In Langston Hughes' poem, Harlem, he asks what happens to a "dream deferred" and lists multiple possibilities that all involve the disappearance of a dream (Hughes, Harlem). This poem seems to define the life of Hughes who does not want to see his dreams pass him by despite moving from place to place due to his parents' separation and economic difficulties (Otfinoski). On top of this, Hughes had to face racism that could have hindered his goals, but instead of being discouraged, he used it as fuel to pursue a literary career. Throughout the 20th century, Hughes' worldview was greatly influenced by the civil rights movement and the effects of World War I, which caused his poetry to revolve around racial discrimination against African Americans. James Mercer Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri (Otfinoski). His mother wrote poetry and his father wanted to be a lawyer, but an all-white examining board refused him to take a bar exam (Otfinoski). When he was young, his parents separated and his father moved to Mexico to escape racism, so Hughes “wandered from place to place” with his mother and grandmother (Otfinoski). Her grandmother's second husband, Hughes' grandfather, Charles Harold Langston, was a committed abolitionist and Virginia's first black congressman (Otfinoski). When Hughes grew up, his grandmother enrolled him in Harrison Street School, where he had his first experience with white people, and this taught him "not to hate all white people" (Otfinoski). Hughes tried to achieve his goal throughout high school and college, until he finally came across a major turning point in his life when he met a poet, Vachel Lindsay, as a "tall, black busboy" (Otfinoski). Hughes did......half of the paper......4>.- - -. "I sing America too." Poet.org. Academy of American Poets, 2014. Poets.org. Network. 25 March 2014. .- - -. “Will V-Day also be Me-Day?” Poet.org. Academy of American Poets, 2014. Poets.org. Network. March 18, 2014. .Johnson, Karen Joy. "African Americans in the 20th Century". American History Online. New York: Facts on File, 2011. Facts on File. Network. March 18, 2014. “Langston Hughes.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Network. March 18, 2014. .Otfinoski, Steven. "Hughes, Langston." American History Online. New York: Facts on File, 1994. Facts on File. Network. March 18. 2014. .