Joplin-born poet Langston Hughes was an influential figure in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes was different than all the black poets before him because he used language and themes that was relatable and familiar to everyone who could read. Hughes was most known for writing about the stories that reflected African Americans' actual culture including their suffering, frustrations, love of music, the language itself, and nuances of black life. He also refused to separate his personal experiences from the common perspective of black America (Poetry Foundation and Poets). These ideas evidently appear in works he has written. For example, in his poem “As I Grew Older,” it discusses how hard it was for African …show more content…
In the beginning of the poem, the speaker remembers an aspiration that he had a very long time ago. He reminisces, "I have almost forgotten my dream/ But it was there then/ In front of me/ Bright like a sun--" (2-5). Back when Hughes/the speaker was a child he possessed an innocence that allowed him to believe all his ambitions were very possible. Using the phrase “bright like a sun,” Hughes wants to convey the idea that before, the speaker’s dream was within reach. Later on in the poem, the speaker has grown older and dejectedly he says, “And then the wall rose/ Between me and my dream/ I lie down in the shadow/ No longer the light of my dream before me/ Only the shadow.” (7, 10, 15, 16, 19) Using a wall that has grown until it touched the sky as a metaphor for the speaker’s obstacles of racism and discrimination expresses how unbelievably massive they were. The description of the dream that used to be “bright like a sun,” is now replaced by a dark shadow because the wall is preventing the speaker from seeing the light of his dream. Furthermore, him lying down in the shadow exemplifies how disheartened and discouraged he feels. As the poem comes to an end a now empowered speaker proclaims, “My dark hands!/ Help me to shatter this darkness/ Into a thousand lights of sun.” (21, 24, 27)
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...
It’s had tacks in it,/ And splinters,/ And boards torn up,/And places with no carpet on the floor-” ( Norton, lines 2-6 2028). Despite the fact that the pain was torture, she made it and she wants her son to do the same. With that being the first stanza of the poem, Hughes was making a bold
Life was difficult for blacks, as they did not have many liberties. To exaggerate the feelings of the reader, poets use different forms of literary devices in the voice of the speaker to perform great roles. In “As I Grew Older,” Langston Hughes uses a unique structure, tone, imagery, and symbols to express the feelings of the black community regarding racism and oppression.
In addition, the words dream deferred (line one) and syrupy sweet (line eight) are the alliterations that were used. Concrete imagery and similes are utilized throughout the poem. The concrete imagery arouses the reader's five senses--as a result they get a better insight of what the poem is conveying. Hughes compares a dream that is postponed to a raisin that is dried up, to a sore, to meat that has rotted, and to the sweetness of syrup.... ... middle of paper ... ...
“I dream a world where… love will bless the earth and peace its paths adorn.” -- Langston Hughes
The mother tells her son that life has not always been easy for her, yet she is still carrying on. This poem “Mother to Son” has many poetry elements within the poem. The poem shows the message of staying hopeful through the obstacles one may encounter throughout life. Hughes uses metaphors,
What influenced people in his writings were that he wrote his poetry on what the people in his community need for life and that's why many of his own followed him and were inspired by him as well. He Showed that the poetry he produced showed the beliefs and shows he is the voice of the black community back in the 1960s (200 Years of Afro- American Poetry). Langston Hughes wrote most of his poetry about his life experiences, his racial views and the racism he has seen and experienced, and lastly the way black people were treated (Bevilacqua, Winifred Farrant. ). For example, in the poem Theme for English B he wrote about his life as a young student living in New York City, and he says in the poem about the struggles he had to go through, the way how he had to handle racism problems that he had to go through, and lastly the way he was treated as a black man living in New York City. This poem shows African Americans that he went through the same situation that they are going through. It made them realize that if he went through the same situation and still was able to make a huge impact, other people could do the same as he did and made a big impact on
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...
These constant feelings of discontent, and annoyance were seen frequently by African Americans who suffered from injustice acts from the white majority during these times. Many of the poems written during this time showed some sort of historical reference of maltreatment, or inequality. For years, African Americans were not allowed to have a voice, and if they did they wen’t unheard. However, when poems got published, the deep emotion, and rage that African Americans lived through for many years was released to the public, and shocked a majority of people when they quickly became influential to society.
In his poem Hughes uses punctuation often. He did this because it force the reader to slow down when reading and helps emphasize his point. In addition to his punctuation his use of rhyme scheme draws the reader in and better hold their attention. UGH his use of parallelism is often seen. He says “I am . . .” in lines nineteen to twenty two, twenty five, thirty one to four and again in line thirty seven. Hughes does this to expand the short comings faced in America. AND to show how wide spread the equality in the country is, not focusing singularly on a group. AND he uses alliteration briefly throughout the poem. In line six he says “. . . dreamers dream. . .” and on line seventy two he says “. . . live like leeches…”. His alliteration catches the reader’s eye and refocuses on the reader’s attention. Perhaps his cleverest poetic device is his use of dialogue. “Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? / And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?” on lines seventeen and eighteen especially stand out in the poem. Not only does the dialogue interrupt the natural flow he has created but it makes the reader think. They are given the image of darkness over their sight and they made to question who the narrator is addressing. Due to the fact the reader stumbles on the lines they are forces to take in the imagery and process the information they have read
Many of which may have reflected his life and his past life experiences. One of the famous poems that Hughes wrote is called, “Mother to Son”. This poem is a deep extended metaphor symbolizing the struggles of life. “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair./ It’s had tacks in it,/ And splinters,” (Mother 2-5).
Langston Hughes was one of the most influential writers of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. “As I Grew Older” is a symbolic point of view in a time when blacks and whites were unequal. He used imagery to contrast “light” and “dark” to portray views from blacks during the time to describe the inability to achieve their dreams due to racist opposition. Seemingly, Hughes implies by the title of the poem that he would solely recollect on growing up from a child to an adult.
After the poem opens up with “What happens to a dream deferred?”, Hughes then provides possible answers to his question through the use of simile and diction. The speaker of the poem uses simile to compare a dream deferred to a dried up raisin, “Does it
lines ”For it dreams die / Life is a broken winged-bird / that cannot fly ”(Hughes - poem 2). The author is trying to explain to the reader to not let go of your dreams which is basically the whole poem is about your dreams and how important and I don’t think that Langston Hughes could stress that anymore than he already has. As the author writes “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal’.”(King) Martin Luther’s word are still remember till this day, almost 50 years later. Years ago, rights between blacks and white where not equal. Black were treated as minorities and were not given the same opportunities the white people had. The poem I choose to analyze, “As I Grew Older”, speaks about the discrimination against blacks at that time. The author uses metaphors and other techniques to share with the reader his feeling about injustice towards the black race.