Langston Hughes - Annotated Bibliography Example

Langston Hughes Dace, Tish. “On Langston Hughes: Pioneering Poet”. The American Poetry Review 24 (6 1995. 35-38. Web. 24 Sept. 2012 .The African American literature was spearheaded by Langston Hughes who had an African American origin. His poems were meant do away with the aspect of discrimination against the Americans who had the African origin. Here, he stressed on the need for all citizens of America to be treated equally without looking at the skin color. Through his writing skills in poetry, he condemned the habit of hiding the personal identity as a black American that was being practiced by some of the poets.

Hughes, Langston. “I Too”. Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 1996. 1258. Print.In this text, Langston expresses the need to fight for the right of citizenship and equal treatment among the Americans. He states that, for people to be given equal treatment despit of belonging in different races, they have to be firm on what they believe in. He stresses that individuals must not be judged by their outside look instead of getting to know his or her ability since the better side of a person might be hidden.

By stating that “I, too am an American” in his poem, he illustrates that he is still an American even though he is black in color and therefore should be treated fairly and equally to the whites. Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 1996. 1254. Print.One of the famous poems cited by Langston Hughes, ‘the great rivers’ covers a wide range of things such as tales, songs, knowledge, lore and the beliefs that were brought to North America by Africans.

As a result of representing this literature inform of poems, the transformation of cultural, social and political landscape of the American history has been made possible.Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 1996. 1254. Print.The literature of African American became protean in twentieth century. After a period of ten years (1920-1932), Harlem Renaissance is believed to have produced an innovative and diverse literature.

The Harlem Renaissance literary culture led to the establishment of accords that were much more productive. These agreements mainly pointed at the literal aspirations of people with the origin of African American thus laying the theoretical foundation and indestructible culture which were meant to be built up by the upcoming writers. There was no other movement in America that was much productive, influential and vibrant as compared to this movement.Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”.

Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 1996. 1268. Print The blues and jazz were used in the poem inform of expressions to bring out the Negro traditions. The poems portrayed the aspect of tribulations, trials and struggle among the black Americans. The main aim was to point out how the African American people were being mistreated and the need for them to seek justice. As a result, the efforts bore fruits since the white Americans started respecting the people with black color which was never the case in the beginning.

Hughes, Langston. “No Half-Freedoms”. Langston Hughes and the Chicago Defender. Ed. Christopher D. Santis. USA: U of Illinois P, 1995. 25. Print.In the struggle for freedom and equality among the Americans, Langston Hughes addressed the issue through his poems. In his opinion, he wanted people to be judged by their abilities instead of looking at the skin color of the individual before giving a judgment. Leach, Laurie F. Langston Hughes: A Biography. Westport: Greenwood, 2004. 2. Print.

Langston Hughes was born in North America among the African American community. He was from a very humble background whereby no one in their family was on employment. Due to the fact that his father could not provide for the family, he was forced to look for other means in order to survive. It was during the hard times that he developed his interest in citing the poems. Through his creativity, he cited various poems that reflected on the African American way of life, their tradition and the American politics.

Works citedDace, Tish. “On Langston Hughes: Pioneering Poet”. The American Poetry Review 24 (6): 1995. 35-38. Web. 24 Sept. 2012 .Hughes, Langston. “I Too”. Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 1996. 1258. Print.Hughes, Langston. “No Half-Freedoms”. Langston Hughes and the Chicago Defender. Ed. Christopher D. Santis. USA: U of Illinois P, 1995. 25. Print Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”.

Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 1996. 1268. Print.Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 1996. 1254. Print.Leach, Laurie F. Langston Hughes: A Biography. Westport: Greenwood, 2004. 2. Print.