Analysis Of The Poem ' Harlem ' By Langston Hughes

Thesis statement: Hughes wrote this when Jim Crow laws were still imposing an bitter segregated society in the South. There were still lynchings of innocent African Americans, there was no Civil Rights Movement, there was no Civil Rights legislation yet, and Blacks couldn't eat at lunch counters in the South. Harlem, however, was not at all like the South in terms of blatant, legal segregation. However, racism was very much in place in many places in America. Blacks were second class citizens, their children attended schools that were ill-equipped, and the dreams of Black citizens were not being realized in this period.

From what we are told, we can obviously tell that Joseph has a very difficult life as it is, “What can a crippled, speechless boy do, asked Joseph…” Nolan is telling us that Joseph thinks of himself in a negative manner. But while he may look in himself in a negative way, he is still optimistic, explaining

When Joseph was thirteen, he made a decision to fall in love in order to distract his mind from the abuse he was suffering at home. The text states “ “.(Shmidt). Everyday, Joseph would walk seven miles to see his loved one and when they eventually had a child, his dedication sky rocketed. This impacted his life greatly because when Madison died during labor, he became depressed, and he wasn't even able to see his daughter because he was underage. Joseph felt so low, that he even accepted drugs from another's student in his school, and this made him insane enough to strangle a teacher. He then was sent to prison, and eventually ended up in a foster home. This all wouldn’t have happened if Joseph was smart enough to stay out of a serious relationship at such a young age. This section of the book informs the reader that your decisions can greatly impact your life. Once again, Joseph’s decision to enter a serious relationship impacted his life, and in this case the impact was

A huddle of horns And a tinkle of glass A note Handed down from Marcus to Malcolm To a brother Too bad and too cool to give his name. Sometimes despair Makes the stoops shudder Sometimes there are endless depths of pain Singing a capella on street corners

Jacob’s preferential treatment towards Joseph was destructive, and created dissension among Joseph’s brothers (fueled sibling rivalry –

There are thousands of stories in the Bible, but one stands out in particular; the story of Joseph. The Hebrew meaning of the name Joseph is “may Jehovah add, give increase.”1 Through the life of Joseph we see God add meaning and purpose to his life, just as God adds meaning and purpose to all our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”2 Joseph obediently followed God’s plans through trials and tribulations whereas many other figures in the Old Testament faltered in their faith. Joseph, son of Jacob, is the single most important human being in the Old Testament because of his impeccable faith to the one true God and his story of forgiveness that set the stage for God’s chosen people.

Joseph also assumes that if you are not a true image of man then you are considered a deviation. He suspects that if you are a deviation then you are sent by the devil. Additionally, if you are a deviation then you don't deserve to live. Altogether, Joseph is seen to be a man who is viciously devoted to his religion.

The short but inspirational poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes addresses what happens to aspirations that are postponed or lost. The brief, mind provoking questions posed throughout the poem allow the readers to reflect--on the effects of delaying our dreams. In addition, the questions give indications about Hughes' views on deferred dreams.

Joseph learned from his father, Elias’ mistakes in both his community leadership and personal life. This is why he became a more powerful leader, as well as a family member. In the beginning of the novel, Elias is introduced, he was the leader of Waknuk, the community that they lived in. He taught and inspired Joseph to lead the community, but he was also a good example for Joseph to learn how to alter his leadership styles to be more effective, this is why Joseph was a much more strict leader. In the beginning of the novel, there is a jump back in time to explain how Joseph was raised.“Elias had never a moment’s doubt of the proper pattern for his heart. My father’s [Joseph’s] faith was bred into his bones, his principles were his sinews, and both responded to a mind richly stored with examples for the Bible and from Nicholson’s Repentances. In faith father and son, were at one; the difference between them was only in approach, the evangelical flash did not appear in my fathers' eyes; his virtue was more legalistic" (16-17).

15 years have passed, and the Parish plantation is still in full operation. Both Joseph, and his wife Elizabeth very much the same the only thing that differed was, of course, their age. Not able to get around much like they used to, and now has to have a little more assistance. This didn't really affect Joseph as much, his strong willingness, and determined wouldn't allow him to just stand by, and wither away. The sun is just now beginning to rise as Joseph, makes his way outside on the porch of the house to look to the Georgia sky. This was an everyday ritual, as he did this every morning, most of the time he sat in his rocking chair praying, praying for his many blessings, as well for his long-lost son. At the time when things began to

As I approach the end of my novel, I can see how Joseph has changed during these past weeks. Before the sarcastic attitude and is rude comments was his immediate response to anything, now I can see that is reaction to other campers comments toward him are more kinder and moral. In the past, offers of help and assistance were ignored and answered with sardonic utterances often insults. On page 133 Kevin said “Yeah, you know, stay close in case you need me need,” and Joseph rudely responded “I don't need you for anything!” “I didn't mean... I just thought” “You thought wrong. You can go up the tower. I'll follow, if I want to.” This was rude and unkind of Joseph, but on page 204 Kevin ask Joseph if he needs assistance and Joseph responded with

As I continue reading, I find that Joseph is sarcastic and annoying, stressing sarcastic. In my other reading responses, I was “sitting on the fence”, but now, I am sure that I don’t like. His personality makes one feel that you want to just go up to his face and tell him to correct himself. He makes caustic comments to the people who are trying to help him, like the social workers Gord and Stan. He thinks of the other boys as less than him, as on page 127, he thinks “I had total faith in them-faith that they were all screw-ups.” For me, this one comment is infuriating as Kevin is constantly offering help to Joseph and talking to Joseph (on page 133, Kevin says that Joseph should stay close to him if he needs help and Joseph coldly says “Need you? I don’t need you for anything!” This shows how rude and discourteous Joseph really is! There are other instances as well, such as when he insulted the pay that the two social workers make (page 151) and constantly calls two other campers “the weasels” (page 128). I can connect the character of Joseph to a story that I read in my religion textbook called “You Won’t Like Me”. In both books, there is a kid who is annoying and rude and some people don’t like him, but in the story, someone comes to try to be his friend, just like Kevin and the social workers try to

Most importantly this is a passage that interestingly shows many family problems that we are currently witnesses of, such as parents marking their children lives through their decisions which further more have an outcome in their children future and that parents are not always the best at their job, but they think they are. This story is important , it shows the traveling periods of human beings , how obstacles in life can shape a person and be rewarding in the future. It is clear that God, had a plan for Joseph, since the beginning of the story, we do not know why, but maybe it was Joseph's attitude overall that honored God. And he is to be truly admired by his faithfulness in the entire story, he never gave up. His dreams were a vision of the future, and visions that became true, in the moment he saved his family's

Dreams are hopes that people hope to accomplish in their lifetime. When trying to achieve these goals, people are willing to do anything. But, what happens when a dream is deferred? A dream pushed aside can disappoint a person in the deepest way. It is likely to spread throughout their thoughts and becomes a burden. In the poem “Harlem,” Langston Hughes, through literary devices, introduce a strong theme through a short amount of language Hughes is asking what happens to a dream that is being put off.

In this paper, I will analyze and compare the differences between the Biblical passage that tells the story of Joseph and a movie that portrays the story of Joseph. The Biblical passage of Joseph is in Genesis. Its starts in Genesis chapter 37 and ends in chapter 46. This is the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob. The movie that I have chosen is called Joseph: King of Dreams. This movie was directed by Rob LaDuca and Robert Ramirez and, it was released in the year 2000. I chose this animated movie because it closely retails the story of Joseph, and it is adapted to be suitable for all ages. Even though the movie has some differences from the Biblical story. I will later analyze why those differences change the context of