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How did Langston Hughes use African American vernacular speech in his poetry?
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Harlem Renaissance
Dust jacket designed by the Mexican illustrator and writer Miguel Covarrubias for Langston Hughes's The Weary Blues (1926), a book of experimental poetry.
Langston Hughes integrated Black vernacular speech into his poetry as a central component of his artistic commitment to the "Negro masses." By identifying with the experiences and aesthetic sensibilities of the Black working class, Hughes moved away from traditional English literary forms to create a distinctive art form that reflected the lives of everyday people.1
His approach involved several key techniques:
- Working-class Personae: Hughes frequently adopted the voices and perspectives of working-class individuals, grounding his work in their specific desires and needs.1
- Blues and Jazz Influence: He utilized the blues as a foundational poetic structure, allowing the rhythms, tones, and themes of Black popular music to shape his verse.21
- Folk Inspiration: Influenced by the example of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Hughes sought to capture the spirit of the folk heritage, focusing on the lives of Black Americans in both the rural South and the urban North.1
Through these methods, Hughes successfully created a body of work that prioritized authentic African American expression over the "urge within the race toward whiteness," establishing a foundational legacy for African American literature.21