Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Literature 215

[@shessomickey]

My first poetic love! A favorite poem of Hughes's: "Suicide's Note" The calm, Cool face of the river Asked me for a kiss

[@Y0y0Jester]

Yikes

[@Cris022]

Damn

[@Cal0Pat]

Less plague. More jazz. Always a good recipe...

[@4chalk]

"Dream Deferred" is one of my favorite poems. I read it in eighth grade and years later it remains quite fresh in my memory.

[@bradsinger5062]

Hi i am 12 years old and live in South Carolina. I was introduced to you shows about six months ago and thought they were awesome. I watched world history and US history so often with using data that I cost my parents 75 dollars. Thanks a lot. Keep making more videos.

[@zoeynakya]

One of my fave poems by Langston Hughes is "Life For Me Ain't Been No Crystal Stairs'". Its quite universal since everyone has obstacles and hardships they have to overcome.

[@MrHawaiiboy510]

Awesome. I was named after Langston Hughes. 😊

[@generalfaisal483]

your parents are dumb

[@LQOTW]

@@generalfaisal483 - Uncool, troll.

[@yazminvjxd1242]

Yeah

[@Zeldarw104]

Wow! Very impressive!💯🙂

[@samcostello6853]

@@generalfaisal483 lol

[@sonnietrees4781]

I like how African Americans had a say so in they're culture and spread they're art ,knowledge and love for life in they're poems,music and art.I'm glad the Harlem Renaissance occurred it spread for independence and strength for Black America.

[@crashcourse]

Langston Hughes & the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Literature 215

[@e.b.228]

Please do Lord of the Flies

[@TheFireflyGrave]

If I may mangle a metaphor; I'd say Langston Hughes was the Master Splinter of the Harlem Renaissance.

[@bpine20]

Do something by Franz Kafka, please.

[@snowflake2282828]

CrashCourse Will you ever have a video about Russian literature?

[@jimblesnotronbo507]

Brother Corn Wheres the ref. at, im not able to find it.

[@elliotecstasy3793]

tbh raisins are pretty terrible to begin with theyre just grape corpses

[@MiamiPush2theLimit]

Aren't grapes themselves corpses when disconnected from the plant which grew them?

[@elliotecstasy3793]

+MiamiPush2theLimit then raisins are grape mummies

[@zakkizer2490]

in the same way that eggs are chicken abortions

[@LQOTW]

"Graaaaaaapes!"

[@iliakatster]

The last place I expected a TF2 reference. Crash Course, you never cease to surprise me.

[@GideonGleeful95]

Suggestion for future Crash Course series: Music History. This series would chart the history of music from as far back as we know from around the world, noting how the political and social factors influenced music and vice versa, as well as how different genres intertwine and branch off. Although, I suggest you place a cut off date at 2010 or something as music is constantly evolving.

[@nestof3]

I’ve been enjoying MusicTV.

[@alanivar2752]

cutoff date 1990 at the latest

[@lacerniagigante]

I lived 4 good years in the USA. Discovered Simple and learned so much true American English of the 30s and the 40s (nothing to do with movies) thanks to Langston Hughes.

[@Sartori]

"Much less plague and much more Jazz." XD

[@manzijoel5224]

This line hits differeny in 2020!🤣😭

[@rhtuteur]

One of my favorite episodes of Crash Course Lit so far. The literary analysis was spot on and incredibly interesting. You may only have discussed two poems, but the depth and tenderness in which you did so was fabulous.

[@nadiact-ie5hy]

And now I'm back from the movies. I didn't know quite where to put this, so I'll just write it here. Thank you, John, for The Fault in Our Stars. You've spoken in the past about creation as the act of making gifts for people. Well, your writing is a gift to me. And this movie was a gift as well. Thank you to all involved, but especially to you, John. When I left the theater, my first thought was how happy I am that I can tell this to you myself. That ability is a gift as well. Thank you.

[@lasereyesstudios]

Funny this was posted today, because I just had my semester exam, and a portion of it was helping understand discrimination through Hughes poems, you've kinda opened up my appreciation to the poet. Good Job.

[@theeblakester002]

We were able to study Langston Hughes in English class this year and his body of work is just amazing. You just want to read all of his poems three times each at least to try to mine everything in them

[@erin3426]

Love how John argues with himself sometimes as if someone else were actually there debating him.

[@mirandasmith190]

Do you think that maybe you could make videos about writing essays and what not; I know that those kinds of thing are completely boring (trust me, I've seen tons of videos on it), but I believe that you would find a way to make it enjoyable. If you do decide to make videos on such, it would be highly appreciated and extremely helpful!

[@_belgaldino]

I would love to have more videos about literature. When I start to work I'll contribute in patreon. You're awesome!

[@lordofduct]

I knew who Langston Hughes was, but never actually heard someone speak his stuff, and know I was hearing it (some of it was familiar, but I never could put the author to the word). Thank you. I've been enjoying this series, but I've been enjoying it more as a "I remember reading that." Finally we got to a "oh, something I haven't really read."

[@EagleKai]

A few years back, a choir I was in performed a number of songs based off of Langston Hughes poems. Among my favorites from those were "Joy" and "New Moon". It's surprising how easily and how well they could be put to music.

[@solarnaut]

"LIFE IS FOR THE LIVING" brought me here. I had long ago heard a speaker poignantly quoting an ill relative saying those words and they have echoed in my head all these years. I don't know if it was meant to be a quote from Langston Hughes snappy poem, but I'm glad to have found him! “Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid.”

[@samantha5719]

John, Thank you so much for writing The Fault in Our Stars! Your work is beautiful and your book made me ball my eyes out! (That's a compliment.) No other book has ever made me cry. (And I have nerves of steal...or did.) I love your work, never stop writing stories. (Yes, I plan to see the movie.)

[@AllisonGreener_]

You should do somthing with "The Things They Carried"

[@spaceacekaitlin333]

Alli I read that a couple weeks ago in my literature class! Loved it and the symbolism!

[@mra4521]

Hughes may predate the Civil Rights Movement, however, he does not predate the Years of Unreported Resistance.

[@GFreeGamer]

Have you thought of doing a review on Sing to the Dawn or The Clay Marble by Minfong Ho? They both address issues of poverty and gender in the contexts of religion and education (Sing to the Dawn), and war (The Clay Marble). It would be great to see Crash Course look into Asian authors or works set in Asian cultures.

[@ZygoChris]

Best show ever, and this one on one of the authors I wrote about in my thesis at university was very pleasant. I thank you J. Green and Crash Course Crew !

[@DiabloJaz12]

As a young man of 17 years, I can say that I relate with Langston Hughes in his use of language. He takes dark prophecies and presents them in the form of innocent children's nursery rhymes, he can go from speaking in the manners of an oracle or a sage, to speaking in the local tone of those who were around him. When I write poetry, I write in the tone of the Renaissance man, staring outside his window and into the endless blue for inspiration. But amidst my South Florida companions, I keep it real and talk as would be expected of me. This is what I personally call, "The Poet's Tone." A time and place where we leave our "normal" selves and take the role of the rogue scholar whose kinsmen and compatriots mock him for simply being him.

[@s02229]

I'm still waiting Patiently for the next episode of Crash Course Literature, I have watched each if the existing ones over five times, I just love these, I hope it's gonna be here soon

[@oreochunk13]

Inshaallah will be doing thesis paper on him. Thanks john green.

[@ThePaperFlowers]

I like how at the phrase "the mountain," you showed a picture of...The Mountain. A+ GoT plugs.

[@MoonGoddessArtemis]

So I know that this is not on topic, but John Green, you need to iron your shirts! Having gotten that off my chest, I'd like to say "Thank you!" for doing Crash Course and exploring literature and poetry. It's so great to see such content online especially since I personally don't feel I got to experience enough literature in my school years. And you do an awesome job of explaining things in short installments. :)

[@TheOnceandFutureGeek]

I know time constraints make it impossible to mention everything that might be pertinent to Hughes, but I thought it worth noting that "Harlem" is actually "Harlem [2]" and just one PART of a much larger book-length poem, /Montage of a Dream Deferred/ (published in 1951). Hughes goes out of his way to make sure that /Montage/ is viewed as a single unit in his preface to the book. The other poems that John mentions in relation to the book are also parts of the whole. In that context, "deferred" takes on a very different meaning; it's featured throughout the book, builds to a climax in the poem "Deferred", and then continually referenced until the end, placing everything ---the good and the bad as presented by Hughes--- in the context of that deferred "dream" of equality and a better life. It's also very important to keep the context of the rest of the poem in mind when reading poems like "Harlem [2]" because themes like war and the questions presented in "Freedom Train" really cast a very different light on the lives of the people who speak in /Montage/. /Montage/ as a whole is a work of rhythmic and poetic genius that combines musical structure and rhythm (mostly jazz & blues but also classical techniques), theme repetition, and the manipulation of language to form something that is as much a musical/linguistic experience as it is a literary one. I'm not going to address the themes in this comment because I could literally write a 15 page paper on it (and have) but the fact that you can't get it as a standalone volume like it was first intended when Hughes had it printed is a sad statement about the American canon and how it still treats non-white writers. If you can get your hands on it in the original order, I highly suggest it (I was lucky enough to get access through my English department). If not, which is more likely, there are anthologies of Hughes' poetry that includes most of /Montage of a Dream Deferred/, but sometimes they rearrange the order of the parts and remove others. Either way, I also suggest listening to a lot of jazz/blues and read up on the history of the time period and place that he was writing about when you do. /Montage/ is still very relevant to modern issues but much of the language and references used will make better sense with at least a loose grasp of early 20th century history on hand. It's one of my favorite poems and really believe it should be assigned reading for everybody in school.

[@trinity9738]

Crash course is awesome. Your courses made homeschooling more enjoyable for my kids.

[@benjamincarter2335]

This series is brilliant. I hope to one day see one on Hemingway. Maybe "The Sun Also Rises," or "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

[@elsalolz]

After watching this, I can't wait to read some Langston Hughes. I'm fascinated by the era.

[@HurdlingPoet]

Such a good episode. Thank you for the history, humor, and analysis. I am inspired.

[@brooklynclarke578]

2:04 LOL! The Bodyguard reference has me goneeee 😭

[@prezdabeast6264]

When I was in AP English, we had to memorize a poem of 14 lines or more and recite it for the class, and being the politically aware speechie I was, I decided to do "Let America Be America Again." It's stuck with me since, and watching this gives me an even greater appreciation for the poet.

[@Monchele4Ever]

I have a test about his poem 'As I Grew Older' next week. This helped me so much! Thank you!

[@beautyincmajor1714]

I love you John Green! ❤️

[@troberts1]

This was posted yesterday and there are NO comments? I'm going to assume this is a glitch. Thank you, John, for introducing me to yet another fascinating person I should be reading.

[@aperson22222]

Goddamned Mountain. I saw that. I've been mourning Oberyn all week.

[@AnnikaRosesmith]

OMG. Thank you! John... I watched tfios yesterday and I died. I am just thinking about it and it's just amazing. You are such a talented writer and keep doing it!

[@magicalmalu]

I love these videos please make them forever I am an English major and I need them thank you.

[@veronicagdowning]

Crash Course was made necessary by my history teacher, which is awesome, by the way. I've loved your shows. But it seems that you were particularly touched by the writing of my favorite poet Langston Hughes. It's nice to see that you feel so moved by his poetry.

[@elliotanaya7200]

As a poet, I would very much love to see a whole crash course poetry specifically. That would be super cool.

[@jackmalik.projekrabak]

Please do Beat Generation!!

[@dimesonmygrassXx]

yesss!!

[@ronaldmcmillan6400]

Jack Malik ki

[@koldkraftm8getready259]

Anyone else spot the TF2 reference in 0:46?

[@tazomazopazo]

A Dream Deferred is my favorite poem of all time. And not because of its language or rhythm, but because of the sentiment. What happens to a dream deferred? It often explodes. At the time I decided that this was my favorite poem, that dream was far from lofty; I wanted a guitar. But I managed to get myself a guitar, and the sentiment still stands

[@George59883]

The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian should be one of the next books you do. I love this crash course.

[@ksaed2497]

A thousand times yes yes yes.

[@aaronhill4353]

Man Hughes was so great. He didn't get bogged down and defensive about rhyme like Frost. I'd put him way above Frost. Second only to Whitman.

[@oliveoil514]

I love that i have to watch this for homework and get quizzed on it when i already watch these for pure enjoyment

[@franciscozenhapreto5695]

Please do one about Brave New World by Huxley. It's an incredible book and I can't get it out of my head. 1984 by Orwell is great too, but as i read BNW first it blew my mind.

[@victoriasimon263]

I have read some of Langston Hughes poetry, such as "A Dream Deferred" and "Rent" , etc. I totally agree with you that even though the language is simple it has a deeper meaning reading between the lines. Thank You for sharing this content.

[@imadethiscuziwsbored]

Haha I find it kinda cool that the previous weeks video was on Beloved and this week Langston Hughes as those are the two subjects my IOC for the International Baccalaureate english test are on xD

[@hana-dul-set]

why didnt i watched this before my midterm :"(

[@tonlinwei8447]

haha

[@emilyhughes4798]

So I realize this isn't the type of literary observation you wanted me to draw from this video... but you just said my last name so many times. It was beautiful. :)

[@OrUptotheStars]

I love Langston Hughes's poetry. My favorite is "I, Too Sing America."

[@witchsistah]

37 people have had no lovin' in between.

[@tyroneslothdrop9155]

Congratulations, John Green. You're film is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm glad to see that success can still come to those who deserve it. Just don't go too Hollywood and sell out your Crash Course audience.

[@Yonteez]

Really? The film did well? This is fucking awesome?

[@tyroneslothdrop9155]

John Green beat Tom Cruise. boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3855&p=.htm

[@LQOTW]

@@tyroneslothdrop9155 And, really, who wouldn't like to do that?

[@scotx1307]

I love Hughes' "A Dream Deferred". He was such a great poet. Writing a poem in 10-15 minutes doesn't surprise me, especially from someone of his talent. I would do it in high school and turn them into my English teach for review. I'm not comparing myself to Hughes, just saying when the muse strikes, sometimes she hits hard.

[@twohooks3533]

Oh Man! This would have come in handy for my final IB English exam. Hughes was our topic :).

[@stevenwills4660]

good morning John Can you do an "open letter to English teachers"?

[@karun_vv7190]

Who knew you actually made me more interested in these topics ..

[@Alverant]

Why does all the good poetry happen when the poet is depressed? When I was in middle school the only poem I wrote that got into the anthology was one about death I wrote when I was sad.

[@Moose6960]

Maybe it's because sadness can be such a complicated emotion. I too found that I was more productive and effective in my poetry writing when dealing with personal problems, even though almost none of my poems were about the problem. Maybe it's because when we're sad, focusing on making beautiful art helps to put the sad away for a while.

[@Grayhome]

There's something in me that really does not want to believe that sadness is more conducive to good art and poetry than other emotions. I think any heightened emotion can provide inspiration -- sadness, joy, fear, rage... you name it.

[@Xenoneb]

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." -Leo Tolstoy Negative emotions are very complex, unlike positive emotions. So art, which by its nature is complex, has to be about negative emotions, on the most part.

[@Grayhome]

I disagree. I think joy can be just as complex and artistically compelling as sadness.

[@Grayhome]

Xenoneb I disagree. I think joy can be just as complex and artistically compelling as sadness. There is nothing simple about any emotions, positive or negative.

[@binnghulbain]

my favorite crash course episode yet!

[@VideoNozoki]

Thank you John. I really love your Crash Course Literature series.

[@hendrixinfinity3992]

Your point at 7:00, that it is extraordinary that a poet should take that little time to write a poem is perhaps not taking into account one of the greatest unifying factors in modernism. Kerouac claimed to invent it but it certainly goes back further. Spontaneous prose (or poetry) just flows out of you like a river and if you try to stem the tide you risk distorting or losing the central points. Poetry written quickly does not mean poetry written hastily.

[@xavier.mauricio]

Harlem and I Too are so freaking fantastic. I ought to buy a Langston Hughes anthology one of these days.

[@noahqb2112]

I was so excited when I realized I had already read "A Dream Deferred". I feel like a well read scholar.

[@aintitquaint1307]

I'm amazed by all the stuff you manage to pull out of one short poem. How does one learn to analyze poems like this? Is it simply reading a lot of poetry, or is it more than that?

[@dorothygale9648]

That last poem inspired a play I read in high school called 'A Raisin in the Sun.' You should check it out if you like that kind of thing.

[@symbiosister]

I'm reading Anna Kerenina right now and I think it would be awesome if you did an episode on it

[@nadiact-ie5hy]

Can anyone suggest any essential Langston Hughes collections? Off to see TFiOS! Hooray!!!

[@Toastwig]

Wow please do more poetry this was fascinating. Especially T.S.Eliot, I could use some help figuring out what he's saying haha

[@Alchemydude667]

To the stage, to Uta, to Buddha,Pablo Neruda, too. (Wow this might just be the most obscure reference I have ever made in my life)

[@Creepzza]

First time I've enjoyed poems, well done both of you.

[@bugoftheleaves]

as far as writing the first poem john read (i've known rivers) and it being writing in minutes on a train...there are some places, like trains that seem to exist only to pull out moments of creativity.

[@0scill8r]

If theres one moment in time america was truly great, it would have to be the hope and creativity thriving during the harlem renaissance. I read into him quite a bit in the previous months and am now recording and mixing a full length album. realizing how much my hopes reflect the explosiveness of his sermons is really something. simple, operative and vernacularized poetry is the way to go, that epic reality of the american dream must be captured. whoever mentione ginsberg, they were right about somethings, but they were stirring for the truth compared to the dawn of the jazz age.

[@thebaseballcardguru]

I like the TF2 reference when you mentioned classes.

[@gascan7333]

thebaseballcardguru And the Bioshock reference at “daddy”

[@jackdoran4639]

Wow the poem 'Harlem' is so relevant to the riots in Baltimore and Ferguson p.s. next season - Allen Ginsberg please?

[@spencercheung6304]

The first time I read his poem was in Chinese textbook, my middle school teacher failed to explain it. He told us Hughes was homesick. 😫😩

[@Bloodmuffin6]

Definitely makes me want to read more Hughes

[@Tzadeck]

I must admit that if I were to request a book in this course... it would be Lolita. Do it!

[@charger479]

this is better than school

[@brwneyedgirlx19]

John Green, the sass. Such impressive sass.

[@s.z.3279]

Truly truly interesting! Thank you. S.

[@lizkasper]

John, WHERE were you when I was in high school?! (Well, you were just out of high school, actually.) Thank you for reminding me to think broadly and imagine others complexly. :-)

[@Julathegreat]

Here is John Green, doing a season of Crash Course literature. I feel like there is a great opportunity in here somewhere - for instance, there's a book called "The Fault in Our Stars" that we'd have a rare opportunity to see if an author did an essay and examination of their own work. I'd like to see it.

[@Alverant]

Will there ever be another science fiction or fantasy novel in CC Lit? We had Frankenstein but I'd like more. Maybe talk about Heinlein or Asimov or Pratchett...

[@headrockbeats]

I wonder if any literature class anywhere has ever been assigned to read "Dune". That would be a great way to blow open a fresh young mind.

[@RedMenace446]

what about Clarke?

[@theeblakester002]

Or Phillip K. Dick? He seems like a good intro-author to sci-fi. I'm not a sci-fi expert though.

[@alicerchalk]

Or what about War of the Worlds?

[@headrockbeats]

Alice Chalkley Welles is quite literally the definitive author that should already have appeared on Crash Course but hasn't. And like I mentioned recently in a comment, Orwell's "1984" is a very common high-school literature course book, is still very relevant today, and is a masterpiece that should never be skipped... But apparently, "Things Fall Apart" is more important. Somehow.

[@darthmatoro]

CONGRATS JOHN GREEN ON YOUR NEW MOVIE!!! AND IT WAS SUPERBLY MADE!

[@brumagemm]

The Sky Above the Roof -Ralph Vaughan Williams (I almost misattributed this to Langston Hughes, but I already typed it all out so you're getting it anyway) The sky above the roof is calm and sweet. A branch above the roof bends in the heat. A bell from out the blue drowsily rings. A bird from out the blue plaintively sings. Ah God! A life is here, simple and fair. Murmurs of strife are here, lost in the air Why dost thou weep, O heart, poured out in tears? What hast thou done, O heart, in thy spent years?

[@nadiact-ie5hy]

Hi. This is actually a translation of a poem by the French poet Paul Verlaine. (I sang a setting of this poem by Reynaldo Hahn called D'Une Prison on my last recital.)

[@karenjess4938]

You, sir, are very cool. Never thought that I could learn so much about the Harlem Renaissance in one video. Also going to see TFIOS tomorrow... YESSS

[@alisonlaird5696]

This clip is brilliant. Totally. Brilliant. Thank you John Green et al.

[@Rael199327]

It would be great if you made a Chesterton episode! Maybe about the man who was thursday or the Napoleon of nothing hill.

[@hahaha123456789ish]

Dear John Green and Crash Course! Seeing as you have finished World History, US History and soon lots of literature episodes, you guys should do Crash Course Philosophy! Can you imagine John Green talking about and having Thought Bubbles on Plato, Kant, Nietzsche, Rousseau, Locke, and Machiavelli?!?!? That would be sooooo AWESOME! DFTBA. Sincerely, an avid fan.

[@Xzd7765]

Hi, I have a question concerning the poem "Theme for English B", if anyone have an idea : feel free to let me know! By the end of the poem, the speaker mentions that perhaps his teacher does not want to be a part of him. So far, we can guess that the teacher would not like to be a part of him because of the discrimination/ racism the speaker has to bear. However, the speaker mentions that neither him (often) would not like to be a part of the teacher. Somehow, he emphasizes that his teacher is white, therefore, he has more freedom. Then, why the speaker would not like to be a part of him, while he seems to envy his freedom. Would you say that it is a sense of pride of his culture ? According to his biography, Hughes was mostly raised by his grandmother, who gave him a sense of racial pride. Would that make sense? Any other ideas?

[@Voodoostrawberry]

I wish there were more of these 😭