called “Salvation”‚ Langston Hughes recalls how he was introduced to religion and the church. He goes to say that at thirteen years old he was brought to his Aunt Reed’s church and was told that he needed to be saved by Jesus Christ. At the ceremony‚ while all the other children went up to accept Jesus‚ Langston and another child named Westley remained seated. As the congregation prayed and the priest sang psalms‚ Westley cracked under the pressure and went up to the alter‚ but Langston still sat. He had
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Harlem by Langston Hughes is one of his most famous poems he has ever written. I chose this poem because it shows the struggle African Americans faced in the 1920s and early 1930s. This poem represents what can happen to a dream if it is not chased after and is forgotten. Langston Hughes uses metaphors‚ imagery‚ and format to guide the reader to the message behind the poem. This poem is a free verse and an irregular meter poem. It is made almost entirely of questions. The questions are asked in
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“Cross” by Langston Hughes “I wonder where I’m gonna die‚ / Being neither white nor black?” (11-12) These are the last two lines of “Cross” a poem by Langston Hughes that describes the experience of a mixed-race person. The poem is written in stanzas with a rhyme scheme of ABCB. The speaker expresses the frustration and grief that a half-black and half-white person has and the struggles to accept and understand their ethnic identity‚ offering stereotype in a world where black people and white people
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Most people have expectations of how something is going to turn out. When things do not turn out the way‚ we want them to turn out; the feeling of disappointment takes over. That is a coincidence when I read "Salvation" written by Langston Hughes because I run into my feeling five years ago‚ not in the same situation with him‚ but not so many differences to be his partner. "Salvation" is a short story‚ but inside it is a long anxiety and unforgettable experience for the boy. Only he knows what he
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Bop Neva Ends What is Bop? In “Bop” by Langston Hughes‚ the narrator describes Bop as Be-Bop‚ the opposite of Re-Bop. The general idea of Be-Bop is that it is current‚ makes sense‚ what the colored boys play and that it is authentic. This leads to Re-Bop having the definition of being white boys play‚ an imitation‚ and complete nonsense. In “Bop”‚ a character by the name of Simple is stating his own theory on the origin of Be-Bop music to an unnamed narrator. Simple uses his somewhat ethnocentric
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individual has a dream. Though everyone has a dream‚ there are obviously struggles and tribulations accomplishing the dream. This poem‚ "Dream Deferred‚" by Langston Hughes‚ is only one expression of many dreams. As an African American‚ living in a time when blacks are thought to be an inferior minority group‚ dreams and goals are difficult to realize. Hughes pertinently expresses his frustrations in his poem "Dream Deferred." As individuals read this poem‚ no matter the time period‚ they relate to the simple
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Emily Wang Hill English 11H Period 4 27 January 2015 Poems by Langston Hughes I Dream a World 1. Main idea of the poem? The main intentions of the poem are presenting a world where blacks are equal to whites. Langston Hughes wants a world that is fair‚ without the discriminations or segregations by society’s norms. 2. Tone? The tone of the poem is filled with hope but also skepticism. The poem rhymes and is very easy to read. The rhymes give off a very light feel throughout the lines
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In the poem ‘Oppression’‚ by Langston Hughes‚ he deeply outlines his thoughts and feelings while experiencing oppression first-hand. Being raised in poverty without the support of his parents‚ Langston Hughes expresses his wish of liberation from racism through this poem. Langston Hughes views oppression as something you can break free from by emancipation and not by something that holds you back. Langston Hughes first expressed his oppressive thoughts when he began his poem by saying‚ “Now dreams
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Dreams are tools that can help people change their world in a positive or negative way. Hughes says‚ “Or does it explode?” (Hughes 11)‚ just like the first line of the poem‚ this final line is a question directed to the reader making another connection. Unlike the rest of the lines in the poem‚ this one is italicized making the reader pay more attention to it and gives it more meaning. Hughes uses the word “explode” in a way that it can be seen as both a harmful and a peaceful way‚ but is determined
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The main questions being posed by Hughes in “Theme for English B” seem simple‚ who are we and how is it that we know who we are? Such questions‚ he suggests‚ must be simple because an instructor in a basic English class (English B) uses them as the basis for an assignment: “Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you.” The instructor claims that if the students let it come out of them‚ it would be true. But the student is not sure it’s that easy. Then he begins to list all
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