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A Study Guide for Langston Hughes's "Not Without Laughter"
A Study Guide for Langston Hughes's "Not Without Laughter"
A Study Guide for Langston Hughes's "Not Without Laughter"
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A Study Guide for Langston Hughes's "Not Without Laughter"

By Gale and Cengage

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A Study Guide for Langston Hughes's "Not Without Laughter", excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Studentsfor all of your research needs.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 22, 2018
ISBN9781535845687
A Study Guide for Langston Hughes's "Not Without Laughter"

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    A Study Guide for Langston Hughes's "Not Without Laughter" - Gale

    17

    Not Without Laughter

    Langston Hughes

    1930

    Introduction

    Langston Hughes's first novel, Not Without Laughter, is the author's attempt to show the lives of African Americans in the Midwest during the early twentieth century. It is a coming-ofage story focusing on the observations of Sandy as he grows into a young man in rural Kansas. Hughes tells the story of a single family spanning the experiences of three generations. From former slave to jazz singer to potential scholar, each person's perspective is unique yet tied to the others. Hughes examines the different social classes and prejudices both within and outside of the African American community. The themes of love and African American culture also pervade the novel as the author examines loss and sadness with humor and hope.

    Author Biography

    Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1, 1902. His parents, James Hughes and Carrie Langston, were not married long. James left his family and eventually moved to Mexico, where he thought his skin color would be less of an obstacle. Carrie often traveled looking for work and left Hughes with family members. He spent most of his childhood with his maternal grandmother, Mary Langston, in Lawrence, Kansas.

    Mary Langston died in 1915, and Hughes went to live with his mother, her husband, and her stepson. The family was constantly moving, which interfered with Hughes's plans for life. According to Arnold Rampersad in The Life of Langston Hughes, Vol. 1, 1902–1941, I Too, Sing America, Langston returned to Cleveland alone, knowing that he might never again live with his mother. He began writing poetry and became the editor of his high school yearbook.

    Hughes traveled to Mexico in 1920 to reunite with his father, but he was disappointed in their relationship. He published the poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers in the Crisis in 1921 and the same year began studies at Columbia University. He thrived in New York and was drawn to Harlem's culture, later becoming a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes left Columbia in 1922 to travel and work a variety of jobs, gaining life experience.

    Hughes's career took off in 1925, when he met the poet Vachel Lindsay. According to an anecdote in Hughes's obituary in the New York Times, Hughes was working in a restaurant where Lindsay was dining and surreptitiously placed three of his poems near Lindsay's plate. Lindsay read the poems and was impressed enough with The Weary Blues to introduce Hughes to publishers. In 1926, Hughes published the collection

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