Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was a great writer for the civil rights movement. A movement in which blacks and whites were separated and were not equal to one another.

Blacks and whites had unequal job opportunities, blacks were looked down upon by whites and were treated like less of people than the whites. Langston Hughes was a big part of this movement by writing about the struggles of having dark skin and writing about how he did not have the same opportunities in life because of his skin color. The civil rights movement influenced Langston Hughes writing by giving him stronger feelings about it and making him almost angry and want to do something and the best thing for him to do about it would be to write about it so many people can see it and hear about the struggles blacks go through everyday. Hughes uses good imagery in his writings like his poem “As I grew older” Hughes talks about a wall coming up and stopping him from reaching his goals. That really grabs the readers attention and helps the reader to understand better what he is talking about. The wall is representing his skin color, he is saying that because he is black it stops him from accomplishing things he would like to accomplish.

The civil rights movement was a huge step in breaking down barriers that all men are created equal and no one should be treated differently just because of their skin color. The world we live in today is not completely clear of racism but its a lot better than it was 50 years ago. Langston Hughes impact on readers was making them feel what he felt and helping them to understand the struggles he went through having black skin and he shows the readers that there is no reason for skin color to stop people from following their dreams. Hughes does a very good job at making the reader feel how wrong things are and that there needs to be a change for all people. Langston Hughes was an amazing writer who taught many of his readers that no matter what you look like, no matter where you’re from and no matter what the color of your skin is you are all equal to each other.