Langston Hughes Figurative Language

1) The main point of the essay is revealed in paragraph two where it states, “The cause of my anguish is that I am the lone bastion of testosterone in a household that contains two females undergoing estrogen-related Armageddon’s of biblical proportion.” Hughes’ main point is the troubles a man faces in a family with two females. He sets up an illustration comparing his household to a “war zone where every word [he utters] is a potential grenade threatening to blow up in [his] face.” This comparison exaggerates the position the author is in through the metaphor he uses of the war zone to capture his family dynamic. 2) Hughes secondary point in the essay is the “existential question: ‘What the heck went wrong here and what do I do about it?’”

When a dream is oppressed, and left to decay, it will either rot and subside or erupt with new life. The speaker opens by employing rhetorical questions to make the reader question what would happen to “a dream deferred”. These questions are somber suggestions, prompting the reader to consider how a dream may “dry up like a raisin in the sun?” or begin to “fester like a sore?” when postponed. There is a repetition of rhetorical questions and metaphors throughout the poem, suggesting many possibilities, and this pressures the reader to consider every outcome being presented.

Langston Hughes was one of the most influential figures during the Harlem Renaissance, which was a time when African Americans were finding their role in American Society. During this era some of the best jazz musicians to this day such as Count Basie, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong heavily influenced this movement. One of Langston Hughes poems, “Trumpet Player” portrayed how these musicians used jazz to express themselves and escape from the racial inequality at the time. Part I: Scansion and Analysis Trumpet Player is a short poem with a very moving and deep message.

Metaphors are seen as a stronger device, and it is used to compare the oppressors to dogs that have gone mad with hunger. If the imagery alone did not make the oppressors seem more powerful, the use of these two devices against each other certainly does. However, the author strengthens the resolve of the oppressed by calling them to action throughout the poem until the very last line, which states, “Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, /Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!” (McKay). In this line, the author takes away the power of the oppressors by not only calling them cowardly, but by only giving them a brief mention within the simile.

In the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, several similes are used to portray the reality of dreams. Hughes employs effective metaphors, inviting us to visualize a dream and what may happen to it after it passes from conscious thought. Could a dream dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or even fester like a sore? (Hughes, 1951, p. 631).

The author wanted the reader to really imagine how badly injured his finger was by using a simile. The other poem talked about dying and how he was not very sure how he felt about it. For instance he says “ the ills I sorrow

To continue, similar to F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot delivers the same message that the American Dream is more distant than the past in his poem, “The Hollow Men.” In the poem concerning the life between lightness and darkness, the author writes, “More distant and more solemn than a fading star” (Source D). The author of this poem further explains the truth behind the American Dream that is its inability to be attained. The ideals within the American Dream are often associated with memories and items of the past, ultimately illustrating the impossibleness behind achieving it. As supported, seeking to achieve the American Dream steers one’s mind to emphasize the past rather than the present or

There are many talented poets, but there is something special about Langston Hughes that makes him unique. He has many eye-opening poems. Langston Hughes is definitely one of a kind. The poems Cross and Mother to Son by Langston Hughes, use figurative languages such as imagery and syntax to provide more climax. Imagery.

In the poem “I, Too”, the author Langston Hughes illustrates the key aspect of racial discrimination faces against the African Americans to further appeals the people to challenge white supremacy. He conveys the idea that black Americans are as important in the society. Frist, Hughes utilizes the shift of tones to indicate the thrive of African American power. In the first stanza, the speaker shows the sense of nation pride through the use of patriotic tone. The first line of the poem, “I, too, sing America” states the speaker’s state of mind.

In fact, the dream might just “expire” altogether. This poem conveys all of the devastating disasters that could happen when a dream is deferred. “Harlem” uses the literary device, tone, to articulate the negatives on unfilling a dream. The powerful poem implies that horribles things happen when one does not attain their dream in the line” Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” This quote exposes that if a dream is forgotten it will rue.

Langston Hughes’ poem, “Dream Boogie” dramatizes the double consciousness of an African-American. It shows that even during a time of happiness, such as the Harlem Renaissance, an African-American still experiences pain and despair due to the negative impact of race relations. The poem also depicts the limitations that include the inability to succeed one’s dream and the disappointment of not reaching equality. There are two speakers in the poem. The main speaker is well aware of his positon in life as an African American.

Throughout much of his poetry, Langston Hughes wrestles with complex notations of African American dreams, racism, and discrimination during the Harlem Renaissance. Through various poems, Hughes uses rhetorical devices to state his point of view. He tends to use metaphors, similes, imagery, and connotation abundantly to illustrate in what he strongly believes. Discrimination and racism were very popular during the time when Langston Hughes began to develop and publish his poems, so therefore his poems are mostly based on racism and discrimination, and the desire of an African American to live the American dream. Langston Hughes poems served as a voice for all African Americans greatly throughout his living life, and even after his death.

Langston Hughes is an African American Poet who is very closely connected to his culture and expresses his feelings very thoroughly through his poetry in a jazz style. Langston Hughes is a modern poet who ignore the classical style of writing poetry and instead, in favor of oral and improve traditions of the Black culture. In majority of Langston’s poetry, many of his audience seems to take away a very strong message that many can apply to themselves or to others or his poems gives you an educational background of what’s going on in the African American community right now. For example, Langston Hughes writes a poetry piece called Afro American Fragment, which gives you a great breakdown of what an everyday African American person goes through considering that their whole history is basically taken away from them. Langston seems to show his audience that in books we never hear much about what contributions a African American person has done except for being brought to America and being a slave.

life is fine by Langston Hughes is a poem with a rhyming scheme of A,B,C, B. The poem uses a lot of verbal and situational irony. when he says he,s going to kill himself but he doesn 't and when he said he was going to jump but he didn 't. He uses this a lot when he states he,s going to die but he doesn 't. Langston Hughes uses a lot of verbal irony when he says "if the water hadn 't a-been so cold i might 've sunk and died". so he was saying he was going to kill himself but he didn 't even though he had the chance.

Everyone has dreams, but the thing is most people never accomplish them. Some people put off their dreams to the side because something more important than their dreams comes forth. They believe that is better to put their dreams to the side or give up on them and allow their dreams to fade in their minds. In “What happens to a dream deferred?” by Langston Hughes, the poet uses the title, tone, diction, and selection of detail, to express how people are affected by deferred dreams.