Langston Hughes, The Poet

    Hello and Welcome to the Superb "Langston Hughes, the Poet" website. In this website you will learn about "Langston Hughes, The Poet" as well as his many works. His poems proved especially  inspirational to African-Americans.  Come with me and learn why Langston Hughes was called "Harlem's Poet."
 

The Tasks:

Each student will be able to:

• Recognize the poetry of Langston Hughes,
• Learn about the the Harlem Renaissance,
• Review the history of Langston Hughes,
• Gain a greater understanding of the poetry of  Langston Hughes, and
• Complete several exciting activities.

The Resources:

1. Biography about Langston Hughes: James Mercer Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1,1902, to James Nathaniel Hughes, a lawyer and businessman, and Carrie Mercer (Langston) Hughes, a teacher. Their first child, a boy, died in infancy. Their marriage was in trouble by the time of Langston's birth, and the couple separated shortly thereafter.

2.  Hughes & Harlem Renaissance: Langston Hughes (1902-1967) loved living in Harlem. He spent most of his life here. Its population exploded during the years of the First World War as blacks from the South moved north in search of better jobs and fuller citizenship.

3. Other Renaissance poets:  This website asks several questions about other Renaissance poets along with Langston Hughes.  It has activities that can be adapted to suit a variety of grade and achievement levels.

4. Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center: The historic landmark, multi-million dollar building, on the corner of 17th and Yesler was originally built in 1918 for the Chevra Bikur Cholim congregation and designed by the well-known architect Marcus B. Priteca.

5. In His Poems, I cannot begin to put all of Langston Hughes' works on this webpage. This page merely showcases some of his best works, which will take your imagination to a different place.

6. The Langston Hughes Quia quiz will test your knowledge of Langston Hughes and   the Harlem Renaissance. Did you know that taking quizzes and test can increase your critical thinking skills.

The Process:

1. Visit the Biography about Langston Hughes. Write two to three paragraphs about his life in your journal. Make sure to include when and where the poet was born.

2.  Click on Hughes & Harlem Renaissance.  Describe the connection between Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance. What was so important about the Harlem Renaissance. Add to journal.

3. Review the poetry section on Other Renaissance poets. Read the passage and answer the five questions.

4.  Look at the site for the Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center. Write down  in your journal five things about the center.

5. Explore His Poems. Langston Hughes wrote poetry, absorbing the jazz lyrics and African American dialect he heard. Make up a poem visualizing a dialect that you have heard. Add it to your journal.

6. Visit the Langston Hughes Quia quiz. Read and complete the multiple choice questions.

Learning Advice:

Make sure to read the entire website for an understanding first. Then go back to the process and use what you have learned to complete the exercises. Make sure your journal has these four important pages in it: 1. paragraphs about the biography, 2. passage about the Harlem Renaissance, 3. description of the Cultural Arts Center, and 4. the poem you designed.
 

Conclusion:

After reading this website about Langston Hughes, you should walk away with knowledge about the poet, the Harlem Renaissance and his inspirational poems. I hope you have realized how important Langston Hughes was to African-American poetry. To learn more about Langston Hughes visit the library for his poems and children books. Here is a link to a Powerpoint Presentation about Langston Hughes.

This WebQuest was created by Sebrina Patton for Dr. Bruce Lewis EDU 506 @ FHU School of Education.
Last updated on March 24, 2001.