Fantasy In Purple By Langston Hughes

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“Fantasy in Purple” is a short poem that consists of nine lines in which Hughes writes about a music motif to describe the depression African Americans went through at the time of racial segregation. Hughes wrote this poem to make the readers show empathy for what the African Americans went through in the 1900s. In the lines one, two, and six the words “Beat the drums of tragedy,” is repeated as a repetition. This repeated line talks about the beating and depression the speaker went through during the time. The poet uses a lot of imagery to express the speaker’s feelings in a more poetic tone. “And let the choir sing a stormy song/To drown the rattle of my dying breath,” is an example of a line that declares the pain and agony the speaker …show more content…

The speaker suggests in line 3 to allow the choir to sing a bittersweet song to drown out his/her shaken outcries. The speaker in this part of the poem is either showing anguish or enduring some type of beating. Line 5 says three words, “Beat the drums,” as a continuation of the motif music depression. However, the next line line is a continuation of the repeated line from line 1. The poet advises the drums to obliterate the outcries and objections like I stated earlier. On the other hand, the poet demonstrates a new instrument, a violin in the next line of the poem. “And let the white violins whirl thin and slow,” makes a reference that the violin is compared “white people.” Moreover, that would mean the main instrument in the poem, the drums would refer to African Americans. Also, when stating that the “white violins whirl thin and slow,” explains the fact the segregationists, “white people” rarely attempt to make some sound or obliterations. The speaker then talks about a final demonstration, such as a trumpet that will blow him/her away. The trumpet is used in this metaphor to describe the loud and blaring noise that debuts out to the world. Further, the poet brings the word “sun” in line 8 to exemplify the speakers strive for light and happiness to come with

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