Perspectives

In what follows, we will give you some points that will help you put “Tales of Simple: Temptation” by Langston Hughes in perspective. We will look at the literary period, connect the short story with current issues and recommend some similar works and other works by Langston Hughes.

Current issues

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Literary movement

Langston Hughes is associated with the artistic movement called the Harlem Renaissance. This artistic movement had a concrete geographical starting point...

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Works by the same author

To become more familiar with Langston Hughes’ style of writing and the themes he approaches, we encourage you to also read the following short stories: “Thank you, M’am”, “One Friday Morning”, and “Tales of Simple: Coffee Break”.

“Thank you, M’am” follows an African-American boy who tries to steal the purse of an African-American woman.

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Works with the same theme

If you want to see how other writers explore racial prejudice in American society we encourage you to read stories like “The Baddest Dog in Harlem” by Walter Dean Myers or “Say Yes” by Tobias Wolff.

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