To be quite honest, poetry is pretty boring right? Wrong! All poetry tells an interesting story, and it’s up to you whether you want to listen or not. The poem “Freedoms Plow,” by Langston Hughes is quite amazing it takes you along the journey of the African Americans struggle and plea for freedom. Langston uses stunning linguistic features to portray the socio-historic values of the time, the poetic techniques to show imagery in his poem and the mood and emotion the audience feels. The beautifully crafted linguistic features convey the message that African Americans were treated unfairly and were discriminated against, which is something that no one should have to experience.
This poem was written in 1943, which was paramount to oppression of race, economic crisis and social tension, causing literature for protest to arise. The use of linguistics in “Freedoms Plow” influence the reader on the socio-historic and socio-cultural values, attitudes and perspectives of this time. The linguistic feature of narrative poetic preaching build the poem from meek and powerless to an aspirational and powerful speech by the end. This mirrors the attitudes of African American peoples of
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By using such amazingly written imagery and such a powerful extended metaphor to really open the audience’s eyes on the prejudice against African Americans of this time, Hughes condemns us as the young adult audience to feel determined to make a stand against racism, and do everything in our power to give freedom to all, regardless of
The “great strong land of love” is asked for return by Hughes. It is revealed as an ideal place where no oppression could ever exist. Never in this perfect world was a man crushed by another. However, that is not the reality of life in America today. Hughes makes this evident in the follow up line,“It never was America to me” which as a result makes us, as young individuals, feel the need to empathise with the African American community as it is revealed that the dream for this “great strong land of love” isn’t realistic nor achievable, leaving the under-represented community to suffer countlessly.
Hughes uses powerful imagery as he describes the most ostracized groups in American society from which this voice derives: the poor white man “fooled and pushed apart”, the black man “bearing slavery’s scars”, the red man “driven from his land”, and the immigrant “clutching” onto hope. He uses stirring metaphors, “slavery’s scars”, to relay the image of suffering experienced by these forgotten
In today’s society we face a lot of issues, but there is one issue that stands out to me most. Which these two poems address, that is injustice towards other race in America. In Langston Hughes “I Too” and “The Weary Blues” the trouble of unjust towards African Americans, weigh on the speaker’s mind. Each poem reflecting on the same issue just a little bit differently.
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.
Langston Hughes inspired others to reach their true potential in their work by using their own life as a catalyst:
Hughes also takes the view of culture but he examines it from the view of blacks that are not stuck in the ghetto but have stable backgrounds. Hughes takes the view that blacks are actually hindering themselves. He says that there is a huge obstacle standing in the way of every black person. He actually makes a reference about artist but it can be viewed as any black person. He says the obstacle is, “this urge within the race toward whiteness, the desire to pour racial individuality into the mold of American standardization, and to be as little Negro and as much American as possible.” (Hughes, Langston) His example is a poet. This poet subconsciously wants to be white because he feels it will make him a better poet. This poet comes from a strong background in the middle class. According to Hughes, they attend church; the father has a steady job; the mother works on occasion; and the children attend mixed schools. However, the problem comes with how the parents treat their children. The mother says things like, “Don’t be like niggers” when the children are bad. In turn the father says things like, “Look how well a white man does things.” So in this home and many others, black is not praised or celebrated it is taught to be ashamed of. They are taught to want to be white. It is staggering what blacks do to themselves because of this. Fist Hughes says the more predominant don’t
Throughout this poem Hughes has placed many symbols in the readers mind to bring the image of the African American people to thought. He reminds African American readers of their origin and what they have been through by using the
Through his poem “Theme for English B”, Langston Hughes expresses his will to exterminate discrimination by proving that despite different skin colors, Americans all share similarities and learn from each other. Langston wrote the poem in 1900, when black Americans were not considered Americans. He talks about a black student being assigned to write a paper about himself. The audience is thus the student’s professor – the representation of the white Americans. Since the professor said: “let that page come out of you---Then, it will be true.”, the student began wondering “if it’s that simple”. He then describes himself to explain why it isn’t simple: he is “twenty-two”, “the only colored in class”, and lives in the poor community Harlem.
Langston Hughes’s writing showcases a variety of themes and moods, and his distinguished career led his biographer, Arnold Rampersad, to describe him as “perhaps the most representative black American writer.” Many of his poems illustrate his role as a spokesman for African American society and the working poor. In others, he relates his ideas on the importance of heritage and the past. Hughes accomplishes this with a straightforward, easily understandable writing style that clearly conveys his thoughts and opinions, although he has frequently been criticized for the slightly negative tone to his works.
Hillary Clinton, American politician, former First Lady of the United States, previous junior U.S. Senator of New York, and past U.S. Secretary of State, once said, “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are humans rights.” Even if women understood this concept in ancient times, they were unable to do anything because men were superior to them. Athens, a large city-state and the capital of Greece, is home to many underprivileged women. They were unable to leave the house under almost any circumstance, and were forced to do housework and run errands until the husband arrived home. However, some poorer women could leave the house to get water, or work in factories or farms.
This paper examines the perspective of Langston Hughes and how his style of writing is. It looks at how several interrelated themes run through the poetry of Langston Hughes, all of which have to do with being black in America and surviving in spite of immense difficulties. Langston Hughes is one of the most influential writers because his style of work not only captured the situation of African Americans; it also grabbed the attention of other races with the use of literary elements and other stylistic qualities. Langston Hughes became well known for his way of interpreting music into his work of writing, which readers love and enjoy today.
My background as a tenacious student and a minority has allowed me to connect to the poem in ways that I could very much relate to. I have personally lived through the motions of life that he refers to in “Theme for English b”.Langston Hughes’s poem is more about the differences he knows other people see in him or rather on him, and what they are missing. By doing this, Hughes make it clear that the color of his skin plays a crucial role in the way that people think he is like. He finishes by boldly stating what he had been
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.
The Harlem Renaissance sought to revitalize African American culture with a focus on arts and literature and creating socioeconomic opportunities (Harlem Renaissance). This temporal setting, predominantly the influence of the Harlem Renaissance, of Hughes’s life explains the purpose of Hughes’s writing: to express the oppression of African Americans and the imperfections of Hughes’s America and to heighten African American morale during his life through his writing.
Free of speech is a powerful expression that many African Americans used. Free of speech happened through music and poems. Langston Hughes poem “ Theme For English B” has a purpose of speaking out on what they think. This poem is based on an African American who expresses his free of speech through his homework assignment. “ I guess being colored doesn't make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races.” The African American comparing himself to white people because of what he’s dealing with everyday. This African American the only color person in the class because he came from Harlem. He explains how people look at him differently because of who he is. He thinks that since he isn’t white he can’t like things that Americans like. It’s difficult to see how people deal through this because of the judgement. He isn’t in a happy place that people don’t understand. He also mentions “ You are white- part of me, as I am part of you. That’s American.” Langston Hughes uses free of speech because he’s showing how people shouldn’t be ashamed of who they are as a person. He wants people to realize how a person shouldn’t feel guilty as who they are as a person. Speaking up helps others to feel the same way. African Americans want to change people’s lives and want them to know they aren’t alone. Expressing through free of speech the poem uses are to demonstrate why racism still occurs in his life. It’s not just him, even people now are dealing with this situation.