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. 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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’