Final answer:
Langston Hughes's poetry reflects the improvisation of jazz and captures the struggles and spirit of African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance, contrasting with Claude McKay's more direct call for resistance against racial violence.
Step-by-step explanation:
Langston Hughes and Claude McKay: Jazz and Resistance in Poetry
Langston Hughes's poetry, characterized by its jazz-inspired improvisational style, reflects the complexity of African American experiences during the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes's poetic form, often mirroring the unpredictable rhythm of jazz, serves to emphasize the cultural and personal narratives of African Americans in a segregated society. Hughes's writings illuminate the pride, resilience, and the myriad of challenges faced by African Americans, as exemplified in works like I Too, Sing America and The Negro Speaks of Rivers. In contrast, Claude McKay's If We Must Die promotes a more forceful response to racial violence during the race riots of 1919, advocating for unity against prejudice. The differing forms used by Hughes and McKay result in distinct approaches to similar themes of racial struggle—where Hughes integrates a lyrical, jazz-like fluidity, McKay employs a more direct and combative tone.
Through exploring African-American heritage and proclaiming the triumph of the African-American spirit, their works suggest not just an artistic reflection of their times but also a rallying cry against societal injustices. Hughes's experience in an 'integrated' school and the marginalization felt in his formative years imbued his poetry with a sense of authenticity and a call for recognition and equality. Both Hughes and McKay used their writings as a medium to capture the soul and voice of a community seeking to assert its identity and claim its rightful place in American history. While the forms of their poetry differ, the underlying message of resistance and the celebration of black identity remains central.