Celina Ixta
Prof. Ann Warren
English 102
27 March 2007
Poetry- Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes poems: I too, The ***** Speaks of Rivers and Mother to son are all poems that have a subject in common. These poems are encoring, some have rhythm, and it shows how whites where prejudice to the blacks.
In Hughes’s “I, I too” poem it demonstrates how the slave owners were prejudice to the slaves. By telling him go to the kitchen to eat when company comes. Then he expresses him self by saying “They’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed.” Any slave could have said this because they know that no matter what color or race you are… you are beautiful and could become successful. Therefore when the white slave owner sees you true self and you succeed… They’ll see how beautiful you are and be ashamed. This poem is encouraging because no matter what the white slave owners say… the black slave says “…But, I laugh, and eat well and grown strong.”
Hughes poem “mother to son” does not demonstrate any racism against the woman. But, as she is explaining to her son you can see how hard she has worked by her explaining “Like for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, and splinter, and boards turn up… (899). This poem should be encouraging to everyone because the woman is explaining to her son how life cannot be easy “… turning corners, and some times goin’ in the dark where there ain’t no light. So don’t you turn back. The poem is not like a song but it has a rhythm. Almost like a rhyme but it makes sense. “Life ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, and splinters and boards turn up…” And sometimes goin’ in the dark where there ain’t been no light so boy, don’t turn back.”
In the ***** speaks of Rivers is not a racial or discriminating but it does say. “I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans…” The poem is encouraging because it talks about how somebody’s soul has grown deep like the rivers.” I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. Somebody can be weak but when you realize your mistakes you now flow like the rivers and everything just becomes easy. Now that you are a stronger person (mentally) you can raise the pyramids. The rhythm in the poem would be the flow of the human blood in the human veins.” The flow is the body growing as the person has realized the can raise the pyramids.
Hughes’s has a variety of poems which describe how the black were treated, the way he described something encouraging and the way he would bring music or rhythm to his poems. Overall his poems are very encouraging and eye opening. The reason why they are eye opening because he describes how the blacks were treated by the whites in his poem “I, too.”
2007-03-27
10:00:06
·
1 answers
·
asked by
Anonymous