...Brandi Charlot March 8, 2015 Introduction to Literature Powerless Colors An Analysis of Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” and Langston Hughes’ “On the Road” Alice Walker stated, “the most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Power is a mental attribute. Many people put boundaries around themselves. These self-imposed boundaries result in anguish, despair, pity, and ultimately a sense of powerlessness. Sometimes these boundaries are not only self-imposed, but society-imposed. The protagonists in Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” and Langston Hughes’ “One the Road both suffer through a state of powerlessness imposed on them by a racial prejudice society. This state of powerlessness provides both a physical and mental effect upon the protagonists. Victor, the protagonist in “The Long Ranger,” is a Native-American man that lives in Seattle, Washington. He lives with his girlfriend (who is a white woman) and drinks frequently. He is unemployed and eventually moves back to his reservation. Sargeant, the protagonist in “On the Road,” is a Black-American man. He is unemployed and looks for salvation at a church. The church refuses his pleas. He acts in rage, and subsequently, he is arrested and jailed. Racism in America has a long-standing tradition from the “March of Tears” to “Bloody Sunday.” Racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics...
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...Langston Hughes's stories deal with and serve as a commentary of conditions befalling African Americans during the Depression Era. As Ostrom explains, "To a great degree, his stories speak for those who are disenfranchised, cheated, abused, or ignored because of race or class." (51) Hughes's stories speak of the downtrodden African-Americans neglected and overlooked by a prejudiced society. The recurring theme of powerlessness leads to violence is exemplified by the actions of Sargeant in "On the Road", old man Oyster in "Gumption", and the robber in "Why, You Reckon?" Hughes's "On the Road" explores what happens when a powerless individual takes action on behalf of his conditions. The short story illustrates the desperation and consequent violent actions of one man's homeless plight on a snowy winter evening. "He stopped and stood on the sidewalk hunched over- hungry, sleepy, and cold- looking up and down." (Hughes 90) Here, Sargeant is without the basic necessities of life- shelter and food. Sargeant, hopeless and starving, wanders the lonesome streets and happens upon a church. However, the reverend of the church denies Sargeant access. Mullen explains further- "And in "On the Road" an unemployed black man, given a quick brush-off by a high-toned preacher, breaks into a church" (81) When the Reverend refuses to house him, Sargeant's desperation and powerlessness leads him to commit a rash action- tear down the church door to a street of on-lookers. Shortly after, Police come...
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...Prof. Sun English 1102 “Mother to Son” Langston Hughes Langston Hughes' moving poem "Mother to Son" empowers not only the son, but also the reader with precious words of wisdom. Through the skillful use of literary devices such as informal language, symbolism, metaphors, repetition, as well as clever use of format, Hughes manages to assemble up the image of a mother lovingly, yet firmly, talking to her son about life. This poem is an advice from a mother to son about life that will be challenging and do not think about giving it up. Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. He published his first poem in 1921. He attended Columbia University, but left after one year to travel. His poetry was later promoted by Vachel Lindsay, and Hughes published his first book in 1926. He went on to write countless works of poetry, prose and plays, as well as a popular column for the Chicago Defender. He died on May 22, 1967. The theme that this poet conveyed in the poem is determination to live without ever thinking giving up although the obstacles are harsh. Besides, it also emphasize regarding the struggle for life that the one will experience but still have the strength to face it day by day. It also shows about affection and as motivation of a mother to son that takes care of his son and gives advice so that the son will somehow be prepared to face the life. The poem consists of four stanzas. In the first stanza, the speaker describes his position. He has...
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...Langston Hughes is an american dream poet. Moreover he wrote realistic poetry about important themes in his culture. It affected society. Langston Hughes was born in February 1, 1902 at Joplin, Missouri and died in May 22, 1967 at New York. His parents, James Hughes and Carrie Langston, divorced as soon after his birth, and his father moved to Mexico. Langston Hughes first built to write poetry when his high school teacher showed him a poet named “Carl Sandburg” and “Walt Whitman”. Them both influenced him in poetry. He graduated in 1920 from high school. Langston Hughes was first known as an important poet during the 1920’s, a period known as the “Harlem Renaissance”. Specially Hughes had a lot of famous works. For instance “I Too” is also known as “I, Too, Sing America, it was titled “Epilogue” it appeared in 1926. It’s written in 5 stanzas. The poem symbolises “Racism”. The poem had a lot to do with Imagery, 1st person point of view, Attitude, also Theme. Hughes wrote “I Too” because of African Americans men slaves during...
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...In Langston Hughes poems we see the use of free verse, open structure, in which Hughes gets his poems across in a more casual manner unlike other poets like Robert Frost whose use of rhythm and structure are present in every line. Hughes style of writing is focused on the way people of his time spoke and he expresses that in every poem where he tells a story in conversational manner. The poems that I chose by Hughes describe the history, the struggle, the future of African Americans with his use of imagery to convey optimism and give hope to the human spirit. Langston Hughes creates not only a poem but a live picture of the history of his people like in the poem “Negro” where he describes himself as “Black like the depths of my Africa” (3). Here he states cultural identity of his people and the pride of being black. One of the most consistent things that we see in Hughes poetry is his use of things that are in motion like: rivers, stairs, and roads to describe things, or people that change. In his poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” the use of rivers is used to describe the passing of time, “I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the / flow of human blood in human veins” (2-3). Hughes word choice in every poem is essential to convey optimism of the human spirit even when he begins to describe the struggles that are faced with, they still have hope. We see this in the poem “Mother to Son” where we see a mother talking to her son and describing her painful life but...
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...Prejudice in Langston Hughes’s, “On the Road” Slavery, in the United States, was formally abandoned in 1865 with the establishment of the Thirteenth Amendment. Still, racial discrimination of African-Americans proved to be prevalent throughout the country, and even in today’s society, continues to be a considerable issue. Langston Hughes’s short story “On the Road” is set in during the Great Depression, an economic meltdown in the United States. Many citizens lives turned into homelessness, starvation and pleading as they were left depending on shelters and the softheartedness of others in order for their survival. The central focus of Hughes’s story is the overwhelming emotional experiences faced by main character, Sargeant regarding racism, especially during the cruel economic circumstances he and thousands of others encountered. The story echoes a message of prejudice like that regularly faced by the African-American’s of Hughes’s generation. In the middle of a winter storm, Sargeant travels shelter to shelter simply to find a warm place to rest for the night only to be sent away repeatedly. He reaches the door of Reverend Dorset’s parsonage and he is no more hopeful that he will be taken in. Hughes captures the struggle of the African-American man in the initial thoughts of the Reverend during this scene in the story, “. . . standing there before him a big black man with snow on his face, a human piece of night with snow on his face — obviously unemployed” (446.) In...
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...Evolution of Langston Hughes Poetry “Life dosent frighten me at all.” -Langston Hughes Fear can be the enemy of creativity if one cannot overcome it. Some of the most well known people like John Milton and William Shakespeare overcame their past fears and learned to turn it into something they could express, like writing. Well-known Poets do not just make up poems as they go in life hoping they make it big. Most poets make poems on how they feel and what their passionate about. Langston Hughes is a great example of a writer who not only overcame his fears, but also learned how to express them through poetry. People who want to study the underlining meaning in Hughes work should first analyze what caused him to write his poems, by researching...
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...artistic and intellectual movement that created a new black cultural identity ("Harlem Renaissance," n.d.). There was an important group that was created during the Harlem Renaissance known as the NAACP. Also, there were important trials such as Sacco and Vanzetti, and the conviction in Scottsboro, Alabama. During the Harlem Renaissance many famous writers such as Paul Dunbar, and Langston Hughes wrote about what african americans experienced during this time. An influential poem written by Paul Dunbar during the Harlem Renaissance is We Wear the Mask, which talks about disguising our feelings. Langston Hughes also wrote influential poems such as I, Too and Song for a Dark Girl . There were many important things that happened during the Harlem Renaissance, including the creation of influential poems by...
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...forgive them is a crucial, aspect of life. In Langston Hughes’ short story, “Thank You Ma’am” he shows the importance of mercy through his two main characters, Roger, a young poverty-stricken boy, and Ms. Luella Bates Washington Jones a large compassionate woman. In the beginning of the literary work, the author wrote that Roger snuck up on Mrs. Jones and attempted to steal her pocketbook, but his mission failed when the wide women simply turned and gave him a kick in his jean’s sitter. However, she later forgives the vulnerable boy’s actions and takes him to her house where Luella would feed and care for him. Although forgiving one another can be extremely tough, “Thank you, Ma’am” demonstrates the practice of forgiving people out of their kindness of your heart, even if they have harmed you. Furthermore, in Langston’s work, he stresses the significance of being compassionate through the protagonist, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. After almost having her pocketbook stolen, she puts herself in Roger’s shoes and feels sympathy for Roger, which...
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...simply steppingstones, but a paved road of figurative language used to construct an image in the mind of the reader, it is to induce an emotion or to create a scenario in the eyes of the reader. In this case of style comparison and the success in the of deliverance of the poem’s meaning, we will look at Ruth Collins "Song of the Factory Worker," Langston Hughes' " Share-Croppers," and David Budbills’ "Old Man Pike." All three of these poems have a commonality. They describe the relationship between life's experience and the extreme toll that is taken by labor, age, gender, and even ethnicity. The Song of the Factory Worker Ruth Collins paints a picture of the role of women and the horrors they face working in a factory. She refers to a "Red brick building with man windows." These women have the feeling that they are being held captive and feel as though there is no escape for them, “Like a vampire" the building will never release them. This poem uses figurative language for the sounds of the factory, such as the "whir of the machinery" and the "click of the tacker." However, the images that seem to stand out the most are “the tired eyes” and most memorably, "the red-haired girl, when the sun sets her hair aflame." The girl seems to be in the prime of her life but is indifferent to life because she is trapped in this red brick building. She will continue her sewing until she becomes "one of the tired eyed ones." Share-Croppers Langston Hughes paints an ugly picture in his poem...
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...these people had a dream, though. Unfortunately when a dream is put off due to the need of a job or something one must have to survive, it just sits there. Langston Hughes describes this in the poem “Harlem [2]”. “Marrakech” and “Harlem [2]” are directly related because “Marrakech” could be the outcome of what would happen if a dream was to be deferred. The essay “Marrakech” opens by describing a funeral in which a corpse is being taken to a shallow burial site and followed by a group flies. There is no real procession when it comes to death in Marrakech; it is merely a part of each day. The city is taken over by sickness as disease spreads like wildfire. The lives of these people are taken with a grain of salt. This sad truth was the reason that Orwell wrote “Marrakech” in the first place. He was trying to open people’s eyes to see that the natives of Marrakech, Morocco were human beings, too. When one of a higher social class saw these people who were living in such terrible conditions, it was not thought that the inhabitants of Marrakech could have had dreams at one point. The question is to where that dream goes once it is put off. “Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?” (lines 2-3) These HP 2 lines relate to the file of old women, shriveled up and aged by the sun, who each carry a load of firewood down the road every day. Like their bodies, the women’s dreams have also become shriveled...
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...Theme for English B The path to wisdom is a winding road that often digresses from a sole reliability on schooling, which allows for individuals to be shaped by a vast array of influences, such as social interactions and cultural environments. In his “Theme for English B,” poet Langston Hughes speaks on the ethnical and cultural differences that appear to divide us, while on the contrary these discrepancies are nominal and all of mankind is interconnected through an inseparable bond. While a racial disparity in the classroom creates a sense of remoteness for Hughes initially, he later finds that as humans there is an inalienable connection between all humans. Although individuals may be disjointed due to skin tone or age, these hindrances should not prevent an exchange of knowledge and an incorporation of others into oneself. Hughes utilizes first person in order to immerse the reader into a personal experience where it is effortless for the reader to become absorbed into the environment that the speaker is portraying. Due to Hughes’ ethnicity he is able to provide a unique point of view, which provides a glimpse into the perspective of a young African-American man as he transitions into university in Harlem. The foundational qualities of the speaker that will influence his angle are established through aspects such as “I am the only colored student in my class” and “I’m what I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you”. The most resounding and physical of the previous remarks...
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...Mark Twain once said “Doing the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” In “Thank You Ma’am” Miss Jones does the right thing even when Roger was going to steal her purse. In “Doing the Right Thing” they did the right thing by paying even when no one was in the store. In “The Road Not Taken” he does the right thing by traveling the road less traveled by. In all of the stories they learned at a young age to do the right thing. After reading the texts “Doing the Right Thing, Thank You Ma'am, and The Road Not Taken,” it is evident that people get their courage to do the right thing from their parents. In “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes Mrs. Jones does the right thing by teaching the boy Roger the right thing. she learned the hard way like the boy which is where her courage came from. In the story Hughes says “the woman was sitting on the daybed after awhile she said I were young like you once and I wanted things I could not get.” This goes with doing the right thing because it shows she was able to...
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...starting a fire in the morning, to giving life advice, to making sacrifices for their children, parents manifest their love in numerous, tangible and intangible ways. These subtle indications of affection are the driving forces behind two poems written with the same theme: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. In the two poems, the authors reveal the different ways in which parents show love for their children through point of view, imagery, and symbolism; however each poem deals with a different method of demonstrating their kindness. The two poems use different points of view to convey their similar messages to the reader. While both use first person point of view, “Mother to Son” is told from...
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...The American Dream is not something that can be defined with possessions or lifestyle. The American Dream is part of a mindset that every single person in the world strives to achieve. However, all people have an individual dream that is their end goal that may manifest in cars, boats, houses, spouses, etc. In literary works throughout history the presence of the dream is displayed through a variety of different topics, ideas, and storylines, but all are based on the mindset of achieving it. The American Dream is a generalized term for every person’s goal in life and will not go away until it is reached. It is prominently portrayed in various modernist time period novels and poems. The modernist movement was a time of disillusionment, partying, and a desire to get back to the way things were. It was the roaring twenties and the economy was thriving. This time period was one of the most significant in American History and The American Dream was heavily prominent during this time period, shaping the way others view the dream for years to come. The Great Gatsby, a modernist novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald perfectly displays the modernist’s American Dream. Jay Gatsby, the billionaire playboy with everything money could buy was still trying to achieve his American Dream. It wasn’t a house or a car, it was a girl. In the beginning of the novel the main character Nick observes Gatsby out on the dock. “I could have sworn he was trembling...distinguished nothing except a single green light...
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