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Symbolism in langston hughes
Theme, imagery, and symbolism in langston hughes poems
Langston hughes poetry analysis
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Through the use of metaphors, Langston Hughes believes that Freedom should be attainable by all because it is the voice of equality. Langston Hughes describes in his well-known poem, ¨Theme For English B¨, that at his era in the 1950s, he is not accepted for who he is because he is an African-American who hopes to be able to have the same rights as others do in America, the land of the free. First off, Hughes states, ¨So will my page be colored that I write? Being me, it will not be white. But it will be apart of you, instructor. You are white--yet apart of me, as I am apart of you. That's American." This metaphor is comparing his own life to his professors life. The theme Langston Hughes is writing for his instructor demonstrates that in America,
Langston Hughes expresses his poems with the connection of jazz blues music and African Americans expressing themselves by dancing and following the beat to the music rhythm describing flashbacks of the past and comparing them to present day using imagery, figurative language describing and punctuation, which makes the reader think about African Americans in the past and how they are treated different today.
Then the narrator continues to relate nostalgically to the longing for an America built on freedom and equality for all. This could be the dream of the author himself. Wagner states of the author, "Like his first masters Whitman and Sandburg, like his fellow black Toomer, and like so many other American poets of the period, Langston Hughes never tires of proclaiming the absolute necessity for all to do what they can to save the democratic ideal" (371).... ... middle of paper ... ...
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 suppressed 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 equally.
Because of that, his writing seems to manifest a greater meaning. He is part of the African-American race that is expressed in his writing. He writes about how he is currently oppressed, but this does not diminish his hope and will to become the equal man. Because he speaks from the point of view of an oppressed African-American, the poem’s struggles and future changes seem to be of greater importance than they ordinarily would. The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing.
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.
...nly country to force the race into slavery, they were just the last to free the slaves, and also had the worst treatment for the blacks. For years races were discriminated in the country of America, and it still this way today. Poets such as Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, and Colleen McElroy were evolutionary poets who wrote about their desire for freedom and equal treatment. Langston Hughes poems were more about the building up of the tension that existed in all of his people who were ready to start fighting for their freedom. Colleen McElroy wrote about how the blacks in America still were apart of there past because of the color of their skin and simply just because of where they were from. Lucille Clifton wrote about the desire for the recognition her race and all of the other races of America, besides the Whites, would finally be appreciated for their work.
“Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.” –Edgar Allan Poe. Poetry is one of the world’s greatest wonders. It is a way to tell a story, raise awareness of a social or political issue, an expression of emotions, an outlet, and last but not least it is an art. Famous poet Langston Hughes uses his poetry as a musical art form to raise awareness of social injustices towards African-Americans during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Although many poets share similarities with one another, Hughes creatively crafted his poetry in a way that was only unique to him during the 1920’s. He implemented different techniques and styles in his poetry that not only helped him excel during the 1920’s, but has also kept him relative in modern times. Famous poems of his such as a “Dream Deferred,” and “I, Too, Sing America” are still being studied and discussed today. Due to the cultural and historical events occurring during the 1920’s Langston Hughes was able to implement unique writing characteristics such as such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues that is demonstrative of his writing style. Langston Hughes use of distinct characteristics such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues helped highlight the plights of African-Americans during the Harlem Renaissance Era.
When reading the literature of Langston Hughes, I cant help but feel energetically charged and inspired. Equality, freedom, empowerment, renaissance, justice and perseverance, are just a few of the subject matter Hughes offers. He amplifies his voice and beliefs through his works, which are firmly rooted in race pride and race feeling. Hughes committed himself both to writing and to writing mainly about African Americans. His early love for the “wonderful world of books” was sparked by loneliness and parental neglect.
Langston Hughes (1902-1967) absorbed America. In doing so, he wrote about many issues critical to his time period, including The Renaissance, The Depression, World War II, the civil rights movement, the Black Power movement, Jazz, Blues, and Spirituality. Just as Hughes absorbed America, America absorbed the black poet in just about the only way its mindset allowed it to: by absorbing a black writer with all of the patronizing self-consciousness that that entails.
... They focus more on the cultural aspects of identity that Hughes is very proud of, while poems “Democracy” and “Theme for English B” touch on some of the social concerns that created a struggle for dignity as a black person in the early/mid twentieth century. The “Democracy” is a slightly stern and direct request to take action and fight for civil rights. The “Theme for English B” is a compassionate and low-key personal anecdote that reiterates the unpracticed concept that “all men are created equal”. Despite the difference in tone and subject, all four poems relate to the central theme that dignity is something that white men may take for granted, but Langston Hughes, as a black man and a writer, sees and feels dignity as a fight and a struggle that he faces and that the black community as a whole faces every day.
The poem, "Freedom Train" not only demonstrates the state of oppression the black community faced in 1947 but uses historical events and movements of the era. Langston Hughes wrote this poem in response to the train called Freedom Train that carried historical documents across country on September 17, 1947. On board the train was the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and a draft of the Constitution. The reader gathers from the poem, the setting takes place in the South during the recent announcement of the Freedom Train's departure. The narrator is a black man who has just heard about the Freedom Train. Immediately a visual came to mind of a man standing in the streets on a hot September day rejoicing and questioning the arrival of the Freedom Train. A million ideas and thoughts run through the mind of the narrator in a short period of time. He expresses throughout the poem so many questions and concerns regarding the Freedom Train. The main concern of the narrator is the true meaning of "freedom" behind the Freedom Train. He questions whether or not this freedom is meant for him or if it's the freedom of the white man. He says in stance thirty, "What shall I tell my children?...You tell me-Cause freedom ain't freedom when a man ain't free". Personally, I believe this to be most profound statement in the entire poem. From the narrator's perspective, a man isn't truly free if he doesn't have the same rights as a man with white skin. He continues to question who the Freedom Train is really coming for. Will the blacks be sincerely welcome on this train? He ask in stance twenty: "When it stops in Mississippi will it be made plain Everybody's got a right to board the Freedom Train? After reading the poem a few times, I concluded that the narrator really wants freedom for all, which will not happen unless there is racial equality. The statement made in stance fifty and sixty backs this idea up because he states: "For the Freedom Train will be yours and mine!", "Black men and white men will say, Ain't this fine?" This expresses his hope and concern for everyone, not just the black race.
Langston Hughes has maintained a position at the top of the poetry world with poems relating to race relations and the injustice of white people’s actions that target blacks in the United States. Hughes was writing before the Civil Rights Movement, so he felt firsthand, as a black man, the rampant racism that ran through the country. As a black man, Hughes was well aware of the dangers of publishing material that called for desegregation in a country where blacks were hung on tree limbs and crosses were burned on front lawns; nevertheless, he believed there was a necessity for his work to be published to advocate for the equal rights of the African Americans. In Hughes’s poems, I, Too and Freedom, the tones of the poem come across as patriotic, but also call for a need to unify the nation. After a first reading of I, Too, it is plainly obvious that Hughes is commenting on the racial segregation of the United States.
The civil rights movement may have technically ended in the nineteen sixties, but America is still feeling the adverse effects of this dark time in history today. African Americans were the group of people most affected by the Civil Rights Act and continue to be today. Great pain and suffering, though, usually amounts to great literature. This period in American history was no exception. Langston Hughes was a prolific writer before, during, and after the Civil Rights Act and produced many classic poems for African American literature. Hughes uses theme, point of view, and historical context in his poems “I, Too” and “Theme for English B” to expand the views on African American culture to his audience members.
Langston Hughes’s poem “I Dream A World” grants a voice to any person, who has been exposed to a life in racial prejudice and inequality, including the writer. That voice belongs to any black person, who has lived the poorer than poor life. This life was full of consistent violation of basic human rights, full of frustration, and overflowing with hopelessness. Upon closer examination, the situation of the poem uncovers the painstakingly raw yearning for humanity and equality.
Langston Hughes once said in his poem, The Black Man Speaks, “I swear to the Lord / I still can't see / Why Democracy means / Everybody but me.” This quotation by Hughes is able to perfectly depict inequality which was just one of many struggles African Americans faced during Hughes’ time. Although literary critics felt that Langston Hughes portrayed an unattractive view of black life, the poems demonstrate reality. Hughes’ poetry contains many issues that typically plagued blacks at the time including racial abuse, lack of opportunity, and segregation.