Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Poems and songs may have strength in literary terms, but have you ever wondered what makes them powerful? In this essay, there will be analyzed two poems “The Boy Died in my Alley” and “Daddy”, as well as the song “Firework” in which theme, metaphor, and repetition are the literary devices that make them powerful.

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.

With every aspect of our lives we are making a point, arguing a belief, or refuting some other aspect of our existence. Aesthetic pieces, most avidly poems and songs, argue a message both in the lyrics and in the meaning posed between the lines. “American Pie,” in a multitude of ways, argues that American lives and memories are closely intertwined with the music of the time period. Not only does “American Pie” argue a message it also pulls many generations together. Today, thirty years after the initial release, “American Pie” still has an effect in our music and continues to be popular with all age groups. Don McLean accomplishes this task through using the context of the time period, placement of words, the words

This contrast serves to communicate the scattered nature of our consciousness with the unity, elegance and fluidity of our subconscious. Furthermore, these drawn out sounds serve to also further the imagery of the tide’s “uninterrupted sweep” which is particularly effective in conveying the image of the wave rushing to envelope the shore, the word “uninterrupted” conveying this sense that the wave of inspiration is all smooth and relentless. This imagery is furthered by the 3 line-long segment, uninterrupted by punctuation. Yet, the central point made in these four lines is when the speaker states that “(he) heard” the waves. The description of the sea gives you a mental image, but Longfellow stresses upon the fact that the speaker only hears the tide, as this can be seen reflected in the title of the poem “The Sound of the Sea”. Hearing is an auditory action that allows one to be aware of the presence of the object through the sound, but not visually or physically grasp it. This suggests that inspiration is similar, in the sense that one can be aware of it but cannot consciously grasp, control or dominate it.

The works of James Weldon Johnson are ones that are still as important to day, just as they were in 1917. “The Gift to Sing” and “Prayer at Sunrise,” are just two of Johnson’s pieces that live on because of their messages of inspiration. Coupled with their dual use of the same patterns, devices, and related modes, these poems may not seem to be that different. Yet, through the structure and the messages of these poems, one can see that they were made for two distinct

A common theme among many scholars is modern poetry lacks poetic merit. The modern version of poetry is more often than not, found as music and more specifically as lyrics opposed to stanzas. “Traditional” poetry is known for its poetic merit; however, modern poetry, music, also has elements that can be found in traditional poetry. Poetic merit usually refers to the use of numerous poetic elements: figurative language, imagery, symbolism, allusions, etc. Though scholars may regard music as lacking in poetic merit, the song “Glory” by John Legend and Common proves otherwise through its use of symbolism, alliteration, and allusions to put forth its emotional lyrics that depict the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement.

Americans before the Civil War came to the United States to acquire self-preservation and to explore the foundation of capitalism. Songwriters such as Stephen Foster, felt the American people needed an image to follow a need for Puritan mentality. Without a doubt, music purposely expressed these movements by the usage of musical lyrics to analyze the discrimination against African American slaves and the secession of the United States, which reflected the turmoil of the separated Puritan communities. In short, after the American Revolution, many Americans feared the idea of self-preservation within communities, expressing that Americans had no real endeavor in working together. Moreover, writers like J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, practiced to establish a diverse America, not only to separate Americans and show how different they act according to their surroundings, but helped to express how an environment can change one’s self-preservation. Nevertheless, Americans left a deliberate standing point to follow as countless Puritans did before. The purpose of how music can diversify a community and make Americans’ self-preservation move toward their surroundings remained the example left by these idols. Undoubtedly, the environment itself obtained the biggest challenge for American Puritans. In any case, with the help of Foster’s intuition about how Americans should act as a community and the emotions that thrived within the musical lyrics of his songs—Beautiful Dreamer, Oh!

The lyrics of songs inspire people to think and do many things. Today, songs expressing the quality of being beautiful and important in society can be found. Songs encouraging love and taking chances within oneself and others are listened to. None the less, there exists songs expressing hatred, anger, sorrow, and feelings of desolation. Lyrics are limitless, they simply express that of the person's internal emotions. Songs can convey a misunderstanding or an unclear interpretation. Much like the lyrics of today, slave songs conveyed a deep and heart-wrenching message, that to many listeners, were never quite understood. Songs are simply an expression of truth. In an environment which otherwise punished truth,

Langston Hughes compositions are known for being the voice of the Harlem Renaissance. A considerable number of his written work shared the feelings of that time. This particular poem "Trumpet Player" mirrors that music can lift the agony remembered, but one always remembers the hardships. The poem shares that freed blacks still experienced the impacts of slavery. Because of this, they held onto music as a method for soothing the agony they persevered.

Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem “We Real Cool” uses musical rhythms to depict the endgame consequences of youthful, rebellious behavior. The first noticeable musical rhythm to be employed by the writer is alliteration, used to lay down the foundation for the meter used in the poem. “We lurk late. We strike straight. We sing sin...We jazz June”. The melodious pattern of the alliteration establishes the sway of the poem. As you continue to read, the alliterations pull you through the rest of the poem. The pace of the poem gets faster and the reader finds themselves at the end in a matter of seconds, similar to how those who lead devious lifestyles, the “cool” lifestyle, usually hit a wall in their lives quickly. The end comes quickly for them. The second

Major themes such as true love, death, or justice speak to the audience as much as today as they did hundreds of years ago. For example, in Phil Ochs’ song “Power and the Glory,” he has created a clear example of a classic song with a central theme that is as important today as when it was first written. In just a few short minutes, Ochs creates within

Music and literature have the ability to draw you in and take you to a place that only the author knows. An example of this in music is when the artist sings about their life experiences in a way that only they understand. Poets do the same thing in their poems because they can show you how they see the world. Poets and songwriters are not much different, they write from their own perspectives. The song “Live Your Life” by T.I. and the poem “A Psalm Of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, they show the similarities and differences between each other, through their work.

The beat of a drum can be merely viewed as a wave through the air in which sound is delivered to the eardrum which vibrates in interpreting those sounds. However, with the acknowledgement of sound’s capability, it is logical to affirm that sound is not only heard but felt. It is the displacement of the particles in the air and like that of a musician, poets control their drum with the rhyme scheme of a poem that allows their message to be heard and simultaneously felt. Moreover, the rhyming at the end of each line in poetry serves as the beat of the compilation which bring emphasis to their core message. Seasoned poets like Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and Robert Browning understood that utilizing this aspect of poetry allowed for their poems to have a pulse and materialize for their reader. Their respective poems, “The Aim Was Song”, “Africa”, and “Porphyria’s Lover”, portray revelations of the inner truths of human reactions through their environment in the use of rhyme scheme.

If one listens closely, they can hear America’s song. The words, like thunder, comprise the groans of the slave, the cheers of the free, and the unmistakable sounds of the brave. The music rings out as clear as day; it is composed by the growing children and the dying men. Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes captured the essence of these songs in their respective works, “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too, Sing America.” The first describes the melodies of a working nation, the “the wood-cutter’s song” and the “delicious singing of the mother” (Whitman 7-8). The quiet musings of a young African American make up the latter; it is a hymn of hushed hope for tomorrow. Although the two poems stand alone, both Whitman’s and Hughes's works powerfully capture the song of America through the sense of pride found in each piece, the uses of different literary elements, and their individual views of the nation.

The short stanzas containing powerful imagery overwhelm the readers forcing them to imagine the oppression that the speaker went through in