Paper #1

The Composition Program
Student Writing

Paper #1

Langston Hughes: A Perfect Fit at Lincoln University
by Kia Brazier

Paper #2
A timed essay on Langston Hughes' poetry

Paper #3
Your Darker Brother "I am the darker brother." (Langston Hughes), by Bradman John

Paper #4
Black Schools Must Change, by Lester Fields

Kia wrote the paper over the course of five class sessions, plus one weekend. When the paper was finally handed in, there were seven typed drafts, preceded by two handwritten drafts. Over the course of the paper's production, I encouraged Kia to express her opinions, without my stating what those opinions should be, or should sound like. For the last three drafts, I posed usage and grammatical questions to her in the form of parenthetical comments, without pointing out what exactly should be done to help the paper achieve its clarity and perfection. For these drafts, I also encouraged her to double-check the current MLA style for her works cited page. For the final draft (the paper was handed in on a Monday, the second week of class), she wondered about her paper's title, and asked if I thought it was too generic. I wrote back that her paper had such an excellent tone and such a pointed thesis, that she might reconsider the title. She altered the title before handing the final paper in for my evaluation. I did not suggest any potential wording of the new title.

What is important about this paper is that it represents Kia's desires to synthesize several days of both classroom discussion and research. Out of that synthesis, she is able to create a particular moment that expresses her opinions about herself and her subject, and vectors those ideas toward a larger institutional dialogue, which has hitherto ignored student concerns and is worthy of critique. I think that you will agree that this is a superb text.

Paper #1
(May 30th, 2000)

Langston Hughes: A Perfect Fit at Lincoln University
Kia Brazier

There is a recent article that appeared in the May 5th, 2000 issue The Chronicle of Higher Education, where Ben Gose reviews Marlboro College's brochure to attract individualistic students utilizing people who are nonconformists. The so-called "nonconformists" who Marlboro adopted "in spirit" are Langston Hughes, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jack Kerouac, and Janis Joplin. According to Ben Gose, "Photographs of all four are featured in a new admissions brochure, in which they are described as nonconformists who 'might have fit in' at Marlboro. 'It's a good fit'…, the brochure concludes 'for people who don't want to fit in" (A50). The one who I am greatly concerned with is the late Langston Hughes. Currently, I am a student at Lincoln University. Langston Hughes graduated in 1929 from Lincoln University (which is the first Historically Black College University-HBCU). Although Ben Gose states in his article that Langston Hughes is a graduate of Lincoln University, one does not have the right to "adopt" an alumni member for advertising purposes or for any reason unless the individual graduated from that college, university, or academic institution. Supposedly, Langston Hughes "might have fit in" at Marlboro College. In fact, Langston Hughes would have "fit in" at any college or university today or even seventy years ago, for Langston Hughes was an intelligent individual as well as one of the most original and versatile of the writers during the twentieth century. Langston Hughes is described to be the "most prolific and the most successful" of Black writers during the Harlem Renaissance and beyond (Smith 120). According to Harold Bloom, "Hughes was a very complex person split between a sophisticated consciousness and a fierce determination to create a popular and simplified poetic art. His own spirituality may have been more esoteric than we imagine" (back cover). Langston Hughes accomplished a substantial amount throughout his 65 years of life. Hughes was born on February 1st, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri (Jackson 1). Hughes began writing poetry in the eighth grade, and was named Class Poet (Jackson 1). He attended Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio (Jackson 1). His career as a poet began in 1921 with the publication of "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" in the issue of The Crisis, a NAACP magazine (Smith 120). In the years from 1921 to 1922, Hughes attended Columbia University to study Engineering (which Hughes' father thought was best because he believed that Hughes would not be able to make a living as a writer) (Jackson 1). However, Hughes left the university with a B+ average, while continuing his focus with writing poetry and other literature (Jackson 1). In 1923, Hughes traveled to foreign places such as Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Belgium, Angola, Guinea, Italy, France, Russia, and Spain (Jackson 1). In 1925, Hughes enrolled at Lincoln University. In 1926, Hughes had published his first volume of poems entitled, The Weary Blues, which led Hughes to "capture both the opportunity prize and the prestigious Spingard Award" (Hampson 2). Earning this award enabled Hughes to finance his college education at Lincoln University (Hampson 2). Hughes received his Bachelor's degree from Lincoln University in 1929 (Jackson 1). Langston Hughes produced numerous great works of poetry, novels, plays, autobiographies, and essays, which examined the impact of racism and social injustice on the Black masses. For Hughes' outstanding works, he has earned the title, "The Poet Laureate of the American Negro" (Smith 120). Langston Hughes died of cancer on May 22nd, 1967 (Jackson 2).

While at Lincoln University, Langston Hughes had a great significance. James Murphy writes, "Much to our surprise our class enrollment was increased and so the beginning of the second semester came… [and we met] Langston Hughes, the nationally and internationally, famous boy poet…" (2). While Langston Hughes was at Lincoln University, he was fondly known as "Lank." Hughes was involved on Lincoln University's campus. He was a member of Phi Lambda Sigma Literary Society and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated. In Who's Who of '29, Hughes was voted the most popular and the most henpecked (Martin 2). The Lion also refers to Hughes as, "One who travels extensively acquires a certain amount of education just from contacts and so Lank came to us with many stories of the South Sea Islands, northern borders of Africa and Oh! ever so much, and finally became settled and acclimated to the campus, and was a pal to everyone. Really and truly, it is a compliment to be paid to our `boy poet'" (Martin 6).

Marlboro College was founded in 1946 by men who fought in World War II and "who wanted to participate in the structuring of their education," states Marlboro College's web site (1). The college is located in Vermont. The campus consists of 300 acres of woods and fields. According to Marlboro College's web site, "Marlboro doesn't look like most colleges" (1). The reason is because "its white clapboard buildings-- the main academic building was once a barn, the admissions building a milking parlor" (1). Marlboro College's objectives are "to teach students how to think and how to learn, how to analyze and how to synthesize, how to form opinions and how to defend them" (1). I believe for Marlboro College to "adopt" Langston Hughes as an alumni member "in spirit" is wrong though. Here at Lincoln University, we have fond memories of Langston Hughes; however, Marlboro College does not. For instance, here we have a library that is named in honor of our beloved alumnus, The Langston Hughes Memorial Library. Within the library, there are pictures of Langston Hughes. Furthermore, within the library there is a section entitled, Special Collections. This section includes the personal library that belonged to Hughes before his death. I was even able to observe our history in the 1929 edition of The Lion (a yearbook), which includes Langston Hughes and his senior class. In addition, on May 18th, 1943, Hughes was awarded his first honorary doctorate of letters from Lincoln University, his true alma mater (Rampersad 70). Langston Hughes could "fit in" just about anywhere. For Marlboro College to include in its brochure that Langston Hughes "might have fit in" is absurd! Hughes was an intelligent individual, who traveled many lands where he gained great experiences and knowledge. Besides Hughes' travels, he was extremely well known by great people such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Countee Cullen, Arna Bontemps, and many others.

I sincerely believe that Marlboro College should not include Langston Hughes in its brochure. Hughes' true alma mater is here at Lincoln University, not "in spirit" at Marlboro College. Marlboro College did not even exist when Hughes was at Lincoln University from 1925 to 1929. In addition, I completed research on Marlboro College's web site, and the site did not mention Langston Hughes within its creative writing curriculum at all; however, it does include Jack Kerouac. Marlboro College chose to include Langston Hughes as their alumnus because he "might have fit in" at the college; however, it would be wise to include an individual that one knows would have "fit in." After all, there is no need to wonder about Langston Hughes fitting in at Marlboro College or any other college or university, for he is a perfect fit here at our beloved ol' orange and blue, Lincoln University.

Works Cited
Appiah, K. A., and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Langston Hughes: Critical Perspectives Past and Present. New York: Amistad Press, Inc., 1993.

Bloom, Harold. Langston Hughes: Comprehensive Research and Study Guide. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.

Gose, Ben. "The Theories of College Marketing Go Only So Far at Some Colleges." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 5 May 2000: A50.

Hampson, Thomas. "I Hear America Singing." http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/poet/hughes.html (12 Feb. 2000)

The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 2. Lexington, MA: DC. Heath, 1990. 1487- 1488.

Jackson, Andrew P. "Langston Hughes: Jazz Poet." Essays on Jazz. http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html (25 May 2000).

Marlboro College. www.marlboro.com (25 May 2000)

Martin, L. J. Lincoln Phi Delta Theta News (The Lion) Lincoln University, 1929.

Rampersad, Arnold. The Life of Langston Hughes. Vol. 2. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988

Epilogue:
In her excellent paper, Kia had placed into words all the disparate ideas that had been running through my head while I read the Chronicle, and while we discussed the article in class. I had wondered whether my students were so disaffected by our television culture and its ubiquitous commercialization of everything that they would not even care. I initially presented the Chronicle article as an interesting way for Lincoln to get its name in print. My students did care, and their concerns have become my concerns. Kia Brazier asked if I would send her paper along with this article, which I decided to write after talking about such an explosive issue. I would like to add our names to the roster of the "Many students and faculty members at Marlboro [who] feel the same way." "Their disgust with the current publications" is our disgust, and we ask that President LeBlanc retract Hughes' name and image from any of Marlboro's future reckless ad campaigns.

Lincoln University of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1570 Old Baltimore Pike, P.O. Box 179, Lincoln University, PA 19352
(484) 365-8000