More handpicked essays just for you.
Langston Hughes and his contribution to American literature
Harlem renaissance uplifting race
Harlem renaissance uplifting race
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Langston Hughes was a primary contributor to the Harlem Renaissance, one of the earliest innovators of jazz poetry, but his personal life was a secret. Before, I re-read his work with a gay perspective in mind, first, I wanted to find at least a glimpse of his sexuality. In other words, I wanted to dig into his life to get some insight to whether he was gay, bisexual or straight. No concrete evidence was found, but I did come across a two volume biography written by Arnold Rampersad “The Life of Langston Hughes” 1986 and 1988. He wrote that several of Mr. Hughes’s unpublished work expressed his appealing and sexual fascination with dark-skinned men. Coupled with, Hughes’s short story Blessed Assurance (cite) was rumored to be pulled from
his real life, when a father tried to figure out why his son was gay. With that being said “The Weary Blues” p. 1294 (cite) is the poem that I will try to explain: Droning a drowsy syncopated tune, Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon, I heard a Negro play. Down on Lenox Avenue the other night By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light He did a lazy sway . . . He did a lazy sway . . . To the tune o’ those Weary Blues. With his ebony hands on each ivory key He made that poor piano moan with melody. O Blues! Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool. Sweet Blues! Coming from a black man’s soul. O Blues! In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan— “Ain’t got nobody in all this world, Ain’t got nobody but ma self. I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’ And put ma troubles on the shelf.” Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor. He played a few chords then he sang some more— “I got the Weary Blues And I can’t be satisfied. Got the Weary Blues And can’t be satisfied— I ain’t happy no mo’ And I wish that I had died.” And far into the night he crooned that tune. The stars went out and so did the moon. The singer stopped playing and went to bed While the Weary Blues echoed through his head. He slept like a rock or a man that’s dead. I believe the song is a metaphor used to channel his true feelings. This is a story about 2 men, one is depressed and the other is lonely and they find each other through the music. He is drawn to his hands, (line 9) “With his ebony hands on each ivory key” and he is imaging pleasure when he “He made that poor piano moan with melody.” (line 10). The piano player feels he has to hide his true feelings and no longer wants to live a lie, when he states “and can’t be satisfied” (line 26). In the end, the men decide to be together “The stars went out and so did the moon” (line 32) and he “slept like a rock” (line 35) because he finally got what he was hoping for.