Langston Hughes
The use of figurative language in Langston Hughess Harlem helps to convey complex emotions in a few short words. The short poem expresses the distress of living without the ability to realize ones dream. Hughess word selection invokes mental images that the reader cant ignore the visualization of festering sores and rotten meat comes so swift and naturally to the mind that the reader must be affected, this is a wonderful use of symbolism. Hughes does not express anger or animosity but instead states everything as a question. A question posed to the reader or perhaps these words could be more of a constant internal dialogue. An internal dialogue that could take place within every resident of Harlem on a daily basis.
But Hughes choose his words very carefully even while stating despair a dream to be merely deferred leaves the possibility of realization for that dream some time in the future. Hughes gives an explanation for the beaten down appearance that many of the unprivileged posses, Maybe it just sags / like a heavy load. (Lines 8-9) The only line in Harlem that may be understood as violent is Or does it explode? This follows Hughess style of calm situational analogy. Hughes seems to like to present emotions caused by a situation without bias to the reader and allow the reader to make their own decisions. We see this again in another poem by Hughes Theme for English B. In this poem Hughes shows the similarities between himself and others and how we are all linked yet a part of me, as I am a part of you./ Thats American. (Lines 30-31)
Theme for English B contains a number of factual details simply put to help illustrate the speakers disadvantage in comparison to other students. But the points are not stated as disadvantages they are simply put as facts allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions. The underling ideal of equality is also presented in a calm objective manner. The poem imposes the ideal that in spite of the fact that Hughes is allowed to attend the same university as a white student. But he implies that its impossible for the perception of his work to remain entirely unaffected by his race So will my page be colored that I write? / Being me, it will not be white. (Lines 27-28)
The style Hughes uses seems to be a product of the times. His poems were written before the civil rights movement. In a pre civil rights environment open statement of anger, frustration, and anguish would undoubtedly be objected to. So Hughes poses all of his feeling in a way that forces the reader to extrapolate the emotion without it ever actually being said. In many cases the emotion a reader assigns to a poem is simply the emotion the reader themselves would feel if in the same situation.
Works Cited
Hughes, Langston. Theme for English B. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 8th ed.
Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2007, 847-48.
Hughes, Langston. Harlem Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 8th ed.
Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2007, 805
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