The Theme Of Music In The Weary Blues By Langston Hughes

Nicholas Noel
Prof Herbst
EN102
06 FEB 2017
The Theme of Music in the Weary Blues
In Langston Hughes’ poem “The Weary Blues” Hughes’ writes from the perspective of a black man in segregated America, a common theme for Hughes. The man is talking about a blues song that he has heard, and wants to tell the reader about it. Hughes uses this poem to remind us that music is important and help us through tough times. During the era of segregation blues music was extremely popular among the African-American community, and conveyed their feeling of suffering. Hughes uses literary devices such as symbolism, the setting of the poem, and the way the poem is written to help convey this theme. Hughes uses the way he writes the poem to help convey the theme.

It soon becomes obvious that he is in an old run down bar in the African American part of New York City. This is also Signiant for another reason. This poem was written in 1926, when the United States was in the prohibition era, and alcohol was illegal. This is significant because although the bar might be illegally selling alcohol, it is now mostly a place to congregate and listen to music or talk to others. This also displays to us just how important the music was to the people in this community, and how it helped them get through some of the persecution that they

One example of this is when Hughes says “He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool. / Sweet Blues! / Coming back from a black man’s soul.”(13-15). Most people think of positive images when they think of the human soul, and negative images when they think of the color black. Hughes is changing this in the context of the poem by pointing out that a black man is playing the “sweet blues”. Hughes are saying that black men are lively human beings, just like white people. Another example of this is the use of the word “Blues”, which is sad music, and the color tone of the parlor which is dull. Hughes says “By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light” (5) He also says “O Blues!” multiple times throughout the poem. The blues represent the sadness that the African American community feels, and the dull parlor represents the despair of their situation. However through the music the people are finding a purpose. The speaker is so happy to have found an outlet for his sadness through the blues, and this is what helps keep him