More handpicked essays just for you.
Analysis of the Langston Hughes poem
Analysis of the Langston Hughes poem
Analysis of the Langston Hughes poem
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The Shepherd, the Magi, and Jesus
The shepherds and the Magi, otherwise known as the Three Wise Men, are some of the memorable people from the New Testament of the Bible. Besides Mary and Joseph, they were the first to witness baby Jesus, and their journey confirmed the arrival of the Messiah. There are two Gospels, Luke and Matthew, that introduce the nativity story, but each holds different views as to how the holy message of the birth was delivered to the pilgrims, when the time of their journey happened, and who they were; the Gospel of Luke contends they were shepherds and Matthew states that they were three men from the East. Nonetheless, the fact that they honoured the birth of Jesus with the highest respect remains unchanged. Langston Hughes’s “Shepherd’s Song at Christmas” illustrates an excited shepherd who is in haste for selecting gifts for the blessed. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s narrative poem, “The Three Kings”, takes a different approach to the identical event, therefore, creates another distinct atmosphere; third-person narration and point of view reject direct involvement of the speaker in the event, but they encourage audience to recall the journey that the three men took. Although both poems eulogize Jesus as the King through the use of literary techniques, noticeable dissimilarities in their structures and styles produce different tones for each poem; the song is more enthusiastic while the narrative poem is relatively calm and emotionless.
A metaphor poem, “Shepherd’s Song at Christmas”, reinforces the idea that the world has longed for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. Hughes provides two choices of interpretation for this work: a literal interpretation and a metaphorical interpretation. With having the ...
... middle of paper ...
...o two parts; the first eight stanzas are the Magi’s journey to Bethlehem, and the last five stanzas describe a nativity scene and the Magi’s return to their homes. The ninth stanza, which discusses the kings’ arrival at the manger, serves a purpose as a turning point and the connection of the two stories. Elements of a story such as exposition, climax, and resolution from “The Three Kings” make the tone of the poem heavier and more emotionless, contrasting with “Shepherd’s Song at Christmas”.
Langston Hughes’s “Shepherd’s Song at Christmas” and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Three Kings” are similar in that they both use literary techniques such as metaphors, allusions, and symbolism to praise the birth of Jesus. However, Hughes creates a hasty but amiable tone throughout the poem while Langston writes his narrative poem with a composed and serene atmosphere.
In the poem there are sheep and goats which in comparison are followers of god and non followers. The sheep represented people who were loyal to god, who always led the right road and if they so much sinned, they would ask god for forgiveness. Goats were people who did not have faith
The title to the novella 'A Christmas Carol' this suggests that the story will be a joyful Christian message. 'Christmas' is a time for celebration and togetherness. It is the time for forgiveness, kindness and charity. 'Carol' is a chant which a group of people sing Christmas and Christian songs, so this is meant to be a time where people have fun and are united with family and friends.
On the other hand we have a story that is also humorous; however, his literary devices achieve a more childlike tone and his story concludes with a sympathetic effect on the reader . In “Salvation”, by Langston Hughes he takes us back to his inner thirteen year old self and his experience with being “saved” in a church. He explains the internal struggle he faces when he is pressured by a whole congregation to “see jesus” and the ironic effect it has on his perspective towards Jesus.
Brown, Raymond. A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1986.
Through her many allegories, Hurnard echoes God’s call for His children to joyfully love, trust, and obey Him. She encourages her readers through the call of the Shepherd to strive after true satisfying love by forsaking thei...
The title to the novella 'A Christmas Carol' this suggests that the story will be a joyful Christian message. 'Christmas' is a time for celebration and togetherness. It is the time for forgiveness, kindness and charity. 'Carol' is a chant which a group of people sing Christmas and Christian songs, so this is meant to be a time where people have fun and are united with family and friends.
It was the night of the big revival, and Langston, a young boy going on the age of thirteen, was brought to his Aunt Reed’s church to see Jesus and be saved from sin. His aunt told him, “when you were saved from sin you saw a light, and something happened to you inside” (219). He believed her. When he was brought to church, his aunt directed him to the front row, where he sat calmly and patiently in the heat, waiting for the preacher to begin the service. The Preacher welcomed the “young lambs” (219) and started his sermon. Towards the end of his speech he invited the young children to the altar to be saved. At this point, Langston was confused because he was not seeing Jesus before him. All the young boys and girls sprang to their feet except Langston and another boy named Westley. They were the only two left on, what the parishioners of the church called, the “mourners’ bench” (218). Finally, Westley became very restless and decided that he was not going to sit on this bench anymore. Langston was left there all alone until
What were the Three Wise Men searching for when they followed the North Star? They were obviously seeking the Christ child, but they were also searching for the truth and righteousness that he represents. Sylvia Plath in her poem "Magi" and Langston Hughes in his poem "Carol of the Brown King" discuss the merit of their respective minority groups through allusions to the nativity. Plath uses the journey to discuss both the ignorance of philosophers' quest for the "truth" and its neglect of females, and Hughes uses the righteousness of the nativity to emphasize the importance of blacks.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
The third stanza is a second and different refrain. This refrain occurs in every other stanza. It acts as a divider between the stanzas dealing with a specific character. In the fourth stanza, Father McKenzie is introduced to the reader. He is described as a materialistic man whose life has no meaning.
...hing “bad” happened they found a way to rejoice in the suffering. The Puritan believers were selfish with sharing their faith. A plantation missionary stated that sharing the gospel to slaves would “promote our own mortality and religion.” However the gospel and religion the masters shared with their slaves did not remain the same. The slaves were able to apply their faith to their lives, their work, and their future. The faith the slaves possessed was rich in emotion and free from preexisting regulations. In this class we focus on the many faces and interoperations of Christ that change with the seasons of history. The slave faith represented in Jupiter Hammon’s poem shows a high level of integrity and selfless, personal application of faith. The emotion and need for Christ the slaves had during this time created a new realm of relationship in the evangelical era.
In relation to structure and style, the poem contains six stanzas of varying lengths. The first, second, and fourth stanzas
The “Gift of the Magi”, by O. Henry, is a short story that unfolds in an unanticipated and remarkable way that gently tugs the reader in which makes them want to continue reading. The story is about two characters named Della and Jim. For Christmas, Della cuts her hair to sell for money to buy Jim a chain for his watch while Jim sells his watch to buy Della some fancy combs. They both couldn’t use each other's gifts properly by reason of them sacrificing what they loved likewise finding delight in giving - what is foolish in the head, may be wise for the heart.
From the original Jewish wedding practices, we can see that like a bridegroom of ancient times; Jesus came to the home of His bride, which is the Earth, for a betrothal. He made a covenant with His bride, sealed the covenant with a cup of wine, paid the bride price with His life, and gave His bride gifts of the Holy Spirit. We, the betrothed church, currently await the return of our Bridegroom to take us to the wedding chamber at the Rapture; where we will spend seven years with Him, while the Great Tribulation is occurring on the Earth. Remember, I told you that years, weeks, and days are used interchangeably in the Bible with the number 7. God likes the number 7! I need you to hang on to that thought. The ancient Jewish honeymoon period was
This Christmas poem is about the Epiphany and was created the very year of Eliot’s conversion to Christianity (Fleisner, 66). Therefore the theme of religion is an important one if we are to analyse the poem correctly. In the book of Ephesians in the Bible, Paul describes the rebirth of the world upon Christ’s death, emphasising the Ephesians’ new life (2:4-5). This theme of death and rebirth is present in the poem Journey of the Magi, which, I will argue, is structurally and internally divided into three stages; corresponding to the Sacrament of Penance: contrition (guilt), confession and satisfaction.