Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes embraced a broad spectrum of African-American experiences in his poetry. (Walker 75) He was able to reveal the African-American experience in a variety of different approaches and methods, while still concentrating on his position concerning the lives of African-Americans. Two of his works that demonstrate this are "Harlem (A Dream Deferred)" and "The Negro River Speaks." While they both contain similarities in purpose, they contain differences in structure, format and poetic devices used. In "Harlem (A Dream Deferred), Langston Hughes shows us his use of symbolism. He uses symbolism to express the broken dream of racial equality. (Jemie 79) The question Hughes poses in line one, "What happens to a dream deferred?" sets the environment for the plot and symbolism of the rest of the poem. (Hughes 268) As Hughes answers the question, he asks if a dream deferred dries up like a raisin in the sun. (Hughes268) This symbol means that a dream that is decayed and dying like a raisin left out in the sun. If a raisin is left out in the sun too long, it will eventually die. The same principle can apply to a dream left in the mind too long. The environment will kill the dream if it is left idle for a long period
It is a fictitious poem of optimism. Similarly, the ages of time pass in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" as the "soul" ventures from before human existence to the promising future of African-Americans that is beyond our foresight. In addition, all of the symbolic statements except the final one are similes. (Komunyakaa) This placement contrasts the last line with the previous two lines, which are usually identical. It will wither up and die, just like a raisin in the sun. It was generally considered nothing but a hopeless dream. " (Hughes 4) This line is reduced to "Ancient, dusky rivers" in line nine. At the time of the poem's origin, this dream was considerably delayed. (Jemie 78) Hughes continues to make his point through the symbols of inanimate objects as the poem progresses. (Grimes) In 'The Negro River Speaks" Hughes showcases his use of the blues structure while it is not exactly like the blues it is similar to the blues. The speaker achieves this conclusion in lines four through seven because in them he specifies which rivers he has known and why they were important rivers. In lines eight through ten, the general idea is repeated. The dream of racial equality grows in the body like a sore. (Grimes) This poem was also put into the beginning of the play, Raisin In the Sun, which also describes the battle for racial equality.
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Acceptance Essays
