To combat the power of their oppressive circumstances, many would sing to chase away the blue. This tradition is captured in the " Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor" (22). The song is about oppression and an attempt to be happy regardless of setting. Heritage, history and hope merge together in this poem to explore what the African experience must have been like.
Hughes' poetry is also recognized for its human touch. Hughes had a way of looking at what might seem like an ordinary experience and find something significant in it. An example of this can be seen with the poem, "Mother to Son." The topic of this poem is simply a mother talking to her son; however, the poet captures the essence of the mother's desire to pass on her knowledge to her young boy. Her knowledge is significant because she has lived the life of an African-American at a time when America was still rather racist and she must pass on what she has learned about race struggles to him. The poet captures her voice perfectly, illustrating his ability to assume a persuasive persona. The mother's voice comes across strong and assertive as she passes on her knowledge to her son. She talks to him about struggling in a racist world but she does not give up hope for her son. She says, "So boy, don't you turn back./Don't you set down on the steps/'Cause you finds it's kinder hard" (Hughes Mother to Son 14-6). The poet uses the metaphor of a crystal stair with the mother's goal to reach the top of the stair, where she will finally reach freedom. This poem is tender without being too sympathetic; it is educational without being preachy. The mother in this poem wants her child to learn from her experience.
Experience was extremely important to Hughes. His poetry emerges as some of the most passionate and realistic because of Hughes' ability to discover something new with every different experience. The experiences of those in his past are also important in that he is willing to learn something their experiences as well. Being African-American when Hughes was alive was still difficult to do. Overcoming racism while allowing himself to assimilate in his changing community is something...
Langston Hughes and James Baldwin Compare/Contrast Music plays a major role in much of the literature that came out of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was an American cultural movement that aimed to celebrate African-American culture through literature, art, and other intellectual and artistic means. One of the musical styles that was influential in literary works of Langston Hughes and James Baldwin was the blues. This musical style rose out
Langston Hughes Poetry A Reflection of the American Dream in Langston Hughes's Poetry The Harlem Renaissance was an artistic, literary, and cultural movement that emerged in New York, specifically Harlem, shortly after World War I and into the 1930s. One of the most prominent poets to arise from the cultural movement was Langston Hughes. Hughes's poetry explores the generational differences that have emerged and how though it may seem that there have
Langston Hughes felt that African-Americans should be able to live in freedom in the 20th Century. He saw African-Americans as a vibrant race, full of live, compassion, and love. He didn't approve of complacent people. Because Hughes was at the center of the Harlem Renaissance, he naturally felt that African-Americans should speak up and demand what they want. He felt that African-Americans should be proud of their heritage -- they
Williams works often focuses on destruction and violence but one play that seems to garner the most attention is the Glass Menagerie. One character worth mentioning is Jim, whose simple and kind nature make him unique in the play. He is optimistic and full of hope and this has the greatest affect on Laura. With her, Williams elevates him to become a positive influence to help her move beyond her
As a participant in the American history, the author feels that he was among those deceived by the empty promises of democracy and equality: "Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream / in the Old World while still a serf of kings, / Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, / That even yet its mighty daring sings / in every brick and stone,
When he explains that the "muddy bosom" of the river (or, of the life of the black culture) turns "all golden in the sunset," that is a sweet transition for a culture, and nothing less than mystical, magical and wonderful. Turning mud to gold is the miracle of survival through all the chaos, carnage, and brutal injustices done to black people over the centuries. In "Mother to Son" the poet
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