In “As I Grew Older‚” Langston Hughes describes the battle and perseverance for African-American’s freedom though numerous metaphors. In the title and first stanza‚ Hughes compares his dream to a child growing older. A child is born into the bright sun with the mindset with anything is possible. But as the child grows older‚ they face obstacles. Hughes also refers to his goals as “my dream‚” which was different from the White-American’s dream‚ expressing how personal this dream is. In the second
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Life: 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
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Langston Hughes’ “The Weary Blues” details a man’s encounter with a black musician. The black man sings a blues song‚ slow but reflective of the musician’s soul. The poem follows the sad‚ lyrical tone of the song being sung‚ and tracks the singer’s struggle between searching for satisfaction but being overwhelmed by sadness. Although the tone of Hughes’ poem is sad and melancholy‚ the singer seems to find peace and acceptance of his circumstances which represents the inequality many African Americans
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the renaissance poet Langston Hughes‚ writes about an African American man named Sylvester with his last dying hours‚ and speaks of his experiences‚ until a darkness finally awakens. Hughes uses the the characteristics of dialect‚ to portray how Sylvester speaks to his children plus everyone in town for the last time‚ and sight imagery as the story is told through the eyes of Sylvester. Lastly‚ while the tone of sympathy and melancholy is heard throughout the poem. Hughes portrays sight imagery
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those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat" another example is in the poem by Langston Hughes mother to son "life for me ain’t been no crystal stair its had tacks in it‚and splinters‚and boards torn up‚and places with no carpet on the floor‚bare. But all the time ‚i’se been climbin’ on....." you are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul according to William Ernest Henley in the poem
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The poetry of Langston Hughes‚ the poet laureate of Harlem‚ is an effective commentary on the condition of blacks in America during the 20th Century. Hughes places particular emphasis on Harlem‚ a black area in New York that became a destination of many hopeful blacks in the first half of the 1900ís. In much of Hughes’ poetry‚ a theme that runs throughout is that of a "dream deferred." The recurrence of a"dream deferred" in several Hughes poems paints a clear picture of the disappointment and dismay
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In the poem “Harlem ( A Dream Deferred)” by Langston Hughes‚ he talks about dreams. Dreams that society has‚ dreams that he has. Not a dream that you have while your sleeping but a dream that you have and want to pursue. He addresses the questions of what happens when a persons dreams are destroyed. The author uses a lot of visual‚ descriptive language to try and show that nothing good can come from not achieving your dreams. For example he compares not realizing a dream to the stench of rotten
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Salvation In “Salvation‚” Langston Hughes recounts a pivotal moment from his childhood regarding his own discoveries of religion. Hughes uses syntax‚ diction‚ repetition‚ and irony to expose the issues with organized religion. Throughout the passage he establishes a tone of confusion in order to convey the true influence of his Aunt and Preacher pushing him towards religion. From this Hughes’ own experiences‚ religion is obviously a complex theme of self-discovery that cannot be forced. Syntax
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Poem Analysis Although the two poems portray two very different styles of writing‚ Walt Whitman ’s “O Captain! My Captain!” And “Mother to Son‚” by Langston Hughes‚ do share some similarities. Both poems use stylistic devices such as figurative language‚ metaphors‚ and rhythm to convey their overall message. At times‚ they both share a darker and more gloomy tone. This is particularly evident in “Mother to Son.” However‚ in contrast‚ these poems have more differences than similarities‚ especially
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Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes works showed that they are nostalgic about Africa‚ a continent they did not visit‚ but they were anxious to connect to. In Cullen’s “Heritage”‚ he sounded like a troubled man that long for to reunite to a long-lost love. His description of Africa was based on what he read or was told about Africa not from his own personal experience. Although he gave a beautiful description of Africa‚ in the first few lines‚ by ending the first part of the poem with “What is Africa
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