Langston Hughes is a famous poet of the 1900s. “[He] is best known as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance” (“Biography”). Langston's life experiences with discrimination against black people, his own ethnicity, poverty, and dreams of peace contributed to the creation of countless poems. Hughes was born at a time when black individuals did not have the same rights as white people. This fight against discrimination contributed to several of Hughes' poems such as "Democracy" where he talks about wanting freedom just like white people ("Democracy" 20-21). He declares that democracy cannot come soon enough and that he cannot wait until he dies (“Democracy” 1-14). Hughes ardently dreams of having the same rights and freedoms as everyone else. Hughes struggled with the fact that his parents were both mixed race. His mother and father were half white and half black ("Langston"). This made Hughes a mixed race just like his father and mother, but he had difficulty finding himself because he was not entirely white or black. Langston Hughes did not have a good relationship with his father (“Biography”). Hughes' father hated black people even though he was mixed race and part black himself. He hated his own people. He viewed his black half as shameful and he wanted to be seen as completely white. “Hughes’ mother came from a distinguished family of respected black educators and activists” (“Langston”). She was not ashamed of her ethnicity for being a person of color. She left Hughes with her maternal grandmother so she could find work. His grandmother was his primary caretaker from that point on, and while raising him, she spoke to and instilled a sense of racial pride in Hughes ("Biography") that would last throughout his life. ..And joy, like a pearl, / Meets the needs of all humanity- / Such dreams, my world! (“I dream of a world” 13-16). Hughes says everyone will be happier in his dream world. Works Cited “Langston Hughes: Childhood.” Langston Hughes. Shmoop University, 2014. Web. April 1, 2014 < http://www.shmoop.com/langston-hughes/childhood.html>. “Langston Hughes Biography” PoemHunter.com. N/A, April 1, 2014. Web. April 1, 2014. Hughes, Langston. "Democracy." PoemHunter.com. PoemHunter.Com, and Web. April 1, 2014. Hughes, Langston. "Cross." PoemHunter.com. PoemHunter.Com, and Web. April 1, 2014. Hughes, Langston. “Brass spitters.” » PoemHunter.com. PoemHunter.Com, and Web. April 1. 2014 .