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Poetry of Walt Whitman
II The themes and style of the poetry of Walt Whitman
Langston Hughes works
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Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes are poets. Whitman wrote “I Hear America Singing”. Hughes wrote “Let America be America Again”. Both poems have similarities and differences. Whitman is a poet who wrote the poem “Leaves of Grass” and was the first to write a free verse poem. He praises universal brotherhood and he loves America. He is very patriotic and celebratory and he kept listing the same phrase with the word singing. Hughes is also a poet, but he doesn’t write free verse poems like Whitman instead he writes poems that rhyme. While Whitman’s tone is patriotic and celebratory quote people are singing with open mouths, with their strong melodious songs”. Hughes tone of his poem is sarcastic and frustrated because he thought individuals
In "Langston Hughes and the "Other" Whitman", George Hutchinson summarizes the similarities between Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman. Although Walt Whitman wrote during the American Antebellum Era and Hughes wrote during the Harlem Renaissance, both used their works to advocate for African Americans. Hughes greatly admired Whitman and felt that he had been ignored and underappreciated as a writer. Hughes’ admiration and respect for Whitman allowed him to develop his own unique style of writing and encouraged him to be a voice for those living in Harlem. Analyzing Whitman’s poetry enabled Hughes to find ways to incorporate aspects of Jazz and Blues into his poetry. Whitman and Hughes both integrated their opinions into their poetry and used
This poem is often compared to Walt Whitman’s I Hear America Singing because of the similarities of the two poems. In this poem, Hughes argues that the African American race is equal to whites. Hughes even declares that one day the African American race will be equal to whites. Hughes proclaims, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed-I, too, am America.” Hughes was very bold and daring when he wrote these lines in this poem. He is implying that the white people will regret what they have done to blacks. That they will be ashamed of how they treated them. Undoubtedly, this poem expresses Hughes cultural identity.
Throughout African American history different individuals have made a significant impact that would forever change things. In the 1900s Harlem became the governing body for the birth of jazz and blues. This also open door for a new era called the Harlem Renaissance. During this time a poet name Langston Hughes was introduced. Langston Hughes created poetry that stood out to people. It had that jazzy vibe mixed with articulate language of choice. He could seize the minds of people with the soulfulness of his writing, and depict the struggles of what was going on with blacks. Some individuals see Langston Hughes as the inspired poet of the Harlem Renaissance time. Mr. Hughes used his body of work to compare and contrast things to create the groundwork for the Harlem Renaissance period.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
Hughes was one of the first writers to incorporate the use of African American music in his poems. He used different types of music, such as Jazz and the blues. He felt the need to do so because of his fascination with that form of music and because of how it made people feel in that time period. He also believed that this was a way to feel better about being an African American in a society that was indifferent to cultural diversity. Hughes’ writings were mainly about the experience of hard working African Americans in society and how they got through their daily lives as a minority. Hughes describes what it was like to be an African American man in 20th century society and wanted other African Americans to be proud of their race. Hughes wanted his writings about being African Americans in society to be shown to the white people. He hoped that this would make white people realize what it felt like to be the minority in the community. He also wanted to show America the effects that racism and segregation have on the
With the Great Depression weighing down the economy, and President Hoover's "idea that success comes through individual effort and private enterprise" there was a great deal of discontent in the United States.... ... middle of paper ... ... All in all, Hughes' poems reflect the treatment of African Americans in the 1920's and 30's in a very realistic manner regarding education, housing, and racist organizations.
Very few people will contest that Walt Whitman may be one of the most important and influential writers in American literary history and conceivably the single most influential poet. However many have claimed that Whitman’s writing is so free form as evident in his 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself that it has no style. The poetic structures he employs are unconventional but reflect his very democratic ideals towards America. Although Whitman’s writing does not include a structure that can be easily outlined, masterfully his writing conforms itself to no style, other then its own universal and unrestricted technique. Even though Whitman’s work does not lend itself to the conventional form of poetry in the way his contemporaries such as Longfellow and Whittier do, it holds a deliberate structure, despite its sprawling style of free association.
When it comes to black literature, I only can connect to three writers May Angelou, Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks. All three of these writers talk about things I can relate to. All three of these writers wrote poems, so people can see their pain and what they were going thru. Maya Angelou was a famous black poet and an award-winning author. She had a lot of talents such as screenwriting, dancing, singing and being a civil rights activist. She was known for a famous poem I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings. Maya Angelou wrote a lot of beautiful poems for the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement. Langston Hughes was a black poet that was a novelist and playwriter. Langston was one of the first poets to use the art form of jazz poetry.
Both poems are having a similar conversation with each other about racial inequality, yet because “I, Too” and “I Hear America Singing” are speaking from two dissimilar perspective; this consequently leads each poem to see America from a different point of view. Langston Hughes has a habit of writing poems where the speaker is
Each phrases has its own significant meaning. They are both making it a point that even though they may be of color they are just as important in their own way. Hughes poem focus’ more on the future as he states; "Nobody 'll dare/ Say to me, 'Eat in the kitchen, '" the speaker seems eager to see what the future holds him/her. Whitman tends to maintain the present, declaring, “I, too, am America” The speaker believes that the injustice that is upon him is wrong and that he too should be treated as a human. The speaker also believes that color should not be a reason for him not being considered as an American. But, unlike Hughes speaker, is quieter about the fact other than standing up for
Lanston Hughes focuses more on rhythm then on rhyme, for example, the poem "The Weary Blues" reads like a blues song, which is what the poem is about. "Mother to Son" is a conversation a mother has to a child about what era life has been, and that no matter how hard life may seem, one should never give up climbing the "stairs". The poem seems to shift from good English to Black English and then back again, which to me shows...
A major proponent of Romanticism, Wordsworth’s influence can be seen in Whitman’s poetry through a Romantic connection. Despite differences in form, one can see William Wordsworth’s influence on Walt Whitman in Wordsworth’s preface to Lyrical Ballads and Whitman’s “Song of Myself” through their portrayal of the common man and their use of language, which is Romantic in nature. Moores argues that the case is not. He states, “Although both poets had an intense distrust of language.they nevertheless believed language, particularly their own poetic language, could be a stimulus of consciousness expansion”(“Gangs” 96).
Walt Whitman is Jay Leno and Ralph Emerson is Ed Hall. Walt takes the instructions announced by Emerson and runs gallantly with them making beautiful and insightful poetry. Walt Whitman and Ralph Emerson spoke out in an age where society was not ready for such dramatic writers. Whitman uses several of Emerson's topics and styles to be that good poet. Whitman elaborates on the characteristics of a poet, freedom, children, and animals.
Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are both considered as the most original poets who has boldly revolutionized the subject and style of 20th-century American poetry. Both the poets come from vastly different backgrounds but they share common inspirations but in a distinctive way. They both lived polar opposite personal lives as Walt was friendly, outgoing and influential, while Emily was very simple, shy, isolate and content. A lot of poems written by them were based on nature, death, and immortality and they focused on the importance of individualism in the society like in “I Hear America Singing” by Walt and “Much Madness is most divine Sense” by Emily. Together, they both have huge hands to shape the American poetry, and their influences
In this essay I will be arguing how Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou similar writing styles affected their community and brought to light a positive way of thinking. Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, and novelist from Missouri. Hughes played an influential role in the Harlem Renaissance era. Hughes was known for being conscious and it echoed in his work. He used music as well as imagery to tell the world the struggles that African-Americans endure in their era. Hughes poems told stories that were relatable and reflected his community. Maya Angelou was an American poet, actress, civil rights activist, along with many other things. As a civil rights activist, Angelou worked alongside with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and