Langston Hughes and August Wilson's Portrayals of African Americans - Research Paper Example

Langston Hughes and August Wilson's Portrayals of African Americans These authors are both know for their writings of plays and short stories that depict the lives of African Americans. Hughes also wrote poems and children’s works. They have both been honored by society for their work. Wilson received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987 and 1990; Hughes received awards and recognition as being listed as one of 100 Greatest African Americans to having a series of postal stamps designs in 2002. Strangely, both were said to have had strained relationships with their fathers and came from a racially mixed background. Both authors wrote of black lives, proclaimed true black proclaimed pride in being black during a period in history that being black meant in during reticular, prejudice, and hardships. This was before James Brown’s song “Say it loud-I’m Black and I’m proud.” These authors inspired and took on roles of leadership in Black pride movements. Langton Hughes was considered an activist before Dr. Martin Luther King. Both authors’ works portrayed African Americans throughout history. Both authors addressed racism, economic bias, social issues. Both authors addressed dealing, coping, excelling or failing. As much as these authors had in common, there are differences in their approaches. This essay will make a comparison of the portrayals of African Americans by Langston Hughes and August Wilson. Your Name 2 Langston Hughes said about writing about African Americans: "The younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased, we are glad. If they are not, it doesn't matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly, too. The tom-tom cries, and the tom-tom laughs. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain free within ourselves. [daddyBstrong 13 May 2009]". This quote represents the pride Langston Hughes portrayed in his African American characters. Langston Hughes said this in connect to his poem “Mother to Son”. In this poem, Hughes portrays a mother telling her son of the hardships he faced in her life and for him not to give in to hardships. She is giving him encouragement to keep going not to allow hardship to stop him. “Without fear or shame” he said. Without fear or shame, he wrote realistic characters into his works. Characters that came from the true experiences in life, both his own and others. Such as his poem “I, too America” or as it is sometimes called “I, too”. Hughes wrote this poem after being denied passage on a ship due to racial prejudice. Hughes was returning to America from Europe at the time. He wanted show the world a discriminated African American at home. In the poem, he describes himself as “the darker brother they send to eat in the kitchen” He says he “laughs . . . eats well . . . grows strong.” He says that someday they will see him as beautiful and “they will be ashamed.” Hughes showed African Americans as “still climbing” and hopeful of a better future [. As with many authors, Hughes drew inspiration from true experiences of others Your Name 3 to create his fictional stories. This is how “Cora Unashamed” was created. It was born from a true story a lawyer told Hughes. Hughes developed it into a fictional story by changing and adding characters. In the resulting story, Cora was a housekeeper-servant with a humbled nature. She was excepting of her conditions. Cora never complained, never protested, fore this was all she knew. She did what was needed, what she had to, without shame. She remained humble through most circumstances, except one. Death. She was “not humble in the face of death”[ ] In telling this story Hughes wrote Cora's character to portray the character lives of many African Americans during the 1930’s, the story's setting. Hardworking, with little comforts, unashamed yet humble described how many lived. It was all they knew, and what they had to do to survive. Hughes also wrote of characters that for them survival was not as high of a priority as the manner that they lived. In "Father and Son" the plantation owner and his son's priority was more centered on how they lived. The Colonel was so stuck in a traditional manner of living that he denied his only children. He denied his feelings for them and he denied all of them, including himself, the opportunity to be a family, the only family he actually had left. Although his son was also stuck in a manner of living. He refused the way that was handed to him and his siblings. He refused the tradition that demanded roles for them to play. The colonel and the tradition called for "niggas, darkies, or yard-niggas" to stay in their place, a place of disrespect, disadvantage and appointment. Those who did not stay in their place were beaten, ran off, or lynched. This even applied to the son who looked just like you. The son choose to stand up for the type of live he wanted to live. This son refused to be a "white folks nigga". He refused to Your Name 4 stay in a place that like that just not to cause trouble in the minds of people that thought like that. Even if it meant facing death. Hughes portrayed a variety of characteristics of African Americans. He successfully shared and emotion from the lives of African Americans August Wilson once said about his writings: "I once wrote a short story called 'The Best Blues Singer in the World' and it went like this: 'The streets that Balboa walked were his own private ocean, and Balboa was drowning.' End of story. That says it all. Nothing else to say. I've been rewriting that same story over and over again. All my plays are rewriting that same story. I'm not sure what it means, other than life is hard." [courttheathre, 14 May 2009] Wilson was mainly a playwright who also wrote of the African American experience. He took on a mission to write a play that represents every decade of the 20th century, the Pittsburg Cycle. All of his plays were set in his hometown of Pittsburg. The Pittsburg Cycle was sometimes called the Century Cycle. It consisted of ten plays. Some of his characters appear in several plays at different ages. Aunt Ester was a popular reoccurring character. She was somewhat of a Methuselah, very, very, old. She was referred to as a “washer of souls”. His plays also had the tendency to have a "tragic" character that would lead the way for other African Americans. Wilson created a mind set in each of his plays to portray the decade(s) it was capturing. He would capture the comedy and the grief of his characters. Although Wilson setting were portray in specific decades he choose not to write of “historical events” or “the pathologies of the black community”. He said that “serious students of history or sociology” have the tools to do that. He was more concerned with creating characters for a playhouse for the community to experience. “Fences” was Wilson’s most popular play. The setting started in 1957.The tragic character in this play was Troy Maxson. The name Maxson came from the Mason-Dixon Line; an imaginary line separating the north from the south in the 1800’s.Wilson often used subtly and metaphors to make a statement. Maxson had moved from the south to the north in search of job opportunities. Maxson was a garage worker who protested to his employer to allow the black workers to drive not just pick up the garbage. He was an ex-Negro League baseball player who retired before the major leagues opened to African American players. Maxson had a son who he did not support in going into the pros. Maxson did not find the opportunities he came searching for. There lived bitterness within him. He wanted to save his son from the disappointments he lived. But unfortunately he was not able to do that. His son’s life was still filled with regret. Maxson died without being able to prevent ir from happening. The title “Fences” was a metaphor used throughout the play he also used baseball as a metaphor. Wilson wanted his audience to walk away believing that no matter what happens that you will be okay. He used things that people were familiar with to express that. “Fences” left you with somewhat a moral or lesson to learn, much as a fable would. Your Name 6 The similarities of Langston Hughes and August will far out weigh there differences. The major differences are in style. Although even in style there are similarities, such as both have use musical rhythm, both, have expressive voices, and the list goes on. But I see with Wilson he wanted his audience to experience his writings. That way he wrote more plays than any other form. Your Name 7 Works Cited Hughes, Langston I, Too Poetry Archive, Internet Explore, web. 13 May 2009 Hughes, Langston Cora Unashamed black girl lost. . . in a book. Windows Internet Explorer web. 13 May 2009 Hughes, Langston Weary Blues daddyBstrong Windows Internet Explorer web 13 May 2009 Hughes, Langston Father And Son, Masterpiece Theatre, Windows Internet Explorer web 14 May 2009 Hughes, Langston Mother to Song Masterpiece Theatre, Windows Internet explorer web 14 May 2009 Wikipedia Langston Hughes Wikipedia Encyclopedia, web. 13 May 2009 Wikipedia August Wilson Wikipedia Encyclopedia, web 13 May 2009 Nadine C. Warner August Wilson Quotes, courttheatre, Windows Internet Explorer web 14 May 2009 Read More