The Unfortunate Reality for Racism in the Poetry of Langston Hughes

The black community has faced countless numbers of social injustices throughout their lives which is what Langston focuses his pieces around. Though many people would like for equality to be true, society is a ways away from making that the case. Langston Hughes poetry we will discuss shines light on the topic of black lives in America during the time of the 1920s.

Hughes was seen as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance, which was a time period where people assisted in helping others acknowledge and celebrate black culture instead of belittling their lifestyle. He uses his experiences throughout life as his inspiration for each poem and the poems are still relevant in today’s world which draws readers, including myself, to read his pieces of literature. In “You and Your Whole Race” Hughes describes the irritation when discussing how some of the black community was unsure how to move forward from past and present hardships endured, so they accepted the unequal treatment. He was sending a message declaring they must “look down upon white folks… and upon [themselves]… and be ashamed;” (Lines 4–6) due to the fact that they have simply allowed their future to be substantially different than that of a white person.

Though it may not seem like Hughes’s pieces of literature are positively hopeful “Daybreak in Alabama” says otherwise. It is upliftingly hopeful in the sense that he is envisioning a better future for African Americans. He begins with “when I get to be a colored composer… I’m gonna write me some music about… daybreak in Alabama;” (Lines 1–3) suggesting that there will be some form of peace and equality within different racial communities throughout America. Hughes chose to use Alabama as the reference because during the time period in which this piece was written Alabama was commonly known to have racial discrimination and segregation compacted in their state. Thus, using Alabama emphasizes the true peace that will have been created in their future. Overall, Hughes pieces come together to display that peace for the community cannot exist without remembering and celebrating black culture. Additionally, they must continue to celebrate even if they feel helplessly drained from discouraging situations that they are constantly put in.