Langston Hughes

I read many of the poems by Langston Hughes. I liked "Negro". The poem seemed to have a light feel about it. Even though he was talking about a painful topic, he seemed to through in there about him being a singer. I think this may be his way of saying that he had faced troubles and been through bad times but it did not take away his joy.

I also read the poem "Mulatto" which was not on our list. It caught my eye because of the title. The word mulatto is used to describe a child with one black parent and one white parent. I researched the poem and found out that it is actually a part of a play. The play was banned from Philidelphia because it was so controversial. The play seemed very sad. I see this young boy who really does not know where he fits in. He has a white father who does not claim him. I imagine this was a real issue when this poem was written. An issue that was probably not talked about very often.

Dianna Duhon