Bop By Langston Hughes Analysis

You and Simple In a dark time for African Americans in the land of the free Langston Hughes shines a light on the struggle of keeping one 's cultural identity when faced with oppression in the year of 1949. Readers of his article entitled, "Bop" are enthralled in a story where Hughes draws a parallel between what Bop music is and is not,in the form of a dialogue between two African American men. Hughes draws his readers in with descriptive imagery with a first person perspective and stylises his article in a way in which the message is easily accessible to general readers. And teaches in a passive way through the form of a question answer dialogue between two men on opposite sides of an issue.
With his use of descriptive imagery Hughes envelops the reader into his world and puts them in the place of the unnamed narrator. Hughes
starts the article off with, "Somebody upstairs in Simple 's house had the combination turned up loud with an old Dizzy Gillespie record spinning like mad filling the Sabbath with Bop as I passed"(190). Immediately readers are thrown into a vivid setting that almost anyone from 1949 would recognize. He choses the place the story on the Sabbath or otherwise known as Sunday, a day often associated with rest and calm before the work week begins again, thus luling readers to subconsciously relax as they read the article. Following that we hear the first exchange of words between the two characters in this essay, " 'Sit down on the stoop with me and listen to the music ' said Simple. 'I 've heard your landlady doesn 't like tenants sitting on her stoop, I said. 'Pay it no mind ', said Simple"(190). This exchange shows Simple is a friendly man, the kind of guy who would risk angering his landlord for you to join in on his bliss. Hughes sets this friendly atmosphere and nonchalant dialogue to draw readers into this world he 's created. With his use of the first person perspective Hughes sets up the scene for the reader to take the place of the unnamed narrator and engage in the conversation themselves.
Print media was the best way to spread one 's thoughts and ideas back in 1948 so writers were tasked with making their articles as accessible as possible to every person regardless of race or class.
Through the character of Simple, Hughes says, " 'Be-Bop music was certainly colored folks ' music - which is why white folks found it so hard to imitate. But there are some few white boys that latched onto it right well '"(191).While being about the struggle of African-Americans, Hughes does a terrific job at not alienating white readers so that his message is universal. While explaining the origin of Bop music Simple explains, " 'That 's why so many white folks don 't dig Bop ' [...] 'White folks do not get their heads beat just for being white '"(191). Hughes was a well known writer and incredibly articulate but as we see here in "Bop" he speaks in layman. It is an example of Hughes attempt to give simple facts or actual truth but instead of telling these things harshly and angrily he tries to sweeten them with a little sarcastic humor. In doing so he gives people of varying education level the ability to read and appreciate his
work.
As to not alienate one’s readers one must tiptoe the line of getting one’s point across without insulting the readers intelligence. The conversation between Simple and the narrator turns to the semantics of what bop music really is, where the narrator says, " 'Re-Bop certainly sounds like scat to me, '" to which simple replies, " 'No, ' [...] 'Daddy-o, you are wrong. Besides it was not Re-Bop. It is Be-Bop '". The narrator follows with, " 'what 's the difference '[...] 'between Re and Be? '". To which Simple replies, " 'A lot '"(190). Here Hughes switches the conversational dialogue to a question-answer session where the reader is learned of the origins and history of Bop music in a very subtle way. He structures this conversation in a way that makes the reader feel as if they’re the one’s asking the questions. After a lengthy explanation the narrator and simple go back and forth saying:
‘It all sounds like pure nonsense syllables to me’ ‘Nonsense, nothing!’ cried Simple, ‘Bop makes plenty of sense.’ ‘What kind of sense?’ You must not know where Bop comes from said Simple, astonished at my ignorance. ‘I do not know,’ I said. ‘Where’ (191).
Here Hughes makes it a point to mention Simple is taken aback by the narrator’s ignorance of Bop music, thus making the reader feel guilty a man who is called “Simple” by other would know more about them in any subject. Thus persuading the reader to read on and educate themselves. The end of an article is a writers last attempt to leave an impact on the reader for if they’ve made it that far you can be confident they will finish it thus allowing Hughes to leave the reader with some not so pleasant words indirectly intended for themselves. As seen in the last few passages of “Bop”, “‘ beat out of somebody’s head! That 's what Bop is. Them young colored kids who started it, they know what Bop is.’ ‘Your explanation depresses me,’ I said. ‘Your nonsense depresses me,’ Said Simple” (192). Hughes leaves the readers on a heavy note and makes them reflect on themselves and their knowledge or lack thereof. As a whole Hughes’ “Bop” is styled in a way that enthralls its reader with vivid imagery, it’s accessibility to the general public and the dialogue that puts said reader in the seat of one of the main characters. Hugh’s didn’t aim to alienate any of his readers but rather grab allies towards the movement of equal rights. For he saw, he lived, the injustice of racial segregation and struggled. He’s quoted as saying, “There 's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this 'homeland of the free”(Hughes)

Works Cited
Hughes, Langston, and Bernhard Nast. The Best of Simple. New York: Hill and Wang, 1961. Print.
"Let America Be America Again” - Academy of American Poets.