Literature and Composition Langston Hughes and Bob Dylan Langston Hughes and Bob Dylan are two poets from different eras in modern American poetry. Although Bob Dylan is more characterized as a songwriter, I see much of his work as poetry. In this essay, I will discuss Hughes’ poem “Harlem [1]” and Dylan’s “Times They Are A-Changin”’ as commentaries on are culture, but from different backgrounds. Both poets use social protest to make their points. Langston is talking of times that were not particularly good in any way for African Americans. In the poem “Harlem [1]”, he speaks of a time when black people were considered lower than the average American citizen. He remembers how they were not accepted when he was younger; and for him and his race, he feels things haven’t changed; and even if they had, how could the past be forgotten or forgiven? Sure, we remember. Now when the man at the corner store Say’s sugar’s gone up another two cents. And bread one, And there’s a new tax on cigarettes- We remember the job we never had, Never could get, And can’t have now Because we’re colored. (768) In this verse of the poem he is talking about how African Americans have viewed the world from Harlem and live and unjust life, how can they forget that. Bob Dylan speaks of social protest throughout his poem. He is proclaiming to the world that we shall all come together and forget the past for a united future. He is saying that everything that has been normal is about to change. Come gather round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone. If ... ... middle of paper ... ...wrote this poem at the age of 47. He was old enough to make a safe judgement call that not much more could improve for his race in his own lifetime, and if it did, it could not change the fact that for most of his life he couldn’t feel equal to the white race. Dylan was 29 when he wrote his poem in 1979. When you compare 1949 to 1979, incredible differences and obstacles have been hurdled. In 1979, black Americans were equal, not “separate but equal.” I think Hughes might have taken the same view as Dylan if he were alive then. Also Dylan, at 29 and having his life not even half over, gave him more of a hopeful view on how America and Americans could become. Hughes was looking for more of a revenge on how his race was treated. So we stand here On the edge of hell In Harlem And look out on the world And wonder What are we gonna do In the face of what We remember. (768) In conclusion these poets have both proved to be dedicated to changing our society, but in opposite ways. Hughes takes the angry resentful view and Dylan takes the reconstructing positive one. The individual styles work for these remarkable artists.
Langston Hughes was a large influence on the African-American population of America. Some of the ways he did this was how his poetry influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and the Harlem Renaissance. These caused the civil rights movement that resulted in African-Americans getting the rights that they deserved in the United States. Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was young and his grandmother raised him. She got him into literature and education; she was one of the most important influences on him. He moved around a lot when he was young, due to his parents divorce, but remained a good student and graduated high school. After this he traveled the world and worked in different places, all the things he saw in his travels influenced him. In 1924 he settled down in Harlem where he became one of the important figures in the Harlem Renaissance. He enjoyed listening to blues and jazz in clubs while he wrote his poetry. The music that he enjoyed greatly influenced the style and rhythm of his poetry. The poem “Dream Variations” by Hughes is about an average African-American who dreams of a world where African-Americans are not looked at or treated differently and they can rest peacefully. Yet in real life this was not so, black people and white people were not equal. And the world was not as forgiving and nice as in their dream. This poem is a good example of Hughes writing because it is typical of three things. The first is the common theme of the average life of an African-American and their struggles. Secondly, the style of his writing which is based on the rhythm of jazz and blues- he uses a lot of imagery and similes. Lastly, his influences which are his lonely childhood and growing up as an Afric...
The authors used a historical timeline to introduce a need. Stressing the number of lives lost allows the authors show the importance of vaccines. The repeated emphasis on those lives being the lives of children played on the emotions of readers. Once the need is established Lee and Carson-Dewitt clarify the use of “a dead or mild form of a virus” to create a vaccine (Lee, Carson-Dewitt, 2016, p.2). The distinction of the types of
The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear written by Seth Mnookin offers something for all potential readers. For those who are anti-vaccine, Mnookin offers valid science, testimony, history, and excerpts that demonstrate that vaccinating a child can be more beneficial than not. Instead of simply dismissing those who do not vaccinate their children, Mnookin offers valid points to counter argue in this debate. Mnookin offers thought, logic, reasoning, and research into his arguments, showing that his opinion is rooted in fact, rather than opinion or belief. Those who are on the fence about vaccination may find this book useful in that Mnookin not only offers plenty valid points about pro-vaccination, however, he also provides
George Washington set a legacy that we are still following and are inspired by today. His legacy that has been handed down for generations and for many generations to come, is one that provides our country with leadership and is the foundation of our country’s strength. George Washington is also known as the father of our country. After the American Revolution George Washington actually wanted to retire to his home in Mount Vernon. He refused to accept payment for his service in the Army. However, his country needed a good humble man like himself, and he could not say no to helping the country get started. Washington helped with the making of the Constitution, and he was elected president of the Second Continental Congress. The Constitution is still the law of the land 226 years later. He was elected as our first president in 1789. George Washington had to face some major problems as the first president of the United States. One was he had to build the foundation of our government. Right now our current presidents have to deal with world issues and debt. George Washington had to build the government from the ground up. Also, you have to realize that this is a baby country. This country that he is leading just got its independence from Great Britain, where they had a monarchy g...
George Washington and his presidency were highly crucial for the formation of the United States and defined the president and executive branch powers.
Because of that, his writing seems to manifest a greater meaning. He is part of the African-American race that is expressed in his writing. He writes about how he is currently oppressed, but this does not diminish his hope and will to become the equal man. Because he speaks from the point of view of an oppressed African-American, the poem’s struggles and future changes seem to be of greater importance than they ordinarily would. The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing.
George Washington: soldier, statesman, leader. He is the fifth-most Googled U.S. President, coming in after the likes of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Polling sites list him invariably in their “Top Ten BEST U.S. Presidents!” lists. As the first President of the United States, George Washington was exploring previously uncharted territory. No maps existed for this area; there were no previous examples to draw from. Despite this, evidence suggests that Washington was an excellent national leader.
Langston Hughes was passionate about expressing the lives of black people through his poetry. His poetry expressed the pain and suffering that black people had to endure. Many critics have claimed that Langston Hughes created an unattractive view of black life through his poetry, but he was only demonstrating the realities of their lives. He didn’t make up stories about how great life was; he wrote realistically about the fear, segregation, and lost innocence of the black race. Langston Hughes left an immense impression on the literature of his time period. He influenced many other writers and helped to establish a voice for black people. Langston Hughes was an extraordinary poet that should be known as the man who brought light to the injustice that the people of color of America had to survive.
During the 1920's and 30’s, America went through a period of astonishing artistic creativity, the majority of which was concentrated in one neighborhood of New York City, Harlem. The creators of this period of growth in the arts were African-American writers and other artists. Langston Hughes is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the period know as the Harlem Renaissance. With the use of blues and jazz Hughes managed to express a range of different themes all revolving around the Negro. He played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance, helping to create and express black culture. He also wrote of political views and ideas, racial inequality and his opinion on religion. I believe that Langston Hughes’ poetry helps to capture the era know as the Harlem Renaissance.
He fought exclusively for the rights of the colonists and was a major component of the Revolutionary War ("Miller Center"). George Washington was very well known and had a great reputation, in which he earned from only 2 wars. He was a major leader of rebel militias that were in allied with France against Britain. Because Washington was the first major leader of the rebels, he was the leader of the first anticolonial war that was a success against colonization, this gave him much fame. Within the Revolutionary War, his main goal was to spread terror to make natives fear him and make them choose to either attack the British or “leave their families exposed” (Marrin 60). Washington was looked up to by many, by the great example that he lived by. A colonist commented, “fire at him no more; see ye not that the Great Spirit protects that chief. He cannot die in battle” because no matter how fearful he was of the war he would never show it, but he would continue leading strongly (Marrin 54). Not only was he successful when fighting for colonization, he also was a huge reason the Americas gained independence and were able to create a government or Constitution, in which he also helped to create. Washington became well known because of his work with the military. His fame helped him later in life with his help in shaping the United States (Marrin 10). Washington was elected the president of a group of men who ended up writing the Constitution for the United States and later was the first president of this new nation. People now not only knew him for the work he did in the military, but also for becoming the president and leader of the country ("George
The four poems by Langston Hughes, “Negro,” “Harlem,” “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” and “Theme for English B” are all powerful poems and moving poems! Taken all together they speak to the very founding of relations of whites and blacks all the way down through history. The speaker in the poem the, “Negro” and also, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” tells the tale of freedom and enslavement that his people have endured, and it heralds their wisdom and strength. The poems “Harlem” and “Theme for English B” speaks to the continuous unfair treatment that the blacks have received at the hands of white people throughout the years.
In the early 20th century, many writers such as T.S. Eliot (Thomas Stearns Eliot) and Langston Hughes wrote what scholars of today consider, modern poetry. Writers in that time period had their own ideas of what modern poetry should be and many of them claimed that they wrote modern work. According to T.S. Eliot’s essay, “From Tradition”, modern poetry must consist of a “tradition[al] matter of much wider significance . . . if [one] want[s] it [he] must obtain it by great labour . . . no poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists’ (550). In another term, tradition only comes within the artist or the art itself; therefore, it should be universally monumental to the past. And, Langston Hughes argues that African-Americans should embrace and appreciate their own artistic virtues; he wishes to break away from the Euro-centric tradition and in hopes of creating a new blueprint for the African-American-Negro.
There is a yearly revenue increase of about 7% every year, and if a loan is obtained for thirty (30) years the interest rate will be about 7%. These financial outcomes are based on unexpressed conclusions.
During this era African Americans were facing the challenges of accepting their heritage or ignoring outright to claim a different lifestyle for their day to day lives. Hughes and Cullen wrote poems that seemed to describe themselves, or African Americans, who had accepted their African Heritage and who also wanted to be a part of American heritage as well. These are some of the things they have in common, as well as what is different about them based on appearance, now I shall focus on each author individually and talk about how they are different afterwards.
In the poem it seems as if Langston is talking from the perspective of someone living in Harlem he