Biographical and Historical Approach to Langston Hughes’ "Dream Boogie" Michelle Cooks ENG Teacher January 30‚ 2012 A biographical or historical approach attempt to measure how much an author’s life or history has influenced their writings. Most of the time‚ writings are strengthened when the author writes from a biographical or historical angle‚ and the importance of their history becomes significant when it is used to create characters that express it’s values and examines trends that occur
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For example‚ Hughes’ poem‚ "I‚ Too" from the Norton Anthology of American Literature‚ is told from a first person point of view‚ possibly from Hughes’ as the speaker. It tells of the racism that many black people encounter but it’s message is shown as optimistic. He says‚ "I am the darker brother‚/ They send to me to eat in the kitchen
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"Doorknobs" Langston Hughes is considered by many readers to be the most significant black poet of the twentieth century. Except for a few examples‚ all his poems are about social injustice in America. The somber tone of his writing often reflected his mood. Race relations were present in almost his whole career‚ following him from his first poem to his last. The poem "Doorknobs" was written in 1961 after his subpoena to appear before Senator McCarthy for subversive activities. Although many
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James Mercer Langston Hughes was born on February 1‚ 1902 in Joplin Missouri. When he was very young his parents divorced and his father moved to Mexico so he was brought up by his grandparents and lived with them up until he was 13. When he was 13 he moved to Lincoln‚ Illinois to live with his mother and her husband. When Langston moved to Lincoln‚ that’s when he started to write. Later on the family decided to settle in at Cleveland‚ Ohio and Hughes graduates from high school there. Once
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Have you ever done something that you got in trouble for? Many people in life have gotten into trouble for something they did. In a story written by Langston Hughes called “Thank You Ma’am” a boy named Roger did something that got him into trouble and it showed a lesson that you should always think before you say or do something because your actions have consequences. Even if you get in trouble you can still learn from your mistakes. My first reason that actions have consequences is that the
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"Children‚ I come back today./ To tell you a story of the long dark way./ That I had to climb‚ that I had to know./ In order that the race might live and grow." --Langston Hughes. In his poem "The Negro Mother"‚ Hughes describes the prejudices and the struggles his mother faced growing up in a time of segregation. Hughes illustrates the depressing lifestyle the blacks lead by symbolizing their lives as a "long dark way". Similarly‚ in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird‚ Harper Lee teaches about the
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While Langston Hughes questions his identity in his 1951 poem‚ “Theme for English B”‚ the piece closely relates to Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” considering that both works relay the authors underlying values of equality. King uses his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to promote the efficacy of integration and address the tensions present between races in the United States. After the courts failed to appease King by restricting his ability to hold protests in Birmingham
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Ramona was an innocent looking girl‚ right? So her parents thought she was‚ but oh no they were wrong. That night she went out attempted to rob a bank her former friends‚ parents owned. In the story‚ Thank You‚ Ma’am‚ Langston Hughes‚ the author‚ shows how the main character Roger gets taught a lesson after trying to take something that wasn’t his. When one makes a bad mistake‚ a lesson must be learned from‚ yet with care. Beginning with‚ Roger stole an older lady’s purse and she was very unhappy
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"Salvation" written by Langston Hughes is the story of the author being "saved" at his local church when he was 13 years old and his thoughts on this event. Hughes uses descriptive narration to illustrate the scene of a church where he and other children are gathered with their families to participate in a religious activity. He talks about how his aunt has built up this day for him for quite some time‚ and is very excited for Langston to be saved. She had described a specific way that the process
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Analysis of Salvation Irony is one of the things that keep our daily lives a lot more interesting than expected. Having the exact opposite of your expectation happen. In Langston Hughes essay “Salvation” that’s exactly what took place. Hughes went to church with the intention of believing and being “Saved” and ended up being disappointed. At the age of 12 Hughes attended church with his aunt Reed. Before going to church he was continuously told he would “see Jesus”‚ Hughes at the time took
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