By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’ was the first mature poem that Langston Hughes (1901-67) had published, in 1921. The poem bears the influence of Walt Whitman, but is also recognisably in Hughes’ own emerging, distinctive voice.
Tag: Langston Hughes
A Summary and Analysis of Langston Hughes’ ‘Thank You, Ma’am’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Thank You, Ma’am’ is a 1958 short story by the African-American poet, novelist, and short-story writer Langston Hughes (1901-67). In the story, a teenage boy attempts to steal a woman’s purse, but she catches him and takes him back to her home, showing him […]
A Summary and Analysis of Langston Hughes’ ‘Theme for English B’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Theme for English B’ is a 1951 poem by Langston Hughes (1901-67), one of the leading figures in the Harlem Renaissance. In the poem, a young African-American man studying at a college in Harlem describes the piece of homework his white teacher gave his […]
A Summary and Analysis of Langston Hughes’ ‘Harlem’ (Dream Deferred)
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Harlem’ is a short poem by Langston Hughes (1901-67). Hughes was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance in New York in the 1920s. Over the course of a varied career he was a novelist, playwright, social activist, and journalist, but it is for […]
A Short Analysis of Langston Hughes’ ‘Mother to Son’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Langston Hughes (1901-67) was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance in New York in the 1920s. Over the course of a varied career he was a novelist, playwright, social activist, and journalist, but it is for his poetry that Hughes is now best-remembered. […]