Langston Hughes was one of the greatest poets that ever lived. He had a unique way of writing his poetry, and his diction varied from poem to poem. His poems ranged from short and sweet, too more detailed and in depth. After reading some of his poetry I find you are able to understand what he wants you to understand very easily. This is one of the factors why I enjoyed his poetry so much. Even though some of his poems were only a few lines, they portray much meaning and emotion. It seems to me that Langston Hughes after one thing in most of his writings, equality. After reading his poems from the handout I can see where he is coming from.
He grew up in a time where people practiced segregation and prejudice. Furthermore growing in the streets of Harlem didnt help much either. The city was the center for most of the racial and ethnic problems took place. You can tell that some of it reflects in his writings. It is easy to tell that Langston Hughes was a dreamer. He dreamed of equality, he dreamed of peace, and most of all he dreamed of change. Change of times, people, and attitudes.
In his poem Dreams I felt a strong sense of emotion. Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die Life is like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. That is such a powerful stanza, never let go of your dreams or your feelings, because when they are gone your life is not worth living. This simile shows how much he cherished life, and how important it was to follow your beliefs. Dream Deferred also stressed how important dreams were and to never let them vanish. He is trying to say if you have a dream dont lose it because you might think no one else believes in it.
The Essay on Writing Life
Writing Life The book we had to read by Annie Dillard, The Writing Life, talks about a woman who has gone though various times in her life when she would be inspired by something, and she would write it down. This book wasn’t really appealing to me. I thought that Annie was going to explain how she went about writing, and what were her struggles. Instead, she starts out telling the read how to ...
Hold on to it even tighter, because that is what makes it yours. He is indicating a sense of free will, which is a major part of equality. Throughout the poem you find many similes describing a deferred dream. All of them are gross and morbid. The worst possible outcome came in the last line, Or does it explode? Dont let your dreams or feelings reach this point. The Dream Keeper also stressed how important dreams are. Bring all of your thoughts and dreams to him for save keeping, because down here on earth there is too much violence and prejudice. Away from the too rough fingers of the world.
Its too violent here and many people are in search of the wrong things in life. You need to be happy with whom you are and love others for that same reason. All of his poems served as a great resource in his time, and to present day. Without his poetry many people would not have realized what is going on in this country and around the world. His poems spoke for the feelings of thousands of inner city people who were in hunt for equality themselves. Langston Hughes helped this society little by little with every poem he wrote.
It is easy to tell that Langston served as a role model to many people and future writers. Without people like him this country would not be where it is today.
