Langston Hughes What poetry is for; How it is made; Its connection with music

Matthias M. Edrich

ENGL 3060 Modern and Contemporary Literature
Spring Semester 2003
Matthias M. Edrich
matthias@edrich.de

                                        Essay 9
                                      April 1, 2003

Langston Hughes

What poetry is for; How it is made; Its connection with music

       As many African-American poets and authors during the early 20th century,
Langston Hughes, too, addresses issues of racial injustice and oppression within not only
his poetry but also throughout his novels and prose. According to his works and
biography, one can thus interpret his reasons for writing as a way to express the hardships
which he others of his race have had to endure in the past and present. This pain and
undue harshness of society becomes evident in Hughes' "Ballad of the Landlord" (828) in
which he recounts the fate of a black tenant who must bear the price for demanding fair
rent conditions: "Ten Bucks you say I owe you? / Ten Bucks you say is due? / Well, that's
Ten Bucks more'n I'll pay you / Till you fix this house up new. [...] MAN THREATENS
LANDLORD / TENANT HELD NO BAIL / JUDGE GIVES NEGRO 90 DAYS IN
COUNTY JAIL".
       Furthermore, Hughes utilizes prose and poetry as an instrument to express the
immense sense of pride in his race which he feels is an important aspect of African-
American life. In "Dinner Guest: Me" (835), Hughes' dignity in his race becomes evident
when the narrator explains that "To be a Problem on / Park Avenue at eight / Is not so
bad". As he continues towards the end of the poem, "Solutions to the Problem, / Of
course, wait", Hughes expresses his happiness and contentment over society's slowly
gaining awareness of his race's problems and existence. Another example within which

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Hughes revels in pride can be seen in "Negro" (820). Here, the poet not only recognizes
the pain and suffering which his race has had to endure, but also takes great pride its
achievements, as well: "I've been a worker: / Under my hand the pyramids arose. / I made
the mortar for the Woolworth Building".
       Finally, Hughes also wrote poetry "to sell war bonds and to bolster morale" (818)
during World War II. This shows that he sees poetry's function within society not only as
being a way to tell of hardships and sorrow but also as a tool to promote simple joys and
offer entertainment. In his poem "Danse Africaine" (820), for instance, Hughes prompts
the reader to experience the movement and thus be entertained by the rhythms: "The low
beating of the tom-toms, / The slow beating of the tom-toms, / Low . . . slow / Slow . . .
low - / Stirs your blood. / Dance!". He further characterizes some of his work as "light
verse [...] to be read aloud, crooned, shouted, recited, and sung. Some with gestures,
some not".

       Hughes' poetry and prose is marked by his often vernacular use of words and
sentence structures. In "Rent-Party Shout: For a Lady Dancer" (826), for instance, he
imitates spoken language by cutting off word endings and combining elements with
apostrophes: "That man I love is / Mean an' low. / Pistol an' razor! / Razor an' gun! / If I
sees ma man he'd / Better run". This style also creates for a melodic sound, a
characteristic of Hughes' works which will be discussed in the later section.
       With this technique of narration, Hughes draws on "an oral tradition of working-
class folk poetry that [embraces] black vernacular language" (816) at a time when it was
more fashionable to abandon this simplistic style because it was considered to impede
social progress. Thus, turning his head away from the exotic 1920s, Hughes focused more
upon the economic and political issues of the Great Depression and the civil injustice
affecting nearly all Americans – black and white. Thus, poems such as "Midnight Raffle"
imply that fate hits all and that much of life consists of fortune and luck. In Hughes'
poem, the raffle can thus be interpreted as symbolizing life.

       By living in Harlem on and off throughout his life, Hughes was introduced to the
Afro-American influenced style of Jazz music early on. Thus, much of his life revolved

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around this jazz culture and even prompted his exit from Columbia University in favor of
living and experiencing this new and powerful influence which affected not only black
but also white societies during those times. With the help of jazz rhythms and tone,
Hughes capitalized on the style's direct and comprehensible approach to appeal to the
common reader thus making his topics easy to understand and grasp. "Jazzonia" (821)
displays this simplicity with the help of both visual components ("In a whirling cabaret /
Six long-headed jazzers play") as well as the rhythms and musical aspects, which are
common among jazz works. Among others, Hughes thus includes refrains and simple
rhymes which assist in creating a melodious sound. Further, Hughes' poetry, like jazz,
echoes the voices of ordinary blacks thereby giving his work an indigenous appeal to the
African-American generation of the 1920s. In "Danse Africaine" (820), the tom-toms for
example combine this heritage with modern poetry.

Hughes' Cultural Strategies

          Langston Hughes displays various cultural aspects within his prose and poetry
and thereby creates themes around which the plot (or story) evolves. Among others, one
such cultural strategy is his intertwining of indigenous aspects in poetry and prose. In
"Danse Africaine", for instance, the narrator talks of tom-toms – drums typically found in
Africa.
          Another such element includes racial pride. Hughes includes this within most of
his works not only to display the pride he personally feels for his race, but also to both
create awareness of a negro heritage as well as to show his readers that fellow African-
Americans do indeed have a common history for which they should openly feel pride.
Hughes' poem "I, Too" displays such pride when the narrator explains that "Tomorrow, /
I'll be at the table / When company comes. / Nobody'll dare / say to me, / 'Eat in the
kitchen,' / Then".
          Hughes also uses music to contextualize his prose and poems. Thus, with the help
of jazz rhythms and tone, he capitalizes on the style's direct and comprehensible approach
to appeal to the common reader thus making his topics easy to understand and grasp by

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those who surround him: "ladie's maids and truck drivers, laundry workers and shoe shine
boys, seamstresses and porters" (836).
       Another strategic cultural element, which Hughes uses throughout his works, is
his romanticization of Africa. Going hand in hand with racial pride within his poems,
Hughes describes the African-American's heritage and illuminates the fact that blacks
should feel proud for having traditions of their own. Thus, in "Negro" (820) he
emphasizes that his roots originate in Africa: "I am a Negro: / Black as the night is black,
/ Black like the depths of my Africa".
       Last but not least, within many of his literary works, Hughes perception of "evil"
is met by a lack of concern – though he nonetheless recognizes its existence. As Donald
B. Gibson states (837), Hughes seems to believe that "the evil [...] about which he wrote
so frequently in his poems [...] would be eradicated with the passage of time". This can
be evidenced within poems such as "I, Too" (819) or "Dinner Guest: Me" (834).
       Although some of these cultural strategies may seem out of place for today's
society, I believe that Hughes' poems nevertheless continue to create strong messages for
whomever reads them. Thus, for instance, indigenous elements within literature continue
to remind the reader of the associated origins and traditions. Further, though today's
society has developed greatly in regards to civil rights, I believe that emphasis on racial
pride is nonetheless an crucial and essential aspect of "black" literature. Thus, this may be
the only resource available to readers today which can remind them of past social
injustice and provide for lessons that will be passed on from generation to generation. In
addition, these elements not only make up today's American culture but are also a part of
nearly all who have opened themselves up to American traditions such as Jazz and
Harlem influences. As Onwuchekwa Jemie quotes Hughes within his critical perspective
of the poet, "I do not understand the tendency today that some [...] seek to run away from
[our culture] when it is our music that has given America its greatest music, our humor
that has enriched its entertainment media, our rhythm that has guided its dancing feet
from plantation days to the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, and currently the Madison" (841).
       However, I do agree with Countee Cullen that many of Langston Hughes' works
focus too strictly on racial themes and thus may shed little light on the poet's literary
versatility. Since nearly all poems commit to describing hardships or fate of African-

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Americans, it is hard to compare Hughes to other poets given that there may not be
enough width to his works and thus not offer the breadth of issues needed. Nonetheless, I
firmly believe that comparisons and a broad array of topics may not be indicative of a
great literary writer. Indeed, numerous poets and novelists such as John Steinbeck, Jane
Austin and Erich Kästner committed themselves to focused and specific issues.