1. Poet Showcase: Langston Hughes
Soraj Seyed Mahmoud

2. Background
- Born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri and passed away May 22, 1967 in New York City
Jazz Poet, columnist and lyricist
Ethnicity: African American, White American and Native American
Langston at Lincoln University in 1928

3. Langston the Teen
Second child of school teacher Carrie Langston and James Nathaniel Hughes
Raised mainly by his grandmother, Mary Langston, in Lawrence, Kansas
Lived again with his mother Carrie in Lincoln, Illinois before moving to Ohio where he attended high school
Langston in 1902

4. Langston the Young Adult
Worked various odd jobs, including working as a crewman aboard the S.S. Malone in 1923
Hughes returned to the U. S. in 1924 to live in Washington with his mother
Became a personal assistant to historian at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in 1925
Quit to become a half-time busboy, continuing his love of poetry and producing his first collection, The Weary Blues
The Urban League magazine, Opportunity circa 1923

5. Langston the Poet
Langston depicted the lives of working-class Afro-Americans as full of struggle and pain, but also joy, laughter, and music
Criticized the falsehoods of prejudices specifically towards the black community
Stressed the importance of qualities like resiliency, courage, and humor in times of stress and loss
Hughes employed folk and jazz rhythms into his poetry

6. Poems
Mother to Son
Wealth
Cross

7. Mother to Son
Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So, boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps. 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now— For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

8. Analysis A mother giving life lessons to her son
Central idea is perseverance
Tone is achieved through Langston’s use of
emphasis and exaggeration
Imagery is used to describe the metaphor of the
“staircase of life”, leading to heaven
No consistent meter, but rhythm matches speech

9. Become a Fan Unique style, rhythm and tone
Captures African-American culture and values
Genuinely happy and ‘feel good’ kind of guy
Stays positive
Keeps it simple

10. Sources http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83