Comparing 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man And Jazzonia'

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The evolution of poetic song verse is a rich and complex subject that can be investigated through the examination of different works of craftsmanship. In this paper, we dive into the comparison and contrast of the tune "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" by Chuck Berry and the poem "Jazzonia" by Langston Hughes. Through a close reading of specific sections, we are going look at how these works reflect the evolution of poetic song verse, paying attention to continuities and discontinuities between the two. To start, it is essential to set up the historical and social context in which both "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" and "Jazzonia" were made. Chuck Berry's song was released in 1956, amid a time of significant social and cultural change within the United …show more content…

In "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," Chuck Berry utilizes vivid and evocative dialect to paint a picture of the main character and the reactions he inspires. Expressions such as "arrested on charges of unemployment" and "just-a-driftin' and a-driftin'" pass on a sense of movement and urgency, while also implying to the social and economic substances of the time. The song's narrative quality and narrating components adjust with the tradition of folk and blues music, displaying a continuity in the use of narrative inside poetic song verse. On the other hand, Langston Hughes' "Jazzonia" utilizes rich and sensory imagery to bring out the atmosphere of a jazz club. The poem is replete with depictions of music, dance, and sensory experiences, creating a multi-sensory tapestry that immerses the reader within the world of jazz. Lines such as "moanin' low / Sweet blues coming from a black man's soul" and "Boys with big mouths and big legs / And it's a razz-ma-tazz and a jazz" capture the vibrant and rhythmic essence of jazz music, illustrating a discontinuity within the use of imagery compared to conventional poetic song

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