Question 1: Hughes’ poems (1902-1967) do not just reveal the pain and suffering of his people but they also illustrate racial pride and dignity. Discuss this statement with reference to any four of his selected poems.
Primarily recognized as a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance period, James Mercer Langston Hughes firmly believes that poetry should be direct and comprehensible as the messages in it could be explicitly conveyed to the readers. He became the voice of the blacks as his literary works provides a depiction of their struggle and oppressed position, and feels that it is his vocation to “explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America”. This essay will highlight on how the title, language and the utilization of literary device aid in scrutinizing and depicting the elements of pain and suffering as well as racial pride and dignity in the poems; The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Ballad of the Landlord, I ,Too and Negro. …show more content…
This identity bracelet that is presented in the title gives the readers a hint that the content of the poem will divulge the blacks’ experiences. Besides, it is noticeable that the word ‘Negro’ appears only in the title and not in the poem, hence inserting an emphasis to the thoughts the poem depicts. In addition, the word ‘speaks’ is in the present tense thus, evoking an idea that the event is still fresh and
Primarily recognized as a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance period, James Mercer Langston Hughes firmly believes that poetry should be direct and comprehensible as the messages in it could be explicitly conveyed to the readers. He became the voice of the blacks as his literary works provides a depiction of their struggle and oppressed position, and feels that it is his vocation to “explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America”. This essay will highlight on how the title, language and the utilization of literary device aid in scrutinizing and depicting the elements of pain and suffering as well as racial pride and dignity in the poems; The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Ballad of the Landlord, I ,Too and Negro. …show more content…
This identity bracelet that is presented in the title gives the readers a hint that the content of the poem will divulge the blacks’ experiences. Besides, it is noticeable that the word ‘Negro’ appears only in the title and not in the poem, hence inserting an emphasis to the thoughts the poem depicts. In addition, the word ‘speaks’ is in the present tense thus, evoking an idea that the event is still fresh and