written by Langston Hughes we find a young boy brought up to believe that he would see a light when he was saved. During a church revival meeting the minister asks all the young unproclaimed to come forward and be saved and one by one they all went to the altar claiming to be saved. All except for the narrator who was still waiting to literally see a light indicating that he too had seen Jesus. However‚ while he waited the entire church congregation kept pressuring him to be saved. Langston notices
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Dreams are tools that can help people change their world in a positive or negative way. Hughes says‚ “Or does it explode?” (Hughes 11)‚ just like the first line of the poem‚ this final line is a question directed to the reader making another connection. Unlike the rest of the lines in the poem‚ this one is italicized making the reader pay more attention to it and gives it more meaning. Hughes uses the word “explode” in a way that it can be seen as both a harmful and a peaceful way‚ but is determined
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In the Poem Cross by Langston Hughes‚ he shows how mixed races encounter hardships. One major hardship that mixed races encounter is identity problems. Langston demonstrates how not embracing a specific ethnicity causes him to show spitefulness toward his “white old man” and his Caucasian heritage. Langston also shows how identifying with his “Black old mother” and his African American heritage can cause bitterness because he did not know his true identity. At the end of Cross Langston struggles
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The poem discusses Hughes’ background and identity as a person of mixed race‚ a white father and a black mother. To go about how he feels about it‚ he uses both literal and implied definition of words. When he states that “My old man’s a white old man” and “And my old mother’s black” he simply states his parents’ identity. He uses the literal definitions of the words “white” and “black” and describes his parents with color and no other way. The title of the poem‚ “Cross‚” however‚ can be used to
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Langston often exclaims in his poem‚ “Let America be America again.” Hughes poem revolves around expressing how America portrayed lies. Remember the nations national anthem‚ where they express‚ “O’er the land of the free…” Being free means not being under control‚ and doing as wished. In the poem‚ Hughes compares his hopes and dreams for America to the reality. Everyone portrays America as this big dream you’d die for‚ where in reality it’s not. In paragraph‚ Hughes states that America is real‚ and
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SALVATION BY LANGSTON HUGHES James Mercer Langston Hughes began his love of poetry in Cleveland‚ Ohio‚ where he attended High School and published several poems in the school literary magazine. Hughes attended Columbia University until 1921. He left before graduation to work and travel which would lead to the launch of his career with his first publication‚ The Weary Blues. After that he was awarded his Bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University. Hughes became a prominent figure in the Harlem
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The poems‚ "If" and "Mother to Son" are both poems that addresses that the central idea is a life lesson. Both writings are similar because‚ they both have a similar central idea. Both authors convey this idea there are similarities and differences. Although‚ the poems have the same idea‚ there are similarities and differences. The poems come across life edvice. "If" and "Mother to Son" are similar in a way because‚ they are both about teaching a life lesson. In both poems it about teaching their
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Langston Hughes is by fare the most important writers of the Harlem Renaissance which was the artistic movement of African Americans in the 1920’s that celebrated African American life and culture in New York. Hughes was one of the most creative African Americans who used his neighborhood as influence. Like other active members of the Harlem Renaissance‚ Hughes had a strong sense of racial pride and through his poetry‚ novels‚ plays‚ essays‚ and children’s books; he promoted equality‚ condemned racism
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In the poem “Scottsboro‚” Hughes talks about Christ and Gandhi because they were both important figures that stood up for what they believed in just as the Scottsboro boys did. Christ died on the cross for everybody’s sins. He had a lot of people that did not believe in him and wanted him dead. Gandhi preached about wanting peace and how he wanted the violence to end. He had a lot of people that supported him and a lot of people who didn’t. He had his life taken from him by somebody that did not
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Synthesis Paper for Langston Hughes Introduction: Love is often regarded as an emotion that invokes extreme joy‚ hope and excitement. For example‚ Romeo and Juliet were a young couple who were so excited and hopeful about their love that they were willing to do anything to be together. However‚ there is another side to the feeling we call love that isn’t so joyous. The other‚ darker side of love is expressed by three Langston Hughes poem which show us the heart-break‚ the abandonment and the desperation
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