Easter Wings By Langston Hughes Essay

This poem appears to be a dramatic monologue, spoken by the character at a moment when he/she was approaching death. Using key terms within the last stanza, we can infer the speaker is approaching death. Therefore, the tone of the poem should be that of sadness or despair, but as one can see, the speaker is trying to convey hope towards the end of the poem (representing the end of life). The rhyme scheme is identical in both stanzas; however, it does not follow any standard pattern. The rhyming sequence is unique. If counting the lines, all of the even numbered lines from the second stanza follow the same rhyme sequence as the first stanza. In addition, the first three odd lines of each stanza rhyme with themselves, but lines seven and nine of each stanza rhyme with each other, independent of the other odd lines.
Starting with the title, we can see reference to Easter and Christianity. Within the Christian religion, Easter is a key occasion for those who believe. Not only is the word "Easter" in the title, but we also see the word "wings." In reference to Easter, the wings are significant to those of the angels that were present on Easter morning, the resurrection of Christ. The first line of the poem backs up the allusion of using religion, as we can see the word "Lord" and the reference to the creation of man. The middle line of each stanza is the same, "With thee." Once again, using allusions, we can see an inference to the Christian faith, and the idea that the Lord is always "With thee." Another example of the author using an allusion occurs in line seven, "Oh, let me rise." The story of Easter revolves around the "rise" of Christ; therefore, we can see the constant reference to religion throughout the