Exploring Langston Hughes
A Grade 6 ELA worksheet focusing on the life, work, and themes in the poetry of Langston Hughes.
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Exploring Langston Hughes
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Read the information and answer the questions that follow. Pay close attention to details about Langston Hughes's life and poetry.
Langston Hughes was an important American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s.
His poetry often focused on the lives of working-class African Americans, celebrating their culture, struggles, and dreams. He used everyday language and rhythms inspired by jazz and blues music to make his poems accessible and powerful. Some of his most famous poems include 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' and 'I, Too, Sing America'.
1. What literary art form is Langston Hughes considered an early innovator of?
Sonnet
Jazz poetry
Haiku
Epic poem
2. Langston Hughes was a key figure in the which took place in Harlem, New York.
3. Hughes's poetry often celebrated the and of working-class African Americans.
4. How did Langston Hughes make his poems accessible and powerful to his readers?
Read the excerpt from Langston Hughes's poem "I, Too, Sing America" and answer the question.
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
5. What message do you think Langston Hughes is trying to convey about resilience and hope in this excerpt?
6. Langston Hughes primarily wrote about the lives of wealthy Americans.
True
False