Langston Hughes
Perry D. Scott
English 1020
Professor Gwyn Robson
27 November 2012
Explanation Analysis of the Poem Negro
The poem “Negro” by Langston Hughes was written in 1958. This was a very significant time when the Civil Rights Movement and African American development. Hughes tells a very informative story of what he has been through as a Negro, and the life he is proud to have had. Hughes gives great examples with expresses his emotional experiences and makes the reader think about what exactly it was like to live his life during that time. Hughes uses specific words, which allows the reader to fathom the different situations he has been put through during that particular time. The very beginning, when Hughes starts off the poem with the statement “I am a Negro,” it lets the reader know who he is. Hughes continues by saying, “ Black as the night is black, / Black like the depths of my Africa (1-2).” Hughes identifies the continent of Africa as being his and is very proud to be as dark as night, and as black as the depths of the heart of his country. In the first stanza Hughes is proud of himself, heritage, and culture.
The structure of this poem isn't the traditional form of poetry, matter of fact, it that he begins with a first person statement then after an indentation; he begins elaborating on it kind of like a list. Hughes shows how important each individual statement is by separating the start of each stanza and indenting after each statement, which gives each line an important significance in being part of the poem. In the second stanza Hughes informs the reader that he, a Negro, has been a slave. As the poem continues, different images are placed inside the reader’s head and the reader realizes the progress of a Negro and all that they have done. After being a slave he was also a worker. “ Under my hand the pyramids arose, / I made mortar for the Woolworth Building (5-6)”. For example, back in ancient Egypt 2,000 years ago there were workers building the
English 1020
Professor Gwyn Robson
27 November 2012
Explanation Analysis of the Poem Negro
The poem “Negro” by Langston Hughes was written in 1958. This was a very significant time when the Civil Rights Movement and African American development. Hughes tells a very informative story of what he has been through as a Negro, and the life he is proud to have had. Hughes gives great examples with expresses his emotional experiences and makes the reader think about what exactly it was like to live his life during that time. Hughes uses specific words, which allows the reader to fathom the different situations he has been put through during that particular time. The very beginning, when Hughes starts off the poem with the statement “I am a Negro,” it lets the reader know who he is. Hughes continues by saying, “ Black as the night is black, / Black like the depths of my Africa (1-2).” Hughes identifies the continent of Africa as being his and is very proud to be as dark as night, and as black as the depths of the heart of his country. In the first stanza Hughes is proud of himself, heritage, and culture.
The structure of this poem isn't the traditional form of poetry, matter of fact, it that he begins with a first person statement then after an indentation; he begins elaborating on it kind of like a list. Hughes shows how important each individual statement is by separating the start of each stanza and indenting after each statement, which gives each line an important significance in being part of the poem. In the second stanza Hughes informs the reader that he, a Negro, has been a slave. As the poem continues, different images are placed inside the reader’s head and the reader realizes the progress of a Negro and all that they have done. After being a slave he was also a worker. “ Under my hand the pyramids arose, / I made mortar for the Woolworth Building (5-6)”. For example, back in ancient Egypt 2,000 years ago there were workers building the