Steven R. Goodman AASP100 England May 5‚ 2010 Reaction #2 Langston Hughes Poetry A Literary Analysis of “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” The Harlem Renaissance can be considered as “the cultural boom” in African-American history. Spanning from the 1920s into the mid-1930s‚ the Harlem Renaissance was an apex in African-American intellectualism. The period is also recognized as the “New Negro Movement”—named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. Alain LeRoy Locke was an American educator
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One of Langston Hughes’s most famous works‚ A Dream Deferred‚ is a poem taught in many schools. Hughes wrote "Harlem" in 1951‚ and it addresses the theme of limitations of the American Dream for African Americans. The poem has eleven short lines in four stanzas that contains questions‚ mostly derived from: "What happens to a dream deferred?" In the mid 20th century‚ America was still racially segregated. African Americans were still challenged by society after their emancipation during the Civil
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reading. Langston Hughes‚ or by birth‚ James Mercer Langston Hughes impacted many live during the Harlem Renaissance Era. He was an African American poet‚ social activist‚ novelist‚ playwright‚ and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry who is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote about the period that "the Negro was in vogue" which later change into “when Harlem was in vogue.” Langston Hughes was born
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Salvation Langston Hughes After reading the excerpt from Langston Hughes’s autobiography‚ "Salvation"‚ I pondered the many factors of religion and what makes a person believe in god or not believe in god. I believe that religion is a form of individual expression‚ and that each person should have the freedom to conform his or her identity to whatever religion feels right to that person‚ or even to conform to no religion at all. I think that if I had been in Langston’s position sitting on a mourner’s
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In the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes‚ he proclaims his thoughts for rights of equality during the Civil Rights Movement. He expresses his frustration for racism that he has had to overcome throughout his life. In the poem‚ Hughes states "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load." This line is his opinion of how‚ during the Civil Rights Movement‚ racism and equality are put to the base of the agenda list but at the peak of every mind. The lines give the image of sagging breasts due to lack of support
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In Aiden Wasley’s critique of “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes‚ Wasley summarizes and analyzes the poem and gives a unique perspective on the poem and the poet. Wasley’s critique provides detailed insight of the character’s roles‚ biblical references‚ and overall theme of “Mother to Son”. His ideas seem logical and tastefully distributed. Wasley could have mentioned more about why “Mother to Son” is still a popular poem in modern times. Wasley describes his opinions about how he believes that
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Poem Cross by Langston Hughes‚ he shows how mixed races encounter hardships. One major hardship that mixed races encounter is identity problems. Langston demonstrates how not embracing a specific ethnicity causes him to show spitefulness toward his “white old man” and his Caucasian heritage. Langston also shows how identifying with his “Black old mother” and his African American heritage can cause bitterness because he did not know his true identity. At the end of Cross Langston struggles with
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especially poetry‚ helps readers portray the idea and vision presented by the author. Two works in particular that contained these characteristics of literature were that of "The Weary Blues" and "Theme for English B" which were written by the great Langston Hughes. What makes these poems so intriguing though is the way the setting‚ theme‚ and speaker create distinct images for the people who read these poems. The setting helps describe the situation of the poem with regards to the time of day‚ the season
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Interpreting Langston Hughes Langston Hughes’ haunting descriptions of the African people’s struggle for freedom paints a lasting image in one’s mind of the price paid for a single strand of freedom and what is meant to this oppressed ethnicity. From the dark whispers of Silhouette to the stern rising words of Democracy‚ Hughes releases his soul in a cry to awaken the African spirit and inspire thought in the reader. Through his selective choice of words Hughes leaves many interpretations open to
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hide one’s true self‚ as seen in Langston Hughes’ “Salvation.” Based on a true experience‚ Hughes exposes how he lost faith in religion as he witnessed his church’s “big revival.” The motif in this piece portrays how children conform to the societal whims rather than expressing their personal beliefs. During the revival‚ the children of the congregation‚ such as Hughes‚ were pressured into going to the church’s stage to become saved. Throughout the piece‚ Hughes constantly claims he is “waiting for
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