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Thematic concerns in Langston Hughes' poetry
Langston hughes contributions
Langston hughes african american impact
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The loss of a significant other has to be one of the most traumatic experiences of a lifetime. As time passes, the loss may appear to the outside world to be minimized in the mind of the surviving spouse but often the appearance is misleading. The feeling of loss, never leaves, as there The use of free verse allows the speaker to express deep emotions and feelings, without restriction of form. There is no strict meter in this short poem of ten lines. The poem does not contain any rhyme. The poem has 4 syllables in the first line of the poem and 23 syllables in the second line followed by 8 syllables in the third line. Hughes uses concrete imagery to display the progression of events in the life of the native African from birth (line 2, 4-5). The author provides an image of a …show more content…
tranquil life in Africa, prior to captivity and relocation to the plantations surrounding the Mississippi River. ("bathe"... "built my hut"..."lulled me to sleep"..."looked upon"). The speaker depicts the history of the negro from the shores of Africa to U.S. enslavement and freedom, (lines 2 - 7) I heard the singing [Paraphrased: proclaim enthusiastically] of the Mississippi [the Mississippi river was strategic in the civil war because of its length across the border of other states] Line 7 is indicative of the literary device of symbolism in speaking to the call of freedom…”when Abe Lincoln”[Paraphrased: symbolic of Emancipation Proclamation].
The South did not want to end slavery, darkness entered, "muddy bosom." The word muddy is an adjective for "not clear, not pure". The word "bosom" is a noun meaning breast or the center of feelings or emotions. [Paraphrased: The call to freedom was hindered by a constitutional proclamation that was presented in the midst of upheaval and corruption]. The phrase "turn all golden" means the future was looking brighter. The sunset, a metaphor for freedom, denotes the end of that period. [Paraphrased: I heard the call of freedom ....and the deeply centered feelings of all that it stood for (emancipation proclamation - 1863) turn dark as emotions ran high (civil war - 1865) but in the end, freedom was achieved ("all golden in the sunset")]. The speaker's tone is formal and passionate in an emotional recounting of African American
history. The speaker articulates strong deep-seated emotional feelings. The words "I've known" indicates ownership of the experience. It is the cadence of lines 1, 3, 8 and 10 which prevails in emphasizing the message of transcending the adversities of life. The speaker's diction is to realize an effect in making a slight turn to a universal place and to speak with boldness. This is a place of awareness which excels beyond all adversity. "...I've known rivers...My soul has grown deep like the rivers." The language expresses a sense of dignity and pride in the transformation process. Despite the obstacles and the difficult challenges, I can transcend. I can be so much more than I was meant to be.
The speaker’s rocky encounter with her ex-lover is captured through personification, diction, and tone. Overall, the poem recaps the inner conflicts that the speak endures while speaking to her ex-lover. She ponders through stages of the past and present. Memories of how they were together and the present and how she feels about him. Never once did she broadcast her emotions towards him, demonstrating the strong facade on the outside, but the crumbling structure on the inside.
This poem reflects on how when you lose someone you truly care about it affects you mentally. When we lose someone who we're really close to, we tend to hold a grudge and start questioning our love for the world. We lose ourselves when we
Langston Hughes was one of the first black men to express the spirit of blues and jazz
Langston Hughes- Pessimism Thesis Statement: In the poems “Weary Blues”, “Song for a Dark Girl” and “Harlem” the author Langston Hughes uses the theme of pessimism through the loss of faith, dreams and hope. First, one can look at the theme of pessimism and the correlation to the loss of faith. One can see that in “Song for a Dark Girl” an African American girl is sadden by the loss of her love. For this young and innocent girl to have to lose someone she loved so young.
James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin , Missouri . His parents divorced when he was a small child, and his father moved to Mexico . He was raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen, when he moved to Lincoln , Illinois , to live with his mother and her husband, before the family eventually settled in Cleveland , Ohio . It was in Lincoln , Illinois , that Hughes began writing poetry. Following graduation, he spent a year in Mexico and a year at Columbia University . During these years, he held odd jobs as an assistant cook, launderer, and a busboy, and travelled to Africa and Europe working as a seaman. In November 1924, he moved to Washington , D.C. Hughes's first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926. He finished his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania three years later. In 1930 his first novel, Not Without Laughter, won the Harmon gold medal for literature.
Loss and isolation are easy, yet difficult to write about. They are easy because every human being can empathize with loneliness. If someone denies this, they are lying because loneliness is a common feeling, anyone can relate. It’s hard because we don’t discuss loneliness or loss publicly very often, and when we do, we forget about it quickly. These poems contrast each other by speaking of the different types of loneliness and isolation, distinguishing between the ones of loss, and isolation in a positive perspective.
Langston Hughes's stories deal with and serve as a commentary of conditions befalling African Americans during the Depression Era. As Ostrom explains, "To a great degree, his stories speak for those who are disenfranchised, cheated, abused, or ignored because of race or class." (51) Hughes's stories speak of the downtrodden African-Americans neglected and overlooked by a prejudiced society. The recurring theme of powerlessness leads to violence is exemplified by the actions of Sargeant in "On the Road", old man Oyster in "Gumption", and the robber in "Why, You Reckon?"
This image is the author’s perspective on the treatment of “his people” in not only his hometown of Harlem, but also in his own homeland, the country in which he lives. The author’s dream of racial equality is portrayed as a “raisin in the sun,” which “stinks like rotten meat” (Hughes 506). Because Hughes presents such a blatantly honest and dark point of view such as this, it is apparent that the author’s goal is to ensure that the reader is compelled to face the issues and tragedies that are occurring in their country, compelled enough to take action. This method may have been quite effective in exposing the plight of African-Americans to Caucasians. It can be easily seen that Hughes chooses a non-violent and, almost passive method of evoking a change. While Hughes appears to be much less than proud of his homeland, it is apparent that he hopes for a future when he may feel equal to his fellow citizens, which is the basis of the “dream” that has been
Throughout our lives, we often deal with boundaries created by society and ourselves. Racism and prejudices have plagued our society for years. There have been many people using many methods techniques in the fight against racism. One man used his art and the power of words to bring forth the issues of injustice suffered in America, he was Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes was a Negro Writer, born at the turn of the century in 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His ancestry included three major race groups, however, he lived and was identified as a Negro or Colored (Hughes referred to himself as "colored" or "Negro," because those were the terms used to refer to African-Americans in this era). He spent most of his early years with his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas due to the separation of his mother and father. In 1908 when Langston was ready to start school, his mother was told that he could not attend a nearby because her son was black. The school was located in Topeka, Kansas and was mostly white. Langston’s mother, Carrie, challenged and fought the school over their decision. She won her fight and Langston was finally admitted to the school. By the time he was fourteen, he had lived in Joplin, Buffalo, Cleveland, Lawrence, Kansas, Mexico City, Topeka, Kansas, Colorado Springs, Kansas City, and Lincoln, Illinois. Even though he moved often during his life there are people that Langston was greatly influenced by, his grandmother implanted a sense of dedication, she told him wonderful stories about Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth and once took him to hear Booker T. Washington. Shortly after his thirteenth birthday, his grandmother died and Langston moved in with James and Mary Reed for the next two years, they were not related but...
Langston hughes and his significance as a black american and as a poet Langston Hughes was famous for his poetry, which helped to fuel the civil rights movement. His poetry also earned him fame but he still seemed to remain financially disabled. He didn't get much recognition for his poetry until after he died.
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...
Langston Hughes is a key figure in the vision of the American dream. In his writings his African-American perspective gives an accurate vision of what the American dream means to a less fortunate minority. His poetry is very loud and emotional in conveying his idea of the African-American dream. Most of his poetry either states how the black man is being surpressed or is a wish, a plea for equality. He does not want the black man to be better than everyone else, but just to be treated equal. Able to meet their dream with the same level of success and failure as everyone else.
A poem full of heartache, grief and despair. someone the poet truly loved has gone forever.
The language compliments the mood of this poem, as it varies from a sad and melancholy cry, to a voice of hope, all in a constant confident feel, and by this, the poet's reflections and contemplation?s are communicated successfully to us, making us feel in the same way she has felt.
On February 1, 1902, Langston Hughes was born James Mercer Langston Hughes in Joplin, Missouri. He is the son of James and Carrie Hughes, but they would later divorce after his birth. During his parents ' divorce, he was raised by his grandmother. Years later as a teen he would move to Cleveland, Ohio with his mother. One day at school his English teacher introduced him to poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, which would be his influence to writing poetry. He would write poems for his school magazine, but would get rejected.