Langston Hughes

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/langston-hughes

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Langston Hughes born?February 1, 1901
2. Where was Langston Hughes born?Joplin, Missouri, USA
3. When did Langston Hughes die?May 22, 1967 (age 66)
4. What is the career?Poet, novelist, playwright, columnist, social activist
5. Who was Langston Hughes?Langston Hughes was a famous American poet and writer who mixed jazz and blues rhythms into his poems and shared the stories of Black people in America.
6. What is jazz poetry and why did Hughes use it?Jazz poetry blends the rhythm of jazz music with words. Hughes used it to make his poems feel lively and to show the music of everyday life in Black communities.

Harlem Renaissance: A transformative period of African American artistic, literary, and intellectual flourishing in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s and 1930s.
Jazz Poetry: A poetic form that emulates the rhythms, improvisational style, and thematic concerns of jazz music, often incorporating vernacular language.
Vernacular Language: The everyday language spoken by people in a particular country or region, as opposed to a formal or literary language.
Social Activism: Concerted efforts by individuals or groups to bring about social or political change through advocacy and action.