Langston Hughes - Poetry & On the Road

Langston Hughes was a very successful black writer who was the first black American to support himself as a professional writer and produced more than 60 books. In grammar school he was chosen as class poet and while in high school, he published 2 poems in national magazines.
In his poetry writings, my favorite was “Theme for English B.” I found it quite interesting how he was instructed (by a white instructor) to write something true to him (as a black man). He first shows the complexity in the assignment first by their differences in color, age and where he is originally from. However, he also shows their commonness. Both of them like to eat, sleep, drink, be in love, work, read, learn, and understand life. Even though the instructor is white and the writer is black, they are both still a part of one another since they are both American, it’s just the white man is somewhat more free. What a powerful statement.
I also like “Harlem” because it is something that may have intended to a black person’s dreams, but to me, it is something we can all relate to. We all have dreams that dry up like a raisin in the sun, or fester and run like a sore, or stink like rotten meat, or crust over, or sag, or even explode. During this time, blacks had been given freedoms, but segregation still dampened their lives. Most of their dreams were dreams just dreamt and not lived. Wouldn’t Hughes be proud today to see the dreams being lived by the African American community today?
Hughes story of “On the Road” was a different type of story. It depicted a black homeless man walking in the snow who was hungry, cold and tired. He is rejected by shelters and a white Reverend. He tries to break into the white church, but the white police beat him in the head and he falls into an unconscious state of hallucinations. He thinks he has knocked the church down and he knocks a pillar off his shoulder and takes a stroll with Christ with whom he converses with. There is a lot of symbolization in this story. He brings his conversation with Christ down to a personal level showing how Christ would not be prejudice against him and He would talk to him like he is somebody. He makes a point to say that he has knocked Christ off of the cross and how pleased Christ must be to finally be down off the cross. Most Baptist churches will not allow Christ on the cross to be a representation for their church because they see it as Christ is no longer on the cross. He was buried and risen on the third day and lives today. I think this is what Hughes is trying to show. Hughes also shows himself as being just as worthy as any white man to carry that pillar (the representation of the cross) just like anyone else, despite skin color. Hughes realizes this account really didn’t happen and that he is really in jail. He goes back to make a statement about wondering where Christ has gone and if he has gone to Kansas. I think he is showing that since he actually woke up in jail, he is wondering if Christ really was with him or was he really gone.