Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Poem Negro by Langston Hughes - 741 Words

The poem â€Å"Negro† was written by Langston Hughes in 1958 where it was a time of African American development and the birth of the Civil Rights Movement. Langston Hughes, as a first person narrator tells a story of what he has been through as a Negro, and the life he is proud to have had. He expresses his emotional experiences and makes the reader think about what exactly it was like to live his life during this time. By using specific words, this allows the reader to envision the different situations he has been put through. Starting off the poem with the statement â€Å"I am a Negro:† lets people know who he is, Hughes continues by saying, â€Å" Black as the night is black, /Black like the depths of my Africa.† He identifies Africa as being his†¦show more content†¦Separating the start of each stanza as well as indenting after each statement gives each line an important significance in being part of the poem. The second stanza shows the fact that he, a Negro, has been a slave. There have been slaves that came before him and worked for leaders such as Cesar, in Rome, as well as Washington in early America. He refers towards them to show that behind â€Å"The Greats† there were people beneath them that were slaves. As the poem develops, different images are put into the reader’s head that see the progress of a Negro and all that they have done. After being a slave he was also a worker. â€Å" Under my hand the pyramids arose, / I made mortar for the Woolworth Building†. Back in ancient Egypt as far as 2,000 years ago there were workers who built the pyramids, as well as workers during 20th Century America who were enslaved helped create these landmarks. These allusions once again help the reader relate to what it is a slave has been put through as well as being part of the African American culture. The language and diction of this poem relate to the specifics of what Langston Hughes, as a Negro has been through. Being a singer, as he sates in the forth stanza â€Å"All the way from Africa to Georgia / I carried my sorrow songs. / I made ragtime.† During slavery many slaves sang songs to express how they felt as well as to communicate messages to one another. In Africa song was a way to express themselves while working or asShow MoreRelatedLangston Hughes s Poem, Negro Speaks Of Rivers964 Words   |  4 PagesIn Langston Hughes’ inspirational poem, â€Å"Negro Speaks of Rivers,† he expresses, â€Å"My soul has grown as deep like the rivers,† (lines 4 and 13), describing how his encounters with racial intolerance have made him stronger as a person in both spiritual and emotional ways; rather than to just step down and submit to the cruelty of racism. The quote could also be interpreted as a sign of perseverance and hope for people who have experienced not only racial injustice, but other forms of degradation inRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes Poem The Negro Speaks Of Rivers 1242 Words   |  5 PagesProfessor Merton Lee EN-101-12 28 October 2014 Essay 2 While reading Langston Hughes’ poem, â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† the theme of roots is predominant throughout the reading, this theme raises question to the whole meaning of the poem. Although the word â€Å"roots† itself is never in the actual text, it contains strong details of the poem promoting deep imagery and depiction of veins, tributaries, and the roots of the plants and trees. Hughes wanted to give the reader the illusion of a timelessness in theseRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes Poem, The Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain Essay1402 Words   |  6 PagesCollectors of poetry are bias. By this I mean that more often than not when poems are selected for collections, the works of classical writers will be prioritized over the works of newer or more untraditional authors. That is not to say that this is a bad thing, there is much that can be and needs to be learned from classical poets. However, it is often overlooked how much other, more unkn own writers can contribute to the canon of poetry, especially those influenced by different racial and ethnicRead More Symbolic Imagery in Langston Hughes Poems, The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Mother To Son1651 Words   |  7 PagesSymbolic Imagery in Langston Hughes Poems, The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Mother To Son Langston Hughes uses symbolism throughout his poetry. In the poems The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Mother To Son, Langston Hughes uses symbolism to convey his meaning of the poems to the readers. Readers may make many interpretations about the symbols used throughout these poems. Throughout the poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers Hughes uses metaphorical statements to suggest to the readerRead MoreAnalysis of Langston Hughes ´ The Negro Speaks of Rivers927 Words   |  4 PagesLangston Hughes A Poetic of the Harlem Renaissance During the Harlem Renaissance copious African Americans writers arose from this movement including Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, and especially Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes has endured hardships from the time his parents separated to being raised in different cities. Hughes has tried multiple times to reconnect with his father, but it never succeeded. Although Langston Hughes has a complicated relationship with his fatherRead MoreLangston Hughes : The Black Writers Of The Harlem Renaissance1488 Words   |  6 Pageswriters of the 1900’S is Langston Hughes. While many writers focused on one style or category of writing, Langston Hughes is the most versatile of all of the writers from the Harlem Renaissance. While the state of Missouri is known for its largest cities such as St. Louis and Kansas City and for famous attractions such as the Gateway Arch, the state is also the birthplace of one of the most well-known writers of the early Twentieth Century. James Mercer Langston Hughes is an American author, writerRead MoreEssay on James Langston Hughes891 Words   |  4 Pages (February 1, 1902 - May 22, 1967) Born in Joplin, Missouri, James Langston Hughes was born into an abolitionist family. He was the grandson of grandson of Charles Henry Langston, the brother of John Mercer Langston, who was the the first Black American to be elected to public office in 1855. Hughes attended Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio, but began writing poetry in the eighth grade, and was selected as Class Poet. His father didnt think he would be able to make a living as at writingRead MorePoetry for a Generation1184 Words   |  5 PagesPoetry for a Generation â€Å"We Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Censorship for us begins at the color line† (AfricanAmericanQuotes). Langston Hughes was an African American poet who made poetry that reflected what he witnessed in the urban communities throughout his life. Langston Hughes’ poetry spoke the words, feelings, and hardships that African Americans had to live with on a day to day basis. Though bi-racial, Langston Hughes knew very clearly what wasRead More Langston Hughes Essay1356 Words   |  6 Pagesstands out as one of the most prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes defined himself by his ability to pursue the true essence of â€Å"black folk† at a time when black identity, culture, or art was considered an oxymoronic concept. Hughes sought to explore the true identity of Black America even amidst criticism that his work was anti-assimilationist in its literary expression. Wallace Thurman, one of Hughesà ¢â‚¬â„¢ closest friends had this to say about the poet’s subject matter: â€Å"He wentRead MoreReoccurring Themes in the Work of Langston Hughes Essay1649 Words   |  7 PagesLangston Hughes is an extremely successful and well known black writer who emerged from the Harlem Renaissance (â€Å"Langston Hughes† 792). He is recognized for his poetry and like many other writers from the Harlem Renaissance, lived most of his life outside of Harlem (â€Å"Langston Hughes† 792). His personal experiences and opinions inspire his writing intricately. Unlike other writers of his time, Hughes expresses his discontent with black oppression and focuses on the hardships of his people. Hughes’

Poetry Essay Summary Example For Students

Poetry Essay Summary Fizz Mad Fizz was an Influential left-wing Intellectual, revolutionary poet, and one of the most famous suggested his complicated relationship with religion In general and Islam in particular. He was, nevertheless poets of the Urdu and Punjabi language from Pakistan. A rising figure and notable member of the, inspired by South Saiss Suffix traditions. Fizz Aimed Fizz was born in Shallot in Pakistan. He studied philosophy and English literature, but poetry and politics preoccupied him more than anything else. Progressive Writers Movement (PAM), Fizz was an avowed Marxist- unionism, long associated member of Russian-backed Communist Party and was a recipient of Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union in 1962. Despite being repeatedly accused of atheism by the political and military establishment, Falls poetry was Like flowing water making Its way straight to the heart of readers. For writing poetry that always antagonizes the ruling ?elite and challenges colonial and feudal values, like such rebellious writers as Nigh of Kenya and Darkish of Palestine, Fizz had to go to jail repeatedly during both colonial and postcolonial times In Pakistan. HIS poem ring Imprisonment Callahan Mama Apart from love and romance some running themes in Fizz, s, poetry are also social justice, loneliness, depression oppression, incarceration, hopelessness longings, distances, rottenness and exile and love for his country. In his throbbing words one could sense his mind and heart speak with passion, his sensitively, his outrage for social Injustice and cruelty rarely seen In Urdu poetry. He is generally regarded in the same group of poets that include the traditionalist Goalie and the philosophical Cabal. Fizz admires both, but he has his own unique brand to conquer the hearts of readers. Like on the Indus-Packard, he wrote Black out, with some very painful lines which show his utter grieve about the bloodshed of Innocent people and the dark nights which raised Its smeared claws to everyone. From the time the lamps went out have been searching The ground, For my both eyes lost somewhere Dry. Laudable Visalia translated most of Fizz, s poems in Russian and was his dear admirer and she also elaborated in her speeches and writings as well to acknowledge his contribution for literature. A Tribute to Fizz by T. Beth In a cruel sunless prison he breathes the freshest air, deprived of pen and paper is heart and mind speak volumes his soul soars, pierces the relentlessly cold skies. In a harsh dry soil FIFO an unforgiving acorn. Thats Fizz! Fizz visited Bangladesh after it had seceded from Pakistan and become an independent country following a year of bloody civil war (with the Pakistan army responsible for horrific genocide in what was then still East Pakistan). Then he wrote this. The last line is almost certainly an allusion to the apology that was never offered to Bangladesh. Beyond Hum Eke There Janis Hum eke There Janis kit mandatory eek bad (We who became strangers, after o many graces) -? Fizz The year 1971 saw the culmination of what was then termed the Bengali problem in the shape of the trauma of Pakistanis second partition and the secession of East Pakistan to become the independent state of Bangladesh. While the problems had been simmering since independence in 1947, they had come to a head during the latter part of General Baby Khans rule. The bloodshed in Dacha and all of East Pakistan in 1970 and 1971 saddened many people reminding them of the trauma of 1947. After the creation of Bangladesh, the new civilian government of Cultivar All Bout offered Fizz a position as Cultural Advisor to he Ministry of Education, and after some deliberation, Fizz accepted. He had always considered culture an integral part of society, imperative to the development and uplift of a nation. In this position, he created the Pakistan National Council of the Arts as well as the Look Versa, the Institute of Folk Heritage. Compare the Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy and Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti EssayThe look of the poem on the page adds still another dimension. Some poems have smooth shapes, some have delicate shapes, some have heavy, dense shapes. The breaks in the lines lead our eyes to certain areas. There are even poems with shapes that intentionally imitate what the poem is about, for example, a poem about a waterfall could have lines that trickle down the page. Definition of Poetry concentrated language: The words in poems are doing several jobs at the same time. They do one thing with their meaning, and another thing with their sound. Even their meaning may be working on more than one level. An important characteristic of poetry is compression, or concentrated language. I dont mean concentrated in the sense of paying close attention. I mean it in the sense of concentrated laundry detergent, or concentrated orange Juice. A half-cup of concentrated laundry detergent does the same work as a cup of regular detergent; a poem typically gets across as much meaning as a larger amount of prose. Concentrated orange Juice has the water taken out; a good poem has similarly been intensified by removing the non-essential words. This is one reason why poems are often short. Definition of poetry emotional or irrational connection: Prose normally talks to the logical part of the readers mind. It explains and describes things; it makes sense. Poetry does all this too, but it also tends to work at an emotional or irrational level at the same time. Often, some part of a poem seems to speak directly to the readers emotions. It gives readers a peaceful feeling or an eerie feeling, Goosebumps, or it makes them want to cry, even though they may not be sure why they are reacting this way. One way that poems do this is through the use of sound. Poems also tend to suggest things beyond what they actually say; often what causes the strongest emotions is not what the poem describes, but what it make the reader imagine. Some parts of understand, and they touch something similarly deep in the reader. A few quotes on the definition of poetry Percy Abysses Shelley: Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar. Here, Shelley points out an important aspect of poetry, which is to find fresh ways of looking at things we think we know well. Sir Philip Sidney: Poetry is a speaking picture This idea emphasizes the physical aspect of a poem, that its a piece of artwork made out of words. Adrienne Rich: Poetry is above all a concentration of the power of language, which is the power of our ultimate relationship to everything in the universe. She means concentrated in the sense of concentrated laundry detergent. Language, she says, is our way of relating to the universe. So by strengthening language, poetry strengthens our relationship with the universe. Jean Chateau: Poetry is indispensable if I only knew what for.