Throughout African American history, different individuals made a significant impact that would change things forever. In the 1900s, Harlem became the governing body for the birth of jazz and blues. It also opens the door to a new era called the Harlem Renaissance. Around this time, a poet named Langston Hughes was introduced. Langston Hughes created poetry that left an impact on people. It had this jazzy vibe mixed with choice articulate language. He could captivate people's minds with the soul of his writing and depict the struggles of what was happening with black people. Some people consider Langston Hughes to be the inspirational poet of the Harlem Renaissance. Mr. Hughes used his work to compare and contrast things to create the foundation for the Harlem Renaissance period. His poems established him as a well-known poet in Harlem. In two of his poems, one titled “Mother to Son” and the other “Harlem,” both feature a comparison and contrast between the two. The poem “Mother to Son” is rather a free lyric poem. In this poem, Langston Hughes gets the point across with a powerful attack. The poem is told from the perspective of a mother and the wisdom she gives to her son as stated in the following lines: Son, my boy, don't turn around, don't sit on the steps, because If you find it harder, don't fall. now, because I'm still going, darling, I'm still climbing, and life for me is not a crystal staircase. [14-20]These series of lines express the frustrations of a mother who has gone through a difficult time and who is telling her story to her son. She tells her son that this is the adversity she went through to become who she is today in spirit. ...... middle of paper ......49d7df7a>Rampersad, Arnold. "Introduction. (THREE POEMS OF LANGSTON HUGHES) (Critical Essay)." Poetry 4 (2009): 327. Academic OneFile. Internet. November 13, 2013. Hansen, Tom. “Hughes’ Harlem.” Explanator 58.2 (2000): 106. Biographical Reference Bank (HW Wilson). Internet. November 13, 2013. < http://library.limestone.edu:2379/eds/detail?vid=17&sid=5fe3beae-440d-404f-b673-7e4da96a214b%40sessionmgr114&hid=3&bdata>Thrall, William Flint et al. A literature manual. New York: Odyssey, 1960. Rampersad, Arnold. "Langston Hughes and His Left-wing Critics." The Langston Hughes Review 5.2 (Fall 1986): 34-40. Rep. in contemporary literary criticism. Ed. Deborah A. Schmitt. Flight. 108. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Information Resource Center. Internet. November 13. 2013.