Langston Hughes Papers & Assignment Topics

Essay Topics/Writing Assignments

These 20 essay questions can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment. Students should have a full understanding of the text in order to answer these questions. They ask for a thorough analysis of the text.

1. One of this text's themes regards the division between black and white.

Part 1)How is this theme revealed in Langston's family?

Part 2) How does this theme surface throughout the book?

Part 3) How is there irony in this theme when Langston travels to Africa?

2. Hughes' family life is unsettled.

Part 1) Describe his family life. Why is it so unsettled?

Part 2) How do his family dynamics affect him?

Part 3) How does the theme of a division between black and white play into this unsettled family?