A Start For The End. My Personal Response To The Langston

Throughout the poem, the author chooses simple diction. This makes the tone straightforward and blunt, like a black America who simply expresses himself instead of sermonizing about discrimination. Thereby, readers can accept the poem’s argument more easily. Furthermore, the author writes the poem mostly in long sentences to emphasize on short yet important sentences such as “That’s America.”, “Be we are. That’s true!”

Langston Hughes was the leading voice of African American people in his time, speaking through his poetry to represent blacks. His Influence through his poems are seen widely not just by blacks but by those who enjoy poetry in other races and social classes. Hughes poems, Harlem, The Negro speaks of rivers, Theme for English B, and Negro are great examples of his output for the racial inequality between the blacks and whites. The relationship between whites and blacks are rooted in America's history for the good and the bad. Hughes poems bring the history at large and present them in a proud manner. The injustice that blacks face because of their history of once being in bondage is something they are constantly reminded and ridiculed for but must overcome and bring to light that the thoughts of slavery and inequality will be a lesson and something to remember for a different future where that kind of prejudice is not found so widely.

Langston Hughes was a poet with many artistic abilities. His writing and drawings established the lifestyles of many African Americans during this time. In a poem called “I, Too” Hughes express his feelings as an African American, a brother, and someone who deserves to fit in society. He states “I, too sing America” (1039). Hughes saw himself as an individual who has a voice in America even though his skin is a little darker. In a poem called “Democracy” Hughes states: “I have as much right as the other fellow has to stand on my own two feet and own the land” (1043). Hughes was speaking for every African American whom were still dealing with segregation, racism, and freedom.

The Big Question In an age of technology, accessibility, and individualism we often find ourselves at the end of the question; who am I? This is the case in Langston Hughes Poem “Theme for English B”. The poem starts off with an assignment to write a page about yourself and as the writer goes through the page you see these different pieces of him fall into place. He addresses different parts of himself down to his race and how that defines him.

In the first couple of lines in Hughes’s poem he speaks upon past African American struggles and encourages them to move forward from them with the use of his refrain lines, ‘that day is past,’ and ‘bitter was the day.’ He makes various references “responding to the early days of depression, moreover…having a range of tone, language, and insight…” (Shulman 295), to speak upon slavery and inequality. For example, he awakens the memories of slaves being lynched, whipped, and

The narrator wrote the poem in a conversational tone which tends to be personal and addressing it more towards a black audience.

Langston Hughes is a famous poet known mostly for his contribution to the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote many inspirational poems that are still read and used for educational purposes. Many of his poems were inspired by his life and his story. One of his many poems entitled “Theme for English B” talks about how his teacher instructed him to write a page about himself and it will be true. In a “Theme for English B”, Hughes uses tone, and characterization to display a relationship between race and writing.

The author Langston Hughes had a profound effect on the Renaissance, and history in general. His writing was extremely influential with both the politics and the social aspects of the movement. Because of these talents and writings such as the poems I too, and The Weary Blues Hughes’s efforts will never be forgotten and have been immortalized in the works of published literature. Because of Langston, America started to become a better place.

This paper will be about Langston Hughes and will discuss the topics hughes felt were important and his poems will be broken down to show you there was and is a deeper meaning behind everything. and all of his poems can be interpreted in many ways and can even be analyzed and can be relatable to all races.

The student declares, “I guess being colored doesn’t make me [un]like [other races]” (Hughes 25). In this line the speaker introduces race and its misconceptions. He states that he similarly enjoys the same music and hobbies his classmates do, yet he feels divided by race. He believes that because of his location—Harlem—which is synonymous for his blackness, his poem will sound similar to his classmate’s but have a different meaning. Therefore, the speaker’s race will obscure the poem’s true message from the teacher. He warns the teacher that if the poem must come from him, “Being [him], it will not be white.” (Hughes 28). The speaker is slowly unravelling the complexity of race. The reader may wonder, if he is similar to other races why will his paper not be white? Comprehension of his life in Harlem can be heard, but the speaker is attempting to explain that in his world cannot be bridged just by reading about it. The student believes that the instructor will interpret his poem as if it contains impartial truths, but the student counters this assumption and attempts to explain that his reality is defined by race. The student argues that the difference in race that divides him from his class will inevitably prohibit the instructor to understand the student’s view. The speaker believes that there are realities in his life that others have not experienced. To understand the speaker one must look into the black community. Within the black community exists a very opposite culture. This culture was first demonstrated in the Harlem renaissance—a movement where black individuals showcased black work and black pride. Through the Harlem renaissance “blackness” or acceptance into black culture, is granted to those with melanin in their skin. Race in this poem acts as a one sided mirror, where the speaker can see the white

Hughes argument that the work of the African- American is what has contributed to the wealth of the white man and the world is also evident in two of his other poems, Advertisement for the Waldorf-Astoria where he ironically invites the poor African-Americans to “come and dine with some of the people who got rich of their labor” and in The Negro Speaks of Rivers where he makes references to the Pyramids in Egypt which were built by the slaves.

He did this by speaking of the inequalities that blacks face in the United States. Saying things like, “I am the only colored student in my class”, and comparing it to being the black ink on white paper. Hughes speaks in a tone that can be interpreted differently by anyone who reads it. You don’t know whether he is angry or relaxed while speaking. Individuals just have to pay attention to the words used rather than focusing on the tone. It is obvious when reading the poem that the author is pro equality, and is trying to convince readers to have the same

The poem is a series of questions that the character is directing apparently to some other being or person. The character wants to know why this other person wants to see them down or if they want to see them broken. In response to the other person, the character also asks questions such as, “does my sassiness upset you?” and “does my haughtiness offend you?”. I think the point of this is that the character is being a strong person and achieving excellence through who they are. The character does not care what the other being is saying and that is the whole point of the poem. The point is that no matter how much this person will “cut me with your eyes” or “shoot me with your words” the character will rise and overcome all of these negativities. This is how I depict excellence within the poem. The character is always rising to what the opposite being is saying or

Throughout the poem, the tone and the language that the speaker uses makes it obvious that the