Beaming Notes
Your Guide to Literature

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is an African-American poet writing between the 1920s and the 1960s. This entire period was one of black intellectual awakening, with the Harlem Renaissance and the Back to Africa movement framing the opening of the period in the 20s, and the Black Arts movement closing it off in the 60s. Hughes was… Continue reading Dream Variations Summary by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is an African-American poet, who wrote about the struggles of the people of his own community living in urban and semi-urban areas all across the United States. He addressed both the practical difficulties faced by them in their daily lives, living as they did in a white-dominated world, and the emotional problems… Continue reading Dream Boogie Summary by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was greatly influenced by the theory of ‘double-consciousness’ proposed by W. E. B. DuBois, the first African-American to earn a doctorate. Hughes and DuBois were contemporaries, and both played major leading roles during the Harlem Renaissance. Thus, this kind of mutual influence-sharing was only natural. DuBois’ theory said that African-Americans resented being discriminated… Continue reading Dream Boogie Analysis by Langston Hughes

‘Daybreak in Alabama’ was first published in 1940 in a journal called Unquote that was brought out of Yellow Springs, Ohio. There is no identifiable rhyme scheme in the poem. It is written in free verse. However, this does not in any way take away from Hughes’s poetic craft, since each line flows beautifully and… Continue reading Daybreak in Alabama Analysis by Langston Hughes

‘Daybreak in Alabama’ speaks about two kinds of aspirations, both of which were also important to the African-American poet Langston Hughes (1902-1967) in his real life. The first aspiration is explicitly stated within the space of the poem – that of becoming a musical composer. It is well known that Hughes was interested in the… Continue reading Daybreak in Alabama Summary by Langston Hughes

Hughes’ poem “Mother to Son” was first published in Crisis magazine in December 1922. It reappeared in The Weary Blues, Hughes’ first collection of poetry, in 1926. The poem is addressed from a mother to a son, warning him about life’s obstacles. Mother to Son: About the Poet Langston Hughes (1902-67) was an African American… Continue reading Mother to Son: Analysis and Summary