Preview

Three Themes In The Gun By Langston Hughes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
528 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Three Themes In The Gun By Langston Hughes
THE GUN

How far would you go to fit in or feel like you were part of the “crowd’’ ? Some people will go as far as having suicidal thoughts. Turning to something so harmful for love, is insane to me because there’s no benefit from it. The author of this short story I will be introducing is Langston Hughes; the title of this story is The Gun. Langston Hughes is one of the most famous African- American writer and poet. It appears that The Gun is a short story that represents being happy with yourself and forgetting about wanting to be apart of something when your constantly being rejected. It seems as if the three themes that stick out the most in this short story are grief, isolation and rejection. Flora Belle was never happy, she was always miserable. She lived her life in grief. In particular, in this short story it affirms that, “she was just a big, homely silent woman whose desire for friends never got pass that lugubrious look in her wistful eyes and that silence that frightened folks away.” With this in mind, you see that Flora Belle was misunderstood. People didn’t understand her. Flora Belle was always shy to speak up so that made the situation worst. In fact, the story says, “fighting against shyness and strangeness, but never making much of an impression on folks. Thus,
…show more content…
She was the only Negro child in a small city. She thought of herself as an outcast in the house she lived in. Flora Belle was insulted by the white children. Shortly after Flora Belle’s mom passed away her and her father moved to Butte. Eventhough there were very few Negroes in Butte, she made friends with none of them. “Flora Belle had set her mind on one of the big cities of the coast, where there would be lots of nice colored people she could make friends with.” Here we see that she moves again and this time to Seattle. Although Flora Belle enjoyed the big city, still she wasn’t

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    She was thought to be very bright and pretty and in her youth, there were no signs of the criminal path she would later take. She had big dreams for herself, but sadly most of them had to stay dreams.There was no room on the Broadway stage for girls from the slums of Dallas. Although she was one of the brightest kids on her class she had limited option for her career after high school. College was out of the questions because her mother barely made enough money to feed them everyday. She would have to choose between becoming a factory worker, a seamstress, or a clerk in a shop. Those were the only options for girls raised in Cement City.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hughes, hired a team of designers, craftsmen, engineers, and piolets who worked with him on “Hell’s Angles.” At the peak of the depression, these men were happy just to have a job, let alone an interesting one that allowed them to work for Hughes. Together the team help him build his plane “Hughes H-1 Racer” also known as “The Silver Bullet.” On September 13, 1935 Hughes set the world’s record for flying land planes, at 352 mile per hour.…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the commencement of the play, Blanche is quickly described as a damsel in distress. She is portrayed as a wealthy woman “in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earing of pearl, white gloves and hat…” (5). She resembles an embellished white moth. The fact that she is forced to live with her younger sister Stella and her domineering husband truly shows that Blanche is in a truly desperate situation. Her overall character is depicted as a traumatized woman that is in complete desolation. Experiences such as witnessing her family on a “...Long parade to the graveyard” (21). Being forced to live with your family until their tragic demise would emotionally and mentally torment anyone. She lives inside of her own world in which she…

    • 190 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    According to Dr. King, his dream “becomes a nightmare.” In other words, Dr. King is seeing no change even after the march on Washington, where both white people and black people held hands and fought for a common cause. This event had brought people together, Dr. King thought that things were going to finally change. Days after days, roaming on the streets, he saw his brothers, of every color, struggling with poverty and injustice. That even though people hoped for Dr. King’s dream, they still did nothing.…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    She remembers her home town, Dusty, During the great depression. The only thing pretty in the town were Miss Lottie’s Marigolds. One Night, she can’t sleep and his enraged with the fact that her father is so upset. She returns to Miss Lotie’s flowers and takes her rage out on the Marigold’s. As she does this Miss Lottie comes out to her and stands over her destroying the Marigolds. She understands then the difference between childhood and maturity. She then realizes that she cannot have both compassion and innocence. This shows that when she did the horrible act of destroying Miss Lottie's Marigolds she lost her innocence and doesn’t deserve…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever felt out of place from those around you? In “Theme for English B”, Langston Hughes discusses how the speaker goes about this paper assignment. He questions the definition of simple. He wonders if the truth is the same between him, his classmates and his professor. Will the papers be the same between himself and all the other white students in class? This paper assignment has the speaker realize that there is more in common between himself and the other students than just race.…

    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the excerpt from “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes, the speaker explores his own dream for America because he wants the greatness of America to return, but he accepts the reality of America and embraces it. He wants equality and equal opportunity for everyone, but states that his experience with equality and freedom exist not for him. The description given by the speaker shows a “pioneer on the plain” seeking a place where they can live freely (3). In reality, the pioneers face inequality and will not live this “American dream” in the idealized land of the free depicted as a “great strong land of love” (7). But, they will become objects of segregation and will not live this sweet American dream. His use of my and…

    • 188 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902 and died in New York City, New York on May 22, 1967. His father’s name was James Nathaniel and his mother’s name was Carrie Mercer Langston Hughes. His parents separated not to long after he was born. His father later moved to Cuba and later permanently lived in Mexico, where he lived the rest of his life working as an attorney and landowner. He eventually traveled to Mexico to visit his father who moved when his parents separated from each but luckily for Langston, within a few years of his visit to Mexico, he would find himself at the center of a cultural flowering in New York City's historically black neighborhood that is famously known as Harlem. Hughes's poetry…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his The Way of White Folks, Hughes illustrates the blacks’ feeling of frustration and resistance towards the white-Americans that they live within the society they are in. When on analyzes his short stories, one can see the techniques Hughes used, to illustrate how the whites treats the blacks. Although Hughes blurs the racial line which separates the North America from the South, he effectively illustrates that the how the upper class treats the black with less violence, but still with belittling condescension. In addition, through the medium of music, Hughes demonstrates the envy of many American whites because many of the blacks are artistically talented. With the use of the strategies, Hughes…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The dream that was never born, the promise of hope that was never promised, the right to be treated equal that was never given. Langston Hughes expresses his discomfort with the American ideals in his poem Let America Be America Again. The author details the aspects of a life that American is supposed to represent, the right of liberty and opportunity, yet Hughes lets its discomfort be known; The discomfort of a lie, a lie that promises equality for everyone, and the right to be part of the land of liberty an opportunity. The truth that America requires an established wealth to participate in its dream.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his poem “A Dream Deferred,” Langston Hughes utilizes vivid sensory imagery and similes to explore the various phases of a dream deferred. Before I wrote my stylistic imitation, one of my friends suggested I look carefully at the historical context surrounding this poem’s publication. This poem was written right before the Civil Rights Movement, during a time when racial tensions were high in the U.S. and this got me thinking about movements today. Recently, there has been an increased awareness of the rampant police brutality in America, and as I was contemplating the historical context of my poem today, I immediately thought of the #BlackLivesMatterMovement today, which is why I titled my imitation “Matter.” Hughes lived in a society where the dreams of Black people for true liberty and equality were constantly de-valued. Similarly, today, it is clear that racism and systematic oppression still exists. While black and brown people are being shot down by corrupt police officials, these same officials are being acquitted of their crimes, and our cries for justice are not answered. This is what I tried to draw…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay on Langston Hughes

    • 2258 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Many leaders in today’s society possess characteristics that determine how they are either chosen or self-made. These characteristics could range from being a charismatic, transformational, motivational, or influential leader. Each has its own meaning, but it is possible for leaders to possess more than one characteristic. Being a charismatic leader consists of having a charming and colorful personality. As the text reads, “In the study of leadership, charisma is a special quality of leaders whose purposes, powers, and extraordinary determination differentiate them from others."…

    • 2258 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the speech there are numerous indications that prove Blanche was deeply hurt by her experience at Belle Reve. Firstly, the seemingly unnecessary long explanation in itself demonstrates the importance of Belle Reve to Blanche. Secondly, the frustration and anger she expresses with Stella highlights the importance…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Personally for me , I felt more similarly to the Langston Hughes essay. The era the essay is written from might be another reason since it is more modern and easier to relate. Compared to the Gates essay it was easier to wrap my head around it. I was able to dissect the essay and see the true meaning you could say. The wording Huge used was also more modern and easier to understand.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Later in the scene, we find out that Blanche had lost hers and Stella’s plantation. There were an abundance of other deaths in the family that Blanche had to deal with and pay for. “Death is expensive!” (22), Blanche says to Stella explaining herself. “That long parade to the Graveyard! Father, Mother! Margaret, That dreadful way! So big with it,…(scene 1, pg 21)” Blanche obviously couldn’t afford all these funerals on a teaching salary. Stanley implies that Blanche had been prostituting in Laurel at The Flamingo, “The Flamingo is used to all kinds of goings-on. But even the management of the Flamingo was impressed by Dame Blanche!” (120). Ultimately Blanche was trying to restore her life after the copious amounts of deaths that she witnessed. Blanche is convinced she caused her young husbands suicide by telling him “You disgust me…” (115). Blanche claims that her husband, Allan, was the only person she ever loved. After that happened she must have been left with a huge hole inside her and just looking for someone to fill it. Her job was lost because of a 17 year old who, “she’d gotten mixed up with! (Stanley, 122) which gives reason to suggest she was trying to relive the best days of her life. It seems like she is trying to doing the same thing in scene 5 with the young man she encounters who makes her “mouth water.…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics