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Langston Hughes was one of the major black American literary figures of the twentieth century. He held a demanding position as a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance, which flourished in New York in the 1920s and 1930s. Hughes had many accomplishments throughout his forty-five year career, Hughes was a novelist, a reporter, a translator, a playwright, and a short-story writer, mostly recognized as a poet though. His career took off due to his unique style, the speech of a stereotyped black man with a jazz/blues rhythm. Hughes political views and feelings were always shown in his work. Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 2, 1902. He grew up in Lawrence, Kansas with family friends and relatives after his parents’ separation. Money was always inadequate and Hughes spent most of his time alone. His grandmother told stories that were full of respect and pride for the Negro race. Hughes said in his autobiography that it was through this experience that he learned the uselessness of crying. Hughes learned lessons of endurance and pride from his grandmother. Hughes believed that a better world would come