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Brittney Grubb

Professor Hall

English 2100

28 February 2011

Finding Freedom in the Poetry of Langston Hughes

Poets commonly have a specific theme that runs throughout not only through a

series of poems, but through all of their pieces. Langston Hughes specifically directs his

readers’ minds toward tormenting situations that African American faced during the 20th

century, slavery being the most prominent, but also the lack of respect they were shown

through the way many of them were abused and sometimes killed. While bringing light to

such oppression through his pieces, Hughes seeks to offer a sense of hope to the African

Americans to come after him. He does this by using common elements, such as rhyme,

tone, imagery, symbolism, and a particular speaker, to convey a sense of freedom and

hope from the enslaved past that many African Americans find it hard to forget and

escape from in their daily lives. Reaching an audience of any age or racial background,

Hughes calls for social justice in his readers, and relieves them from the stresses and hurt

of being born into a world that chooses to judge people based on their ancestors. This

freedom is achieved directly in his poems Dream Variations, Cross, and I, Too.

Dreaming Variations has an abcb rhyming pattern, which allows for a steady and

mellow flow throughout the entire poem. In doing this, Hughes is suggesting a certain

monotony of every day life that he is experiencing through his waiting for night to come.

“To fling my arms wide- In some place of the sun- To whirl and to dance, Till the white

day is done.” (lines 1-4) This is a dream that he has had long enough for it to be easily
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told, smooth and flowing. Abruptly the pattern is changed, though, right in the middle of

the poem, with the line, “That is my dream!” (line 9) Following this is the same abcb

pattern the reader had become accustomed to previously: the mellow, easing rhythm that

slows everything back down. The brief change of rhythm that Hughes uses in that line

highlights the lack of contentment in life that one faces from being enslaved and

controlled by people whom they should be considered equal too. The line is exclaimed,

though, giving a sense of hopefulness and empowerment, a step towards that day when

the African American race is no longer oppressed, and an assurance that such a day will

come.

The tone of Dreaming Variations is one of serenity and peace. “To fling my arms

wide,” (line 1) and “To whirl and to dance- Till the white day is done,” (line 3-4) as was

quoted earlier, consists of light, flowing words. “Whirling” triggering the imagination

and causing the reader to reflect on times when stress was at its lowest and “to dance”

was the overflow of joy from that point in their life. This structure instills a yearning for

freedom from black stereotypes and mistreatment.

Imagery is used powerfully in Dreaming Variations by the combinations of

words. “Beneath a tall tree,” (line 6) “In the face of the sun,” (line 11) “Night coming

tenderly,” (line 14) all of these create immediate tranquility because of the cultural value

people have associated with nature on purity and rest. This, in turn, brings about a sense

of freedom, as no amount of worry or fear is associated with the darkness mentioned later

in the poem. It, instead, even portrays darkness with rest, with statements such as, “..rest

at cool evening,” (line 5) and “Rest at pale evening...” (line 14) This beauty associated

with nighttime is brought together at the end of the poem in the lines “Night coming
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tenderly- Black like me.” (line 16-17). Here, Hughes connects rest with darkness, and

darkness with his own flesh tone. He personifies the entirety of that day in a way that

relieves the reader from the very thought of their ancestor’s battles or any battles that

they may come to face because of the color of their skin or the skin of their ancestors.

Symbolism is often created in unison with both tone and imagery. In Dreaming

Variations, resting “beneath a tall tree” (line 6) is directly symbolic of just simply being

at ease and at peace with one’s life, in this case the speaker’s, once equal treatment has

been firmly established between races and the speaker can live and prosper as he or she

so desires. Peace, and especially equality, again relate back to the importance of freedom

to this speaker, and the point he or she is trying to make throughout the entire poem.

The speaker can frequently be mysterious to some, and can be associated with a

certain personality and gender immediately without even considering the texts. In the

case of Dream Variations, it seems that there is no specificity as to what gender the

speaker is, nor any form of emphasis of its importance as to which one it is. This, rather,

focuses on race. The last line of the poem is, “Black like me,” (line 17) telling the viewer,

in simplistic terms, that the speaker is an African American. Rather than define the theme

of the poem, it rather reinforces what the other elements have set in stone as the theme,

by explaining why the speaker desires freedom so strongly, and what type of freedom

they may want. With this clue, the reader is able to associate the freedom with a level of

equality, most likely compared to white people, as is hinted at in line 4, “Till the white

day is done,” (line 4) as opposed to some sort of unresolved freedom we may get from a

white speaker: freedom from a bad relationship, or jail, etcetera.

Cross, the second of the three poems, uses those same elements to convey a theme
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of freedom from racial persecution as well. Like Dream Variations, Cross also has an

abcb pattern, but has no break in the pattern throughout the entire poem, unlike

Dreaming Variations. The way this is arranged, each stanza is divided into two parts by

the way it sounds if read out loud. The ab has its own little two line set, and then the cb.

In doing so, the writer has actually created a cause-and-effect like feel to the piece. For

example, the first two lines of the second stanza are, “If ever I cursed my black old

mother- And wished she were in hell,” (line 5-6) both negative, confessional statements.

The next two lines are, “I’m sorry for that evil wish- And now I wish her well,” (line 7-8)

which are confessional of the two previous lines before. The brief pause that this pairing

pattern creates allows for an easily distinguished before and after effect of the way the

author has changed in time. This portrays the theme of regret from past decisions and

negativity through being raised in a mixed-race home, and leads into the confusion that it

is causing the speaker in present day, as the reader discovers later in the text.

The tone of Cross, similarly to Dreaming Variations, seems light-hearted at first

because of all of the apologetic statements, but then comes to an end with “I wonder

where I’m gonna die- Being neither white nor black?” (line 11-12) The tone is thickened

as the speaker actually gives more reasoning behind cursing his mother, wishing “she

were in hell,” (line 6) most evidently because she was black and caused a number of

negative effects on her child’s life, none of which can be drawn directly from the text

except confusion, from the last line. The speaker keeps continually apologizing about his

attitude towards his parents, which sets a sorrowful tone. After being put together with

the other elements, this can be seen as reinforcement for the lack of contentment in

having to live a life of two completely different types of treatment: abuse from those that
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see him as having a black mother, but praise from those who see him as having a white

father.

The only imagery portrayed in Cross is that which is used to distinguish between

the social class of blacks and whites during the time the piece was written. The “white

old man” (line 3) “died in a fine big house” (line 9) and the “black old mother” (line 5)

“died in a shack.” (line 10).This distinction between social classes sets the speaker into a

search for his own identity, to where he himself belongs.

In Cross, the most obvious symbolism is that of the speaker’s parents, who are

from different backgrounds. The father, a white man, symbolizes the wealthy, prosperous

side of the nation, where life is easy and carefree, and treatment is just. His or her mother,

is black, and represents the oppressed and the weary, who must be on constant watch of

themselves and work harder to have the simple pleasures that white people have. Dying is

also symbolic, ironically, of life. The speaker is more than likely less concerned with

exactly where he is going to die, but more so how he or she will be treated until death,

and how they will be treated: as the pure American or the, in this context, unworthy

African American. The very mix that he or she has to live with is producing an identity

crisis that is irresolvable.

The speaker of the poem, Cross, again lacks specificity towards gender, but again

turn towards the importance of what race the speaker is. “Being neither white nor black,”

(line 12) the speaker lacks confidence, and grows a sense of confusion and regret towards

his parents not being of the same race. With even further consideration, it seems that he

or she would rather be 100 percent black, even though oppressed, or 100 percent white,

so he or she would at least know who they are.

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The final poem, I, Too, uses some of these same key elements to portray the issue

of discrimination towards African Americans as well. There is absolutely no rhyming

throughout the entire poem, which portrays constant change in time and mood for the

speaker. The tone in this poem is quite absent from sentiment or emotional

acknowledgement of the other characters mentioned. The writer talks about the “darker

brother” (line 1) being sent away “to eat in the kitchen,” (line 2) but still laughing and

enabling himself to “grow strong” (line 6) regardless. This tone sets up a strong sense of

determination. This determination is specifically aimed at the goal of equality in his role

as a black person that is surrounded by people of other races. One day, the writer sees

that this will be a true reality as he says, finally and defiantly, “I, too, am America.” (line

18).

The imagery in I, Too is that of company at a table, surrounding the African

American speaker. It talks about eating “‘in the kitchen,’” (line 13) which eludes to the

hope for the day that no one tells him to behave like or be of the same ancestry of his

white peers anymore.

Symbolism is used lightly yet still effectively in I, Too. As Hughes discusses

himself sitting “at the table,” (line 9) he is actually talking about participating in any kind

of activity around his white peers, and being able to interact with them just as easily and

without judgment as he does with those of the same racial background as him.

“Tomorrow” (line 8) is the day that inequality and discrimination is both illegal and

immoral. He finishes by saying “They’ll see how beautiful I am,” (line 16) to persuade

the reader to believe that one day all races will be seen as rich in heritage and an

important factor to every society that they live in, whether they are a minority and have a
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difficult background or not.

Though each poem has a different way to portray the need for racial awareness,

they all bring light to dark situations experienced by African Americans through the use

of common elements of poetry.

Works Cited

Hughes, Langston. “Cross.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer.
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9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 20l1. 1142. Print.

Hughes, Langston. “Dream Variations.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed.

Michael Meyer. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 20l1. 1141. Print.

Hughes, Langston. “I, Too.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael

Meyer. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 20l1. 1137. Print.

Brittany,

You’ve given these three poems some careful thought. That’s good. And you’ve got a
clear sense of theme, linking together the three poems you’ve chosen. That sets you up
for a strong explication.

As you revise, keep mining the details of these poems, looking more closely at the
particular words and phrases, line by line. I’d like to see you move from quoting and
paraphrasing lines to EXPLAINING their meaning more.

The dreamlike qualities of “Dream Variations,” for example, seem to surface more easily
when read aloud. Notice how the natural rhythms of the lines speed up or slow down to
reflect the natural rhythms of daytime or nighttime. This is the sort of feature a poetry
explication needs to explain.

Reflect on the “dream” in this poem as a description of an idyllic experience without

boundaries or inhibitions. How do vibrant, energetic words like “whirl” (line 3), “dance”
(3), and “fling” (10) suggest the speaker’s desire to transcend conventional restrictions?
Now connect this abstract dream of freedom with the social and political climate of the
1920s, in which African Americans could not generally enjoy uninhibited freedom. Over
all, how does this dream motif reflect the black experience in America?

Consider, too, the way in which active images and words, such as “To fling my arms
wide” (1) and “To whirl and to dance” (3) are associated with the “white day” (4) while the
calmer, more subdued words, such as “cool” (5), “gently” (7), and “tenderly” (16) are
linked to the nighttime. Compare the speaker’s vision of day and night. How can they be
different and yet both be incorporated into the “dream”?

You might also notice that there are an equal number of lines describing day and night.
Yet the speaker directly identifies with the nighttime: “Dark like me” (8), “Black like me”
(17). How do these details influence your understanding of the speaker? (Why is the day
“white,” while, as you point out, the night “black”?)

And what are we to make of the title? Exactly what are the “variations” Hughes has in
mind?

As for “Cross,” this brief poem, using stark and simple language, deals with the
complicated and often painful issue of biracial identity. There is also the hint of a slave-
master relationship between the speaker’s father and mother, based on the father’s
dying in a “fine big house” (line 9) and the mother dying “in a shack” (10).
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In this poem Hughes suggests some of the implications of miscegenation, including the
emotional stress and insecurity of children born of forced interracial relationships. Think,
too, about how the title of the poem, “Cross,” may be interpreted on several levels.
Possible responses might include the facts that the speaker’s identity is a “cross”
between races, that the cross is a Christian symbol of suffering and persecution, and
that “cross” may refer to the anger the speaker feels toward his or her parents for
making the speaker “neither white nor black” (12). Consider the ways in which these
multiple interpretations of the title add layers of meaning to the poem.

Because the speaker’s parents are both dead, the speaker no longer has anyone to
curse for his or her racial in-betweenness. The speaker must now begin a personal
journey toward some sense of racial identity. Interestingly, the speaker’s preoccupation
seems to be not where to live but where to die. Why? How does the speaker’s insecurity
about where he or she will die add meaning to the issue of acceptance into a society that
devalues biracial people? Is there an element of self-hatred at work in the speaker’s
preoccupation with death?

By contrast, “I, Too” reveals the speaker’s optimism about the future of race relations in
America despite the overwhelming discrimination that he must endure daily. The
speaker’s acknowledgment that “I am the darker brother” (line 2) indicates the
brotherhood between blacks and whites that he feels. In the final line the speaker
asserts, “I, too, am America” (18), demonstrating his unwavering belief in his rightful
national identity and equal standing in society.

As you continue to think about this poem, consider how it incorporates images of racial
injustice yet still manages to suggest a hopeful outlook for the future. Examine the image
of the “darker brother” (2) sent to the kitchen to eat. Segregation was still firmly in place
when this poem was written; how does the image of eating in the kitchen expose the
racial injustices the speaker is forced to endure? You might also examine the reaction of
the speaker to his “banishment” to the kitchen (5–7). What do you think this reaction to
discrimination reveals about the speaker?

What about the attitude of the speaker toward his current situation and toward America?
Is his optimistic vision of the future clouded by his present predicament? The speaker’s
pride and confidence in the future are evident in his declaration that “Tomorrow / I’ll be at
the table / When company comes” (8–10). Think about how this conviction helps him
sustain his vision of a racially unified nation. You might also consider the issue of why
the speaker longs for acceptance in America, a country that has denied him his freedom
for so long.

Keep working on this. Each major element of poetry has its own chapter devoted to it in
your textbook. These are listed on p. 741. In order to better understand the elements
you’ve selected to write about, take some time, before you revise, to study further their
corresponding chapters.

Finally, for your portfolio, consider doing some minimal research to learn what other
scholars have written about the poetry of Langston Hughes, particularly the poems
you’ve chosen here. You might find that incorporating additional ideas of others helps
you to develop your own argument about the meaning of these poems.
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Work on revising this on your own, and then come let’s talk further about how your essay
is developing.

--M. Hall

Grade: 7 of 10 points

Assignment 2

Choose ONE of the following. Write a 5-6-page essay, which demonstrates the rules and
conventions of writing about literature discussed in class. Develop an argument about
the meaning of the texts.

Topic #1:

First, study Chapter 22, “Writing about Poetry: From Inquiry to Final Paper,” p. 790 in
your textbook. Pay particular attention to the “Questions for Responsive Reading and
Writing.” Then study Chapter 34, “A Study of Langston Hughes,” p. 1129. Write an
argument analyzing 3 of Hughes’s poems included in your anthology. Discuss the ways
in which at least 5 of the following elements work to develop and reinforce the poem’s
themes.

To that end, your essay will need to demonstrate that you understand what we mean by
“theme”: “Its idea and the point around which the entire poem revolves, the theme is
ultimately what we respond to--or fail to respond to. All the other elements, in fact, are
typically there to contribute to the theme (1232):

diction and tone irony form

images sound and rhyme speaker

figures of speech rhythm and meter setting and situation

symbols

Keep in mind that it is not sufficient merely to drop these key terms into your paper. To
be effective, your essay must demonstrate that you understand these terms and can
apply them in your explication of the poems.

You are not expected to consult secondary sources, but if you do, you must give credit
for the words and ideas of others, avoiding both misuse of sources and plagiarism. If
you consult a source--any source--then you must cite and document it according to the
conventions of MLA style, including a Works Cited page. If you’re not sure how to
incorporate a source, ask BEFORE you turn in your paper.

Follow the sample MLA papers posted on Moodle as examples.

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