The Harlem Renaissance saw many writers, poets, and artists, but Langston Hughes was the best contributor to the period with his protest poems touching on African Americans’ livelihoods and experiences. During this period, most of his poems demanded answers to the many social issues that the black faced, including racism and other forms of discrimination. Hughes’s poems, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “I, Too,” and “Harlem” are mainly on the African-American themes, and they portray the daily life and experiences of the black. Through the protest poetry technique, these poems address African Americans’ experiences and the various social inequality issues they encountered since they were not as privileged as their white counterparts.
The poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” depicts Hughes’s closeness to the African-American culture in which he had much pride. In this work, Hughes traces African American history since the beginning of human civilization, including the horrors, such as slavery, and triumphs, for example, the building of pyramids in Egypt. Therefore, although Blacks were a neglected race during the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes maintains that their contributions to human civilization are vital. The poem underscores the fact that African Americans have been the guiding forces in humankind’s significant developments. The speaker in the poem emphasizes how profound his or her experiences were, including knowing the rivers which were “ancient as the world” (Hughes, 2016, p. 8). Therefore, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” represents the voice of African American culture, the center of all humanity.
Langston Hughes’s “I, Too” is a protest song against all forms of discrimination that African Americans faced during the Harlem Renaissance. The black were sidelined in many aspects, and Hughes wrote the poem from a slave’s or a domestic servant’s perspective, referred to as the “darker brother” (Hughes, 2016, p. 9). The speaker is hopeful that tomorrow, he will join the rest at the metaphoric table and will not allow anyone to send him back to the kitchen. The poem has an optimistic tone and is critical of the rampant racism and discrimination in America, and the speaker is positive that “nobody will dare” deny him a chance to be a part of American culture (Hughes, 2016, p. 12). Therefore, Hughes’s “I, Too” is voicing a black person’s lamentations against being sidelined from the American society they are a crucial part of.
The poem “Harlem” illustrates a deferred dream, and Hughes wonders what will happen to such a postponed dream. The black community in Harlem endured racial injustice, which delayed the pursuit of racial equality. This poem describes the possible outcomes of the delayed dream, for example, stinking as rotten meat, drying up as a raisin in the sun, or festering as a sore (Hughes, 2016). The dreamers, African Americans, need to claim what is rightfully theirs, and society must reckon with this dream. To all the questions the speaker asks, the last line of the poem, “Or does it explode?” answers the poem’s first question since the dream remains unrealized (Harlem, 2016). The poem hints at a possible breakout of violence signified by the poet’s illusion of an explosion of the delayed dreams. Therefore, this poem illustrates that the black Americans, always labeled second-class citizens, will claim what is rightfully theirs, and the speaker of the poem predicts an entirely different outcome – explosion, which symbolizes violence.
In conclusion, the Harlem Renaissance was a period when the black community was facing various forms of discrimination, and Langston Hughes decided to base much of his works on questioning the practice. His persistent questioning of social inequality enabled him to earn the title of the most significant contributor to the Harlem Renaissance with his protest poetry advocating for racial equality and respect. In all these three poems, Hughes advocates for African Americans’ rights since most Blacks were considered second-class citizens, against their positive expectation of being a vital part of American culture. Hughes’s poetry is still relevant today since the Blacks’ dream of equality has not been realized, and reading these poems gives African Americans the hope that one day they will achieve equality.
Reference
Hughes, L. (2016). Selected poems of Langston Hughes. Vintage.