Fay Weldon

Langston Hughes "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" is a foundation and blueprint for Hughes later works of poetry that involve political meanings of equality not only in the physical sense but also in terms of intelligence. This foundation will grow with Hughes later works as his final pieces of poetry capitalize on how Hughes writings schematically are a collaboration of all the art forms presented in the Harlem Renaissance movement, an allusion to the lengthier lines of Walt Whitman and the…

There have been numerous poets that have graced the Earth with their talents, providing humans with some of the simplest words; however, those simple words could have a deeper meaning than that of the ocean. One of these poets, Langston B. Hughes, was born in Joplin, Missouri. As an African-American, he faced many hardships in furthering his learning. While studying in New York during the Harlem Renaissance, he was inspired to write poetry. He had many works of poetry, “Theme for English B”…

It was rough being African American in a time like the 1940’s, especially in the United States. Langston Hughes, however, knew how to turn those hardships into poetry. Hughes was a strong believer of equality, and he expressed this in his poems. Because he grew up as an African American during the time of segregation in the United States and not only saw but experienced first hand the many acts of unkindness done to African Americans, Langston Hughes’s “I, Too” has a universal theme of racial…

Dreams are something everyone has, a goal set forth for the person to try their best to carry it out, no matter the cost. This was the exact case for the African-American culture. For years society told blacks that they were not good enough, that they were worthless, and could never reach their dreams. However, in the beginning of the 1920’s, the start of the Harlem Renaissance, things started looking up for African-Americans. The Harlem Renaissance, known at the time as the “New Negro…

I found this passage in the last section of the novel to be very applicable to the personalities of Morrison 's characters. The quote can be interpreted in many different ways; however, I believe that Morrison is trying to explain a cycle of the “powerless” black man due to coming from a broken past. Many of the characters in Toni Morrison 's Jazz (1992) originate from “broken pasts.” Their pasts have been negative due to the lack of a stable foundation in their childhood. The characters in the…

Comparing and Contrasting Elements in Poems Langston Hughes’s “Harlem (or A Dream Deferred)” depicts what happens when a dream is deferred over a long period of time. Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” depicts the narrator’s resistance to those who try to oppress them. The poem’s “Harlem” and “Still I Rise”, use of simile and metaphor demonstrate different reactions and receptions of oppression. “Harlem” and “Still I Rise” uses simile’s to demonstrate the reaction of being oppressed. The similes in…

Nick Bauer Mrs. Gerdes English 3 29 March 2017 Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was one of the greatest African American advocates of all time. He contributed more to the Harlem Renaissance than imaginable. He changed the world through poetry. He brought empowerment to people, but especially black women and men. His goal wasn’t to save the world on his own but spark the mind of others that could save the world, through his poetry. He was truly a one of a kind man that had one of the biggest…

Blacks. Whites. Racism. Sadly, during the Harlem time, people were being segregated based on the color of their skin. Blacks were treated poorly by the white people during this time and nobody knew how to put a stop to it. Langston Hughes was one of many blacks who suffered during this time. However, to get him through this tough time he believed in what is known as the American Dream. In other words, the American Dream is simply for everyone to have equal opportunity to live a better and more…

The era of invention and jazz age Both the era of invention and jazz age had their fair of social changes around the world and the United States, The creative’s response to the rationalist practices and perspectives of new lives and ideas provided by the technogical advances of the industrial age caused society to manifest itself into in new ways compared to the past. Artists such, as Matisse, Kandinsky, and Klee helped show us these new developments in this era. Two of the richest eras…

In his poem, “Harlem”, Langston Hughes uses imagery in order to emphasize the various negative effects that a “dream deferred” can have on the human psyche and to give reason to always fulfill them. First, Hughes gives the reader the image of a raisin in the sun drying up. A raisin begins as a grape full of life and juice then turns into a raisin when essentially the life is sucked out of it. This powerful imagery alerts the reader of the dire consequences that can result from this dream…