Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks, Sound over Sense

Poetry and music are both used to express feelings or provide insight into situations that the authors find significant. Minstrels have historically mixed these two arts in acts of around the world; they combined readings of poetry with instruments. Music and poetry both have a rhythm that serves as the foundation that form a spiritual connection. Music has long focused on creating a feeling throughout the audience. Jazz in particular focuses on improvisations, combining rhythms, and creating a “swing” or a feeling that creates a instinctive response. Although Jazz began as an American movement with just a single type, it has expanded into an international genre with many different subgenres. Blues became one of the leading types of Jazz among African Americans. Brooks and Hughes each use the long standing traditions of Blues and use it to express feelings that cannot be expressed in mere words. They argue that creating a connection through communication is less about what is being communicated and more about how it’s being communicated.

In his poem “The Weary Blues” Langston Hughes’ is written in free verse to mimic the patterns of natural speech and music. This poem, as the title suggests, focuses on the blues, a musical style invented for the expression of deep pain; Blues songs are typically performed by individuals to create a feeling of loneliness in the grief-stricken lyrics. Hughes’ verse creates a natural rocking to the somber tune as the musician rocks on his stool; the speaker describes the song as “melancholy”. Interestingly “melancholy” describes the ending of the poem perfectly. As the musician thumps his foot and Hughes repeats that beat the singer sleeps like a dead man. Simply by communicating through music with ...

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...the reader to think in a different mindset. By creating this mindset Hughes and Brooks communicate thousands of years of black history as the speaker of “The Weary Blues” has the singers blues echo through his head so too do we have the weary thoughts of generations past echo through ours. Their creative use of words creates connection between performer and audience through the style of communication. Hughes doesn’t just use the grief of the singer’s lyrics; he uses the moan of the piano to express sorrow. Brooks doesn’t just ponder the life choices of the young boys; she forces the reader to think from their point of view. Brooks creates a connection between the speaker and the reader through the style of communication. By using these styles Hughes and Brooks prove that creating connections is less about what is said and more about the music that drives the poetry.