Remo


 * James Mercer Langston Hughes**

J ames Mercer Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. When Hughes was a young child, his parents separated, so he lived with his maternal grandmother, Mary Paterson Langston who raised him in Lawrence, Kentucky. His grandmother instilled a sense of black pride in Hughes all throughout his youth, up until she passed away. Once she passed away, he then spent his remaining adolescence with his mother in Lincoln, Illinois and Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended high school. During high school, he wrote for the school newspaper, was editor of the yearbook, and began to write his poetry. It was during this time that his mother encouraged him to write poetry, while his father looked down upon him for it.

After high school in 1919, Hughes traveled to Mexico, where his father moved to rid his life of American racism. Hughes and his father had a tumultuous relationship, but on this visit, he tried to convince his father to grant him enough money to attend a university. Hughes’ father wanted him to major in engineering and go to a school abroad, while Hughes wanted to attend Columbia and study poetry. They came to a compromise and Hughes could go to Columbia University if he studied engineering. Hughes remained at Columbia until 1921, when racial prejudices caused him to leave.

When he left Columbia, he traveled about, taking odd jobs such as becoming a “merchant seaman” and working “at a nightclub in Paris” and as “a busboy in Washington, D.C.”. Throughout this time though, Hughes still continued to write and publish poetry in “African American periodicals // Opportunity // and the // Crisis // ”. Hughes first volume of poems was published in 1926 and with the help of patrons, such as Amy Spingarn, he was able to attend college at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. In 1930, his novel // Not Without Laughter // was published which established him as a prominent writer and “thebard of Harlem”. As for Hughes’ love life, there has been controversy over whether or not he was homosexual. Many people say that there are homosexual references within his work, or that he was asexual and did not engage in sexual relations. Other say that he just had a certain respect for his fellow mankind.

James Mercer Langston Hughes continued publishing poetry and works of writing up until his death on May 22, 1967, when he died of complications of an abdominal surgery related to prostate cancer. Langston Hughes will always be remembered as “one of the most popular and versatile…writers connected with the Harlem Renaissance”.

// Where is the Jim Crow section On this merry-go-round, Mister, cause I want to ride? Down South where I come from //
 * [[image:Remo-Merry_Go_Round_2.jpg width="320" height="240" align="left"]]Merry-Go-Round**

// White and colored // // Can't sit side by side. // // Down South on the train // // There's a Jim Crow car. // // On the [|bus] we're put in the back— // // But there ain't no back // // To a merry-go-round! // // Where's the horse For a kid that's black? //

“Merry-Go-Round” is a poem about a black child who simply wants to ride on a merry-go-round, but knows that blacks and whites cannot sit together. Because of this he is asks where the Jim Crow section is, so that he too can enjoy the merry-go-round like the rest of the children. This poem is all one stanza, so it appears to be just a quick thought coming from the narrator’s perspective. The narrator within the poem is just like any other child—black or white—by simply portraying curiosity and innocence. He truly is curious about his place is on something that is supposed to be fun, like a merry-go-round, because he has been told where his place has been his whole life. Yet, at the same time, he understands the truth in the world around him when he says, “White and colored can’t sit side by side,” because he realizes that he is different than a white person. And while that is a sad statement, he is unperturbed by it, being so young.
 * ANALYSIS**

I think that Hughes is displaying his black pride that his grandmother raised him with, through this poem. She taught him to always believe in himself and to never let anyone make him feel inferior because of his skin color. I think he intends for the reader to feel shame for whoever is actually “running” the merry-go-round, because of the fact that a little boy thinks he has no where to sit, simply because of his skin color. I also believe that this poem is representative of the injustice felt at the time, and how it manifests itself even in young children. There is also symbolism embedded in this poem as well. The “merry-go-round” itself is symbolic of the battle for equality for black people, as most felt that it was never-ending and slow moving, just like a merry-go- round.

Democracy will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear. // // I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my two feet And own the land. // // I tire so of [|hearing] people say, Let things take their [|course]. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's [|bread]. // // Freedom Is a strong seed Planted In a great need.
 * Democracy **media type="youtube" key="uHKRSfBjwMs" height="296" width="353" align="right" //

I live here, too. I want freedom Just as you.// // 

This poem “Democracy” is about exactly that. It is about Hughes’ struggle to accept democracy the way it was during the early 1900s, when black people were not granted the same rights as white people. This poem discusses how he doesn’t understand why blacks do not share the same freedoms as white people. The first stanza of “Democracy” displays the fact that Hughes believed that during that time, actual democracy was no where in sight because of “  // compromise and fear // ” on the part of the blacks, for accepting that it was not imminent. The second stanza shows how Hughes knows that he deserves the same rights when he says, “ // I have as much right/ As the other fellow has/ To stand/ On my two feet/ And own the land” //. The third stanza reflects upon the fact that people say, “ // Let things take their [|course] ./ Tomorrow is another day.” //. Hughes disagrees with this statement, because if everyone felt that way and continued to be passive, equality would never be achieved. In the fourth stanza, Hughes refers to freedom as a “seed” that is planted inside him. This refers to the fact that a seed grows and gets bigger, just as his need for actual freedom does. The last stanza is straightforward and just portrays the fact that he wants his freedom, just like everyone else.
 * ANALYSIS**

I think that this poem is perfectly representative of the time, and how every black person struggled, whether silently or not, for freedom and the same rights as every other American citizen. It was during the times of segregation and Jim Crow laws that the need and want for freedom was at its peak, because it was just out of their reach yet was still tangible. Hughes captured the feelings of this time with the poem ironically labeled “Democracy”, because at that time, actual democracy was certainly not imposed upon society. //

**Theme for English B** // The instructor said, //media type="youtube" key="sJyObrJfWxw" width="425" height="350" align="left"//

Go home and write // a page tonight. And let that page come out of you— Then, it will be true. // I wonder if it's that simple? // // I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. // // I went to school there, then Durham, then here // // to this college on the hill above Harlem. // // I am the only colored student in my class. // // The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem // // through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas, // // Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y, // // the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator // // up to my room, sit down, and write this page: // // It's not easy to know what is true for you or me   // // at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what // // I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you: // // hear you, hear me—we two—you, me, talk on this page. // // (I hear New York too.) Me—who? // // Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. // // I like to work, read, learn, and understand life. // // I like a pipe for a Christmas present, // // or records---Bessie, bop, or Bach. // // I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT like   // // the same things other folks like who are other races. // // So will my page be colored that I write? // // Being me, it will not be white. //// But it will be  a // // part of you, instructor. // // You are white— // // yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. // // That's American. // // Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me. // // Nor do I often want to be a part of you. // // But we are, that's true! // // As I learn from you, // // I guess you learn from me— // // although you're older—and white— // // and somewhat more free. // // This is my page for English B. // “Theme for English B” is has a slightly different tone than some other Langston Hughes poems. This poem is referring to a time in Hughes’ life while attending school, when a teacher literally said “ // Go home and write/ a page tonight. / And let that page come out of you—/Then, it will be true.” // The proceeding poem is exactly that—Hughes’ thoughts and feelings about himself during while being twenty-two years old. In the second stanza, he is discussing where he physically is during this time, which is in Harlem. The third stanza provides insight to his thoughts as he questions who he is as a person, while at the same time, telling the reader who he thinks he is by saying, “ // Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. / I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.” // In this stanza, he also goes on to say, “ // I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT like/ the same things other folks like who are other races. / So will my page be colored that I write?” // These lines are meant to be sarcastic, because he does in fact enjoy things that other people of other races like, possibly including his teacher. But because he is black, it is different, which is why he questions if his page will be “colored” as well, which mean he wants to know if his teacher will look at it differently like she looks at him. The fourth stanza reflects upon the fact that even though Hughes is colored and his teacher is white, they are both still American, and therefore part of each other. This is evident when Hughes says, “ // You are white— // / yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. / That's American. “ // And Hughes goes on to say that while he does learn from his instructor, she can learn from him too, even though she is older and white and “ // somewhat more free // ”. // I think that this poem is again indicative of his need for equality and justice. Even though the incident in this poem takes place later in his life, it is obvious that he still feels the effects of being out cast and different, simply because of the color of his skin.
 * ANALYSIS**

**Cross** // media type="youtube" key="6YfF721GRpk" width="257" height="222" align="left"My old man’s a white old man // // And my old mother’s black. // // If ever I cursed my white old man // // I take my curses back. // // If ever I cursed my black old mother // // And wished she were in hell, // // I’m sorry for that evil wish // // And now I wish her well // // My old man died in a fine big house. // // My ma died in a shack. // // I wonder where I’m going to die, // // Being neither white nor black? // ANALYSIS  This poem, “Cross” is an interesting poem of Hughes’. While this one in particular is not autobiographical (his father was not white), it still provides an insight as to the mindset of Langston Hughes, and what was important to him. The overall tone of this poem is one of curiosity and but also has an apologetic nature to it. This poem is about a man who has grown up angry with both his black mother and white father. The narrator talks about how he wished bad things upon both of his parents, but takes those harmful wishes back. His curiosity plays a part when discussing how they died, seeing as the narrator says, “ // My old man died in a fine big house./ My ma died in a shack,” // because “ // Being neither white nor black” // he wonders where he is going to die, and what his fate will be. ** “Cross” is a poem consisting of only one stanza, which causes it to appear as a single thought of the narrator’s. It is a simple poem, with easy to understand language. I think this is due to the fact that it’s a simple curiosity of the narrator about what his future holds for him, especially because he is not just white nor black where his future would take two very distinct but different paths, but because he is mixed. I think the fact that he felt neglected and “cross” with his father and his mother in the poem could be reflective upon Hughes’ own relationship with his parents, seeing as his parents divorced and moved away when he was younger. This poem also shows a mature narrator, as his anger turns toward apology when he takes back those negative words he has said about each of them, because they were in fact, still his parents.

// Way Down South in Dixie media type="youtube" key="qJhnWgs5Okc" width="329" height="277" align="left" // // (Break the heart of me) // // They hung my black young lover // // To a cross roads tree. // // Way Down South in Dixie //// (Bruised body high in air) //// I asked the white Lord Jesus //// What was the use of prayer. //
 * //Song for a Black Girl//**

// Way Down South in Dixie (Break the heart of me) Love is a naked shadow On a gnarled and naked tree. //.

“Song for a Black Girl” is a short, yet touching poem of Hughes’. This poem is about a girl whose lover is hanged and taken away from her, leaving her heart broken and questioning her faith in God. The first stanza explains the premise of the poem by saying, “// They hung my black young lover/ To a cross roads tree.” // The cross roads tree can be symbolic of the cross roads that the narrator may be feeling at that time in her life, because she does not know what to do now that her lover is gone. The second stanza takes a somewhat graphic approach, when the narrator says, “ // (Bruised body high in air)” //, but this line is meant to give the reader a mental image of the scene in which this boy is beaten and hanged in the air. Upon seeing this, the narrator questions her faith in “ // the white Lord Jesus” // showing that she distinguished the Lord by saying that he is white. I feel like Hughes does this to prove a point, in saying that if any kind of Lord were to exist, he would not let a little boy get hanged. This scene causes the narrator to question his faith and say, “ // What was the use of prayer.” // The last stanza leaves the reader with a feeling of emptiness and solitude when the narrator says, “ // (Break the heart of me)/ Love is a naked shadow/ On a gnarled and naked tree.” // This line reiterates the fact that his heart is broken and that his “ // Love // ” is a now reduced to the naked shadow her body casts upon the tree. The word “gnarled” is added in order to add contrast to the image of the girl’s naked and beaten body hanging in the tree.
 * ANALYSIS**

I find this poem to be interesting, because in Hughes’ real life, he does not have any special love interests, and was assumed to be homosexual. And in reading this poem, if the title was not present, this poem could have been about two male lovers; seeing as throughout the poem, there are no more identifying features distinguishing the person being hanged as a girl. I think this poem does emphasize heartbreak for all though, at such a cruel and disturbing scene of a young girl being hanged, and it emphasizes the this occurs “ // Way Down South in Dixie” // which is also a line from a popular “minstrel song” composed by Daniel D. Emmett, which is contradictory in itself.