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Langston hughes' symbolism
Langston hughes poetry analysis
Langston hughes american experience
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Thank You Ma’am” is a short story in which Langston Hughes, the author, presents an important lesson about trust and kindness from a surprising meeting encounter. Roger, a young thief is the main character. He is given a gift to change and direct his life after he meets Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. Roger meets Mrs. Jones one night while trying to steal her pocketbook but things didn’t go quite the way Roger nor Mrs. Jones had planned. Mrs. Jones was just headed home to cook her some dinner; she didn’t know her night was going to be interrupted by some young boy who was stealing to survive because he knew no other way to survive. But after meeting, they both came to realize that you never know the reasons behind the actions of some people. …show more content…
Jones apartment she shows that she stills trust Roger by leaving her purse out and leaving the door open. She doesn’t turn around to check on her purse or to see if the boy has run. Even though Roger is faced with temptation and fear of not trusting himself, he decided to sit where he think Mrs. Jones can see him. He has never had anyone to trust him so “he does not want to be mistrusted now (Hughes).” While eating dinner Mrs. Jones starts to ask Roger about his life, trying her best to avoid any offending questions. Roger informs her “there is nobody home at my house.” And that is when Mrs. Jones knows that with him trying to steal her purse didn’t make him a bad person; he was just a young boy trying to survive on his own. She also realizes that Roger has probably never been treated with trust or hospitality that she is showing him. Mrs. Jones asks Roger why he tried to steal her purse and find out all he wanted was some blue suede shoes. She relates herself to the young boy and tells him “I was young once and I wanted things I couldn’t get. I have done things too (Hughes).” Hughes shows that we all have done some things we are not proud of, but we have the opportunity to help make sure no one else has to make the same …show more content…
Jones noticed that all Roger wanted to do was fit in. after they got done eating Mrs. Jones turns to Roger and says “Now, here take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes (Hughes).” Roger at that point was over whelmed with so many emotions. He has never had anyone to be so nice to him and treat him the way that Mrs. Jones has. He has never had anyone to even offer him a hot meal, so with Mrs. Jones handing him ten dollars to buy whatever he wanted really had a big impact on how he would live the rest of his life. Roger feels loved for the first time in his life, since he was out on the streets and no one cared about his well-being. Roger is a new person with a new outlook on life. He was speechless on how to reply to Mrs. Jones act of kindness, he didn’t want to say thank you because after all she had done for him, saying thank you was just not
When reading the literature of Langston Hughes, I cant help but feeling energetically charged and inspired. Equality, freedom, empowerment, renaissance, justice and perseverance, are just a taste 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. He would soon lose himself in the works of Walt Whitman, Paul Laurence, Carl Sandburg and other literary greats which would lead to enhancing his ever so growing style and grace of oeuvre. Such talent, character, and willpower could only come from one’s life experiences. Hughes had allot to owe to influences such as his grandmother and great uncle John Mercer Langston - a famous African American abolitionist. These influential individuals helped mold Hughes, and their affect shines brightly through his literary works of art.
This week reading were really interesting, all of them had a strong message behind their words. However, the one that really caught my attention was “Open Letter to the South” by Langston Hughes. In this poem, the author emphasizes in the idea of unity between all races, He also suggests that working in unity will lead to achieving great things, as he said, “We did not know that we were strong. Now we see in union lies our strength.” (Hughes 663)
Another example of Hughes’s constant struggles with racism and his inner and thoughtful response to that is clearly seen when he recalls being denied the right to sit at the same table. His point of view identifies that he was not able to sit at the table because he was an African-American. Yet, he remains very optimistic in not letting his misfortune please what is considered the “white-man” in the poem. Langston Hughes’s states,
After Junior’s sister Mary dies in a terrible fire, he feels sad and alone. At school, his fellow students and friends make him feel better by giving him hugs and small slaps on the back. “They were worried for me. They wanted to help me with my pain. I was important to them. I mattered. Wow,” (Alexie 212). Back on the Reservation, Junior never felt important, which really put a damper on his confidence. However, at school he knows people care about him and it makes him feel good and appreciated. This experience impacts Junior’s identity and makes him a better, and more confident person. Junior goes to his first school dance, and afterwards him, his girlfriend, and a few of his friends go to a Denny’s to eat pancakes. He is poor and obviously cannot pay for the food, but he orders it anyways. Later that evening, his friend Roger finds out that he does not have enough money to pay. Instead of getting mad, Roger lends him forty dollars and goes on his way. When they got back to the school after having pancakes, Penelope, Junior’s girlfriend, finds out that he is poor and kisses him on the cheek. “But then I realized she was being my friend. Being a really good friend, in fact. She was concerned” (Alexie 127). This entire event shows Junior that being poor is not a bad thing. It lets him know that people will still be his friend even when they know he is
The bars on windows, bedstead nailed down, and a gate at the top of the stairs suggest an unsafe place. The narrator’s preference for living in the downstairs room is undermined by John’s control over her. Furthermore, John puts his wife into an environment with no communication, making her socially isolated. The protagonist is home alone most of the time while John is at work. She is not allowed to raise her own baby, and Jennie, John's sister, is occupied with her job.
James Mercer who we all knew as Langston Hughes, was born in Joplin, Missouri February 1, 1902. Right after Hughes was born his parents James Hughes and Carrie Langston, decided to separate. His father went his way and his mother she moved around a lot so his maternal grandmother raised him. Mary, Hughes grandmother had an impact that influenced him into writing poetry. After his grandmother passed he eventually went to stay with his mother where they got settled in Ohio. Hughes began writing poetry throughout his years in high school.
In the poem Langston Hughes points out, for example “Tomorrow, /I’ll be on the table/ when company comes. / Nobody’ll dare Say to me, / Eat in the Kitchen”. This allows the reader to understand how the author will not let racism play a role in his life. In its place, he becomes as equal with the white man and kills the evil. 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 against his constant struggles with
Deconstruction of Thank You, Ma’am. & nbsp ; There are a million acts of kindness each day. Some young man gives a stranger a compliment, or a teacher brightens a students morning. But, in the world we live in today, these acts are rare to come by. In this short story Thank You, Ma’am, the boy, out of mysterious luck, gets taken in by the woman whom he was trying to steal a purse from. Her actions, following the incident towards the boy, may have seemed very as complicated as life is, there will not always be someone for you to lean on and depend on. The first and most foremost thing that would come to mind when reading this story is how caring Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones was, that she took in the boy and nurtured him; she tried to teach him between right and wrong. She gave him food, a nice conversation, and even a chance of escape, which he chose not to take, but these methods are still an immoral way of handling the situation. If a boy were to come up to an everyday woman on the streets, that victim would not be as sensitive as Mrs. the boy she caught. To teach a young man that if you steal and you are going to get special treatment is not an effective method of punishment. First of all, the boy told Mrs. Jones that he tried to steal her purse for one reason, to buy blue suede shoes for himself. She then replies, “Well you didn’t have to snatch my pocketbook to get some blue suede shoes.
Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. He lived in an unstable home environment as his father abandoned the family and moved to Mexico. His father studied law but was prohibited from testing for the bar exam due to his race. This may have led to his decision to leave the states (Pesonen, 1997-2008). His mother was a school teacher was but was always traveling to find employment with better wages. Young James Langston Hughes was never in one place for long, after his parents’ divorce he went to live with his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas until he was thirteen years old. Much of the author’s work can be attributed to his grandmother as she was very influential to him. She would tell him stories of how black people faugh to be liberated and treated equally. His grandmother taught him how to use his sadness to his advantage (Langston Hughes, 1997-2010). To no avail he did exactly what his grandmother told him. As a young man he traveled the world taking bits and pieces of life experiences, placing them in his literary works. Langston Hughes has brought the afflictions of Black Americans in the nineteenth and twentieth century and placed them in view for the world to see.
Dreams are aspirations that people hope to achieve in their lifetime. They are a motive that drives lives to accomplish goals. When trying to achieve these goals, people can do anything. However, what happens when a dream is deferred? A dream cast aside can frustrate a person in the deepest way. It tends to permeate their thoughts and becomes an unshakable burden. In the poem “Harlem,” Langston Hughes, through literary technique, raises strong themes through a short amount of language.
“Louisa, Please Come Home,” by Shirley Jackson, is a first-person narrative story that tells the experience of Louisa in the small town of Rockville during the 1950s. In fact, there are six characters in this story. The protagonists of this story are Louisa Tether, Mrs. Peacock, Carol Tether, Mr. Peacock, Mrs. Peacock, and Paul. Carol and Louisa are sisters, and the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Tether. Paul is a neighbor of the Tether family, and Mrs. Peacock owns the rooming house where Louisa Tether lives. Mr. and Mrs. Tether, Mrs. Peacock, and Paul worked together to solve the problem of Louis running away from home. The main character Louisa Tether is a nineteen-year-old-girl, who is fair-haired, five feet four inches tall, and weights one hundred twenty-six pounds. Her personality could be described as intelligent, impudent, and organized. The following scenes from the book exemplify these three personality traits throughout the story. Shirley Jackson shows the life of Louisa, and ultimately the aspects of this character’s personality shine.
Thesis: The poems “Negro”, “I Too”, and “Song for a Dark Girl” by Langston Hughes was written around an era of civil inequality. A time when segregation was a customary thing and every African American persevered through civil prejudice. Using his experience, he focuses his poems on racial and economic inequality. Based on his biographical information, he uses conflict to illustrate the setting by talking about hardships only a Negro would comprehend and pride only a Negro can experience, which helps maintain his racial inequality theme.
Langston uses dialogue to anticipate hope for Roger. He uses inner thinking to show how the woman feels sympathetic towards Roger. Lastly, he uses character motivation to shows Rogers reasoning for attempting to steal the purse. He uses these techniques to show how Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones feels compassion because she knows what it’s like to want something when you can’t have it. Ultimately, this is why she came to the decision to give Roger the money for the shoes and send him on his
.Langston Hughes wrote the poem “Negro” in 1922. After emancipation, African Americans tried to locate a protected place to embrace music, liberal arts, and theater.African Americans found this in Harlem and used their artistic skills to press for racial equality. This poem is meant to illustrate the presence of blacks throughout history, highlight their global contributions, and illuminate their sufferings.
Once inside, he heads for the upstairs. When he reaches the second floor, he finds the door to the master bedroom and enters to find the jewelry he had come for. John takes the watches, bracelets, necklaces, and rings and stuffs them into a small duffle bag. He quickly turns and when he exits the bedroom is confronted by a teenage girl, who he knows to be the daughter of the home owner. John makes a quick decision and hits the girl in the head with the pry bar and she falls to the floor.