Langston

Hughes
(1902-1967)

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life Paul Nguyen

is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” Kaitlyn Huynh
Vickey ho
Langston Hughes Logo
 Langston Hughes
20 East 127th New York City, New York (Harlem) ｜D.O.B.: February 1, 1902｜714-123-4567

An American poet, novelist, and playwright whose African-American themes made him a primary contributor to the
Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. He told stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture.

Poems: Education:
● As I Grew Older (1925) - About the American Columbia University (1921-1922)
dream of equality, rights and opportunities which Lincoln University (1926-1929)
was dreamed by all Americans but denied to African
Americans. Awards and Achievements:
● Dreams (1932) - About the importance of dreams ● Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
and what one’s life would be without them. ● Spingarn Medal
● Let America Be America Again (1936) - About how ● Quill Award for Poetry
racism, greed, and materialism plunged millions into ● Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts
darkness and ruined the American dream.
 Metaphorical Comparisons
1. Animal - Mockingjay- Hughes was a social activist, working and rebelling towards ending
social inequalities.

2. Music - Jazz- Hughes would closely represent a jazz-genre song because of the jazzy
rhythm to his poems and the inspiration he gets from the Harlem Renaissance.

3. Color - Blue- Hughes represents blue because his poems have a blues-like rhythm as well as
the emotion that is associated within blues.

4. Type of Building - If Hughes were a building, he’d resemble a contemporary because he

writes in an open form of poetry.

5. Word - Determination is the word representing Hughes because his work “Dreams”
reminds us dreams come true eventually with determination.
 Metaphorical Comparisons (cont.)

6. Fragrance - Smoke - Hughes was a frequent smoker as well as a Jazz enthusiast, having
the essence of jazz club nights.

7. Natural Phenomenon - Wind - Hughes carried and shifted the momentum of the Harlem
Renaissance towards success.

8. Day of the Week - Monday - Hughes represented a pure form of determinism, showing
his peers that to succeed meant to keep moving forward to new beginnings.

9. Food - sorghum molasses - Hughes was a man of great celebration and jubilee, always
commemorating the success of African Americans.

10. Geometric shape - pillar - Hughes represents one of the main influential people
supporting the Harlem renaissance.
 Metaphorical Comparisons (cont.)

11. Landscape - Rivers - Hughes represents rivers because of his work “The Negro Speaks of
Rivers”

12. Appliance/Machinery - Catalyst - Being a very influential writer, Hughes urged the Black
population to embrace their identity and the Harlem Renaissance to take off.

13. Article of Clothing - Coat - Hughes is always wearing a coat or holding a coat, having a
professional persona.

14. Season - Summer - The summer represents a time of celebration and peace, Hughes
highlights this season because of his peaceful and optimistic attitude.

15. Literary Character - Jesse B. Semple - Jesse is a poor, harlem man who blames the white
folks for hardships in his life, resembles Hughes in a stereotype turned to advantage.
Dreams (1932)
Hold onto the dreams of your future, the things you hope
Hold fast to dreams for, or the goals you want to achieve.
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
} Metaphor: Hughes compares life without dreams to a
broken-winged bird
● Life will be harsh and difficult without dreams
● Dreams give life purpose and meaning

Hold fast to dreams Anaphora: Repeats first line “Hold fast to dreams”
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
} ● Emphasizes the importance of having dreams

The loss of dreams is compared to living in a cold and

barren field.
● There will be no life and no joy
● Nothing grows since the field is frozen
 Structure, Poetic Devices, SOAPSTONE + Theme
● Free verse poem, two stanzas long
● Symbolism: The broken-winged bird is a physical symbol of the discrimination and
struggles African Americans faced.
● Personification: “For if dreams die”
● Speaker: Langston Hughes
● Occasion: Harlem Renaissance
● Audience: African Americans
● Purpose: To tell others to not give up on their dreams because dreams give life a purpose.
● Subject: Dreams
● Tone: Cautious, sorrowful
● Thematic statement: Dreams maintain faith by providing comfort and hope in a brutal
world.
 I, Too (1926) Tomorrow, In the future, African
Americans will rise
I’ll be at the table

}
Means not only whites are and be one with the
American, but African When company comes. rest of America.
I, too, sing America. } Americans too.
● They are also citizens and
Nobody’ll dare ● They will be
treated equally
should be treated equally. Say to me, ● No segregation
I am the darker brother. “Eat in the kitchen,"
Although
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
} he is
African
Then. Once African
Americans are

}
American, seen as equal,
But I laugh, he is still Besides, everyone will
And eat well, American.
They’ll see how beautiful I am see how
African Americans do not worry beautiful they
And grow strong. about segregation, because they And be ashamed— are and be
know they will grow stronger from it ashamed of
and know that they will be equal Repetition their prejudice
soon, I, too, am America. } of first
line but
towards them.

uses “am”
 Structure, Poetic Devices, SOAPSTONE + Theme
● Free verse poem, 5 stanzas
● Symbolism: “Eating in the kitchen” symbolizes the segregation between African
Americans and white people
● Metaphor: “I am the darker brother” refers to the African American population
● Speaker: Langston Hughes
● Occasion: Harlem Renaissance, Takes place in the kitchen of a white household
● Audience: African Americans, White people that oppress them
● Purpose: To claim African Americans’ rights as an American and to show that the
oppression is making them grow stronger.
● Subject: Oppression of African Americans
● Tone: Patriotic, optimistic
● Thematic statement: By refusing to be affected by the awful pressures of slavery and
segregation, one can grow stronger and move closer to racial equality.
 The Negro Speaks of Rivers (1921)

}
★ Immediately presents the symbol of
I’ve known rivers: rivers, representing history or spirit.
★ Rivers are deeply rooted and belong to
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
the world alone.
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

}
- Includes allusions of Africa, the
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. great natural rivers of the
Continent to show the greatness
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. of the homeland
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. - Gives African American readers
insight into their background and
identity
- Provides a basis for pride in
identity
 }
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln ● Symbolizes America as a new
home to African Americans
went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen it's muddy ● Emphasizes the end of slavery
enabling the ability for African
bosom turn all golden in the sunset. Americans to now flourish
● Muddy Bosom represents
Slavery in the South, turning
golden after the civil war.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

}
● Repetition to re-emphasize
My soul has grown deep like the rivers. the unawakened potential
within all African
Americans
 Structure, Poetic Devices, SOAPSTONE + Theme
● Free Verse poem, 5 stanzas
● Allusion: Including rivers that are located within the African continent such as the
Euphrates and Nile Rivers, projects the unwillingness of blacks in America.
● Hyperbole: “Raised the pyramids” is significant because it shows the power and intellect
African ancestors possessed, fueling Harlem Renaissance ideas.
● Speaker: Langston Hughes
● Occasion: Harlem Renaissance Influence
● Audience: African Americans
● Purpose: To help African Americans understand their roots and potential
● Subject: African American potential and ancestry
● Tone: Sentimental
● Thematic Statement: Remembering one’s history will allow them to understand their
identity and take hold of their potential.
Let America be America Again (1935)
The poem is in a way pleading for
Let America be America again. America to re-establish the idea of

Let it be the dream it used to be.

Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
} the “American Dream”.
● Alternating rhyme,
repetition, alliteration
● Call to action for the the old,
accepting America to be
brought back again

Very important aside, as shown

(America never was America to me.)
} by the usage of parentheses.
● Reveals that to Hughes,
the ideals that America
was supposed to
exemplify never existed.
 Second lyrical quatrain that has similar
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— rhyme scheme as first quatrain.
● Puts emphasis on the American
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
} Dream
● The original vision that
individuals had for America was
that it represented love and
equality.
● Contrasting subjects mentioned:
Hughes quietly expresses Dream and love VS. Connive,
(It never was America to me.)
} his own thoughts, feeling
as if this ideal America
has never existed for
scheme, crush

him.
 *Hughes continually makes use of quatrains
to provide familiarity within the poem.

O, let my land be a land where Liberty ● Speaker believes Lady Liberty and the

Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,

But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
} ●
process of “dressing her up” is all for
show, and is a display of false patriotism.
Despite the speaker’s negative view on
Lady Liberty, the speaker remains
optimistic that equality will never cease
to exist in America.

Rhyming couplet repeats the

(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)
} notion that to the speaker,
freedom and equality have been
difficult to acquire in his time so
far..
 These two lines in particular are in italics, which
may mean that this is the speaker’s inner
Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the
stars?
} dialogue..
● Two questions = turning point in the poem
● The questions reveal a different side to the
speaker’s identify by second guessing the
speaker’s doubts about America.

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,

I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—
And finding only the same old stupid plan
} the speaker.
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
The poem has now incorporated a sextet,
which is representative of another side of
● Speaks as a voice for the oppressed.
● Repetition of “I am” in order to
powerfully relay a monumental
message.
● Speaks for the collective rather than
only himself
 Structure, Poetic Devices, SOAPSTONE + Theme
● Structure: 3 quatrains, 1 sextet; Rhyme scheme consists of abab-(b)-cdcd-(b)-bebe-(bb)
● Poetic Devices
■ Repetition: “I am” in lines 20-24
■ Anaphora: First stanza- “Let America/Let it be/Let it be” to “The land, the plants, the
mines, the rivers” is representative of song lyrics or part of a political speech.
● Speaker: Langston Hughes
● Occasion: Langston Hughes was in the midst of the Great Depression during 1935 on a train ride,
and his situation prompted him to write about a reviving the American spirit.
● Audience: Most likely directed towards those who have been affected during his time by the Great
Depression; served as a message of sympathy for those oppressed,
● Purpose: To remind others of the hardships in hoping and reaching for the American Dream.
● Subject: The difficulty of achieving the American Dream
● Tone: Defeated, hopeless
● Thematic Statement: Under difficult circumstances, human rights such as freedom and inequality
can be almost unattainable.
Harlem (1951)
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up } ● Simile: Compares the original dream as round, full, and fresh,
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
} much like a neglected injury that has festered due to lack of
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
“The dream” refers to the African Americans’ wishes of the right to
live a fulfilling life with equality and opportunity.
} ● Poem begins with a broad question that provokes a lot of
thought in the reader.
Personifies “the dream” as drying up like a raisin.
but since it has been left alone for too long it has shriveled up.
“Sore” represents a sense of pain or a feeling of infection.
● Suggests that unfulfilled dreams eventually become a part of us,
attention.
“Rotten meat” represents a sense of disgust.
} ● A deferred dream will be bothersome if left alone, and
the person will feel a sense of unease until the dream is
addressed and taken care of.
 A dream that is left alone weighs one
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
} down both physically and mentally,
like a “heavy load.”

After all these passive feelings like rotting, feeling pain,

feeling heavy, Hughes emphasizes that eventually the
Or does it } frustration of a dream deferred will break out and hurt
explode? many individuals.
 Structure, Poetic Devices, SOAPSTONE + Theme
● Structure: 11 lined poem; Free verse
● Poetic Devices
○ Simile: Present in the entire poem, usage of similes consecutively for the reader to relate to
the message that Hughes is trying to portray.
● Subject: About a dream that was left alone and unattended and its consequences.
● Occasion: Hughes wrote this in a time where America was extremely racially segregated, slavery
existing.
● Audience: The poem was intended to refer to the oppressed African American community in the
United States, however it can be related to anyone with a dream and may be struggling to reach it.
● Purpose: The purpose of this poem is to explain the reality of dreams—that they may not be as easy
to achieve as they seem but rather usually are left unattended and deferred.
● Speaker: Langston Hughes,
● Tone: Desperate, lyrical, earnest
● Thematic Statement: Although a dream may seem easy to reach, the reality is that they are usually
left neglected due to lack of opportunity to fulfill the dream.
 Note on Commercial Theatre (1940)
You've taken my blues and gone —

}
You sing 'em on Broadway
And you sing 'em in Hollywood Bowl,
And you mixed 'em up with symphonies
And you fixed 'em
● Alludes to the hollywood
scene, which at the time was
dominated by a white
population
● Shows segregation of Black
people and stolen culture

So they don't sound like me.

Yep, you done taken my blues and gone. ● Repetition to emphasize the

You also took my spirituals and gone.

You put me in Macbeth and Carmen Jones

} ●
inequality between Black and
white people
Alludes to Macbeth because
it involves European people
And all kinds of Swing Mikados

And in everything but what's about

me —

But someday somebody'll

● A call for help, as well as
Stand up and talk about me,

And write about me -

Black and beautiful —

} ●
investing hope into the future
Shows realism through
significant individualistic
thought from Hughes

And sing about me,

And put on plays about me!

● Hughes uses absolutely no

}
I reckon it'll be rhythm in this poem
● Exemplifies the theme of
Me myself! roots vs. novelty

Yes, it'll be me.

 Structure, Poetic Devices, SOAPSTONE + Theme
● Free Verse, 2 stanzas
● Repetition: Signifies the theme of Roots vs. Novelty, Hughes is visibly upset with his
identity becoming tampered with by his oppressor.
● Allusions: Allusions to Macbeth, Carmen Jones, and Swing Mikados signify major White
literature and culture, which introduces the theme of independence vs. dependence
● Speaker: Langston Hughes
● Occasion: White people attempting to fuse their culture with African American culture
● Audience: African Americans, White people who attempt to culture appropriate
● Purpose: To keep African American culture in only the sphere of African Americans
● Subject: African American Culture
● Tone: disapproving, direct
● Thematic Statement: Originality contains the most unique factor and retains the highest
form of symbolism and identity.
Dreaming with Langston Hughes
My dark brother, I dream with you
About a free world for us too.
For our lives are birds
That fly freely like our words.
With no broken wings,
We can see what our dreams will bring.
I dream with you…
I dream with you…
We sway and fall asleep
To the tunes of those Weary Blues.

Your poems demands for rights

For all who sings America.
As you fall asleep during the night
I dream with you…
I dream with you…
 Bibliography
Langston Hughes Biography: African-American History: Crossing Boundaries: Kansas Humanities Council,

www.kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Langston Hughes.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,

Inc., 22 Aug. 2017, www.britannica.com/biography/Langston-Hughes.

“Langston Hughes.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes.

“Langston Hughes.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 18 Jan. 2018,

www.biography.com/people/langston-hughes-9346313.

“Marvin Bell.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 15 Mar. 2017, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/langston-

hughes.