The Harlem Dancer Poem Analysis

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Poems can be analyzed in various ways ranging from their complexity to the emotions they convey to readers. The poems, “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes and “The Harlem Dancer” by Claude McKay will be analyzed based on their similarities and differences to name a few. The poems may describe different events; however the overall connection between the two can be identified by readers with deeper reading. Comparisons between the poems may easier to analyze and identify compared to the contrasts based on the reader’s perception. Overall, the concept and much more will reveal how the poems are connected and special in their own way.
“The Weary Blues” and “The Harlem Dancer” both have a musical setting placed in a bar where the narrators describe what’s taking place with the use of alliteration. “The Weary Blues” conveys how skilled the piano player is with the quote, “He made that poor piano moan with melody” (Hughes, line 10) compared to “The Harlem Dancer” when they describe the performer’s dancing skills, “She sang and danced on gracefully and calm” (McKay, line 5). The narrators each describe themselves as enjoying the performances taking place in their own poems. The narrator of Hughes’ poem enjoys the performance without the disturbance of others, whereas in McKay’s the narrator is surrounded by others watching the dancer, “Applauding youths …show more content…

The pianist in “The Weary Blues” sings about his pain out loud where anyone could hear him, “I ain’t happy no mo’/and I wish that I had died” (Hughes, lines 29-30). The dancer seems to hide the way she feels behind her dancing and appearance, “But, looking at her falsely smiling face” (McKay, line 13). The dancer may be younger and a woman compared to older pianist but it seems they share the same sadness. The narrators in both works however are able to see the pain and despair that the performers are going

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