Langston Hughes Analysis Essay

Langston Hughes was one of the first black men to express the spirit of blues and jazz

It is the idea of contrast that Hughes imposes on the reader. Hughes not only focuses on the negativity aspects of life, but through the negative elements is one able to see the positive outcomes. It is the over all theme of overcoming these obstacles, that captures the audience. Towards the end of the last stanza of the poem, we, the audience, see a complete transformation of the speaker and his view on life. He now comprehends the extensity of his actions and views his emotions as a blinding element from reality. He does not have the need to commit suicide anymore, and now fully accepts the loss and embraces the lament. "Though you may hear me holler, and you may see me cry- I'll be dogged, sweet baby, If you gonna see me die. Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine! (Conarroe pg 242, 27-33). With the passage, the reader is now aware of the transformation of the speaker.

     People always listen to music, watch movies or plays, and even read poetry without once even thinking what is could be that helps and artist eventually create a masterpiece. Often times, it is assumed that artists just have a “gift”, and people just do not consider the circumstances and situations that gradually mold a dormant idea into a polished reality. This seems to be the case with nearly every famous actor, writer, painter, or musician; including the ever-famous Langston Hughes.

Hughes first answer is, "Does is dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?" which provides a vivid image that symbolizes the now lifelessness of the deferred dream. For example, fruits represent colors and liveliness, to dry one out means to remove the life from the fruit and let it shrivel. The fruit is now colorless and has shrunk, it is minimal, much like what happens when dreams are deferred. Depicting each stanza, along with the influence of street language and vivid imagery Hughes provides, is necessary in understanding his perception and emotions embedded in this

The reason he does not use a question in the phrase; "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load," is to create an image of defeat. When people grow old and tired, their shoulders are bent as if they are carrying a heavy load. Old women's breasts sag as a result of the natural aging process. There is nothing we can do to stop aging. Eventually we all have to give up the struggle and die. Does "a dream deferred" also eventually

A deeper investigation of the poem, however, presents a different understanding of the poet’s purpose in expressing his message through questions. By using questions, Hughes indicates that the answers can go either way, positive or negative. The open-endedness of the questions provide an opportunity for optimistic responses and, therefore, generate a sense of hope beyond the simple agreement that neglected dreams decay and disappear. He gives the impression that forsaken dreams do not have to remain withered and forgotten; everyone has the choice of restoring their dreams. Langston Hughes addresses the readers of the poem, asking them to find the hope in their dreams to achieve the revival of the Harlem

As a result of the hindrance, the dream now rots. Eventually the wound that didn’t heal will smell like rotten meat. The “stink” may imply how Hughes is feeling, knowing that the dream has been deferred for

Everyone aspires their own definition of being successful, but many fall short due to circumstances they face in their life. In his poem “Harlem,” Langston Hughes conveys vivid images of the effects limitations can have on a dream; in order to make the public more aware of the societal limitations that exists in society. Hughes utilizes specific words and questions that tend to have bad connotations. Hughes first mentions “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun,” in the above quote, the raisin represents the dream that is being aspired. A raisin already being dried up, the dream is seemed as already weak and limited.

Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator describes a play that they have seen so many times that it has become uninteresting and predictable. This theme of decayed of interest is also a sign of depression. The poem talks about the play as if the narrator is actually describing life: “there was an idle day of ours, when happy endings didn’t bore our unfermented souls” (Fitzgerald lines 3-5). This means there was once a time where the narrator did not feel so uninterested in happy endings. The experience has now worn off after so much monotony. “I watch alone—and chattering’s of course spoil the one scene which somehow did have charms” (Fitzgerald lines 10 & 11). Even after all the reprise the last good part becomes spoiled by yet another experience, perpetuating the current boredom into future

The two elements of figurative language the author used in this poem to convey the theme are simile and metaphor. The first element of figurative language I will discuss is simile. A simile is when you compare two unlike things using like or as. This is shown multiply times throughout the poem for example it says, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun.”

Hughes asks, “Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?” (Hughes 2-3). This quote means that her dream slowly shrunk to the point where it was no longer a thing. Beneatha’s dream was no longer when her money was

Or fester like a sore--/ And then run’, in these stanzas where he tries to answer to himself. He uses imagery to show what happens when targets are not reached or fulfilled. Similar to how raisin dries up in the sun they become sweeter with time, but he is not certain if his dreams will replicate in a similar pattern. The poet goes ahead and inquires whether the dream deferred festers like a sore and then run. This shows the disgust that he is feeling contrary to the sweetness he ought to experience in the raisin.

The first metaphor that Hughes writes about supplies the reader with an image of a bird. In lines one through four the speaker of the poem “Dreams” states, “Hold fast to dreams / For if dreams die / Life is a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly.” Here, the speaker begins

Have you ever thought bad people can’t change, well pay attention to Roger and you will change you opinion. Throughout the story “Thank you Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, Roger changed his behavior from the beginning he was rude and selfish by trying to steal the purse, time passing in the story he would change by what Mrs.Jones discussed with him and he would become a hard-working so that he doesn’t snatch purses to get money. In reference to the short story Thank you Ma’am “It was about eleven o'clock at night and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind”.(Hughes.pg# 30)

“Thank You Ma'am” In the story “Thank You Ma'am” by Langston Hughes, a hard working woman named Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is confronted by a frail and willow-wild teenager named Roger, who tries to steal her purse. Rather than calling the police, Mrs. Jones drags Roger home, feeds him, tells him to wash his face, and gives him money. She chooses to take him home because it is apparent to her that Roger is unsupervised and neglected. She also wants to teach him a lesson that warns him from getting into future trouble and feeling miserable.