Langston Hughes a great poet during the harlem renaissance would fight for the fair treatment of African Americans. He did this through his poetry and writing that usually talked about racial injustice and the encouragement for African Americans to fight for their rights. Hughes was well known for his jazz poetry and being very straightforward with his poetry. Three poems are tied into Hughes fight against racial injustice and his life experiences. These three poems are Harlem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, and Let America Be America Again.
Langston Hughes was born February 1st, 1902 in Joplin Missouri. His parents were divorced at a young age and not much known about his father. Not much known about Hughes father because he moved to Mexico
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Hughes uses a very reflective and solemn tone in this poem. He repeatedly uses the phrase, “I’ve known rivers” which really he is saying he has a connection with his ancestors. I know this because he says “I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young, I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep, I looked upon the Nile and the pyramids above it” (Hughes). The Euphrates, Congo, and Nile are all landmarks in Africa. Hughes is showing us that he has some kind of tie by saying he was in Africa. The poem ends with Hughes saying “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” (Hughes). He is saying that his soul is connected to his ancestors in this phrase. He’s showing that African Americans are all linked in the struggle of racial …show more content…
Hughes talks about the races that have been belittled to show how unfair America truly is. The poem starts with Hughes talking about how a white person would see America in their vision. He says “Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed- Let it be that great strong land of love, Where never Kings connive nor tyrants scheme,That any man be crushed by one above”(Hughes). After he praises America the way a white person would he follows up with an African American perspective. Instead of praising America he says, “It never was America to me” The point of this poem is to convey how African Americans don’t feel welcomed or treated fairly in America with the racial divide. “Let America be America Again” is another example of how Hughes wanted project racial injustice to his
This poem is often compared to Walt Whitman’s I Hear America Singing because of the similarities of the two poems. In this poem, Hughes argues that the African American race is equal to whites. Hughes even declares that one day the African American race will be equal to whites. Hughes proclaims, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed-I, too, am America.” Hughes was very bold and daring when he wrote these lines in this poem. He is implying that the white people will regret what they have done to blacks. That they will be ashamed of how they treated them. Undoubtedly, this poem expresses Hughes cultural identity.
Hughes, a.k.a. Langston, a.k.a. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed.
It is no surprise that this poem is written by an African American, specifically Hughes, who was born on February 1, 1902. His father left the family for Mexico when he was young to escape from the prominent racism in
This poem at first seemed straightforward to me. As I read it more closely and thought about it more I began to put bits and pieces together. I think Hughes has done a wonderful job of describing the slave experience, from the beginning of his narrative to the end, which is when he starts to realize that a brighter future might exist. The way it was written made me really think about what it was Hughes was trying to say. This poem made me realize that a great many people suffered as slaves. These people lived their whole lives in this capacity, most without hope of any change of status. I felt like I was putting together a jigsaw puzzle and it was a good feeling when I finally saw what I believe Hughes wanted me to see.
... a recurring theme of the dream of equality. Hughes composed many poems and plays during the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Era, and his legacy continues to be evident throughout American culture. His words inspired many, and showcased the plight of African-Americans in that era. Hughes’ impact was memorable because he lead African-Americans into writing, much like other distinguished African-American authors of the Harlem Renaissance period. His voice was heard above most other authors of the 1920’s and 30’s, and he expressed his wishes for improved treatment of the black race and the eradication of segregation in the United States with lyrical, thought-provoking poetry and symbolic dramas. Hughes inspired many writers and social activists after him, and continues to be a prominent figure in the general and literary achievements in African-American history.
One of the advantages of how he wrote his poetry is that it can take hold of people by exemplifying his accounts of the everyday life that the disenfranchised experience. Hughes took on the injustices that other dared no to speak of. He wrote about how the African-American people of the 1920’s suffered the plight of racial inequality. In many cases I believe that Hughes used his writing as an instrument of change. In “Come to the Waldorf-Astoria” (506) Hughes tackles the drastic disparity between wealthy whites and the African Americans of the 1930’s. This piece displays an unconventional style for a poem; using satire to capture the reader’s attention. By using this satiric form of poetry Hughes is able to play on the emotions of the white reader, while at the same time inspiring the black readers. Hughes is constantly comparing the luxuries of the Waldorf-Astoria to the hardships that the African American people were experiencing. “It's cold as he...
When looking at the poem, Hughes expresses the pride that he has in his heritage and in who h...
Analyzing the poem’s title sets a somber, yet prideful tone for this poem. The fact that the title does not say “I Speak of Rivers,” but instead, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (1) shows that he is not only a Negro, but that he is not one specific Negro, but in his first person commentary, he is speaking for all Negroes. However, he is not just speaking for any Negroes. Considering the allusions to “Mississippi” (9) and “Abe Lincoln” (9) are not only to Negroes but also to America, confirms that Hughes is talking for all African Americans. This poem is a proclamation on the whole of African American history as it has grown and flourished along the rivers which gave life to these people.
Hughes’ poem is saying America is not the country it was set out to be by the founding fathers this country. Hughes advocates “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek¨(Hughes).Hughes uses anaphora to describe all the people who are not equal. Later on however, the Vietnam war starts and
Hughes ends the poem by again stating, "I, too, am America" (line 18) showing his true pride and ownership of a country that was never very hospitable to him. Hughes is a talented poet who uses metaphors and his own style of writing to create the effectiveness of his overall message. He uses metaphor throughout the poem for the readers to dig deeper and see underneath the surface. He starts out by stating that he, too, was an American, but that he is treated like someone the “family” would be ashamed of. Separated from the rest of the society, eating in another room, being given a different treatment than the others.
The first two lines to Hughes Poem read, “I, too sing America” “I am the darker brother”, Which in my interpretation I definitely related this line to two things. The poem starts off letting the reader know about America’s history and
In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, the river stands as a symbol of endlessness, geographical awareness, and the epitome of the human soul. Hughes uses the literary elements of repetition and simile to paint the river as a symbol of timelessness. This is evident in the first two lines of the poem. Hughes introduces this timeless symbol, stating, “I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins” (Hughes 1-2). These opening lines of the poem identifies that the rivers Hughes is speaking about are older than the existence of human life. This indicates the rivers’ qualities of knowledge, permanence, and the ability to endure all. Humans associate “age” with these traits and the longevity of a river makes it a force to be reckoned with. The use of a simile in the line of the poem is to prompt the audience that this is truly a contrast between that ancient wisdom, strength, and determination of the river and the same qualities that characterize a human being. The imagery portrayed in the poem of blood flowing through human veins like a river flows ...
Lyric poetry is based off song and establishes the human condition, in this poem the condition of African Americans. Hughes describes himself as a teller and participant in this poem. Through the imagery, the reader is able to feel the emotions of the history of African Americans. Hughes tells us the history of black people beyond that in America. He projects upon his reader a world experience.
This poem was read out loud at his funeral in 1967. Hughes was only sixty-five when he passed away. The poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” portrays Langston Hughes’ theme of his ancestors slavery through his use of diction, imagery, and repetition. In this poem,
The poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” by Langston Hughes shows great significance in the Harlem Renaissance Movement and is still relevant in present day. Langston Hughes wrote this poem at the age of seventeen while riding a bus. Hughes was bothered by and subjected to racism, often during his life time, which caused him to write “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” This poem alludes to the history of slavery, importantly that slavery is a large part of our human nature and history, as a society, not just the slavery that occurred in America. When the poem came out, it shined a light on an issue that aeffected many people.