10.3 Langston Hughs

Langston Hughs was born in 1902. He became the leader of the writers who created Harlem Renaissance. He lived and worked in Paris and Italy before he returned to the United States. He had always had an interest in writing poetry.  He attended Columbia University. His most popular works were news paper sketches written for the Chicago Defender. Throughout his life he worked as a cook’s helper, a busboy, and a seaman.  Hugh’s was a humorist and a historian on the lives of black Americans.  Hugh’s wrote everything from short stories to lyrics.  As a young man he was even elected class poet.  Hugh’s used his work to speak out for the black community and its culture.  In his poem, “The Weary Blues” Hugh’s puts rhythm and structure into wonderful jazz inspired lyrics.  A picture is painted of a man playing the blues. He uses the blues to deal with society.

The story “On The Road” was a very unusual story. A man named sergeant was walking in the snow cold, hungry, and sleepy he was trying to find a place to go. He had been to a lot of shelters seeking food and a place to stay they were all full. He sees a parsonage and the man turns him away. Then he sees a church and white mans church. He tries to open the door but it was locked .Then he tries to push the door open when the cops come and the church falls along with the cross. Sergeant walks down the road still looking for shelter. He looks beside him and Christ is there talking to him. He thanks sergeant for getting him off the cross; he had been there a long time. Christ tells him he is going to Kansas City. They part ways and sergeant goes to the jungle to sleep. When he wakes he walks to the train station to jump on a coal car. When he pulls himself up a cop starts beating him. He tries several times and can’t make it. The cop tells him he isn’t in the jungle anymore and this isn’t a train car it’s jail as he beats him across the knuckles. Then he realizes he is in jail and it must have been a dream. He wonders if Christ made it to Kansas. He sees the dried blood from the beating at the church the night before. Then he wonders if they had arrested him and was it a dream all along.