Essay on Langston Hughes in the Beginning There Was Language

In The Beginning, There Was Language A dream is a hope, a wish, and an aspiration. Everyone has dreams about what they want to be when they grow up, how they want to live, whom they want to marry and how their life will turn out. However, not all dreams can come true right away. Many of them are just out of reach and can only be attained by hard work, leadership and determination. The poem A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes is an example of just that, a dream that is just simply out of reach. So what happens to a dream deferred? Deferred, defined by The New American Webster Dictionary, means to put off, delay or postpone something to a later date. Poetry is filled with many different aspects of poetic language just a few of them†¦show more content†¦A raisin can still be of use just not for as many things as a plump grape. The next one compares a dream deferred to a festering sore (4). A sore that never completely heals can grow bad and cause infection in the body. In applying that thought to a dream that cannot be realized, you come up with a dream that has become somewhat of a burden for the owner, like that of a festering sore. If the owner does not attend to and properly care for the sore and it does in fact become infected that could cause more problems for the dream that will not only be deferred but maybe never even realized. The poet just cant seem to realize the dream instead it just sits there like an infection that continually reminds him it is yet to be accomplished. Does a dream deferred, stink like rotten meat (6)? To imagine a dream that is stinking like rotten meat is disgusting. What once was a beautiful, tender filet has wasted away into a piece of stinking rotten meat. The meat is still edible but could probably make one very sick if not be deadly. So to look at the dream as if it is meat, if the dream is not ‘eaten or ‘prepared then it could just sit there and rot over and become of no use to anyone. Later in the poem, the dream in question is thought of as a crusted over syrupy sweet (8). Sweets are always a treat for anyone, but what if a syrupy sweet sits too long? It willShow MoreRelated Langston Hughes: In the beginning there was language Essay1035 Words   |  5 Pages In The Beginning, There Was Language nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A dream is a hope, a wish, and an aspiration. Everyone has dreams about what they want to be when they grow up, how they want to live, whom they want to marry and how their life will turn out. However, not all dreams can come true right away. Many of them are just out of reach and can only be attained by hard work, leadership and determination. The poem â€Å"A Dream Deferred† by Langston Hughes is an example of just that, a dream thatRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s Poem I, Too978 Words   |  4 Pages Langston Hughes America, the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. This is what everyone was told, what the Declaration of Independence states. But, Langston Hughes a black American poet in the Harlem Renaissance period saw the truth. Being an African American in the United States during the early 1900’s was difficult. Many lived a life full of hardships; segregation, prejudice and economic hardships, viewed as second-class citizensRead MoreLangston Hughes The Weary Blues Analysis1256 Words   |  6 PagesOn Langston Hughes’s The Weary Blues Kevin Young, a graduate of Harvard University and one of the winners of the Guggenheim Fellowship, writes the historical perspective of Langston Hughes. He discusses the flowering of the African American literature and culture and how it is actually just the extension of the New Negro movement. From the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes is able to represent â€Å"different things† for â€Å"different men.† The uprising of Hughes’s poems are the result of their hardshipsRead MoreThe Importance of Determination Essay687 Words   |  3 Pagesuntil they successfully overcome the obstacles that stand in their way. â€Å"Mother to Son† by Langston Hughes and â€Å"Still I Rise† by Maya Angelou are two different works written by two different authors yet they both convey the same message. Together, the two authors stress the significance of pushing harder when faced with conflicts rather than simply giving up. Using figurative language and repetition, L angston Hughes and Maya Angelou effectively emphasize this message in both of their poems. In bothRead MoreLangston Hughes Biography1058 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"James Mercer Langston Hughes, known as Langston Hughes was born February 2, 1902 in Missouri, to Carrie Hughes and James Hughes.† Years later his parents separated. Langston’s father moved to Mexico and became very successful, as his for mother, she moved frequently to find better jobs. As a child growing up Langston spent most of his childhood living with his grandmother named Mary Langston in Lawrence, Kansas. Mary Langston was a learned women and a participant in the civil rights Movement. WhenRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance M Langston Hughes1243 Words   |  5 PagesAbby Falasco Mrs. Getz Language Arts 10 Honors 6 April 2016 The Harlem Renaissance Man: Langston Hughes â€Å"I too sing America. I am the darker brother.† (Langston Hughes, â€Å"I, Too,† from Collected Poems, 46). Langston Hughes had many factors throughout his life that influenced his works. He was an artist that had works that crossed over into jazz, blues, and expressed his culture. During the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes shared his African American pride with others through his poetry,Read MoreEssay on Langston Hughes a Harlem Renaissance Man1463 Words   |  6 Pages The beginning of the 20th century many African Americans migrated from the south to the north in what we call today, the Great Migration. Many African Americans found themselves in a district of New York City called Harlem. The area known as Harlem matured into the hideaway of jazz and the blues where the African American artist emerged calling themselves the â€Å"New Negro.† The New Negro was the cornerstone for an era known today as the Harlem Renaissance (Barksdale 23). The Ha rlem Renaissance warrantedRead MoreThe Poetry Of Langston Hughes1001 Words   |  5 Pagesinspiration from their background and past experiences to eloquently formulate their thoughts. Langston Hughes was no exception. Famous for his contribution to the embracement of African American culture in America during the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes began forming his thoughts into poetry early in his life. From growing up in segregated American and his involvement in the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes accounts the celebration of African American culture as well as the fears and struggles, includingRead More i too sing America Essay985 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica†, by Langston Hughes had a significant message in that he desired to voice his expression on the issue of black oppression in America. Langston basic themes focused on the American Dream and the possibilities of hope and advancement were constantly present in his poetry. The tension between the unrealized dream and the realities of the black experience in America provided this insight to the black world. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Langston Hughes undoubtedlyRead MoreEssay on The Poetry of Langston Hughes During the Harlem Renaissance1694 Words   |  7 PagesI. Introduction: The Harlem Renaissance The village of Harlem, New York was originally established by Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1658. It was named after a Dutch city, â€Å"Nieuw Harlem. It sits on a 5.5 square mile area of Manhattan north of 96th Street. The 1830s saw the abandonment of Harlem due to the fact that the farmlands failed to produce. The economic recovery in Harlem began in 1837. It boasted prosperous, fashionable neighborhoods that offered a diverse, rich background provided