In the early 20th century many African Americans migrated from the South to the North in what we now call the Great Migration. Many African Americans found themselves in a neighborhood of New York called Harlem. The area known as Harlem transformed into the haven of jazz and blues where African American artists who called themselves the "New Negro" emerged. The New Negro was the cornerstone of an era known today as the Harlem Renaissance (Barksdale 23). The Harlem Renaissance ensured the expression of African-American double consciousness, which was exhibited by artists such as Langston Hughes. James Mercer Langston Hughes was an African-American poet, journalist, playwright, and novelist whose works were incredibly famous. It was during the height of the Harlem Renaissance that Langston Hughes produced poems that were not only musically and artistically sound, but also captured the essence of the blues. Thus giving birth to a new version of the poem that illustrated the African American struggle between society and themselves. Langston Hughes was one of the most original and versatile African-American artists of the 20th century, gaining respect and fame for his ability to convey the African-American experience in words. The creation of this creation catapulted Langston Hughes as one of the most influential artists of the Harlem Renaissance who used aspects of his life as inspiration for his poetry. Langston Hughes was the first poet to combine African-American art forms, such as blues and jazz. , with poetry. Due to the Great Migration, Southern blues slowly emerged in major Northern cities, such as Harlem in New York. Hughes was trapped by the rhythm... in the middle of the paper... he played the tempo. The African-American spirit was alive in the blues, and Langston incorporated that spirit into his poetry. Langston Hughes' work was filled with the plight he suffered, the inequality between the ideal and reality of the American, and the dreams he aspired to for his people and his country. Reading this important figure of the Harlem Renaissance today can take the reader back in time to an era whose dreams longed for the world we have today. Works Cited Barksdale, Richard. Langston Hughes: The Poet and His Critics. Chicago: AmericanLibrary Association, 1951. “Langston Hughes: Themes of Poems.” GradeSaver.com. Grade Saver LLC, 1999-2014. April 21, 2014. http://www.gradesaver.com/langston-hughes-poems/study-guide/major-themes/Rampersad, Arnold. Hughes, Langston. The collected poems of Langston Hughes. United States: The First Vintage Classics Edition, 1994. Print.