For the last week of Langston Hughes, I chose a couple of poems that I liked.
50-50 is about a woman that is lonely. A boy told her that if she was smart, she would have him with her all the time. She asked him what she must do to have him as her man. He told her to share her bed. . .and money, too. I really liked the ending of this, because it reminded me of a typical guy. :-P
In Life Is Fine, a man tries to drown himself, but it was so cold that he got out. He was in a sixteen story building and thought about jumping, but it was too high. At the end, he says:
So since I’m still here livin’,
I guess I will live on.
I could’ve died for love-
But for livin’ I was born.
I’ve never thought about commiting suicide because of love, but this poem felt to me like it really had a purpose. Love is no reason to kill yourself, like if some guy turns you down. I really liked the last two lines- like the person had a new life.
In Mother to Son, a woman tells her son that life isn’t easy. Her life wasn’t always best, but she kept climbing the stairs. I wasn’t really sure if she meant just growing up, but EHSS sang a song called Climbing Up the Mountain. She said she was still climbing those stairs. She might be climbing “the stairs of life,” or maybe advancing towards Heaven. I'm not sure what Langston Hughes meant by the stairs, but I think he meant both.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Poetry Concerning the Human Race
I noticed that a lot of Langston Hughes's poetry dealt with the treatment of African Americans and the concern of their freedom. For Week 9, I decided to select a couple of my favorite poems by Langston Hughes and try to explain why I felt they had a lot of meaning behind them.
The first poem that I read was Aunt Sue's Stories. During the summer evenings, Aunt Sue holds a child on her lap and tells him stories that deals with slaves. In the poem, the child is silent and listens to his Aunt because he knows that her stories are real and didn't come from a book; They came from her own life. This reminds me of the debate between book learning and life experience. Langston Hughes says the child was silent because he knew the stories did not come from a book and they came from Aunt Sue's own life. I think this shows Langston Hughes believed that life experience was more important than book learning, and that there are some things that you just can't learn from a book.
The second poem that I looked at was Negro, and it is definitely one of my favorites! I feel there's just a lot of emotion behind this poem. The first and last lines in the poem say that he is a Negro, he is as black as the night. Its like he knows no matter what happens, he always was a Negro and always will be. He says he was a slave for Caesar, and cleaned Washington's boots. He was a worker, building pyramids and making mortar for the Woolworth Building. He was a singer, in Africa and in Georgia. He was a victim, getting his hands cut off in the Congo by the Belgians and still being lynched in Mississippi. Langston Hughes uses himself as a metaphor for the African American race. He shows that African Americans have always been slaves, workers, singers and victims. No matter what happens, he feels that people will look at him as a Negro. I feel that Langston Hughes had a lot of passion and emotion behind this poem.
My People is a short poem, but also holds a lot of meaning. He says that the night (which represents darkness) is beautiful, as are the faces of his people. He says that the stars (which represent brightness) are beautiful, as are the eyes of his people. He says the sun (which represents happiness and fun) is beautiful, as are the souls of his people. He gets his point across that his people have dark beautiful faces, bright beautiful eyes, and colorful souls. They are no different than these things in the sky, but are looked at in completely different ways.
Cross is a poem about a boy that has a white father and an African American mother. He is confused about what he is, since he is not completely white or African American. His father died in a fine big house and his mother died in a shack. This shows that there were many differences in the lives of people that were white and African American, even something like where they would die was completely different.
Flipping through my book of poems by Langston Hughes, I found a poem called Ku Klux. It was the first poem that I read in this book that rhymed. A group of white men took this black man out to the middle of nowhere, and asks him if he believed in the great white race. When the black man said he would believe in anything if they let him go, the white man declared he was sassing him. He hit him and in the head and kicked him while he was lying on the ground. The last lines are “Nigger, Look me in the face- And tell me you believe in the great white race.” I guess I couldn't really find a lot to say about this poem, just that it embarrassed me to be white. Its not like its just a fake story, these things really happened. I admire the courage the African American man had for speaking up to the white man, though.
Merry-Go-Round is about an African American child at a carnival. He asks where he is supposed to sit on a merry-go-round, since white and colored people can’t sit next to each other. He says that there’s a car for colored people on the train, and on the bus, he is put in the back. After reading this, I think about what the colored boy was asking. He probably wasn't aloud on the merry-go-round. All I could think of while I was reading this was that a merry-go-round is a circular shape. The song “Circle of Life” popped in my head and I started singing it:
It’s the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
We’re all members of the human race and we’re all a part of “the Circle of Life.” The colored boy should have been aloud on the merry-go-round, which should have been for both colored and white people. Leave it to me to relate this to the Lion King. J
There’s a line from Theme for English B that I thought I would just through out. This colored man is the only colored man in his class. His instructor told his class told go home and write a page tonight, to let it come out of you and it would be true. He talks about his page being colored since he is colored, then he says:
But it will be
A part of you, instructor.
You are white-
Yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That’s American.
I know last year we talked about what it means to be American. Langston Hughes thought being American meant to be black and white.
The last poem I looked at was Democracy. Langston Hughes says he has as much right as a white man to own land. He’s tired of hearing people say “Let things take their course.” One line I love is “I do not need freedom when I’m dead.” He wants to live in the moment. I believe the end of the poem is amazing:
Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need
I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.
All he wanted before he died was equality.
The first poem that I read was Aunt Sue's Stories. During the summer evenings, Aunt Sue holds a child on her lap and tells him stories that deals with slaves. In the poem, the child is silent and listens to his Aunt because he knows that her stories are real and didn't come from a book; They came from her own life. This reminds me of the debate between book learning and life experience. Langston Hughes says the child was silent because he knew the stories did not come from a book and they came from Aunt Sue's own life. I think this shows Langston Hughes believed that life experience was more important than book learning, and that there are some things that you just can't learn from a book.
The second poem that I looked at was Negro, and it is definitely one of my favorites! I feel there's just a lot of emotion behind this poem. The first and last lines in the poem say that he is a Negro, he is as black as the night. Its like he knows no matter what happens, he always was a Negro and always will be. He says he was a slave for Caesar, and cleaned Washington's boots. He was a worker, building pyramids and making mortar for the Woolworth Building. He was a singer, in Africa and in Georgia. He was a victim, getting his hands cut off in the Congo by the Belgians and still being lynched in Mississippi. Langston Hughes uses himself as a metaphor for the African American race. He shows that African Americans have always been slaves, workers, singers and victims. No matter what happens, he feels that people will look at him as a Negro. I feel that Langston Hughes had a lot of passion and emotion behind this poem.
My People is a short poem, but also holds a lot of meaning. He says that the night (which represents darkness) is beautiful, as are the faces of his people. He says that the stars (which represent brightness) are beautiful, as are the eyes of his people. He says the sun (which represents happiness and fun) is beautiful, as are the souls of his people. He gets his point across that his people have dark beautiful faces, bright beautiful eyes, and colorful souls. They are no different than these things in the sky, but are looked at in completely different ways.
Cross is a poem about a boy that has a white father and an African American mother. He is confused about what he is, since he is not completely white or African American. His father died in a fine big house and his mother died in a shack. This shows that there were many differences in the lives of people that were white and African American, even something like where they would die was completely different.
Flipping through my book of poems by Langston Hughes, I found a poem called Ku Klux. It was the first poem that I read in this book that rhymed. A group of white men took this black man out to the middle of nowhere, and asks him if he believed in the great white race. When the black man said he would believe in anything if they let him go, the white man declared he was sassing him. He hit him and in the head and kicked him while he was lying on the ground. The last lines are “Nigger, Look me in the face- And tell me you believe in the great white race.” I guess I couldn't really find a lot to say about this poem, just that it embarrassed me to be white. Its not like its just a fake story, these things really happened. I admire the courage the African American man had for speaking up to the white man, though.
Merry-Go-Round is about an African American child at a carnival. He asks where he is supposed to sit on a merry-go-round, since white and colored people can’t sit next to each other. He says that there’s a car for colored people on the train, and on the bus, he is put in the back. After reading this, I think about what the colored boy was asking. He probably wasn't aloud on the merry-go-round. All I could think of while I was reading this was that a merry-go-round is a circular shape. The song “Circle of Life” popped in my head and I started singing it:
It’s the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
We’re all members of the human race and we’re all a part of “the Circle of Life.” The colored boy should have been aloud on the merry-go-round, which should have been for both colored and white people. Leave it to me to relate this to the Lion King. J
There’s a line from Theme for English B that I thought I would just through out. This colored man is the only colored man in his class. His instructor told his class told go home and write a page tonight, to let it come out of you and it would be true. He talks about his page being colored since he is colored, then he says:
But it will be
A part of you, instructor.
You are white-
Yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That’s American.
I know last year we talked about what it means to be American. Langston Hughes thought being American meant to be black and white.
The last poem I looked at was Democracy. Langston Hughes says he has as much right as a white man to own land. He’s tired of hearing people say “Let things take their course.” One line I love is “I do not need freedom when I’m dead.” He wants to live in the moment. I believe the end of the poem is amazing:
Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need
I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.
All he wanted before he died was equality.
Friday, August 17, 2007
The Negro Speaks of Rivers and I, too, sing America
My favorite line in The Negro Speaks of Rivers is "I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers". I believe that the rivers are a symbolism of Langston Hughes's heritage. It seems to me that he is talking about his African heritage.
I agree with Angela about the symbolism of the rivers. I think the river in Huckleberry Finn symbolizes a journey, but I also think its symbolizes freedom. It led Jim to freedom after being a slave and it led Huck to freedom from his father.
I really liked I, too, sing America. I like it when he says nobody will dare tell him to eat in the kitchen and they will see how beautiful he is and be ashamed. I believe he is talking about how they'll see how beautiful his soul is and that is what really matters. This shows that Langston Hughes believe that being American did not depend souly upon skin color. It really shows how much he would stand up to support his beliefs.
I agree with Angela about the symbolism of the rivers. I think the river in Huckleberry Finn symbolizes a journey, but I also think its symbolizes freedom. It led Jim to freedom after being a slave and it led Huck to freedom from his father.
I really liked I, too, sing America. I like it when he says nobody will dare tell him to eat in the kitchen and they will see how beautiful he is and be ashamed. I believe he is talking about how they'll see how beautiful his soul is and that is what really matters. This shows that Langston Hughes believe that being American did not depend souly upon skin color. It really shows how much he would stand up to support his beliefs.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Education Today
Education in the older days is shown through Huck's life in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. At the beginning of the book, Huck is going to school and obeying the wishes of the Widow. He also attends Sunday School and learns about religion. As the book continues, Huck doesn't return to school and runs away with Jim. His life experience is what helps him makes his decisions throughout the book.
Governor Baldachi is trying to consolidate the schools in the state of Maine. The purpose of this task it to save money. Several years ago MSAD #48 had trouble passing the budget. Many people wanted to cut classes, positions and extra curricular activities to save money.
Education is important to our society. Its hard to get a job with only a high school diploma. Many businesses only hire college graduates. Colleges are offering more financial aid and scholarships so more people can attend college.
More classes are being offered. Electives such as foreign languages and music classes are being offered to anyone that wants to take them. During Huck's time, education was only offered to white people. As you can see, education has become extremely important to our society.
Governor Baldachi is trying to consolidate the schools in the state of Maine. The purpose of this task it to save money. Several years ago MSAD #48 had trouble passing the budget. Many people wanted to cut classes, positions and extra curricular activities to save money.
Education is important to our society. Its hard to get a job with only a high school diploma. Many businesses only hire college graduates. Colleges are offering more financial aid and scholarships so more people can attend college.
More classes are being offered. Electives such as foreign languages and music classes are being offered to anyone that wants to take them. During Huck's time, education was only offered to white people. As you can see, education has become extremely important to our society.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Book Learning Vs. Life Experience
The debate between book learning and life experience is played out throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck talks about the education that the Widow Douglas wanted for him. It was not only regular school, but Sunday School, also. He talks about the Widow reading her Bible to him after supper. Books were very important to them. Books could teach them about history, religion, cooking, etc. Tom Sawyer read books that were about gangs and he used ideas from the books he read throughout the novel.
Life experience also played an important part in Huck’s adventures. Some of these adventures include escaping from his father and making it look like he had been murdered and sailing down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave. Huck had been with Jim a long time when the King sold Jim, but Huck’s conscience told him to save Jim. The books said that white people were of higher class than black people, but because of Huck’s life experienced he tried to save Jim.
Miss Watson and her sister both thought learning from books was more important than life experience. Miss Watson would keep telling Huck to behave. The Widow Douglas read her Bible to Huck every night. Huck’s father was the exact opposite. He didn’t want Huck to go back to school. He thought that if Huck had an education, he would think he was better than him. I believe Mark Twain felt that life experience was more important than book learning. His view can be seen through the two main characters Huck and Jim. Huck stopped going to school and Jim never had an education, but Huck and Jim both became free.
I think that life experience is more important than learning things from a book. Sure, books can help teach you things but they are nothing compared to a real hands-on experience. I’ve learned things from books, but I’ve learned a lot more from my experiences and other people. For example, I baby-sit a lot. I’ve learned a lot through the years while I was baby-sitting, and I’m pretty sure a book would not be able to teach me everything that I know about how to take care of a child.
Life experience also played an important part in Huck’s adventures. Some of these adventures include escaping from his father and making it look like he had been murdered and sailing down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave. Huck had been with Jim a long time when the King sold Jim, but Huck’s conscience told him to save Jim. The books said that white people were of higher class than black people, but because of Huck’s life experienced he tried to save Jim.
Miss Watson and her sister both thought learning from books was more important than life experience. Miss Watson would keep telling Huck to behave. The Widow Douglas read her Bible to Huck every night. Huck’s father was the exact opposite. He didn’t want Huck to go back to school. He thought that if Huck had an education, he would think he was better than him. I believe Mark Twain felt that life experience was more important than book learning. His view can be seen through the two main characters Huck and Jim. Huck stopped going to school and Jim never had an education, but Huck and Jim both became free.
I think that life experience is more important than learning things from a book. Sure, books can help teach you things but they are nothing compared to a real hands-on experience. I’ve learned things from books, but I’ve learned a lot more from my experiences and other people. For example, I baby-sit a lot. I’ve learned a lot through the years while I was baby-sitting, and I’m pretty sure a book would not be able to teach me everything that I know about how to take care of a child.
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