e went to high school. It was in Lincoln that Hughes wrote his first poem after being elected class poet by his fellow classmates. Hughes, the only black at his school, said that the only reason that he was elected was that his peers felt that he must have a good sense of rhythm because of the color of his skin. This position of class poet sparked Hughes’ love for poetry and was the start of his life as a poet. Hughes soon began to write poetry quite frequently and he kept it all in a journal secret from other people. Langston Hughes is most famous for his poetry yet he also had a number of different careers throughout his lifetime. He was an author, poet, playwright, song lyricist, and lecturer starting in 1921. In the years of 1920-1921 he was an English teacher in Mexico. In the years of 1949-1950 Hughes can be credited with founding community theatres in major cities across the United States such as Harlem, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In following, what is the American Dream? When asked, this question would receive a variety of responses, yet the main response would probably be freedom. One distinctive mark of the great writing of the Harlem Renaissance includes the development of a creative voice that both explains Black history and pain and transforms this explanation into “High” art, despite its association with “Low” people. Some writers, such as Langston Hughes, attempt this transformation by seeking to elevate the sense of crudeness associated with blackness. In many ways, Hughes sets the standard for this distinctive mark: his writing consistently exhibits a voice that embraces the African-American experience through art in an act of glorification rather than shame. Throughout much of his poetry, Hughes uses an intelligent, perceptive grasp of language to elucidate the plight of the African-American and the shortcomings of anti-Black society. In addition, Hughes embraces human pain -- specifically ...
