Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was a great spokesperson for his fellow African-Americans in the early twentieth century.His writings expressed the heritage, contemporary trials, and beauty of his brethren. I found his writings to be meaningful portrayals of his time. I especially liked Hughe's free-style, be-bop poetry. the way the poems, such as Dream Boogy, flowed was like  frenetic jazz tunes interspered with solemn blues and deep emotional phrases.
I liked the reflective poem titled Aunt Sue's Stories. This was a poem of wonder at the past...a past unknown to the child, but full of heavy truth nontheless. I also like the poem Harlem even though it was very sad. I think Hughes was trying to tell what happens to all the dreams and hopes of the poor people of Harlem when they realize there is no way out. When they realize that their dreams must be shelved, for day-to-day living takes its toll.
These poems covered a variety of themes from music to history to love and even death. They also spoke of African-American ideals, history, and future.
The story On The Road, in my opinion, was very sad. It showed the plight of one lonely man, Sargeant,  who had nowhere to go and nothing to believe in. He felt as though Christ had forsaken him, and even the church (which was supposed to be open to everyone) was closed to him. Then he has some sort of psychotic break and imagines the church crumbling to the ground, burying with it the very people who told Sargeant no (who had not allowed him into the building). He imagines he is walking with Christ who leads him to the hobo yard where Sargeant can sleep. In the morning, when Sargeant wakes he tries to hop a freight train, but the car is full of cops who take him to jail.