美国名人诗人、小说家和剧作家兰斯顿·休斯2.docx

美国名人诗人、小说家和剧作家兰斯顿休斯21.angstonHughes,1902-1967:TheAfrican-AmericanPoetwasaLeaderoftheHarlemRenaissanceplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-16:13repeatByCynthiaKirk2008-4-12VOICEONE:mMaryTillotson.VOICETWO:AndmSteveEmberwiththeVOASpecialEnglishprogramPEOPLEINAMERICA.TodaywefinishtellingaboutthelifeofLangstonHughes,knownasthepoetvoiceofAfricanAmericans.HewasoneofthemostimportantwritersoftheHarlemRenaissance.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:1.angstonHughes1.angstonHugheswasborninnineteen-oh-two.Hisparentsseparatedwhenhewaslittle.Langstongrewupwithhisgrandmotherwhotoldhimstoriesabouttheirfamily'sfightagainstracialinjustice.Hedevelopedaloveofreadingbooksasawaytodealwithlonelinessandafeelingofrejectionfromhisparents.Hisloveforreadinggrewintoadesiretowrite.Asayoungman,LangstontraveledtoEuropeandAfricaworkingonships.Hewrotepoemsandshortstoriesduringhistravels.Afewofthewritingshesenthomewerepublished,whichhelpedestablishhimasaprofessionalwriter.VOICETWO:Bynineteentwenty-five,LangstonHugheshadreturnedtotheUnitedStatesandwaslivinginHarleminNewYorkCity.ThiswasduringtheHarlemRenaissance,aperiodofgreatartisticcreativityamongblackswholivedthere.Hughesdiscoveredanewwayofwritingpoetry,usingtherhythmsofjazzandbluestosupporthiswords.Hisfirstcollectionofpoetry,calledthe"WearyBlues/'waspublishedinnineteentwenty-six.Hugheswrotepoetryaboutthecommonexperiencesofblackpeople.Peoplesaidtheycouldseethemselvesinthewordsofhispoetry.VOICEONE:Hugheshadworkedmanydifferentjobs,butwishedtomakealivingasawriter.WealthywhitesupportersoftheHarlemRenaissancehelpedHughesuntilhecouldsupporthimself.CriticCarlVanVechtenhadhelpedtogetthe"TheWearyBlues"published.VanVechtenwasoneofthefirsttorecognizethenewstylesofthewritersoftheHarlemRenaissanceandtheirimportanceinAfricanAmericanliterature.Anothersupporterofthearts,AmySpingarn,gaveHughesmoneytocompletehiseducationatLincolnUniversityinPennsylvania.MissusCharlotteMasonbegansupportingHughesinnineteentwenty-seven.Innineteenthirty,hepublishedanovel,"NotWithoutLaughter,"thatmadehimveryfamous.HisrelationshipwithMissusMasonendedaboutthetimethebookappeared.Afterthat,Hughessankintoaperiodofintensepersonalunhappiness.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:Intheearlynineteenthirties,LangstonHughestraveledtoCubaandHaiti.HelatertraveledacrossthesouthernUnitedStates,doingpoetryreadingsandtryingtosellhisbooks.HugheswaslikeableandgainedmanyreadersduringhisvisittotheSouth.Healsobegantowritemanydifferentshortstoriesthatwerepublishedinmagazines.Inthese,hewasabletodiscussideasrelatedtoblackpride,racismandotherissuesofblacklife.Innineteenthirty-two,HughestraveledtotheSovietUnion.Hebecameanactivesupporterofcommunism.Hebelievedcommunismwasfairertominorities.Duringthistime,hiswritingalsobecamemoremilitant.Severalofhispoemsexpressedsupportforsocialandpoliticalprotests.1.ater;hiswritingsbegantoexaminetheunfairnessoflifeinAmerica.Hewroteaboutpeoplewhoseliveswereaffectedbyracismandsexualconflicts,violenceinthesouthernUnitedStates,Harlemstreetlife,poverty,racism,hungerandhopelessness.VOICEONE:Hugheswroteoneofhismostimportantworksinnineteentwenty-six,"TheNegroArtistandtheRacialMountain."Itspokeofblackwritersandpoetswhowanttobeconsideredaspoets,notblackpoets.Hughesthoughtthismeanttheywantedtowritelikewhitepoets.Hearguedtherewasaneedforraceprideandartisticindependence:VOICETHREE:"WeyoungerNegroartistswhocreatenowintendtoexpressourindividualdark-skinnedselveswithoutfearorshame.Ifwhitepeoplearepleasedweareglad.Iftheyaren't,itdoesn'tmatter.Weknowwearebeautiful.Anduglytoo.Ifcoloredpeoplearepleasedweareglad.Iftheyarenot,theirdispleasuredoesn'tmattereither.Webuildourtemplesfortomorrow,asstrongasweknowhow.Andwestandontopofthemountain,freewithinourselves."VOICETWO:Ashissuccessasawritergrew,LangstonHughesbegantoexploreotherwaystospreadhismessage.Hewrotechildren'sstoriesandseveralplays.Bynineteenforty,hehadopenedblacktheatergroupsinHarlem,ChicagoandLosAngeles.Whilewritingforablacknewspaper,Hughescreatedsomeonecalled"JesseB.Semple."Thename"JesseB.Semple"representedHughes'swritingstyle:JustBeSimple.Semplewasacommonmanofthepeoplewho"tellsitlikeitis."Hisexperienceshelpotherpeopleunderstandtheworldinaclearerlight.Hughesspokethroughhischaracter:(SOUND)Hereismoreof"JesseB.Semple"readbyLangstonHughes.(SOUND)VOICEONE:1.angstonHugheswasknowntobeverysupportiveofyoungwritersandpoets.Somesaidhiswillingnesstohelpyoungwriterswasaresultofhisunhappychildhood.Whereverhewent,fromtheCaribbeantoAfricatoRussia,heconnectedwithwritersandgavethemsupport.HealsotranslatedsomeoftheirwritingsintoEnglishandincludedthemincollectionsheproduced.NoteveryonepraisedHughes'work.Somecriticssaidhiswritingsweretoosimpleandlackeddepth.Someblackscondemnedhisinformalwritingstyleandhonestdescriptionsofblacklife.Theyalsocriticizedhisuseofbluesandjazzinhispoetryandhisexpressionsofsympathyforworkingpeople.However,hissupporterspraisedhisstraightforwardwritingstyle.Theysaidhedemonstratedthatwritingdoesnothavetobecomplextobegreat.VOICETWO:Innineteenfifty-one,Hugheswroteoneofhismostsuccessfulcollectionsofjazzpoetrycalled,"MontageofaDreamDeferred."ThepoemsareexpressionsofeverydaylifeinHarlem.TheytakethereaderthroughonecompletedayandnightinHarlem.Insomeofthepoems,HughesusesanewkindofjazzplayedinHarlematthetime,called"Be-Bop."ThepoemsdealwiththeproblemofbeingblackinAmerica.In"Harlem,"themostfamouspoeminthecollection,heasks:(SOUND:"MontageofaDreamDeferred")VOICEONE:ThereweredifficulttimesforLangstonHughes.ConservativesintheUnitedStatesweresuspiciousofhistiestoextremistmovements,hisactivism,andhissupportoftheSovietUnionforitstreatmentofminorities.Innineteen-fifty-threezhewasforcedtoappearbeforeSenatorJosephMcCarthy'scommitteeonsubversiveactivitiestoexplainhisinterestincommunism.Underpressureduringthenineteenfifties,Hughessoftenedthevoiceofhispoemsandrejectedhismilitantpast.Hewascriticizedlaterbysomeblackactivistsfornotbeingmilitantenough.Hughescontinuedtowriteandpublishthroughoutthenineteenfiftiesandsixties.Andhewonseveralimportantawardsduringthattime.HealsotaughtatAtlantaUniversityandtheUniversityofChicago.TheLangstonHughesHouseinNewYorkCity'sHarlemareaVOICETWO:Hughesdiedofcancerinnineteensixty-seveninHarlem,NewYork.HishomeonOneHundredTwenty-SeventhStreethasbeenmadeanationallandmark.ExpertssayLangstonHugheshelpedtochangethesoundofAmericanliterature.Theysayhewrotepoemstheworldwillalwaysknow.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenandproducedbyCynthiaKirk.mMaryTillotson.VOICETWO:AndmSteveEmber.JoinusagainnextweekforanotherPEOPLEINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.