Langston Hughes An Early Autumn Analysis

578 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Themes in langston hughes harlem

This essay will examine the short story an early autumn by Langston Hughes. Hughes was a playwright poet no Vectis and a writer of short stories. In this short story the author describes the chance meeting between foremen boyfriend and girlfriend in New York City. Using literary element he portrays a moment in time that reveals years of regret. The setting of this story takes place in autumn In NYC. Autumn or fall is often seen as the end of something. In this short story two former sweethearts bump into each other in Washington square. This could be the rekindling of the old flame or the extinguishing of a long head spark the two may have been carrying for each other. This was the autumn or final scene between these two characters the …show more content…

The results of this unresolved conflict become clear in the final two sentences of the first paragraph. Impulsively she had married a man she thought she loved. Bill went away bitter about women. The two characters Mary and bill undergo a change during this encounter. Bill is initially surprised and a bit shocked at the changes he sees in his former girlfriend. He stopped at first he did not recognize her to him she looked so old. Mary at first wanted a kiss but after noting his reaction she just shook his hand. Hughes uses indirect characterization when he describes a little from came quickly between his eyes. It is obvious that bill is not very pleased with this unfolding of events. This exchange indicates that bill has moved on from this relationship whereas Mary still carries hopes of rekindling the old flame. The author skillfully utilizes narrative effects to tell more of the story surrounding this chance meeting. Hughes reveals the conflict created by age difference between his two characters. She had been older than he then in Ohio. Now she was not young at all. Bill was still young. Mary has aged but her feelings for bill has not changed

Show More
Related

  • Irony In Happy Ending By Margaret Atwood

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mary is still in deep love with John, conversely John only uses Mary for selfish pleasure. In here, Atwood breaks away from the telling of stories from third person to sentences of second. “He comes to her apartment twice a week and she cooks him dinner, you’ll notice that he doesn’t even consider her worth the price of a dinner out…” (96). This interruption is to revert back to the main idea of Atwood talking directly to the audience and informing them of how the character John treats and views Mary, which is complete turnaround from the previous Story A which went into no detail into either character’s thoughts or actions whatsoever. Another form of specific detail gets used through similes.

    Read More

  • Power Of Misperception In 'A Jonquil For Mary Penn'

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mary has never been sick since she married Elton causing her family to disowned her and “she and Elton had quarreled the night before” (65). Mary’s husband is off at somebody else’s farm for the day, far from her and at home Mary is sick, alone, and miserable--her mood reflecting the weather. Berry tells us about their neighborhood of six small farms working together in fellowship and genuine camaraderie. Berry builds a setting in which Mary is happy and feels a sense of belonging which he juxtaposes with an insecurity wrought from sickness and doubt. Mary describes herself and Elton as each other’s half and even in quarrels, their halves yearned towards each other burning to be whole. Berry again juxtaposes, “their wholeness came upon them in a rush of light, around them and within them, so that she felt they must be shining in the dark. But now that wholeness was not imaginable; she felt herself without counterpart, a mere fragment of something unknown, dark and broken off” (79). There is a noticeable shift in Mary’s normal attitude as a result of her sickness and this is emphasized the emotional setting. In the physical setting, Berry uses the stove and the fire to limn her emotional setting, as she goes to bed the fire is burning low but she doesn’t have the energy to bring herself to rebuild the fire. When Mary wakes, Josie Tom has rebuilt the

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes And John Steinbeck: An Analysis

    157 Words  | 1 Pages

    The writings of the two authors, Langston Hughes and John Steinbeck address examples of how literature reflects society. Furthermore, the main idea is how the stated essential question related to modern day writers and how it reflected upon tragic events such as the great depression & racism toward Africans. For example in “Cora Unashamed” by Langston Hughes. He mentions how Africans had to go through hardships and were looked down upon, relating back to how literature was shaped. In the story, there is an African girl named Cora lived in an amoral time period where poverty was commonly encountered countless hardships. Near the end, Cora becomes pregnant and is looked down upon due to the fact she was uneducated and black when it is quoted

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes: Write, Fight, And Persevere

    1420 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Life and Work of Langston Hughes

    1965 Words  | 4 Pages

    Berry, Faith. Langston Hughes Before and Beyond Harlem Connecticut: Lawrence Hill and Company Publishers, 1983

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes and Poetry

    2394 Words  | 5 Pages

    Hughes, a.k.a. Langston, a.k.a. “Harlem [Dream Deferred]” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer.

    Read More

  • The Poetry of Langston Hughes During the Harlem Renaissance

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    R: Trotman, C. 1995. Langston Hughes: The Man, His Art, and His Continuing Influence. Routledge 1995

    Read More

  • Katherine Anne Porter's The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    Almost immediately, though, she realizes her loss is so deep she has never been fulfilled (Abcarian, 21).      John was Ellen’s husband who died young. Her thoughts suggest that she may have married him and did not love him but came to love him later (Abcarian, 21). He, too, left her to do the work of both man and woman as she “fenced a hundred acres digging the post holes herself” (Laman, 279). Marriage to John left her unfulfilled and she was searching for “something not given back” (Abcarian, 21).

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes and His Poetry

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes- Theme Analysis

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    Langston Hughes's stories deal with and serve as a commentary of conditions befalling African Americans during the Depression Era. As Ostrom explains, "To a great degree, his stories speak for those who are disenfranchised, cheated, abused, or ignored because of race or class." (51) Hughes's stories speak of the downtrodden African-Americans neglected and overlooked by a prejudiced society. The recurring theme of powerlessness leads to violence is exemplified by the actions of Sargeant in "On the Road", old man Oyster in "Gumption", and the robber in "Why, You Reckon?"

    Read More

  • What Is The Theme Of Langston Hughes Being African American

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes And The Harlem

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Harlem Renaissance brought about many great changes. It was a time for expressing the African-American culture. Many famous people began their writing or gained their recognition during this time. The Harlem Renaissance took place during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Many things came about during the Harlem Renaissance; things such as jazz and blues, poetry, dance, and musical theater. The African-American way of life became the “thing.” Many white people came to discover this newest art, dancing, music, and literature. The Great Migration of African-American people from the rural South to the North, and many into Harlem was the cause of this phenomenon. Harlem was originally a Dutch settlement. Harlem became one of the largest African- American communities in the United States, and during the Harlem Renaissance became a center for art and literature. Many great writers came about during this time, one of which was Langston Hughes. Hughes was born in 1902 with the name James Langston Hughes, and died in 1967. He lived most of his adult life in Harlem. He grew up without a stable family environment. His father moved to Mexico, and he never really saw much of him. Hughes was often referred to as “Harlem’s poet” (Haskins 174). Hughes had and still has a great influence on poetry.

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes' Poetry

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Langston Hughes' Poems on Slavery

    1834 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rampersad, Arnold. "Hughes, Langston (1902–1967)." African American Writers. Ed. Valerie Smith. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001. 367-78. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Autumn Begins In Martins Ferry, Ohio By James Wright

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poem, Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio by James Wright is very unpredictable. First time readers will think that this poem is like many other conventional poems that describe the positive or negative aspects of autumn. However, there is nothing but the word autumn itself on the title that refer to this season. This poem, instead, remarks the harsh and unfair reality of the working-class minority groups who are constantly marginalized within the society. This poem also emphasizes how sport, specially football, and alcohol are a form of escapism for some factory workers.

    Read More

More about Langston Hughes An Early Autumn Analysis

Open Document