father, James Hughes, but was known called Langston. He was the only child from his parents James and Carrie Hughes. His parents were not married for long because of an unhappy marriage. When they separated, Langston was left with his mother, who left him behind to move from city to city to find work. Langston ended up living with his 70 year-old grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas. He lived with her until he was 13, and then he moved back with his mother in Lincoln, Kansas after his grandmother died in 1915. Langston, his mother, and his new stepfather lived in Lincoln for a year, until his stepfather found work and then they all moved to Ohio, where Langston went to high school. Langston went to a high school called Central High. After 2 years, Langston’s mother and stepfather moved to Chicago, but Hughes stayed in Cleveland to Graduate from high school. Langston was very devoted in high school. His first piece of verse was published in Central High Monthly, which was a very prominent school magazine, which he later became staff of and published his work monthly. One of Langston’s English teachers introduced him to writers such as Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman, which became Langston’s earliest influences. In the summer after 11th grade, Langston’s father reentered his life. He was living in Toluca, Mexico. Hughes went to visit his father that summer but they did not get along. This conflict helped to contribute to Langston’s maturity. When Langston returned to school for his senior year, his writing matured. In that year, he began writing poetry of distinction. After Langston graduated, he planned to return to Mexico, and to try to convince his father to pay for his college at Columbia University in New York City. On the way to Mexico, on a train, Langston thought about his past and his future and wrote “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. When Langston got to Mexico, tension between him and his father was very strong. His father wanted him to become and engineer, and Langston wanted to be a writer. Langston sent poetry to Brownies Book and Crisis Magazine, and it was accepted and published. This impressed his father, so he agree to pay for college. Langston entered college in the fall of 1921, and after his first year he dropped out. This is when he became involved with the art scene in Harlem. Langston began regularly publishing his work in the Crisis and Opportunity magazines. When Langston won first prize for his poem "The Weary Blues", which was in the poetry section of the 1925 Opportunity magazine literary contest, his literary career began. His first volume of poetry called The Weary Blues came out in 1926. In Langston’s poetry, he uses the rhythms of African American music, particularly blues and jazz. He liked blues and jazz extremely. By using this style, his poetry was distinctive from other writers. Hughes's second volume of poetry Fine Clothes to a Jew, was not accepted at the time of its publication because it was too experimental. But there were many critics that believed that it was Hughes's finest work. Langston Hughes returned to school in 1926. He went to a historically black college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called Lincoln University. A wealthy white woman in her seventies named Charlotte Osgood Mason helped Langston with his literary career by convincing him to write the novel Not Without Laughter. But later on their relationship was ended because of fight they had in 1930. At this point in Hughes's life he turned to the political left and began to become interested in socialism. He published poetry in New Masses, a journal associated with the Communist Party, and in 1932 he sailed to the Soviet Union with a group of young African Americans. Later in the 1930s, Hughes's primary writing was for the theater. In 1942, during World War II, Langston began writing a column for the African American newspaper, called the Chicago Defender. In 1943, he introduced the character of Jesse B. Semple, or Simple, to his readers. This fictional character allowed Langston to discuss very serious racial issues while using comedy. The columns were popular and they ran for almost 20 years. In 1947 Langston wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musical "Street Scene". This earned Langston enough money to buy a house in Harlem. He also wrote "Montage of a Dream Deferred," which was known to be one of his best of poetry. It was published in 1951. Langston wrote almost 20 more pieces up until his death. He died on May 22, 1967, which was shortly after a surgery on his prostate gland. Langston’s funeral, upon his request, was a celebration of his life. He requested for his family and friends left behind to celebrate his memory instead of mourning, and he requested for a jazz band to play at his funeral. Bibliography: Word Count: 864
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