Macnolia America Had Actively Participated

Macnolia

America had actively participated in two world wars, had suffered and despaired through a major depression, and had initiated a Cold War that would bring the entire world to the brink of destruction, a situation that would last for almost four decades. Such major and calamitous events precipitated not a few major literary works and authors. William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald all immediately leap to the forefront when discussing the literature of that era.

If a student of roughly the first third of twentieth-century American literature wanted to stick with just those authors on the Scribners publishing list, several notable names would leap from the page: Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Ring Lardner" (Wolfe 5).

Additionally, many African-American writers were fighting their way through the bias and racism prevalent at that time in American society to achieve some notoriety. Writers such as Langston Hughes who was described as "the most renowned African-American poet of the twentieth century" (McLaren 167) were making their way onto America's literary scene. Society, however, seemed to have a much more difficult time accepting the black African-Americans into their hearts and minds. Though the Civil War freeing the black man from slavery had ended over half a century before, prejudice against people with dark skin still ran rampant in American society. For example, the financial gains made by the African-American authors, writers and poets were much smaller in comparison to the monies being earned by their Caucasian counterparts.

Despite an outpouring of writing in every genre and literary form within his reach, more than a hundred appearances on the lecture circuit in the United States and Canada, and (belated) canonization by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Hughes remained unable to support himself as a writer" (Scott 30). That Hughes was in this situation as compared to another famous author of the time, William Faulkner, shows the stark contrast between white literary society and black. During that era William Faulkner was earning "$1,250 a week as a professional writer...and he was bringing in thousands of dollars a piece for screenplays and the movie rights to his short stories and novels, in one case $50,000 for Intruder in the Dust" (Minter 220).

Hughes seemed driven to change that situation and the perception and bias of white America towards the African-American author and was determined to force open the literary doors that had been previously locked against individuals with black skin.

He hoped that his readings would help to build a Negro reading public for the works of Negro authors, and at the same time, to stimulate and inspire the younger Negroes in the South toward creative literature, and the use of their own folklore, songs, and racial background as the basis for expression" (Cunningham 35).

His efforts were amazingly fruitful; his books, plays, poetry and short stories paved the way for a number of black authors and poets.

At the same time Hughes established a variety of styles and genres that would be laudable for any writer and most notably his efforts were a primary source for changing the way America viewed African-Americans.

The sophisticated urban dweller, or "the New Negro," was coming into being and was replacing the naive, rural migrant personality depicted in pieces like Rudolph Fisher's the City of Refuge.

Hughes used his drama and poetry to introduce styles that continue to be used today. One style he used to perfection is the poetic narrative way of telling a story similar to the method used by a. Van Jordan in M-a-C-N-O-L-I-a. This method of telling a story is accomplished by writing a continuous narrative through a series of poems.

American poets have used this technique to amazing effect. Robert Penn Warren's Audubon: A vision, Ellen Bryant Voigt's Kyrie, William Kloefkorn's Alvin Turner as Farmer, and Joe Survant's Anne & Alpheus remain favorites, but African-American poets have explored this form to its fullest effect" (M-a-C-N-O-L-I -- a 286).

Not only was Hughes instrumental in changing culture and influencing an entire nation to change its stereotypical way of viewing a black man, he was also a very fine teacher. He established a manner of writing that some have called the Hughesian method. This method included a number of ways of looking, seeing and observing the physical aspects on individualized life.

One of the tenets of the Hughesian method is to establish the student writer's own unique standpoint, but not in the abstract sense of "perspective," "opinion," or "feeling." Hughes had his writing students look closely at themselves, not as others see them but as they feel and think about themselves in relation to the world" (Scott 31).

Hughes was not only effective in inducing his students into being more observant and thinking more about the concrete nature of their being, but he was also able to set an example for them in the use of stylized rhythm. His style was often referred to as West African rhythmized textiles and included a simple but elegant type of off-beat statements. Some of his poetic ventures, including his poetic narratives often were described as displaying "a vibrant propensity for off-beat phrasing in the unfolding of overall design" (Thompson 209).

Of course, the issues of the time influenced Hughes and his writing to no small degree. Racism was still prevalent not only in America but around the world. Hitler was sending millions of Jews to concentration camps and the death they would find their, America was attempting to discern its role as a leader of the world, Russia was putting into place a communistic government that would ultimately end in a vast social failure, and countries around the world were aligning against each other militarily, financially and philosophically.