Trumpet Player By Langston Hughes Literary Devices

Soothing Soul Singing

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” stated Martin Luther King, Jr. Langston Hughes, the author of “Trumpet Player,” pioneered a period called the Harlem Renaissance in America (“The Harlem Renaissance”). This movement occurred after World War 1 and celebrated the African-American heritage and culture (“The Harlem Renaissance”). Hughes wrote during a time when the Negro was considered an inferior human who was segregated from the white-dominated society (“The Harlem Renaissance”). In the poem “Trumpet Player,” Hughes exemplifies the literary characteristics of metaphors and imagery coupled with a unique scansion to assert the theme that the Negro

The work contains five eight-line stanzas followed by a four-line coda at the conclusion of the poem. All five stanzas are similar in style and length. Although "Trumpet Player" is a free form poem, it contains a rhyme scheme whereby the fourth and eighth lines in each stanza rhyme. Additionally, the poem contains more rhyming in the first and last stanzas than the rest of the poem. The rhythm of the work is similar to jazz music which was popular during the Harlem Renaissance era. Also, Hughes utilizes assonance and consonance in this literary work. The poem contains a long "i" sound in the third and fourth stanzas that slows the poem (17-32). At the beginning and the end of the work, consonance appears through the use of the sharp, hissing "s" sound (1-8, 40-44). This sharpness reflects the harshness of slavery that is portrayed in the first stanza. The consonance helps introduce the theme of the poem and captures the readers' attention. Toward the end of the poem, Hughes shifts to a relaxing tone by using the soothing letters "m" and "l" in the word "mellows" (44). The organizational structure does not accurately demonstrate the way the poem reads. Typically a shorter poem reads quickly. However, "Trumpet Player" has a slower pace and a jazz feel. Punctuation adds to the framework. There are a few commas, and the poem does not contain periods or

"Trumpet Player" defines the way the Negro will always carry the painful memories of being whipped and beaten as a slave, but he overcomes this pain through the ecstasy of the arts, especially music. Hughes wants to show the reader that African-Americans should be treated equally, and their culture should be accepted as much as the heritage of white individuals. Langston Hughes creates rhythm in the poem by repeating certain lines to demonstrate emphasis. The phrase, “The Negro with the trumpet at his lips,” is repeated four times in the poem (1-2, 9-10, 33-34). Emphasis is placed on an African-American trumpet player who could be Louis Armstrong or another prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance. In addition, Hughes applies poetic devices to paint a picture for the reader. In the second stanza, Hughes compares the trumpeter's hair to a "jet" or "crown" through the utilization of a simile (15-16). Jet is a dark, black coal, and he describes it as a crown which could represent victory over slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 (“Jet”). Also, the poem envelops a couple of metaphors. Hughes compares the sweetness of the trumpet’s music to the sugar of honey when he says, "Trumpet at his lips is honey (18-19)." Furthermore, he refers to the music as a "hypodermic needle to his soul. (39-40)." Hughes reveals that the trumpet sound is as soothing as a