Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes

By: Carmen Peterson

Period 5, 5-20-09

Table of Content

Slide 1 Cover

Slide 2 Table of contents

Slide 3 I, Too, Sing American

Slide 4 Mother to Son

Slide 5 Dream Deferred

Slide 6 Quiet Girl

Slide 7 Still Here

Slide 8 Biography

Slide 9 Work sited

Slide 10 Glossary

Slide 11 Interpretations and Opinion

I, Too, Sing American

• I am the darker brother.They send me to eat in the kitchenWhen company comes,But I laugh,And eat well,And grow strong.

Tomorrow,I'll be at the tableWhen company comes.Nobody'll dareSay to me,"Eat in the kitchen,"Then.

Besides, They'll see how beautiful I amAnd be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

Mother to Son

• Well, son, I'll tell you:Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.It's had tacks in it,And splinters,And boards torn up,And places with no carpet on the floor—Bare.But all the timeI'se been a-climbin' on,And reachin' landin's,And turnin' corners,And sometimes goin' in the darkWhere there ain't been no light.So, boy, don't you turn back.Don't you set down on the steps.'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.Don't you fall now—For I'se still goin', honey,I'se still climbin',And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Dream Deferred

• What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry upLike a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Quiet girl

• I would liken youTo a night without starsWere it not for your eyes.I would liken youTo a sleep without dreamsWere it not for your songs.

Still Here

• I been scared and battered.My hopes the wind done scattered.Snow has friz me,Sun has baked me,

Looks like between 'em they doneTried to make me

Stop laughin', stop lovin', stop livin'--But I don't care!I'm still here!

Biography

• Born in Joplin, Missouri, James Langston Hughes was the great-great-grandson of Charles Henry Langston (brother of John Mercer Langston, the first Black American to be elected to public office). He attended Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he began writing poetry in the eighth grade. His father would discourage him from pursuing writing as a career, in favor of something 'more practical'. Langston's tuition fees to Columbia University were paid on the grounds that he study engineering.

Biography

• After a while, he dropped out of the degree course, but continued to write poetry. His first published poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, was also one of his most famous, appearing in Brownie's Book. Later, his poems, short plays, essays and short stories would appear in the NAACP publication, Crisis Magazine, in Opportunity Magazine, and others.

Biography

• One of Hughes' most acclaimed essays appeared in the Nation in 1926, entitled "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain". It spoke of Black writers and poets, "who would surrender racial pride in the name of a false integration," where a talented Black writer would prefer to be considered a poet, not a Black poet, which to Hughes meant he subconsciously wanted to write like a white poet. Hughes argued, "no great poet has ever been afraid of being himself."

Biography

• "We younger Negro artists now intend to express our individual dark- skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they aren't, it doesn't matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too... If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, as strong as we know how and we stand on the top of the mountain, free within ourselves."

Biography

• Hughes' travels ranged to such diverse locations as Senegal, Nigeria, the Cameroons, the Belgian Congo, Angola, and Guinea in Africa; to Italy, France, Russia and Spain. Whether abroad, or at home in the US, Hughes loved to sit in the clubs listening to blues, jazz and writing poetry. A 'new rhythm' emerged in his writing, as evidenced by his collection of poems, "The Weary Blues". Returning to live in Harlem in 1924 -during a period often referred to as the 'Harlem Renaissance'- his work was frequently published and he wrote prolifically. Moving to Washington D.C., in 1925, his time spent in blues and jazz clubs increased even further.

Work Sited

• I got all my poems from “Famous Poems and Poets.com

Glossary

• Acclaimed-public acknowledgment or admiration for an achievement

• Prolifically-causing abundant growth, generation, or reproduction

• Subconsciously-existing in the mind but not immediately available to consciousness

• Diverse-being not of the same kind

Interpretation and Opinions • I, Too, Sing America is basically about the struggle of a

working minority, a black man, suffering the hardship of unfair labor. In the poem, Hughes states " I am the darker brother," although his skin is darker, nonetheless, he's a brother, a part of society, he's America. Then he goes on to say that when company arrives, he's sent to the kitchen. "But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong." This sort of positive, humorous yet ironic tone foreshadows hope and determination, later on in the poem. The second stanza, symbolizes growth. The first stanza being the present and the second stanza being the future. Then in the last stanza he states "They'll see how beautiful I am," yes, just like the song, America the Beautiful. Then next line says " And be ashamed--" They will be ashamed for bringing down America the Beautiful, America, the black man, the worker...America.

Interpretation and Opinions

• What the mother in the poem tries to tell her son is that there will be many rough roads that he has to go by in his life but she hopes that he will not give and complete it like his mother. Even though there were many difficulties in her life but she always tried to go on. She must have had tried her best and some time in her life she did stop and rest with "reachin' landin's" and go to different direction "turnin' corners" and didn't know where she was at and what she had to do in a bad situation with "sometimes goin' in the dark" , " where there ain't been no light" .

Afterward

• The interpretation to Dream deferred is that dreams are the minds way of sorting through all of our mental baggage of the day. There are many ways in which to interpret a dream, but it is really how we ultimately decide the meaning that makes all the difference. I like that poem. I think that the best dreams are kept until we truly need them the most. Wouldn't it be crazy if it exploded? My opinion on Langston Hughes quiet girl is that I can relate to this because I am a quiet girl.When I wake up I can not remember my dreams so it’s like a sleep without dreams.

Afterward

• This is a beautiful. It has so much written into it. Even though this man has gone through the battle in Hell he still living his life.The use of dialect in this story makes it a lot better. It shows this mans background.This seems to be the story of a slave. It shows how slaves where. It took a lot to break their confidence. Even though they've gone through a lot they keep there life going. They don't trade laughter in. They don't forget love. All this leading to them keeping their life even if they couldn't have their freedom and living it best they could.Even though this is short it hold power. It shows a lot of feeling and gives me the picture of a black man standing in the fields amongst other blacks leading them in a song just to let everyone know, hey I'm still here.