Oppression, By Langston Hughes
In the poem ‘Oppression’, by Langston Hughes, he deeply outlines his thoughts and feelings while experiencing oppression first-hand. Being raised in poverty without the support of his parents, Langston Hughes expresses his wish of liberation from racism through this poem. Langston Hughes views oppression as something you can break free from by emancipation and not by something that holds you back. Langston Hughes first expressed his oppressive thoughts when he began his poem by saying, “Now dreams / Are not available / To the dreamers, / Nor songs / To the singers”. In this section of the poem, Langston Hughes introduces oppression. Song-less singers and dreamless dreamers express the disruption caused by oppression in the lives of those being
oppressed. If the world was free from oppression, songs would be accessible to singers, and dreams to dreamers. Singers and dreamers are unable to exist without songs or dreams. Therefore, this first paradox expresses the disruption caused by oppression in the lives of the oppressed. Then, Langston Hughes symbolizes the facts that may bring oppression as he writes, “In some lands / Dark night / And cold steel / Prevail”. The “dark night” and “cold steel” within the quotation symbolize the facts of nature that bring oppression which prevail for present. Finally, in the last statement of the poem Langston Hughes changes his attitude and shifts the emotion by introducing emancipation. Despite oppression, Langston Hughes believes that we may break away from it all as he states, “But the dream / Will come back / And the song / Breaks Its jail”. The jail seems to represent the oppression upon people’s lives currently, and the broken jail seems to describe his quest to his own freedom. Because he was raised in poverty, Langston Hughes developed a sense of admiration for the poor who were able to maintain a strong sense of pride and dignity and who make their own journey to freedom. Therefore, he celebrated the poor in his writing. In conclusion, Langston Hughes took the experience of the poor to write the poem “Oppression” and views emancipation as a way to break away from oppression.
oppressed. If the world was free from oppression, songs would be accessible to singers, and dreams to dreamers. Singers and dreamers are unable to exist without songs or dreams. Therefore, this first paradox expresses the disruption caused by oppression in the lives of the oppressed. Then, Langston Hughes symbolizes the facts that may bring oppression as he writes, “In some lands / Dark night / And cold steel / Prevail”. The “dark night” and “cold steel” within the quotation symbolize the facts of nature that bring oppression which prevail for present. Finally, in the last statement of the poem Langston Hughes changes his attitude and shifts the emotion by introducing emancipation. Despite oppression, Langston Hughes believes that we may break away from it all as he states, “But the dream / Will come back / And the song / Breaks Its jail”. The jail seems to represent the oppression upon people’s lives currently, and the broken jail seems to describe his quest to his own freedom. Because he was raised in poverty, Langston Hughes developed a sense of admiration for the poor who were able to maintain a strong sense of pride and dignity and who make their own journey to freedom. Therefore, he celebrated the poor in his writing. In conclusion, Langston Hughes took the experience of the poor to write the poem “Oppression” and views emancipation as a way to break away from oppression.