Langston Hughes was considered one of the principal and prominent voices of Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s and 1930s. His poetry encompasses heterogeneity of subject matters and motifs concerning working African-Americans who were excluded and deprived of power. His choice of theme was accentuated and manifested through the convergence of African-American vernacular and blues forms. My attempt is to analyze the implications of the most significant poems by first introducing the author, examining the relevance of the poems and then, contrast them with Richard Wright’s antagonistic perspective.…
Langston Hughes’s poem” Harlem”, ask a great question, what happens to a dream deferred? We start out early in our lives with an endless amount of dreams for the future. Dreams for ourselves and dreams on a global scale. As children we dream of being a fireman, a police officer, teacher, or an astronaut. On a global scale we dream of peace and equality. What becomes of those dreams when they are postponed and overdue?…
In the short story "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes, the main character "mother" explains to her son difficulties in life and how they changed her outlook. The mother compares all of her life experiences to a staircase. She mentions that ,"life ain't been no crystal stair". This shows that her life has not been easy. She also compares life to a rundown staircase having "splinters" and "torn up in places".…
But all the time ,i'se been climbin' on....." which means that adversity isn't just in your life it's in your parents lives to which means at some point its in everybody's life. Even if there is splinters and tacks in life you should keep trying and face the problems head on.…
Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902 and died in New York City, New York on May 22, 1967. His father’s name was James Nathaniel and his mother’s name was Carrie Mercer Langston Hughes. His parents separated not to long after he was born. His father later moved to Cuba and later permanently lived in Mexico, where he lived the rest of his life working as an attorney and landowner. He eventually traveled to Mexico to visit his father who moved when his parents separated from each but luckily for Langston, within a few years of his visit to Mexico, he would find himself at the center of a cultural flowering in New York City's historically black neighborhood that is famously known as Harlem. Hughes's poetry…
The poem written from a mothers perspective giving loving advice to her son about the challenges life will throw, yet the importance of never giving up, subverts the usual stereotype that African Americans live a bad life, abusing drugs and being criminals. The audience feels the warmth and care from her southern dialect, “Don’t you fall now – for I’se still goin’ honey, I’se still climbin’’ and “life for me aint been no crystal stair”. The informal language also portrays a truthful motherly figure. The poem includes an extended metaphor, the person compares her life to a stair case, “life aint been no crystal stair, it’s had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor- Bare.” This is a metaphor for the lack of comfort and poverty she lives in. Symbols like ‘tacks’ also symbolise the discomfort of life’s obstacles. By the smart use of informal language, symbolism, extended metaphor and repetition supports the idea that African Americans can make the right choices and are not necessarily limited to the life people see them as living all the time. Just because of the harsh circumstances they are going through. As the persona puts it. ‘Don’t you fall now, for I’se still going,…
In his poem “A Dream Deferred,” Langston Hughes utilizes vivid sensory imagery and similes to explore the various phases of a dream deferred. Before I wrote my stylistic imitation, one of my friends suggested I look carefully at the historical context surrounding this poem’s publication. This poem was written right before the Civil Rights Movement, during a time when racial tensions were high in the U.S. and this got me thinking about movements today. Recently, there has been an increased awareness of the rampant police brutality in America, and as I was contemplating the historical context of my poem today, I immediately thought of the #BlackLivesMatterMovement today, which is why I titled my imitation “Matter.” Hughes lived in a society where the dreams of Black people for true liberty and equality were constantly de-valued. Similarly, today, it is clear that racism and systematic oppression still exists. While black and brown people are being shot down by corrupt police officials, these same officials are being acquitted of their crimes, and our cries for justice are not answered. This is what I tried to draw…
Much like when the poem ‘my people by Langston Hughes was written, the 20th century definition of black beauty has become – or maybe has not changed- distorted by images of colonial acceptance and oppression. Hence the term ‘white wash’ comes to mind, secluded defined by urbandictionary.com as “Someone who is looked at as leaving behind or neglecting their culture and assimilating to a white, western culture.” My interpretation of Mr. Hughes poem is that he seeks to justify that his people, African Americans to be specific, are just as beautiful as any other race, both aesthetically and morally. I’m sure if you were to conduct an interview amongst people of color they would readily tell you that they have been exposed to some sort of racism before. Though I have never personally exposed to such sort of direct torment, I feel the effects of indirect racism every day. Let me elaborate,…
Personally for me , I felt more similarly to the Langston Hughes essay. The era the essay is written from might be another reason since it is more modern and easier to relate. Compared to the Gates essay it was easier to wrap my head around it. I was able to dissect the essay and see the true meaning you could say. The wording Huge used was also more modern and easier to understand.…
The theme of “Mother to Son” is perseverance to live life without giving up. The mother compares her life to a ragged staircase which has “tacks” and “splinters” representing her life hardships and challenges such as financial strain and maintain a household. She is still determined to be “climbin’ on” the stairs despite the pain caused by the “tacks” and “splinters” along the way of every step. The mother encourages her son to never “set down on the steps” from the uphill challenges in life such as living through a struggle. She hopes to see her son face these obstacles rather than turning…
In "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes, the literary device being used is dialect to communicate the mothers message on how life may be hard but you have to work through it.…
Born on February 1, 1902 James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. His parents, James Hughes and Carrie Langston, divorced soon after his arrival, his father then moved to Mexico. Hughes’s mother moved often, leaving Lanston to live with his maternal grandmother, Mary, until she died in his early teens.From that point on, James went to live with his mother. Langston and his mother moved to several cities before eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio. Around this time Hughes first began to write poetry, one of his teachers first introduced him to the poetry of Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, both whom Hughes would later cite as primary influences.Hughes was also a regular contributor to his school's magazine, and frequently submitted to other poetry…
In Langston Hughes short story “Thank you M’am” Hughes uses stealing as a topic for a way to express having dignity in yourself, even when the cards are not dealt in your favor. A young boy tries to steal a large women’s purse, but does not get away with it. Instead the boy fell on his back and got kicked right square in his blue-jeaned sitter.…
In the beginning of the story, Mrs. Jones is bravely walking home from work. She…
Langston Hughes uses symbolism to describe the mother’s life. A splinter, which is an inflammatory pain that is deep inside the skin, is difficult to remove and find relief of the pain is used to describe a moment of her life. She mentions crystal stair, which represents clarity and perfection that was the life that was clearly not given to her, but wants her son to have. “And places with no carpet on the floor-Bare.” Bare is vulnerability of someone standing alone in line, with this she tells her son not let others pressure him into committing mistakes. She continuously explains to him that life is very difficult at certain points, but he needs to overcome these obstacles that stand in his way and never give…